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Chapter 31
When Silas arrived at Lucy’s house the next day for tea, he seemed distracted. Aunt Joan had settled herself in the corner to read her book, and it was quiet and peaceful inside of the house. The only sounds came from outside, where carriages moved by and people could be heard, talking while they walked along Harley Street.
Lucy sipped from her cup, studying Silas closely. His brow was furrowed and his eyes seemed distant.
“What’s the matter?” she asked him, curiously.
He blinked, suddenly coming out of his thoughts. When he smiled, his blue eyes sparkled. “Nothing.”
“Very well, then,” she said, grinning at him. She just loved to look at him. She was beginning to learn his different mannerisms, to begin to decode what he was thinking.
“The renovations on the townhouse should be done soon,” he explained. “I was thinking of throwing a party.”
“Is that what furrows your brow with such concern?” she asked. Dinah had said as much a few days prior, when she had visited.
“Yes and no.”
“Oh.” She tilted her head to the side, waiting for him to explain.
“Well, my siblings and I were making the guest list this morning,” he explained. “Michael and I are in disagreement as to whether we should invite Percy Stalton.”
“Your friend?” Lucy swallowed nervously, recalling how Percy had cornered her in the maze.
“No longer anyone that I would call a friend,” he replied. “After I spent the whole party at Thornbridge Manor trying to make sure that he wasn’t cornering ladies in the halls or the hedgerows, I don’t think it wise.”
“Something happened, didn’t it?” she asked. “After all, you seem upset.”
“Yes. He… came to visit me, after my father’s death,” he explained, setting his teacup down. He sighed heavily. “He tried to convince me to marry Dinah off to him.”
“She’s not interested in him,” Lucy murmured, immediately recalling being trapped in the maze with him back in the gardens of Thornbridge Manor.
“No. He was just after her money.”
“Did you tell this to Michael?”
“I couldn’t say so in front of Dinah,” he admitted. “I didn’t want her to be upset. I mean, it doesn’t matter, for Lord Browning was sure to be on his way to ask my permission at any day, but…” He sighed again. “I simply don’t trust a word that he has to say.”
“Nor I,” Lucy agreed. “After he followed me into the maze, I wouldn’t trust him for a moment.”
“No,” Silas replied. “You certainly weren’t the only young woman that he tried to corner over that weekend. It was exhausting, just trying to keep up with him.”
“I’m going to get us some more tea,” Aunt Joan offered.
“That would be lovely,” Silas said. “Thank you,” Lucy murmured.
Aunt Joan left the room. They hadn’t a servant, which meant that sometimes, Lucy and Silas were unchaperoned. Silas was too genteel to mention it. However, it also gave them private moments.
He was frowning even deeper as he looked at her. He lowered his voice. “I’ve been meaning to ask you why you left so suddenly,” he said.
Lucy’s heart hammered in her chest. “I believed that you left because of me,” he told her. “Because of our kiss.”
“Partly,” she said. “I was… overwhelmed. I didn’t know whether you would consider me seriously, and I was also determined to remain single.”
“What changed your mind?” he asked.
“Aunt Joan said something,” she told him. “It changed the way I thought. It also gave me the courage to start embracing change.”
“Then I have a lot more to thank her for than I thought. I do consider you seriously,” he promised her, taking her hand.
