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But the time would come.
And when the time was right, she’d know it. And she’d do something about it.
Dinah walked slowly toward Henry. She reached the side table and placed a hand on it. The wood was smooth beneath her gloved hand. Even the table seemed to declare she was now living in far more luxury than she had ever known before. And doing so with a man who was no more than a stranger.
But what would it be like if they were not strangers?
His dark eyes and hair, his intense expression—surely to be loved by a man such as him would be to know passion. Heat filled her chest, sending waves of sparks running down her arms. Dinah forced her gaze away.
Time, she reminded herself. She needed to grant them both time.
But her heart knew the truth. She wouldn’t be satisfied until they both found the love they deserved.
She’d been silent for far too long. She ought to say something. And the first words which came to mind, “And why, pray tell, are you so confident youwouldn’tenjoy falling for me?” certainly weren’t the right ones.
Instead, she said, “I believe you mentioned your family will be joining us for dinner?”
Henry put his brandy down. “Yes, tonight and every night, as they live here with me.”
She wished he had said “withus,” but again, there would be a better time to correct such things. A better time to show him that platonic association was dreadfully boring when compared to what they might have. Dinah certainly wasn’t bound to the same rules and plans Henry seemed intent on forcing upon himself. But when had she ever bowed to another’s rules?
“Tell me about them,” she said.
He seemed ready, almost relieved, to drop their previous conversation as he placed his glass on the table. “My brother, Mr. David Thrup, and his wife reside here along with their three boys.” He motioned toward one of the windows, and they moved that way. Henry pulled back a lacy curtain. “David Jr. is the oldest, that’s him in the blue jacket.” Henry pointed as he spoke. “Second is Edward, though we mostly just call him Little Eddie.” He pointed toward a boy toddling around on stubby legs.
The two boys were running in a small circle around a woman with a little baby on her lap. “Is that your sister-in-law then?” Dinah asked. Though she knew not many women of high society tended to their own children, the woman looked dressed in far too much finery to be the nursemaid.
“Yes, that’s David’s wife, Emily. She takes the boys outside every afternoon, rain or shine. In her arms is their youngest, Baby John.”
At least the house wasn’tallmen. Dinah had rather begun to wonder. Having another woman around would be a much-appreciated blessing.
“What sort of woman is she?” Dinah asked, also watching the happy scene from the window.
“Quiet,” Henry said. “Not at all inclined to emotional outbursts.”
She couldn’t tell from his tone if he preferred that sort of woman or not. He’d said it rather like he was making a list. Gracious, she hoped he didn’t prefer a quiet woman. Perhaps she ought to kindly put him on his guard.
“In other words,” she said, giving him her sauciest smile, “quite my opposite?”
He turned toward her, his eyes suddenly taking on the same intensity she’d witnessed the night they’d saved Adele. It was as though his dark eyes could peer directly into her very soul. It was unsettling...and unexpectedly exhilarating.
“I couldn’t say.” His deep voice rumbled. “I don’t know you at all.”
Well, that put a damper on anything she may or may not have been feeling. Henry moved away from the window and back toward the two large chairs. Dinah took a moment, drawing in a deep breath, and calmed herself. She had rather begun to feel a connection to the dark man who was now her husband, and then he’d gone and ruined it all by reminding her they were little more than strangers. Dinah’s eyes drifted back to the small family outside. The young mother was standing now, beckoning to the boys to follow her into the house.Thatwas how Dinah had always pictured her own future. It was a pity her husband was so set against it.
Dinah shrugged off the sudden and poignant dismay.
There was plenty of time to change his mind, and Dinah didn’t fear the effort it would involve.
“Then there’s also my aunt and uncle,” Henry called from behind her.
Dinah turned and moved toward the hearth, sitting across from Henry. “Are they relatives of your mother or father?”
“My father.” His voice suddenly dropped in volume. “Most decidedly my father.” He drew himself up and turned toward her. “They are my father’s brother and sister.”
Oh, so not married then, but two siblings of the late Earl of Stanton. “And they live here as well?”
He nodded. “My aunt, Lady Beatrice Thrup, first came to live with us nearly two decades ago when Father, David, and I were still in residence at Kingcup Estate, the family seat nearest the Southern coast. She never married and has no children of her own. My uncle, Mr. Jeffrey Thrup, was married for a time, but he was living abroad, and his wife passed away before any of us had the privilege of meeting her. He does have two sons from that marriage and they—”
