“All this and more. Why?”
“I knew we should have let him figure it out for himself,” the older lady said, more to herself than to Elizabeth or her ladyship. “But he told me he liked you, and he wanted help courting you. So I gave him this list thinking that while he was doing all those things he would come to realize he loved you.”
Lady Markham glanced at the paper and shook her head. “But how did you discover he does not love you?”
“I wanted to ask him a question. Gibson told me he was in the study. But when I approached the door I heard his lordship tell Geof—Harrington that he was proud of him for having brought me up to scratch.” Elizabeth’s throat started to close again, but she forced herself to go on. “His lordship said it looked like I would make a good hostess, and—and Harrington said I had all the qualifications.”
“Skitter-brained boy.” The dowager scowled.
“I must agree,” Lady Markham said. “He is extraordinarily thick-headed. Much like Markham when I first wed him. Although, he was Harrington at the time.”
“Just like my Henry at the beginning.” The dowager glanced at Elizabeth. “Well, you can’t stay in bed and cry your eyes out. Though, I understand why you are tempted to. What do you intend to do?”
“I—I suppose I shall tell him that I overheard his conversation with his father, and it . . . it . . .” Elizabeth tried to finish the sentence, but could not.
“I can almost assure you that will not work.” Lady Markham patted Elizabeth’s hand. “We shall attempt to think of some course of action for you to take.”
“Do you really think he might love me?” Elizabeth’s hopes had been raised by what her mother and grandmother-in-law had said. If these ladies thought so, he must have some feelings for her.
“It appeared that way to me, but Harrington has never looked for a love match,” Lady Markham said. “He had two close friends who fell violently in love and married the ladies. Within a year both couples were at each other’s throats.”
“Was your marriage a love match?” Elizabeth asked.
“Well”—her ladyship smiled rather wickedly—“not on Markham’s side at first, but he discovered being in love was not such a bad thing after all.”
“Henry fought falling in love tooth and nail, but he finally came around.” The dowager glanced at the door as Vickers entered with the tea tray. “Put that on the night table.”
Lady Markham poured tea, handing it around. “What you do not want is Harrington simply telling you that he loves you.”
“Would he do that?” For the first time Elizabeth was glad she had not confronted him.
“He would,” the dowager said. “Men will always take the easy way out when it comes to feelings. And you are married, so for him there would be no difficulty in lying to you if it made you happy.”
Taking her cup, Elizabeth sipped the tea. She could see it all now. She would tell him what she overheard and, fearing a scene or some other such thing, he’d take her in his arms and convince her she was wrong. Then she would never know how he felt. “No. I would never trust that his feelings matched his words.”
“That young man needs to be made to see how much he needs you in order to admit he loves you.” The dowager tapped her hand in a tattoo on the arm of the chair.
Lady Markham sipped her tea, and the bedchamber was silent for several moments. Then she said, “He was most distraught that your maid would not allow him into the room.”
“Oh, I have no doubt he wants Elizabeth.” The dowager frowned. “And that will help. When it comes to women, men lead with their nether parts.”
Elizabeth glanced first at the dowager and then at her mother-in-law. “That still doesn’t tell me what action I should take.” She let out a breath. “What did you do?”
A slow smile formed on the older lady’s lips. “I led Henry a merry dance. We were in Paris, and I flirted with every Frenchman around, including the king. That last part almost got me into a fix I couldn’t get out of. Henry was so jealous, he finally forbade me from flirting. That’s when I told him that if he didn’t want me there were a lot of gentlemen, including the king, who did.”
Elizabeth’s jaw almost dropped. She could not imagine telling her husband that. Although, based on Geoffrey’s reaction to Lord Littleton, it might work. The only problem was she had never flirted very much.
“That was when he realized I was right.” The dowager smirked. “And it was either admit how he felt, or lose me.”
“I was not quite as daring.” Lady Markham cut a look at her mother-in-law. “I decided to show him what a marriage without love and passion would be like. I was cordial and much cooler to Markham than he wanted me to be. He wracked his brain trying to gain all of my attention. Yet, I was firm. It took him several months, but he finally realized that he loved me.”
“I do not think I could be as bold as you, ma’am,” Elizabeth said to the dowager. She also did not know how long she could be cold to Geoffrey. Yet, she had to do something, and being cold to him was the only option that might work. “What if I were to let him know I am angry”—heartsickwas a better word—“with him, but only drop hints as to the reason?”
Both ladies stared at her for a few moments, then Lady Markham said in a doubtful tone, “It might work.”
“It might at that,” the dowager said. “Although men aren’t quick to understand hints.”
“That is true,” Lady Markham agreed.
