“Yes––” I paused and shook my head. “No.” How was I supposed to answer that? My traitorous face heated, and Hattie took pure delight in my discomfort. I huffed. “You aren’t planning to choose a husband based on how he looks in his military uniform, are you?”
“No, but I won’t mind having that information.”
“Don’t let Captain Calder in a uniform sway you. I know he seems quite interesting, and Papa has said nothing but good about him ... ”
“He wouldn’t be the worst man to be swayed by, would he?” Hattie’s hand went to her necklace, her fingers toying with the seed pearls. She was looking forward as we climbed the steps so I couldn’t read her face, but Hattie rarely fidgeted. Was speaking of the Captain making her nervous? “I thought every man here had been handpicked by you and your mother. You don’t dislike him, do you?”
“I don’t know him well enough to dislike him.” That sentence should have been true, even if my actions and thoughts spoke otherwise. “How well do you know him? Truly?”
A corner of Hattie’s mouth lifted and she released her necklace. “As well as one could get to know someone in a few weeks. We were often together and it was a hard time for him. He’d lost his family and was heading into battle. I was very taken by his bravery, and I mourned his loss. I understand his feeling of loss even better now that I have my own family in America. It feels so very far away.”
I didn’t need one more person reciting Captain Calder’s virtues. And I definitely didn’t want to think of him in a way that provoked compassion. The captain had gotten all of the compassion he was ever going to get from me the night I cared for him while he was sick.
“I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about the captain,” I started, unsure of how I was going to ask her to trust my opinion of the man over everyone else's, perhaps even her own. “But ... ” I searched for the right words.
We reached the top of the stairs and she turned to me, placing both of her hands on my shoulders. “But you would rather I didn’t focus only on him?”
I let out a breath. This was Hattie, my closest friend and confidant. If I didn’t want her to fall for Captain Calder, I could simply tell her. “Yes. I know I have no right to ask you anything, but yes. You already know him. Give the other men a chance. It is only fair.”
She smiled, then reined it in, and then smiled again. “Honestly, Evelyn. It’s Lieutenant Brookhouse I’d like to see in uniform. Like I said, I’ve already seen Captain Calder in his, even if you have yet to have that pleasure.”
Relief flooded through me. I grinned at her broadly. “Well then. I suppose I’d better ask Papa about it.”
I started down the corridor, but she tugged me back. I turned to find Hattie smiling brightly with both her dimples bracketing her mouth. How was I supposed to rein Captain Calder in when she looked like this? No wonder he took one look at her and the women of his past melted away. “You never told me your story.” She tipped her head with curiosity.
“My story?”
“Yes. The one that had little to do with horses and pistols. I’ve been dying to know what happened. It’s been much too long since I saw a grin like that on your face.”
“Oh.” My heart sank. A few hours ago I’d been desperate to share the tale of my night with a handsome stranger. It had been a romantic, heady thing—a mystery I’d thought I’d never solve, only to have the answer step into my drawing room and shatter the beauty of it. “It wasn’t as exciting as I’d made it out to be. We got stranded on the way here in a storm and had to spend the night waiting for the roads to dry.”
Hattie laughed. “Why would that put a smile on your face? It should have been miserable.”
“It was.” I hadn’t promised the captain I wouldn’t tell her, and even if I had, my loyalty remained with Hattie, not a man I barely knew. But Hattie's sparkling eyes held me back. Shewould read into my earlier excitement. I had no interest in Captain Calder, even if the stranger who’d been in the croft had interested me very much. Just as I’d told Captain Calder, I would only tell her if it became necessary, and it would only become necessary if I let him get close enough to her to charm her. “The smile was for you, Hattie. I’m so glad we made it safely so I can spend these three weeks together.”
10
EVELYN BLACKWELL
I arrivedin the breakfast room early and made certain to sit next to Hattie while also arranging for Lieutenant Davis to sit on her other side. He might not be as charming as the other two possible suitors Mama had invited, but I liked his quiet steadfastness.
When Captain Calder arrived and found no place next to Hattie, he sat next to me just as he had at dinner. I would have preferred he found a different table altogether, but if I couldn’t completely separate him from Hattie, the least I could do was try to counteract as much of his masculine allure as possible. There were two other army men here for her to choose from if Hattie was looking for the kind of charismatic and commanding personality that came with an officer’s rank.
“Did you get enough liver, Captain Calder?” I asked with a voice so sugary I could have sweetened everyone’s tea with it. “I’ve heard it helps those of weak constitutions.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I wouldn’t say I have a weak constitution.”
I widened my eyes with concern. “But you were recently ill.”
“True,” he said, drawing out the word with reluctance. “Thankfully, that is a rare occurrence.”
“Even still.” I shifted a large slice of liver from my plate to his. “It is better to be cautious, don’t you think? I have an uncle who was healthy all the days of his life and then after one bad fever he no longer had the strength to lift a riding crop.”
Hattie placed a hand on my arm. “You do?” she asked. “Who?”
Blast. Why did I say uncle? Hattie knew all of my close relatives. “Actually, he is a family friend, on Papa’s side. I don’t think you’ve met him.” I turned to Captain Calder. He was eyeing me in a way that made it quite clear he didn’t believe a word I was saying. “He’s been homebound ever since. His poor wife. It wasn’t at all the life she thought she would have when she married him.”
“And you think the antidote to such an existence is—” Captain Calder prodded the thick slab of meat with his fork. “Liver?”
