Louisa held her breath. She doubted Bonham was accustomed to such bold scrutiny, nor to being treated as if he was unwelcome. It was the purview of peers to make the people around them uncomfortable, not the other way around.
But he took it with a mild smile and amiable silence, waiting for his introduction.
‘Not a stranger to us,’ Percy said, smiling from Grandfather to the duke and back. ‘May I present Mr Thomas Smith.’ He gestured from one to the other. ‘Tom? My grandfather, Lord Skeffington.’
The duke bowed. ‘My lord.’
Louisa swallowed the hysterical laugh that was threatening to escape. The man at her side wore no disguise, but he was so deep into the character he’d created that she could hardly find him. The bow he’d offered to her grandfather was not the offhandrespect of a man meeting his inferior. It was the subservient gesture of someone who knew that his future rested in the hands of the man he was meeting.
It was received as such and answered with a slight lowering of her grandfather’s head and a dismissive wave of his hand. He had no interest in greeting the interloper before him. The whole interview was a petty annoyance. Louisa could see it radiating from every fibre of his body.
Things had barely begun, but they were already not going well.
‘I was most surprised by Percival’s letter and the enclosed clipping from the newspaper,’ he said, staring at her as if she’d written it herself. It was a good thing she had not entered the room brimming with hope. As she usually did in these interrogations, she could feel any optimism inside her shrivelling like fat on a griddle.
‘I don’t know why,’ Percy replied, sounding faintly amused. ‘It was the news you should have been expecting. The very reason we both went to London for the Season. Lou was supposed to find a husband. Here he is.’
‘Yes,’ the man in the chair said, drawing the word out with a snakelike sibilance. ‘I can see where you would think so, Percival. You always were a bit of a dolt.’
She could not help it. She flinched. Percy remained unmoved. ‘So, you have told me, often enough. But at this late date, you are unlikely to get another heir, so we will all have to make the best of it.’
The man in the chair gave a harumph of disgust.
‘Tell me, Grandfather, if my purpose in London was not to find a husband for my sister, just what was your object in sending us there?’
The old man’s eyes narrowed. ‘I sent you there to find a husband for her and you’ve done a damn poor job of it these last few years.’
Percy took a half step to the side and flourished his hand towards the duke, as if he had conjured him from thin air. ‘I have made up for the deficiency this year. Mr Smith has offered. Louisa has accepted. The matter is settled.’
‘But I did not give you permission to make the final decision,’ her grandfather said, wrinkling his nose. ‘To announce it inThe Timesand trot out some stranger as afait accompli?’ He turned to Thomas, looking him up and down in a way that expressed his severe disappointment.
‘Well, it is too late to do anything about that now, other than to accept my punishment with good grace,’ Percy said with an easy smile. ‘I am sure you will find no fault with the man in question. His prospects are good. His family as well. He is quite devoted to Louisa and she to him. Since the season is now over, we will not see a better match.’
The old man harumphed again. Then, he pointed to Percy and said, ‘Go. I wish to speak to thehappy couplein private.’
‘Very well, sir,’ Percy said. He turned, smiled at her and gave Thomas a hearty clap on the back and a conspiratorial wink. Then, he was out the door, leaving the three of them alone.
This was followed by another long silence, a trick Grandfather often used to make her nervous. If it went on much longer, she was likely to blurt out a confession, just as she always used to. These interviews often ended with her choosing some random sin and hoping that it would be enough to placate him.
But this time would be different. The duke was standing here with her. As Percy had said, Grandfather would want to talk man to man. But he had no idea who he was dealing with. Bonham was not the sort to slink away at the first sign of trouble. Hewould do his best for her. She need do nothing but stand her ground and await the outcome.
She glanced towards the duke. As she’d expected, he showed no sign of cracking under the strain. He’d adopted a posture akin to Percy’s benign indifference. It was clear that Tom Smith was not afraid of a tense silence. He was ready to outwait his opponent, no matter how long it took.
‘Account for yourself,’ Grandfather ordered after almost a minute without speaking.
The duke reached into his pocket and produced a packet of papers. ‘Since we have not met before, and the circumstances of my offer to Louisa might seem sudden, I assumed you would want more than Percy’s assessment of my value. I have brought letters of introduction, testaments to my character and, of course, a letter from my banker. I hope that they will put your mind to rest as to the suitability of the match and the security of Louisa’s future.’ He took a few steps forward and held out the papers.
The old man snatched them, glared and reached into his pocket for spectacles, taking great care to wipe the lenses before scanning the documents. There was another long silence as he did so.
The duke returned to her side, gave her a reassuring smile and clasped his hands behind his back, rocking back on his heels as he waited for the old man to finish reading.
She could read Thomas’s mind. He assumed things were going well. He had decided that the old man was a bit of a curmudgeon, but nothing he couldn’t handle. Since the interview had come so soon after arrival, the matter would be settled by supper and they might be on the road again by tomorrow morning.
She had warned him. Both of them, actually. Percy, at least, should have known better. And here she was, as she’d alwaysknown she would be, watching the approaching storm. If there was such a thing as luck, they might come out of it without Grandfather discovering their trickery. But no matter what, she would take her share of whatever unpleasantness resulted. The duke had done more than enough for her. He should not have to endure the rantings of a churlish old man.
At last, her grandfather set the papers aside and looked up, ignoring her and focusing on the duke. ‘This is all very interesting. Or should I say it would be if any of you had taken the time to present the case to me without proceeding on your own accord.’
‘We had no intention of marrying without your blessing,’ Thomas said with an earnest smile. ‘That is why we came directly to you.’
