Greydon stepped forward and offered his arm. “Shall we, my lady?” he asked. “My curricle is outside.”
Enid placed the cap down before she placed her hand on his sleeve. “I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.”
“Careful, it almost sounds like you are going to enjoy yourself.”
“That has yet to be decided,” she joked.
Greydon led her from the room and out of the main door that was being held open by Osborne. They stepped outside and he went to assist her onto the bench. Then he came around the curricle and claimed the seat next to her.
As he reached for the reins, he said, “I hope you do not mind my subterfuge, but I secured us a meeting with Lady Eugenie.”
“How did you accomplish such a feat?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I paid off the guards for their discretion.”
“That was ingenious.”
“Not really,” Greydon replied. “I have learned that people will say or do anything for the right amount of money.”
Enid detected a hardness in his voice as he said his words. It hadn’t been there a moment ago. Finding herself curious, she asked, “Who taught you that?”
Greydon’s jaw clenched. “My father,” he replied. “He always threw money at a problem, but he wasn’t wrong. I used to pay off informants all the time as a Bow Street Runner.”
“But paying off informants is very different from what your father did,” Enid argued.
“He did no different than what he thought was best, especially when he felt he had no other options.”
“Everyone has a choice.”
Greydon adjusted the reins in his hand. “I was a troubled youth,” he admitted. “My father sent me to Eton and I was sent home more than I care to admit for fighting. But my father kept sending me back, each time with a generous donation to the school. He didn’t want me home, any more than I wanted to be home.”
“I’m sorry,” Enid said, unsure of what she should say.
“Unfortunately, Phineas made it nearly impossible for me to remain at Eton, considering his reputation with the ladies,” he revealed. “He would sneak out at night and go to the village nearby to meet a young woman. Sometimes he would get caught but, most of the time, no one cared. Or they looked the other way because of who he was.”
Greydon continued. “I vowed then and there that I would never be like my brother.”
“You are nothing like your brother,” Enid assured him.
“I know, but doubt can creep in. Phineas wasn’t always a cad.” He paused. “At least, I hope I speak true.”
Enid shifted on the bench to face him. “Actions define a man, and your daily actions prove that you are honorable.”
“I wish it were simple to believe that.”
“It is,” Enid said. “I have no reason to lie to you.”
Greydon glanced over at her, his eyes sparking with vulnerability. “Will you always tell me the truth, no matter the consequences?” he asked.
How could she deny him something so simple? She wanted honesty between them- always. He deserved that. Frankly, she deserved that, too. And the thought of no secrets between them was something that she desired. “I promise,” she said, hoping her words conveyed her sincerity.
His expression grew solemn. “I do not have very many people that I trust.”
“I understand that feeling all too well.”
“I know you do, which is why I am so comfortable around you,” Greydon said. “You are unlike any other woman that I have ever met.”
Enid decided it was time to lighten the mood since it was growing much too serious for her taste. “You must not have met very many women, then,” she teased.
