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“Our conversation at breakfast was cut short.” He turned the book he still carried over in his hands. “This is your home now, and I do not wish for it to be an uncomfortable place for you to be, either. While at one point I did wonder if we would perhaps cross paths again and . . .”—he shook his head subtly—“well, that is in the past. And I am happy James has found a bride that makes him happy. I hope we can forget about any sort of . . .”
He seemed to struggle to find the words to put to the discomfort both of us clearly felt, and I did not know how to fill them in, either. “There was never any sort of expectation between us, Henry, so there is no reason why things must be uncomfortable.”
He let out a quiet breath, appearing relieved. “I am happy to hear you say so. We cannot change the past, but we can determine our future, and I would like to be friends, Felicity.”
“I would like that, too, very much.”
He gave one distinct nod and smiled. “It is wonderful to have you here, really. Neither of my brothers have read a single book since leaving school, and my mother does not have the time for it. I will be glad to have another bookish mind to speak to on occasion.”
With all the newness surrounding me at Chelton, the idea of conversing about books brought immediate comfort. Putting our small past behind us and moving forward was an even greater relief. “That is great news, because I have read Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World three times since you lent it to me last summer and have been eager to discuss it with someone. I obtained the second volume from Hatchards once I learned of its existence.”
“You liked it, then?”
“Oh, very much. The moment Gulliver finds himself in Lilliput, I knew it was going to be an excellent story.”
“Have you read The Mysteries of Udolpho?”
“I have not. My mother was convinced it was not proper.”
He rubbed his chin in thought. “It could be a tad frightening, I suppose. Perhaps it is better not—”
“No, I would like to read it,” I said, reaching forward and resting my hand on his arm. Mama was no longer here to influence my choices, and I was a married woman now. If I wanted to read a gothic novel, that was my choice. “Do you have it here?”
He smiled, chuckling, and his forearm flexed beneath my hand. I pulled away, and Henry stepped back slightly. “It is downstairs in the library. I shall bring it to you later.”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you.” Though the tension had cleared, the silence between us was thick, as though the things unsaid still wanted to cling to us, reminding us of our past. “I should be going or your mother will be waiting for me.”
“Of course. Will you be able to find your way downstairs?”
“I think I can. I should like to try, in any case.”
Henry walked away, and I slipped into my room and closed the door behind me. Things were going well with James thus far, and Henry and I had cleared the muddiness between us.
Now I only needed to find a way to gain Lady Edith’s approval, and all would be well.
