The viscount focused his unflinching gaze upon Lewis. “If you are so confident, why do you seek my advice?”
There was a pause. It was but a moment, but it was enough.
“It will be challenging to blend our worlds,” Lewis admitted. “But I am determined to manage it. I had hoped that your experience with Lady Howell, who was herself no part of theton, would give you insights you might share with me. I had thought you might advise me how to proceed to attain success in this venture. I did not expect you to discourage me.”
Howell shook his head. “Ours is too great a friendship for me to withhold hard truths from you. I fear the challenges you will meet will not be as easily overcome as you surmise. We would not want Miss Kinsey’s vivacious nature to suffer. If she were to marry a farmer, she could continue as before. But asyourwife, even though you are a mere gentleman and not titled, she would be expected to maintain the very lifestyle she finds so uncomfortable during her visits here.”
“I think you forget that we may dictate the way we live, as you have. You are highly selective of your visitors and intolerant of arrogance and airs, even in public spaces, ignoring whoever dislikes your stance in this regard. I would choose to do the same.”
A deep sigh answered this bold statement. Lord Howell looked at his friend with downcast eyes. “I wish it were that simple. My position grants me certain privileges with which to counter the loathsome expectations of society. Regardless of what people think of me, they are forced to show respect, at least to my face. And I am not fully at liberty to do as I please, either. There is a minimum of taste and propriety I must uphold. As with you. A barrister cannot do entirely as he wishes. Hisclients want a man who carries himself with dignity. Knowledge of the law must be paired with a solid reputation. And your wife, whether you like it or not, shares in the burden of that responsibility.”
“Are you saying Miss Kinsey is not up to the task?”
“I’m saying it might be hard for her, even if she were willing to try.”
“Should I not give her the opportunity to decide for herself?”
“My dear Bradford, I fear the young woman is as smitten as you are. There is every likelihood that she will sayyesto the idea of marriage simply to be with you. But the reality might be a blow from which neither of you can recover. I should hate to see two of my dear friends made miserable by their pursuit of happiness.”
Lewis tapped his fingers on his knee, his lips pressed together. “You seem to have a rather lower opinion of us than I gave you credit for.”
Howell lowered his lids and shrugged. “I merely speak from experience. I almost threw away my own joy by letting my feelings run away with me. You will remember the course of events, to my shame.”
“Our situation is not the same! You had barely met when you were married. I have known Miss Kinsey for a year. We are no longer strangers to each other. Our weaknesses are already known and have not affected the fondness we share.”
Lord Howell lifted his seat from the table’s edge and resumed his full height, indicating the meeting was at an end. “Look, Bradford, you seem determined to pursue this matter, despite my words of caution. I can only hope that Miss Kinsey shows more sense. Unfortunately, thoughts of romance and marriage are rarely swayed by logic and wisdom. If I cannot persuade a sensible man like you, the artless Miss Kinsey is unlikely to fare any better.”
“So that’s it?” Lewis could not hide his displeasure. “We are to proceed without your blessing?”
Howell stepped forward and patted his friend’s shoulder. “You don’t need my blessing, old chap. You don’t even need the permission of Miss Kinsey’s father, as she is of age. As two adults, you can do as you wish. We will all remain friends whatever imprudent action you might take. But you must promise me this: do not expect her to change once she is your wife. That is the way of madness and the fastest route to misery. Celebrate what you have in whom you have. Then you may yet prove false my concerns about this match. And remain a man of honor in my eyes.”
Lewis cast his gaze to the lushly carpeted floor. “I suppose this is the best you have to offer, little though it is. I had thought your own happy ending would cause you to welcome mine. But I see I was mistaken.”
“Oh, do stop sulking, Bradford. Keep your promise, and there will be cause enough for celebration. Until then, you have heard my reservations. They have been uttered in love and should not be written off just because they are not what you wished to hear. Come, raise yourself from your doldrums and that chair. The ladies will be expecting us. Ellena has been clamoring to eat with company again. She is quite done with the four walls of her room. You shall have the privilege of being our first guest since we became parents. Besides Miss Kinsey, of course.”
“Well, I suppose that is something,” murmured Lewis, not quite ready yet to cast off his earlier disappointment.
“It is more than just something, old boy. Don’t be such a wet blanket.”
Lewis shook himself mentally. His friend was right. He was behaving like a spoiled child. Why he should do so was a mystery, as he had certainly not been a spoiled child in reality. But that sort of thinking would only worsen his mood. He mustdiscard the frustrations of the past and move firmly into the future. A future with Miss Kinsey would be a much brighter affair than the circumstances life had dealt him so far.
The promise of her imminent company cheered him considerably. The thought of a lifetime with her… Well, she must still accept his offer. Despite the viscount’s gloomy summation of their differences, Lewis still wanted her to sayyes. He would not wait long. It was never known how long Miss Kinsey would stay at a time. But he would travel all the way to Trenton Grange if necessary to ask for her hand.
Tonight, they would dine together as friends. A few days hence, they might do so as a betrothed couple. In as little as a month, they could be married. It was all Lewis could do to stop himself from taking the stairs two at a time—just as the vital Miss Kinsey was wont to do—to fall to one knee and beg her to be his. It was only his respect for his host that prevented him from doing so.
Just a few days… Perhaps the longest days of his life. But he would bear them with fortitude. She would sayyes. Shemustsayyes. The wait would be worth it. He could finally slip his fingers through her golden hair and cup her waist with his arm, drawing her closer, closing the distance, until nothing stood between them, and the rest of the world became a distant memory. There was much he wished to leave behind. Miss Kinsey, he was certain, was the means to do so. Her sparkle was a seed that grew in his heart. Together, they would grow ever brighter and happier. Just a few more days…
