Jon dug into the plate with gusto. “Seaford, you’re fired.”
Seaford nodded. “Of course, my lord. As you wish.” His valet turned to leave.
“Do you wish to marry?” Jon blurted out between forkfuls of eggs.
Seaford’s head whipped around. “Pardon, my lord?”
“I asked if you wished to marry.” Jon watched his valet’s face turn bright red as Seaford fumbled over his response.
“That’s a complicated question, Lieutenant.”
Whenever Seaford used Jon’s military rank, he knew his former batman had something important to say.
“It really isn’t, Henry. Why do you think it’s complicated?”
Seaford looked uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to the other. It made Jon think that whatever Seaford had to say, he wouldn’t like it. He waited for his valet to explain.
“There is a young woman,” Seaford said.
“Oh? And who is this young woman?”
“She works at a modiste shop in town—Miss Colleen Martinson.”
“I see. Do you wish to court her?”
“My lord, I cannot imagine that you’re interested in this.”
“You’re wrong, Henry. I’m very much interested.”
Seaford nodded. “We’ve been courting for the past year. However, marriage seems out of the question at the moment. I don’t have the funds to buy a house for us. Plus, I cannot imagine how that will work with my duties here.”
“I see. Take the rest of the day for yourself.”
“What?”
“Do I have to fire you a second time today? I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“As you wish, my lord,” Seaford said, leaving the study.
After his valet had left, Jon sat thinking about the sacrifice Seaford had made by coming into his employ, giving up everything he desired to help Jon recover from his war injuries, both physical and emotional. It was time to be more considerate of those who served him, and it started with his valet.
He moved to the bell pull and tugged.
His butler soon came into his study. “You require something, my lord?”
“I want the dower house aired and cleaned immediately.”
“The dower house? Is the countess coming to stay with you?”
Jon shook his head. “No, she is not.”
Without any further questions, the butler nodded. “I’ll see to it, my lord.”
“It’s such a prettyday, don’t you agree, Lord Spenser?” Harriet asked the next day as she walked along the main road in Bath with the handsome lord and her mother.
George nodded. “It is indeed, my lady.”
Harriet noticed three young ladies walking their way, all dressed in the latest fashions and sporting lovely parasols. She hadn’t made any friends yet while in Bath, and she missed talking with someone her own age. Her sister had always beenher number one confidant, and now that Mercy was married, Harriet had no one to confide in.
