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Asquith expected the usual praise, but Scott remained silent.
“Were you close with him?” Scott asked.
“No,” Asquith admitted. “The guardianship came about because of the distant familial connection with Lenora’s mother.”
Scott nodded as if satisfied. “She was the fourth Viscount Asquith’s daughter, no?”
Asquith nodded.
“I admire your commitment,” Scott said.
He did?
Hampton leaned forward and addressed Asquith. “You’ve been spending time with my son of late, haven’t you? He says you are a capital fellow.” Hampton’s grimace suggested a disapproval of the colloquialism. “I might have used different phrasing, but I, too, agree with the general sentiment.”
Asquith raised his glass in a gesture of gratitude, silently thanking Preston as well.
“I had,” Hampton continued, “hoped you might turn the head of my marriage-shy daughter.” Hampton flashed a charming smile, as if to lessen a coming blow. “However, she says you are too horse-mad for her taste.” He chuckled. “As if horse-mad were a crime.”
Scott snorted. “If it were, I suspect I would see you both beneath my bench.” His penetrating gaze shifted toward Asquith. “An expensive endeavor, I am given to understand.”
“True, true,” Hampton replied in his unruffled, jocular fashion. “But money alone is not enough to build successful stables. That takes skill, knowledge, the right help, and the right connections.” He turned to Asquith. “Ride with me? Early tomorrow? I’d like to observe your seat.”
Asquith’s breath slowed. “Again, I’d be honored.”
“Gentlemen,” Hampton declared, setting down his empty glass with a soft clink, “I should rejoin my other guests before my wife notices my absence.”
Asquith looked down into his stemmed bowl, disoriented to find it already emptied.
As he stood, he noticed a heaviness in his hands. He followed Hampton out of the room, slightly dazed, but not just from drink.
Had Hampton just agreed to be his mentor?
If so, had he just inadvertently chosen his horses over Lenora, simply because the Chancellor happened to be present when Hampton made the subtle offer?
His gaze followed Hampton as the earl strode over to a table, placed his hand on the back of his wife’s chair and whispered something into her ear. She, in turn, whispered something back. Hampton’s laughter boomed through the room.
Lady Hampton smiled, and Hampton bent to kiss her cheek.
Asquith’s heart twisted.
When he’d first entered Hampton’s study, he’d been covetous of those race-winning silver cups. But, like his parents, Lord and Lady Hampton shared a longstanding, genuine affection. That was rarer, and more valuable, than prized stables. He wanted to build the same with Lenora.
He hoped he hadn’t just subjected them both to a years-long wait for her majority.
Still standing at Asquith’s side, Scott leaned in. “You may set your mind at ease.”
Asquith’s mouth dried. “Pardon?”
“I am not averse to granting my permission. My own marriage to my dear Bessie happened under—” Scott paused. “—unusual circumstances.”
Yes, Asquith knew. But could the Lord Chancellor truly be granting his permission for a courtship with Lenora? “I’m sorry. I am not sure I understand.”
“I think you do understand.” Scott's eyes held a merry twinkle. “After Bessie saw you two together, I made inquiries. Your estate is sound, but your capital is largely committed to your stud farm, leaving little in the way of ready money. I must admit, that gave me pause. A guardian taking a ward to wife invites scrutiny, and a man who cannot demonstrate ready money invites more.”
Asquith held his breath. This much, he’d already suspected.
“However,” Scott continued, “Hampton's guidance could bring the right combination of knowledge, stock, and clientele to your venture, and that changes the picture considerably.”
