She had spent considerable time preparing that morning, keenly aware that she mustn’t dress so poorly as to draw attention, yet determined to appear as dull as possible to dissuade Lord Kilby.
It seemed to matter little; the Earl of Kenthurst was interested in no one but himself. He had been talking nonstop for nearly ten minutes already. They strolled along the lengthy promenade in Hyde Park, the air around them alive with chatter. It was a fine day—the rhythmic clip-clop of equine hooves resonating alongside ladies and gentlemen strolling leisurely along the gravel path before her.
She could hear the faint crunch of Sarah’s footsteps behind them, wishing they were simply taking a stroll alone together, without the earl to interrupt them.
“My estate has seen a great deal of change of late,” Lord Kilby was saying, his arm supporting Charlotte’s hand as they made their way around the park. “Much of the rear gardens are being updated. They have been rather dilapidated since my father’s time.”
Charlotte nodded, feeling rather guilty that she was not paying closer attention. The man seemed to speak of nothing except money and how he spent it from dawn until dusk.
She wondered what the duke was up to this morning. The sun was shining brightly, and she imagined him sitting in his garden, perhaps with a cup of tea at his hand. She wondered if he thought of her and if the purchase of the books had played on his mind as it had on hers. She was determined to finish one ofthem before she saw him again and had been up until late trying to do just that.
“Have you ever been to Hertfordshire, Lady Wentworth?” Lord Kilby asked eventually. He had on a dark red coat today and wore a smart top hat, but the look was slightly spoiled by a rather ugly waistcoat of mustard yellow. Charlotte could not help comparing him to the duke’s immaculate appearance.
“I have not, my Lord,” she answered quietly. “Is that where your estate is situated?”
“Heavens no. My seat is in Derbyshire, but I have often wondered about purchasing a house in Hertfordshire. Do you enjoy walking and things of that nature? I suppose you have had little cause to go far afield over recent years.”
Charlotte pursed her lips as her hand tightened slightly on his arm.
“I do enjoy walking, my Lord, yes. It has been a pleasant pastime, particularly with the weather we have been having lately.”
No conversation she had had with the duke had been this meaningless. Everything she had discussed with the duke had a purpose or highlighted their shared interests. When Kilby was not speaking of his own endeavours, he would focus on the most mundane of topics.
Charlotte hated speaking of the weather and hoped he found her as much of a bore as she found him.
Eventually, and to Charlotte’s great relief, they had completed their circle of the park, and they made their way back to Lord Kilby’s carriage to return home. Once all three of them were seated, however, the earl continued to enthuse over his estate and how happy he was with the renovations that had taken place.
If he enjoys his estate so much, I am at a loss as to why he spends so much time in the city. Perhaps he will go back to it and not return for the remainder of the season.
“I have been rather furious at the loss of my cook of late,” Kilby continued. “She was the best of women but had grown too old to continue the job. I have been simply unable to find a suitable replacement. You will know yourself how invaluable a good cook can be.”
“Indeed, my Lord, our own—”
“The woman I got in to replace her is subpar to say the least. I shall have to seek out a new situation for her, perhaps at one of my smaller properties where I do not entertain so frequently.”
Charlotte could not understand why that comment caused her to feel uneasy, but it did. She wasn’t sure how wealthy Kilby was, only that he moved in the highest of circles about the ton. It felt as though he had not stopped speaking of the homes he had dotted about all over the country. She was hardly au fait with the business world, but it seemed an excessive number of dwellings for a single man of his age.
However, can he afford it all?She wondered.
As they walked into the entrance hall of their townhouse, Charlotte was just turning to bid Kilby a hasty farewell when her father appeared behind them. It was too quick to be a coincidence and Charlotte rather felt that he had been waiting for them to return.
“Lord Kilby, you will stay for supper, will you not?” her father asked.
“Most assuredly, my Lord, if it would not be inconvenient.”
“Not at all; come and have a glass with me before the event. It would be good to spend some time together.”
Her father’s eyes moved meaningfully to Charlotte, and she had to force herself not to stamp her foot in frustration.How dare he?
Once inside her chambers, Charlotte breathed a long sigh of relief as she leaned against the door. Sarah, who had preceded her into the room, removed her own gloves and turned with a grim expression to face her.
Sarah was always very measured and careful in her general countenance, but Charlotte could tell even she struggled to find any merit in the man.
“He must have spoken of those renovations for half an hour,” Charlotte said despairingly. “Whatever does Papa see in him besides his fortune?”
Sarah swallowed, looking rather awkward, but she shook her head. “I am not sure if I am honest. Lord Kilby seems utterly lacking in any sort of quality that would recommend him. But maybe there are hidden depths to his character. Some men can find promenading a rather nervous experience; perhaps he was simply speaking to fill the silence.”
Charlotte scoffed, removing her gloves as she walked to her closet to find something to wear to dinner.
