Chapter35
A Fledgling Relationship is Discussed
Meanwhile, at the end of the walkway
“Well, that was rather odd,” Barbara said, suddenly halting her climb to the second floor.She carried a hat box in one hand while a reticule dangled from the other.Her attention was directed down the carpeted walkway leading to the rooms they had let.
“What was odd?”Will asked from behind her, his gaze darting about as if he was on alert for a footpad.
“Lady Helen,” she whispered, before resuming the climb until she was beyond the top stair.She stepped aside to allow Will to join her.“She’s gone down the other set of stairs, but I am quite sure I saw her come out of one ofourrooms.”
Encumbered with a number of boxes under his arms, Will rushed ahead of his wife to their room, using an elbow to push down on the door handle.“Do you suppose she was merely waiting for someone to answer the door?”he asked, dropping the boxes on their bed so he could take the hat box from her.
“She was most definitelyina room,” Barbara whispered.
He glanced around.“But not ours?”
She shook her head and poked her head out of the room.“Two doors down.”
“Tom’s room,” Will said.He hurried to stand before the door and knocked.He waited a moment but finally opened it and glanced around.Not seeing anything out of place, he carefully closed the door and rejoined his wife.“Well, she was probably just looking for him,” he said.
Pulling her gloves from her hands, Barbara gave him a curious glance.“I think there’s something going on with those two,” she said, after he had shut the door.
“Going on?”he repeated.
“Surely you’ve noticed.”
Will screwed up his face in a grimace.“Maybe.”
Barbara scoffed and turned to regard him with disbelief.“I thought he liked her.”
“Oh, he does,” Will said.“He loves her.”
She blinked, obviously not expecting such a definitive answer.“You seem terribly sure of his regard,” she accused.
“Well, I’m his uncle, and...”Here he shrugged.“I may have paid witness to something...before we left London,” he stammered.
“Paid witness towhat?”she asked in alarm.
Will held out a hand, intending to lead her to one of the room’s settees.“You’re probably exhausted from our long day.Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll see to having some drinks delivered,” he suggested.
She wasn’t to be deterred, though, one fist going to a hip.“Paid witness towhat?”she repeated, obviously annoyed by his attempt to avoid the conversation.
Inhaling deeply upon realizing she wasn’t to be distracted, he let out the breath in awhoosh.“He kissed her.Or she kissed him.It was dark.Rather difficult to tell who started it, actually.But they were both willing participants, I believe.”
“Where?”
“In the Morganfield gardens.During that ball we attended the night before we left London.”
After a moment, Barbara began tittering, a brilliant smile replacing the look of suspicion she had displayed only the moment before.“Oh, this is interesting,” she murmured, her face displaying a look of awe.She suddenly sobered.“So...why is Tom avoiding her?”
Will winced.“You noticed that, too?”
She scoffed again.“I’m not blind, Will.We’ve both seen him watching her.I’ve seen her watching him.And then, when they look as if they’re actually going to look at one another at the same time?—”
“They both turn red,” Will finished for her.
“Indeed,” she agreed.“So..why does he offer his arm one day and then go out of his way to stay so far away from her the next?”
