“That’s right,” he said. “You are Miss Lavinia. And you caused your uncle a great deal of distress.”
“Uncle,” Helena said with a smile. “I did not know that we were that familiar now.”
“Well,” he said, “I do not know how else to refer to myself. I do not think she understands the rules of the peerage just yet, so having her call me Your Grace probably will not work. And we have to stop her from calling me Pap, to avoid such a situation again.”
“Pap simply means up. Do not ask me how she coined the phrase as it makes no sense to me, but it is what she has been using. She merely wanted you to lift her up.”
He shook his head. “And you could not have explained that to the young ladies?”
“I could have, but they did not seem particularly interested in having me explain anything to them. They seemed to have made their minds up quite firmly. In any case, what were you doing telling them such Banbury tales?”
“Banbury tales,” he said, but his voice came out rather less indignant than he had intended. “I told Banbury tales?”
She dipped her head to one side and slammed her hands on her hips, which made her look rather like a school matron.
“May I remind you that your commanding officer on this apparently treacherous sea voyage was my father? And that I heard in detail the actual events of that day? You were barely even offshore, and the most dangerous thing he encountered that day was the upchucking that took place on deck. From a great number of gentlemen who were not quite sailors. You among them.”
“I did not relieve myself of my breakfast that day, if you must know. I did, however, cling to the deck with some determination, thanks to the high waves.”
“Oh yes, the high waves. The English Channel is so very well known for its tremendous waves that have drowned entire fleets.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I take it you have never heard of the Spanish Armada, swept away in a storm.”
The sound that escaped her was somewhere between a snort and a laugh.
“If you must go hundreds of years into the past to find a fleet that was drowned, you know your tale is weak. Besides, the voyage you speak of took place on a calm day with clear skies. My father was not a seafaring man himself and was prone to queasiness at times, but even he described the journey as something of a pleasant afternoon’s sail. At least until half of his soldiers took ill.”
There was no point in arguing with her. He could tell that now. Captain Hartwell had clearly been very detailed in his descriptions of the afternoon. “Very well,” he said. “If you insist on sticking to the truth so very closely, I shall not repeat the tale in your presence again.”
“Whatever you like,” she said. “I would like to think that my matchmaker is a truthful man.”
“I am. But sometimes the ladies enjoy a tall tale. It was entirely harmless.”
She nodded. “I see. So is this how you spend your time when you are not matchmaking? Trying to charm not one but two ladies at once.”
He took a sharp breath. “I was not trying to charm them anywhere. I was merely having a conversation.”
“I see. Well, we shall not keep you any further then.” She extended her arms to take Lavinia, but the little girl tightened her arms around his neck and held on.
“No,” she said with absolute determination that brooked no argument.
“It seems the little lady wishes to remain with me a while longer,” he said. “You will not pry her from my arms, will you?”
“I suppose not.”
“Very well then. And since you are here, I had a mind to go over a few other gentlemen with you. Shall we walk?”
“If you insist,” she said. “But will they be as tedious as the first two?”
“I should think not. However, I have thought about what you said about your terms, and I agree that we should discuss each gentleman before I set up any further meetings. So I will tell you about them and you will tell me if they sound suitable or not.”
She shrugged as they stepped back onto the path.
“So the first gentleman I have in mind to introduce you to is Lord Wesley Singleton. He is well positioned in society, even though he is only a baron. Adequately well off. A house in St. James, near the park. And an astute businessman.”
“Astute,” she said. “In what sense?”
He didn’t truly know. It was what he had heard at the clubs. However, he wasn’t going to tell her he had been less than thorough in that regard. “Astute as in he has a successful business. He runs a tight ship.”
