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Of course, they were gazing at each other as much or more than they were looking at the items in the windows.

Looking down at his love, Theodore once again bemoaned the current dictates that ladies wear bonnets.

He would much rather see Catherine’s glorious hair than the top of her stylish bonnet.

“Would you be at all scandalized if I told you that I live for the day when we can walk arm in arm while you go without your bonnet? Maybe at one of my country estates or even Pemberley.”

“I do believe I should be offended. I will have you know that my bonnet is the utmost in style and fashion.” Tilting her head so that she could look up at him from under the brim of her hat, she gave him a teasing smile.

“If I were a different woman, I would complain that my delicate feminine sensibilities were offended by you wanting to view me without a bonnet. However, I think it is something we could arrange.”

If Theodore was entranced by the grin Catherine gave him, he was lost when she giggled at his expression. “Right, and how soon do you think we can abandon London? Have we endured enough of the season?”

Playfully smacking his arm, Catherine looked back down the street. “With Mr. Goulding here for part of the season, I would hate to pull Mary away from the opportunity to develop something with him.”

Placing his free hand to his chest, he jested, “The sacrifice I make for my love for you and your sisters.”

“You know you love us, and you would be thrilled to see Mary well settled. I am very certain she loves him. You of all people cannot deny them the opportunity for love.”

Patting the arm that held his own in agreement, Theodore smiled, appreciating the connection they shared. “They have been dancing around one another for some time. What do you suppose is the hesitation?”

Theodore watched as Catherine absentmindedly rubbed the side of her nose, seemingly lost in thought.

Then, after a moment, she responded with certainty in her voice.

“As a second son, Mr. Goulding often felt overlooked and underestimated. I believe he is only a few months older than Mary. He is in his last year of education at Oxford. If I had to guess, he is afraid of proposing with no prospects to offer her.”

“I can commiserate with the man. It is difficult as a second son. Our society causes us to shift for ourselves so much of the time.” The young man had not seemed to be destined for the church or the military, and Theodore wondered what his prospects were.

“According to Mary, he has a sharp mind and a strong fascination with the art of designing and constructing buildings. I have also noticed that he can hold his own in conversations about estate management and crop rotation when speaking with Lizzie and William.”

Theodore’s mind moved to how he might help this Mr. Goulding.

He had met him a few times and he seemed very nice, but he had never had any in-depth conversations with him.

If they were truly in love, Theodore would not wish for them to be kept apart merely because of the man's position as a second son in a world where birth order determined status. “What sorts of buildings?”

“Mary stated that he was most interested in making homes that were effective for families. Apparently, the family manor of the Gouldings is old and a mishmash of odd add-ons and its layout is inconvenient for the family and staff. It is hard to heat effectively in the winter, and dampness is a problem. All of that is to say he started wondering at a young age how he could effectively change things to the benefit of all.”

Lydia came back and gently tugged Catherine towards the alluring store she had set her eyes on. “Kitty, come look at the lovely trinkets that they have in this window.”

Theodore hurried with the sisters so that he would not lose the benefit of having Catherine on his arm.

The window had a display of various bits and bobs, jewelry, and trinkets.

He noticed how excited Lydia was pointing out the different little things that she liked.

“If you like this that much, Miss Lydia, why don’t we go inside? ”

“Wonderful suggestion, Colonel,” Lydia smiled, all but vibrating with excitement.

Going to the door, he released Catherine so that he could open the door for the sisters and the faithful Lambert who trailed behind.

The ladies seemed to flit around the store of odds and ends in some sort of odd order that only females understood.

Watching them with an indulgent smile, he was happy to let them wander.

He looked down at the display next to him and saw a display of penknives. One of them instantly caught his fancy.

“I see you have found one of my more gentlemanly displays.” The proprietor nodded to the glass case that showed his wares.

“Yes, would you mind if I take a look at that knife there?” There was no hesitation as Theodore's finger singled out the one he instantly favored.

