Her friend’s smile dimmed. “What of it?”
“Do you not want to marry for love?” Delphine asked.
Charlotte looked away, but not before Delphine saw a pained look on her face. “Love is of little consequence for me.”
Delphine came to a stop on the path and turned to face her friend. “Where is this coming from?” she asked. “You have always spoken of love as a requirement for marriage.”
“I suppose we all have to grow up at some point,” Charlotte said dejectedly before she continued walking towards the manor.
Remaining rooted in her spot, Delphine wasn’t quite sure what to make of Charlotte’s thoughts on marriage. Her friendhad always encouraged her to marry for love, insisting they both deserved love matches.
What had changed in Charlotte to cause her views to radically shift?
Delphine would drop it… for now. But she could tell her friend was hurting and she refused to do nothing to help her.
Chapter Sixteen
Seated in the study, Bennett gazed into the dancing flames of the crackling fire, a glass of port held loosely in his hand. He was not looking forward to dinner with Mr. Simpkin. He’d found that the man grated on his last nerve and he would be happy to wipe the smug look off his face.
He had little doubt that Mr. Simpkin had forced Delphine into an unwanted marriage. For how could she have ever agreed to marry that man? He was not a man to be trusted, especially since he had abandoned Delphine in the woods to die on her own.
Perhaps he should challenge the interloper to a duel and be done with it.
But that would not solve the problem.
Delphine was still married to that horrible man. But not for long. He would do everything in his power to see it voided by a judge.
Winston stepped into the room and gave him an incredulous look. “You are having port before dinner? Are you a heathen?”
Bennett leaned forward and placed his nearly full glass onto the table. “I thought I would try something different.”
“Did it work?”
“No,” he replied. “I am still miserable.”
Winston gave him an amused look. “Voiding a marriage takes time. Are you going to be miserable the entire process?”
“Most likely.”
“Assuming we are successful, then what?” Winston asked.
Bennett knew precisely what he wanted to do in that situation. “I want to marry Delphine,” he asserted.
Winston grinned. “I assumed as much, but I am glad to hear you say it out loud.”
“Just because I want to marry her doesn’t mean she wants to marry me,” Bennett said. “She is fiercely independent.”
“That she is, but you are just as good as anyone,” Winston hesitated, “except for Mr. Simpkin.”
Bennett chuckled. “That man is awful.”
“I won’t disagree with you there,” Winston said.
A knock came at the door and the tall, broad-shouldered footman stepped into the room. “My lords, might I have a moment of your time?”
Bennett exchanged a look with Winston before replying, “Very well.” He wondered why the newly hired footman that had been standing guard in the entry hall wished to speak to them.
The footman closed the door, ensuring their conversation remained private. “My name is Grady, and I work with Jasper.”
