“Was Lord Stanstead in love with her?”
“I don’t know.” Kit leaned back in his chair. “He was infatuated, and he had hopes in that direction. They met at Robert and Serena’s wedding last year, yet I never thought she was right for him.”
Mary placed the paper on the table, and met Kit’s gaze. “I wasn’t aware men had thoughts on matters of the heart.”
In that case, she had a great deal to learn. Perhaps now he could make some inroads with his lady. “Stanstead has recently attained the grand age of two and twenty. It’s not time yet for him to marry.”
Her brows rose. “I must agree. It is young for a gentleman. Yet he wished to wed?”
Kit cradled his tea-cup, taking a sip and savoring the taste. “Apparently. He had an unfortunate family life, but his mother remarried last year to a man Stanstead admires greatly. She just gave birth to a baby boy shortly before Serena had her girl, and he wants the same type of life.”
“What do his friends think of him wanting to settle down?”
That was an interesting question. Kit shrugged. “I’m not sure how many of his friends are his age. He appears older than two and twenty and takes all his responsibilities seriously.”
“Hmm,” was all Mary said before burying herself behind the newspaper again.
He quickly demolished two pieces of toast before his food arrived. The floddies looked almost as good on his plate as they had on Mary’s. He eyed hers, just as she glanced over her paper, and she gobbled up the last bites on her plate. Apparently she didn’t like sharing her food any more than she did her reading material. Using his fork, Kit cut a piece of the floddie and tasted. “Heaven.”
“I agree.” She eyed his plate. “Aunt Eunice doesn’t like them at all.”
Based on his memory of yesterday’s chicken, he asked, “What are they made of?”
“Potatoes, eggs, onions, flour, and bacon.”
“You are the only lady of my acquaintance who would know that.” He finished the one and made short work of the other. Perhaps he should request more. Kit wondered what it would be like to feed her.
Mary’s chin rose a bit. “I make it my business—”
“No no.” He held up his hand and chuckled. “Don’t pull caps with me. I admire you greatly for it. My great-grandmother used to know all manner of useful things.”
She picked up her cup and sighed. “My great-grandmother did as well. I do not understand what happened.”
“The same thing that occurred with landowners.” He wanted to sigh himself. “There was a time when the typical gentleman knew much more about husbandry than most do now. Although there is a growing movement to recover the knowledge and find new ways of making estates more productive without harming one’s dependents.”
She stared almost longingly at his plate. “Eat your eggs before they become cold.” Mary refilled her cup. “How do you feel about farming?”
He did as he was told before answering. How pleasant it was to break his fast with her. “I believe one should know as much and more than one’s steward.”
She raised the most eloquent and skeptical brow he’d ever seen.Now how would he explain why he hadn’t been here in years? “I am kept busy going to my father’s estates, and I’ve spent time in Norfolk at Pope’s farm. But you are in the right of it. I should not have neglected Rose Hill.”
She took a piece of fresh toast. “No, you should not have, but at least you are learning what you need to know. Are your family’s properties extensive?”
“In a word, yes. I’ve been told the only reason we hold a mere viscountcy and not an earldom or higher is that my ancestors knew better than to curry too much royal attention. Instead, they concentrated on building up their holdings.”
She studied her cup as she asked, “Does that include recent generations?”
Ah, he’d forgotten she was an heiress and had probably been courted for what she could bring to a marriage rather than for herself. Not an intelligent way to treat a progressive-thinking lady. “No. My parents married for love, and my mother expects me to do the same.”
The corners of her lips curved up as she took a drink. “My parents wanted that for me too. That is one reason I know Papa would never have arranged for me to marry my cousin.”
If that was the case, then why the devil did their grandmothers cook up this untenable scheme? Those two old ladies had some explaining to do. Normally he greatly admired and was very fond of his grandmother, but right now, he could wring her neck.
His stomach still rumbled. “Shall I order more floddies?”
“If you wish. You’re sure to get on Cook’s good side if you do.”
Mary discovered she enjoyed having breakfast with Kit. Unlike her father and brothers, he was not at all grumpy in the morning. For a few moments she thought he’d attempt to take the newspaper, but he hadn’t. That had surprised her. And he was interested in trying new foods. She couldn’t imagine most of the gentlemen she knew doing that so easily. Still, she had not trusted him when he glanced at her plate. He was probably one of those people who thought everyone should share. Harrumph. The twins used to think that as well, and learned better. He might get a fork in his hand if he tried to take any of her food.
