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Ah, well, that would explain where Miss Dinah got her feisty disposition. “Very well, he’s something of a hero. That still doesn’t seem all that noteworthy.” Though Henry couldn’t deny that he respected Sir Mulgrave all the more now that he knew what he’d done.
“He saved the life of one of the most well-respected and well-connected women of all thehaut ton. I, for one, can’t think of a single thingmoregossip-worthy than that.” David grinned at him and shook his head. “And now to think, you will be marrying into such a man’s family. I have to admit, I’m quite happy for you, brother.”
What the blazes did his brother have to be happy about? “We are both being all but forced into this arrangement. I cannot find happiness in such a thing.” Henry had never considered his brother lacking in brains, but now he was sorely tempted to change his long-standing assessment.
David laughed and pushed himself to standing. “Ah, but youwill. Mark my words, you will.” David waggled his eyebrows. “Being married is far more enjoyable than any bachelor likes to believe.”
Henry’s mouth pressed into a tight line. For someone like David, that might be the truth. But Henry was cut from different cloth. “I still fully expect David Jr. to inherit my title,” he said in a flat tone. “Miss Dinah and I are marrying out of necessity, not out of...affection.” His mouth curled at the last word. Even the vowels and consonants which made up such a notion tasted bitter.
David stilled, his insipid smile blessedly falling away. “Is this in consequence of Mother?”
Henry pushed to his feet, taking long strides toward the hearth. “I don’t know what you mean.” Once he reached it, however, he found he couldn’t just stand there. He turned around, pressing his back against the mantel until it bit through his jacket and into his spine. Still, the angry swarm of bees that seemed to invade his stomach every time he thought of the last Lady Stanton continued.
“Not every woman will—”
“Will what?” Henry demanded, pacing back toward his desk. There, where his papers were laid out in order. Where he had ledgers filled with numbers, letters containing updates regarding his other holdings, information he could sort through, organize, and then use to make plans. Plans he could count on, that he knew would pan out as expected. That’s what he needed right now. He needed to focus on what he could predict, on what he could trust.
David’s voice was soft when he spoke. “Not every woman will leave.”
Henry placed both hands atop his desk and leaned heavily upon it. He squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out the memories that his brother’s words brought to the surface.
A feminine yet cold and angular face.
An offering of wildflowers that only earned him a disinterested frown.
A wave glimpsed through the window as she rode off in a carriage.
Returning to that window day after day for nearly a year.
He’d watched for her, though Henry supposed he should have known better. She’d told him how she felt.Calm down, Henry,she’d said ever so many times.Your intensity is quite ill-suited for a future earl. It is a wonder your nursemaid can tolerate you at all.
The floor let out a low creak as David drew near him. He placed a hand on Henry’s shoulder. The touch was meant to be supportive—Henry knew as much in his head. But it felt like a burning hot coal being pressed against his shoulder blade. He and David didn’t discuss the last Lady Stanton. Henry had no desire to change that now.
Henry pushed his brother away as he stood up straight. “Sir Mulgrave is expecting me first thing this morning.” He tugged his jacket down and into place, forcing his memories back into the farthest recesses of his mind once more. “It does not do to keep a future father-in-law waiting.”
Without another word, he strode past David and out of the room.
