“I’m sure I don’t know,” Richard replied.
“But—” Harry persisted, and now, he sat forward in his seat. He held his glass limply in his hand, and Richard had to restrain himself from reaching across the space between them and taking it so Harry wouldn’t spill. “Do you not care for Letty at all?”
“I care for her,” Richard snapped. “Of course, I do. But she and I have just been scrambling to keep up with this ruse. When it is over, we can both go back to our natural states. She will be free to do whatever she wishes which is just the way she likes things to be if I remember correctly, and I will—”
“So, you have no true feelings for Letty,” Harry interrupted. There was a sense of urgency in his tone now, and it piqued Richard’s interest.
“I am not in love with Leticia if that is what you are asking.”
Harry breathed a deep sigh then he lifted his glass and drained the liquid in one smooth gulp. “Very good. Excellent.”
Richard wanted to ask what his friend meant by those last comments, but before he had the chance to do as much, the door to the study swung open, and just as he had said, his mother marched inside the room.
The Dowager was still dressed in one of her travel cloaks, and as she swept into the room, the soft material that was in a pale blue shade swirled around her. “Gentlemen,” she said giving both Richard and Harry appraising looks. “Is it not a little early in the day to be drinking so heavily?”
Harry snickered. “Forgive us, Your Grace. Richard and I were just celebrating.”
“Were you?” his mother asked as she raised her eyebrow at him.
“No.” Richard shook his head. “We were just having a discussion.”
“I see,” his mother said smoothly, and her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. Richard was afraid she didn’t see at all as he had hardly given away anything about what he and Harry had been discussing, but it seemed as though she cared not. A soft smile stretched onto her face, and she proceeded. “I am rather glad I found the both of you together.”
“You are?” Harry asked as a smile rose to his face, mirroring hers.
“I have just left your mother and father. We have decided that Lord and Lady Pearl and their family members will vacate Admiral Shelling’s residence. You all will return to Pearl House, and we shall follow along shortly thereafter.”
“What?” Harry questioned as the smile vanished from his face. “My parents want to leave London—in the middle of the Season?”
“Yes,” the Dowager said. “And I found the idea so refreshing that I promised we would retire with them.”
“But…” Richard argued, “what about the rest of the social functions?”
His mother shrugged lightly. “We shall have to make merry on our own in the country.”
“And what if I do not wish to go?” Richard said as he stood unsteadily. He looked to Harry then and saw his friend sway where he stood. He cleared his throat and summoned all his faculties so he could master himself. “This interval in the country will keep me from my goals.”
“Goals?” the Dowager echoed. “I would have thought you would relish the idea of taking a holiday at Pearl House. Leticia will be there, of course, and I know she has been keen to leave London for a while.”
“Letty,” Harry breathed. “She wants to go?”
“Indeed.” Richard thought of Leticia then.
Perhaps when we are in the country, we can converse more on this matter. Now that Harry knows the truth, we can rely on him to help guide us. And if we determine it is time to cancel this courtship, there will be no better time to announce as much as when we return from the countryside.
“Mother,” he said, “I find this to be a splendid idea.”
“Yes,” the Dowager murmured, “I do imagine that in mentioning Lady Leticia, I was able to entice you.”
Richard felt his cheeks turn scarlet with embarrassment, and he readied himself to refute the quip with one of his own, but then, he stopped himself. He remembered the way Leticia looked in the moonlight just a week ago. The thought of the kiss they shared made his mouth feel dry.
The country does have its fair share of temptations.
“You’ve just convinced me, Mother,” Richard said then he gave her his most charming smile. “I do confess that I am now heartily eager to get away. Shall we leave at once?”
* * *
“Why do I feel as though you are intentionally trying to avoid me?”