He nearly sprang from his seat. “I most certainly do not!”
She waved a hand. “Whatever. It matters very little to me. But I see what you are about.” She wagged her finger at him. “You do not approve of her, yet you intend to use me to influence her.”
“And if I do?” he asked evenly. “What is the harm? Lady Penworthy is widely understood to be the one who wears the breeches in her household. Sir William votes as she advises. It is no secret. One must therefore secure the goodwill of the wife.” He paused. “A goodwill which, alas, I do not possess. But you do.”
“It will not work,” Viola folded her hands on her lap. “She is not a fool. If we suddenly invite her to supper, she will know at once that you mean to use me to manipulate her.”
“I require Sir William’s vote,” Sebastian said quietly. “Without it, the motion will pass, and the Irish administration will lose millions in revenue, funds that would otherwise support poor relief, hospitals, and the reform of public institutions.” He paused. “The asylums among them.”
Silence fell between them, broken only by the rattle of the carriage wheels.
“Oh.”
“I seem to recall you saying you care about those asylums.”
“I do indeed. You are saying that if the motion does not pass, there would be more money available to address the situation there.” She hesitated. “But what of private charities? Have you not received donations as well?”
“We have,” he said. “In fact, only yesterday a tremendous sum arrived from an anonymous donor. Whoever he is, he is unbelievably generous.”
“She,” Viola muttered under her breath.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Nothing. Pray, go on,” Viola said hastily.
“As I was saying,” Sebastian continued, “the donor’s generosity is remarkable, but it does not meet the full expense.”
“Lawks.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Nothing. Go on.” Then she shook her head. “No. Do not go on. Because I see perfectly well where you are leading me. You are attempting to manipulate me into manipulating Josephine, so that she may manipulate her husband, so that you may secure your vote. Have I understood you correctly?”
She could hear the smile in his voice when he replied, “Quite.”
Viola sighed. “There is no need to throw a lavish supper party for that purpose. I can simply try to manipulate her the next time I see her. Which is, in fact, in two days.” They would have another book club meeting regardless of Sir William’s discovery; only now it would be held at Mrs Burney’s house instead of the Penworthy home. Hopefully, Mr Burney did not share Sir William’s dislike towards romance books.
There was a brief pause.
“Would you truly do that?” he asked. “That would be extraordinary. Lady Penworthy bears the nickname the Rock of Gibraltar, for once her mind is made up, nothing will move her. But if you were to sway her…”
“Then you would be eternally grateful to me, and stand in my debt forever and always,” Viola said darkly.
“Then the entire Tory cabinet would be eternally grateful to you,” he replied softly. “But me most of all.”
Viola’s pulse quickened. How very vexing. For she discovered, to her considerable dismay, that his gratitude was precisely what she wanted most of all.
Chapter Fifteen
The streets were terribly congested,and their carriage came to a near standstill near the Strand.
Sebastian lowered the window and leaned out. “It appears there was an accident. It might take a while before we reach home.”
Somehow, Viola did not mind at all. She was enjoying their sparring. In fact, she realised she was enjoying her husband’s company far too much, and despite their differences, he had made her smile more than once that evening. It was as though they were finally growing at ease with one another. The silences no longer felt awkward, and more importantly, she no longer felt the need to present a version of herself that was not truly her. That was a wonderful realisation indeed.
Something had shifted between them. The air grew languid, charged, and her heartbeat was loud in her ears.
Then Sebastian went and ruined it all.
