Mary felt her spirits lift in an unexpected—and unreasonable—manner, and she turned to Beth. “Please. May I? We?”
Beth looked from one to the other, then closed her eyes. “Send for your maid.”
Thursday, 27 April 1826
Hyde Park, London
Half past three in the afternoon
Thad retrieved histop hat from the butler and waited for Lady Mary’s maid to join them, carrying a shawl and parasol for her mistress. As they did, Mary looked up at the top of his head, nodding. “Nice hat.”
“I dared not come here without it.”
“People would talk.”
“Yes, but of all the things said about me among the gossips, I doubt my hat is part of the conversation.”
“Are you that notorious?”
Thad shook his head. “I believe they would find me more hopeless than notorious.”
Lady Mary scowled, but any words were stalled by the arrival of her maid. The three stepped away from the house, heading for Hyde Park. A steady breeze had risen up while Thad had been inside, and Lady Mary looked up at the gathering clouds andclosed the parasol she had opened upon reaching the pavement. She handed it to her maid, a slight woman in her early thirties who trailed behind the two of them, eyes watchful and wary.
When the maid began to protest, Lady Mary shook her head. “Raleigh, I doubt I will become ruddy and freckled from one walk on a cloudy day.”
Kirkstone House, Lady Mary’s home lay only two blocks from the park, and the heels of her kid boots clicked on the pavement as they headed that way, mostly in silence. He was so unused to speaking with women—other than his sisters—that he felt unsure how to even begin a conversation. She too seemed reluctant, glancing up at him a few times, her mouth open as if to speak, but then she closed it again, watching the pavement in front of her feet.
Lady Mary had draped a lovely pale-blue and cream shawl around her shoulders as they left, and as they approached the crossroad near the park, she clutched it a bit tighter over her deep blue day gown.
Inspiration struck. “Are you chilled, my lady?”
She glanced up at him again. “Not really. I am a bit afraid the wind will take off with the shawl. I would hate to have to chase it down.”
“I suspect I would be the one chasing it. My sisters would never forgive me if I allowed a lady to chase her own shawl. They have told me repeatedly that ladies should not run in public.”
She peered up at him. “Why would they say such a thing?”
Thad’s cheeks warmed. “When they were children, I would chase them about the lawns in order to make them squeal and laugh. Then, when they were older, I found myself resoundingly scolded for it.” He looked away from her, suddenly embarrassed by the realization. “I do love to hear children laugh. I like to hear my sisters laugh.”
Lady Mary stumbled, and Thad reached out as if to steady her, only to have Raleigh clear her throat. He pulled his hand back as Lady Mary righted herself. The maid, of course, was entirely correct. He should not touch Lady Mary lest someone see it. After all, no one else knew of their agreement.
“How many sisters do you have?”
Thad jumped at the change of subject. “Three. And two brothers. I was born in the middle of them all, which is why I was usually over—” He broke off and cleared his throat. “Three. Two are out and married. The third is the youngest of the six and will make her debut next year. Is the duke your only brother?”
She nodded, studying one corner of the shawl, as if it had a loose thread. “It is just the two of us. Mother managed to produce an heir and a spare, who unfortunately passed away while still a child. Long before I was born. Apparently, I was... unexpected.”
“So your brother is quite a bit older.”
“Ten years.”
“Significant, but not unheard of. There are fourteen years between my older brother and youngest sister.”
Lady Mary grinned. “Yes, but there are four of you between them.” She hesitated a moment, and her smile faded. “I thought you were the second son.”
Thad grimaced. “I am now. The original ‘spare’—as with your family—passed away too soon, not long after he left Eton and took a commission in the navy.”
“I am sorry.”
