She gave him an amused look. “Why is that?”
Charles cleared his throat nervously. “Only because you deserve to be happy.”
Henrietta’s gaze left his as her eyes roamed Hyde Park. “When I was younger, my grandmother commissioned two dolls for me, a boy and a girl. I promptly named them Philip and Jane and carried them everywhere I went.”
She continued. “I adored those dolls, but after a few months, I lost Philip. I was frantic as I searched for him, and it was hours before a footman discovered Philip hidden behind my sister’s bed. My mother spoke to Marjorie and she confessed to taking the doll.”
“Did she state why she did it?”
“She did,” Henrietta replied. “She was jealous because of all the time I spent with my dolls. I felt so bad for her that I offered to give her one of them.”
“That was nice of you.”
“I thought so, but Marjorie refused to accept it.”
“That is odd.”
“My sister has always wanted what she cannot have,” Henrietta shared. “She has it in her mind that she wants to be a countess, and she will do whatever it takes to obtain that goal.”
“Then what?”
Henrietta shrugged. “I suppose she will be miserable with her choice.”
“That is a sad way to live.”
“I would agree, but Marjorie refuses to heed my advice.”
Charles lifted his brow. “You are her younger sister.”
“But I am much wiser,” she joked.
“I don’t contend that.”
Henrietta glanced over at him. “We aren’t very good at playing matchmaker, are we?” she asked.
He chuckled. “Lady Berkshire and her sisters make it look much easier.”
“That they do.”
Charles had a sudden urge to learn all he could about Henrietta. Her natural beauty had drawn him in, but it was her goodness and compassion that beguiled him. She was unlike any other woman of theton. When she laughed, she laughed freely, as if she had never experienced heartache.
“Were you brought up by a governess?” he found himself asking.
“I was,” she replied. “Miss Skeffington was my governess for many years, at least until she quit.”
“Why did she quit?”
A mischievous smile came to her face. “I’m afraid I ran her off.”
“How so?”
“Miss Skeffington was exasperating, with all of her rules and whatnot,” Henrietta shared. “So, I was always looking for new ways to irritate her.”
“That is terrible,” he said. “Did your parents take issue with what you were doing?”
“They would chide me for my behavior, but they did little else,” she replied. “They were far too busy to deal with an errant daughter.”
Charles could hear the pain in Henrietta’s voice. “I am sorry to hear that.”
