“Oh dear,” she said, looking at his plate, “you did not get any.”
“I do not need any. I’d much prefer ham.”
“As would I,” Viola said. “Of course, we have the penchant for ham in common.”
“I expect we probably have a lot in common.”
“I think we must,” Viola said, delighted with where the conversation was going. “Do you like to look at paintings?”
“I adore it,” Lord Baderston said.
“Then I must tell you, I have taken up painting and have had the honor of meeting Mr. Thomas Lawrence.”
“The famous portrait painter?”
“The very one,” Viola said. “He was terribly interested in my work and even asked to see a piece I’d been working on.”
“Gad, that’s remarkable.”
“I did get the feeling that he viewed it as very original,” Viola said. “Now, what are your thoughts onOthello?”
“I find it one of Shakespeare’s better plays,” Lord Baderston said.
“I think so, too. I especially like Desdemona.”
“Poor Desdemona.”
“My sister, Cordelia, does a terrific Desdemona. Do you enjoy poetry, Lord Baderston?”
“Indeed I do,” he said. “Wordsworth is doing some very interesting things these days.”
“Wordsworth,” Viola said with a sigh. “But do you not think he goes on rather long?”
“Long?” Lord Baderston said, knitting his brow. “Well, now that you point it out, I think you might be right about that. Yes, now that I look at it that way, his poems can go on a bit long.”
“Just so,” Viola said, nodding approvingly. “My younger sister, Juliet, writes very charming odes and they are only four lines.”
“I see, yes, just four lines does seem better,” Lord Baderston said.
“What would you say about the idea of loyalty, my lord?” Viola asked, eager to get to the most important point. “Would you not agree that it is a thing that must be demonstrated, rather than just talked about?”
“Demonstrated, yes, that does sound right.”
“It must be proved, is what I have always thought.”
“Proved must always be superior to just talked about. A person might spout off about any number of things, but until they are proved, well…”
“That is precisely it!”
And so they went on happily, comparing all the views they held in common. It was lovely that they liked so many of the same things, but the crucial idea had been settled between them.
He’d flat out said it—he understood that he would have to prove his loyalty to her and he seemed very prepared to do so.
Sitting next to him felt…well, she had a great urge to touch his hand. She had the feeling he would like to touch her hand too. There was a pull between them. It was as if the fates had searched the world over to discover Viola Bennington’s perfect person and here he was, delivered to her.
Certainly, there could be nothing between him and Lady Clara. Certainly, he had never wished to hold that lady’s hand.
Certainly, she hoped.