It was bronze, not steel like most of the others, and there was a green stone that was inlaid in the handle.

While beautiful, it was the arrow design it sported that piqued his interest the most.

“Marvelous choice, sir. This is a nice little penknife and though it is bronze, it has an impressively sharp edge,” the man explained as he opened the case to take out the knife.

Laying it on a piece of velvet, he also put a sheath next to it.

It was slightly longer than the average penknife, coming to close to three inches.

“It comes with a charming leather sheath to protect the user from the edge when not in use. The handle, if I may say so, is a work of art. The arrow design showcases the exquisite combination of green dragon skin agate and meticulously crafted bronze. It is slightly more expensive than some of the others, but still a good purchase.”

“It is worth whatever you are asking. Unfortunately, I don't have much on me right now, but could you please send the bill to the Earl of Matlock?” Handing the man his card, Theodore looked up and spotted Catherine and Lydia looking at something across the store.

Catherine looked up and smiled at him from across the room before turning back to what her sister was saying.

“Can you make it look presentable for a gift?”

Following Theodore’s adoring gaze, the older man grinned.

“Ah, yes, I can certainly do so. It's not often you come across a lady who can truly appreciate the intricacies of a blade like this,” he observed.

Exchanging a knowing wink, he reached down to retrieve a velvet bag and deftly concealed the knife within its soft confines.

“The ladies love things in cute little bags. This should do nicely.”

Theodore accepted the small package from the proprietor and a sense of anticipation built within him. He gingerly slid it into the pocket of his greatcoat, feeling its weight against his chest. “Thank you.”

The elderly proprietor's face lit up with a warm smile as he looked at Theodore. “If you will forgive my presumption, my wife and I have been together for some thirty years and it all started with a look like that. May you have as much happiness as my Martha and I have.”

“I plan to.” Giving the man a salute, Theodore moved back to Catherine’s side, already wondering how he might present the gift to her.

Catherine looked up at Theodore, a smile on her face.

He had been so amicable about taking her to the candy store, then without hesitation he had purchased the pound of chocolate drops she asked for.

When he asked if she wanted one, she shook her head and the poor dear had looked perplexed.

Now they stood in front of a nondescript building near Cheapside.

She could see he was confused but was willing to leave him in the dark a while longer if it meant she got to surprise him.

As she entered the small garden, she could already hear the distant sounds of play, growing louder with each step she took towards the refined building.

Grinning, she waited for the squealing. It did not take long.

Soon they were surrounded by a gaggle of children, their little voices all vying for her attention.

“Miss Catherine!”

“It is not Thursday, Miss Catherine. Why did you come today?”

“Who is with you Miss Catherine? He is so tall!”

Catherine leaned down and hugged them all in turn. They eventually noticed Lydia and Lambert and went to them for hugs as well. Catherine spotted the dorm mother in charge of the group and smiled. “Hello, Mrs. Cleaver. How are you and the children doing today?

The woman was of middling age and with such a cheerful disposition, her smile was infectious. “We are all fine, miss. We have just been taking advantage of the nice weather to let the children expend some energy. I see you have brought a visitor.”

Blushing at the knowing look in Mrs. Cleaver’s eyes, Catherine replied, “Yes, this is Lord Matlock. He is Mr. Darcy’s cousin.”

While several of the children had split off to talk with Lydia a few had stayed, including a little girl who was staring silently at Theodore with her thumb in her mouth. Kneeling so he was more on her level, he offered her a smile. “Hello, my name is Theodore. What is your name?”

Taking her thumb out of her mouth she whispered, “Sara.”

“Well, it is nice to meet you, Sara. Do you like it here?”

The girl nodded, a smile spreading across her face. “It is clean and warm, and the food is really good. Though they are making me learn my letters, I do not really mind.”

Chuckling, Theodore smiled up at Catherine before continuing his conversation with Sara. “They made me learn my letters when I was your age too, but I enjoyed it eventually. You probably will too.”