“I hope to see it one day.”
Delphine returned his smile. “You will always be welcome in my home,” she said. “You, and your family.”
Bennett leaned forward in his seat, unable to resist being closer to Delphine. “And you will always be welcome in my home.”
“It has been nice to be around your family, especially your parents. It is rather obvious that they love one another,” Delphine said.
“They do,” Bennett agreed, growing pensive. “I fancied myself in love once.” He wasn’t quite sure why he had admitted that so freely.
Delphine cocked her head. “What happened?”
Bennett frowned at the painful memories. “When I first saw Lady Mary at a ball, I thought it was love at first sight, and I immediately set out to make her acquaintance. We danced a set and I was determined to make her my own. It wasn’t long after that I decided I would offer for her.”
He paused, knowing how foolish he must sound to her. “The morning I intended to call upon her, I read an article in the newssheets. It was about how this young woman had been spotted leaving Lord Whitmore’s townhouse.”
Bennett ran a hand through his hair. “I confronted her about it and she admitted that she was with child. Lord Whitmore had no designs to marry her so she hoped to marry me before thetondiscovered her secret.”
“How awful,” Delphine murmured.
“I felt betrayed and confused. I had cared for her, but she had only meant to use me,” Bennett said. “The worst part is that if she had only come to me and explained her plight, I might have still married her.”
Bennett continued. “I felt like a fool and I departed for our country home that very day. I couldn’t stand the thought of being around Lady Mary for one more day.”
Delphine leaned forward in her seat, her eyes full ofcompassion. “She was wrong to take advantage of your kind heart.”
“The funny thing is that I still believe in love,” Bennett admitted. “When I marry, it will be for love. I won’t settle for anything less.”
“As well you should,” Delphine said. “It is no less than you deserve.”
“But not you?” Bennett asked.
Delphine settled back in her seat, her expression giving nothing away. “I have always led myself to believe that love was a weakness. I had been so adamant, but now I find myself questioning that belief.”
Bennett gripped the ends of the oars tighter, resisting the urge to reach for Delphine’s hand. Despite his efforts, he longed to feel her touch.
Elodie’s voice interrupted his musings. “Shall we race?” she asked eagerly.
Turning his head, he saw Elodie and Melody were a short distance away. How did he not notice them approach?
But he already knew the answer.
Delphine.
When he was around her, nothing else seemed to matter. He was starting to reveal far too much of himself to her. But he had no regrets about doing so.
Delphine sat in her bedchamber as she waited for the dinner bell to ring so she could make her way down to the drawing room. Her hair was piled high atop her head and she was dressed in a borrowed jonquil gown.
Until she had met Bennett, she had been content with her life. But now… she was not quite so sure. She had feelings for him, but they were unrequited. Which was fine by her. She had no intention of giving her heart to anyone. She had been doing just fine on her own and couldn’t risk losing all that she had worked so hard to obtain.
So why did her heart seem to beat only for Bennett?
Rising from the settee, she walked over to the window and stared out into the darkness of night. Only fools fell in love, giving the other person power to hurt you, over and over again. For isn’t that what marriage was?
Delphine sighed. Perhaps her view of marriage had been tainted from watching her parents. They seemed to take great pleasure in making the other person miserable. It had almost seemed like a game to them.
And yet, Lord and Lady Dallington were nothing like her parents. The affection they held for one another was evident in every glance, every word and every touch. What would it have been like to be raised by parents that truly had loved one another? Would they have showered her with love?
Maybe, just maybe, that is why she was so drawn to Bennett. He treated her with such kindness that her heart was softening towards him. A heart that she thought was impenetrable. But was love not a weakness? She had always thought so, but now she wasn’t so sure.
