“Autumn, if everything goes to plan,” he said. “Which it probably won’t. But I find it is better to be optimistic and disappointed than pessimistic and miserable.”
“A very sound philosophy,” Albina said.
“I have a few,” he said. He looked at Temperance again, with the comfortable, undemanding attention he always brought to her.
Still, it made her feel nothing.
She thought that he was a very good man and that she was fortunate and that she wished. If only fortunate were enough.
“We would love that,” Albina said.
“Yes,” Temperance said. “Lovely.”
There was silence between them again, and Temperance found herself thinking of the duke once more. How annoying was it that even when she was trying to avoid thinking of him, he still appeared in her thoughts.
“We are having a ball,” she said as a way to distract herself. “At Wilmington. At the end of the season and I wanted to invite you personally.”
“I would be very glad to come,” Elias smiled politely.
“It will be a small occasion,” she said. “Just something to close the season properly.”
“Those are often the best kind,” he said.
“They are,” Albina agreed, and glanced at Temperance briefly with the look she had when she was noting something she was not yet going to say.
They walked on. Elias talked about the concert season and a book he had started and was not yet sure about, and Temperance listened and smiled and contributed where it was natural to contribute, and all of it was pleasant and easy and asked very little of her.
She thought that this was perhaps the most honest thing she could say about the whole arrangement.
It asked very little of her.
They reached the gate. Elias stopped and turned to them both.
“Lady Wilmington,” he said, “it has been a genuine pleasure. Thank you for your company.”
“The pleasure was entirely mine,” Albina said, warmly. “You must come to dinner before the ball. I insist.”
“I would like that very much,” he looked at Temperance then. “Miss Hosmer. I look forward to the ball.”
“As do I,” she said.
He bowed, correctly and without ceremony, and went.
Temperance watched him go and stood for a moment at the gate with the morning around her.
“Shall we go?” she said to her mother, rubbing her arms awkwardly.
“Yes,” Albina could only smile. Temperance knew that she had more to say but was stopping herself.
They were quiet for a while as they walked but Albina broke the silence when they were halfway home.
“He is very kind,” she said. “But you spent the entire morning letting me talk to him. Is it because it was easier than doing it yourself?”
“Oh, nothing of the sort,” Temperance tried to reason but it felt short.
“I noticed,” Albina said. “I want you to know that. What were you thinking about?”
“About Elias, of course,” Temperance replied, “and the ball, and all that is related to it.”
