Page 155 of Dawnlands

She took him by the hand and looked him up and down. He was wearing a good suit of sober black as a lawyer should. The bulky cuffs had buttons of jet, rather than gold, and his linen shirt was plain but of good quality. In his hand he had one of the new tricorn hats with a modest black plume. She was struck by the kindness of his brown eyes and his square handsome face.

“Will I do?” he asked.

“You’ll do very well,” she said. “Sit down. I have been thinking about a marriage for you.”

He flinched. “I have no plans for marriage.”

“No, why should you? As your guardian, it is I who make the plans.”

“Signora Madre, I don’t wish to marry.”

“You did,” she said unkindly.

“Since then, I have no wish.”

“You know that you must marry, you have a country house and land, you have a good and respected name—”

“I have a name of your invention,” he said quietly.

Livia completely ignored him. “You have an occupation that befits a gentleman. You have an income from your rents, you will have an inheritance from me, and you have already inherited a small sum from your stepfather, Sir James. Obviously, you must have a wife, and a son to come after you.”

“I don’t want to marry someone I don’t know.”

She shook her head. “I don’t require it of you. I have made arrangements with Hester Reekie’s mother.”

He hesitated. “Miss Reekie?”

“You don’t dislike her?”

“On the contrary.” He hesitated. “She’s a very… of course, she’s… Nobildonna, it wouldn’t be right. She would know that she’s not my first choice. She knew that I loved Mia and I had to give her up.”

She smiled at him. “Hester will inherit a considerable fortune from her parents and from her grandfather, the Alderman. She is an excellent choice. You can have no objection to her.”

“Of course, I have no objection to her! She is a friend, she is a dear—”

“Very well then.”

“But I have no desire to be married at all.”

“But given that you have to marry, as do we all, I hope you will agree that Hester is a young lady most likely to make an excellent wife.”

“Of course, I admire and respect her. But I don’t want to marry anyone yet.”

“My son, as your guardian, it is for me to decide when you marry and who.”

“I know you are my guardian,” he said carefully. “And I know this is your decision. But surely Miss Reekie is too young? Her parents would not order her.”

“My dear,” his mother said frankly, “she is half in love with you already. Her mother tells me that you seek her out, that you are happy companions, that you are friends.”

He looked aghast. “I have compromised her?”

“You have certainly shown a preference. And so has she. It would be awkward not to proceed.”

“Does she know of this?”

“Her mother will be telling her today. You and I will visit Hatton Garden tomorrow.”

He hesitated. “I will ask her if she has any objection, I will not go further than that.”