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“I trust you had an enjoyable time at the garden ball, Miss Grant?” he asked politely. Her presence gave him an easy excuse not to focus too much attention on Mrs. Lawrence at the risk of overwhelming her or making his intentions too obvious.

He would not soon forget the sound of Miss Fernside laughing at his offer of marriage.

“Oh, yes,” she replied with enthusiasm. “I have never enjoyed dancing so much.”

“Far more pleasant to do so outdoors than cooped up in a hot ballroom, is it not?”

“Decidedly,” she agreed.

He turned to Mrs. Lawrence. “And what of you? I trust the ring was not foolish enough to attempt a second escape.”

Mrs. Lawrence had been mindlessly spinning the object on her finger, but she stopped and smiled, displaying it. “After a severe talking to, I believe the two of us have come to an understanding.”

“I am glad to hear it, though if the problem occurs again, a sound thrashing may be in order.”

“Let us hope that it does not come to that,” she said, her gaze meeting his with the glitter of shared amusement.

It sparked something in his chest—a thread of kinship, perhaps.

Instinct told him to grasp onto it and test its strength.

There was a knock on the door, and it opened to reveal a dignified servant with gray hair. The butler, no doubt.

“Forgive me for disturbing you, ma’am,” he said deferentially, “but you instructed me to come to you with any questions.”

Mrs. Lawrence nodded kindly, prompting him to go on.

“We have found a collection of hunting rifles and other such equipment, and I wondered if you wished it to be sent to Chesleigh House.”

Mrs. Lawrence’s eyes widened. “ More hunting equipment? There is an entire room at Chesleigh already.”

The butler had no satisfactory response for this.

“In any case, what purpose could there be for such things in Town?” she asked, more rhetorically than for an answer.

The butler cleared his throat. “Mr. Lawrence preferred to be prepared for hunting whenever and where ver the possibility presented itself, ma’am. And as you know, he always insisted on using his own equipment. ”

“Well, we certainly do not need to send it all to Chesleigh.” She paused, her brows knitting pensively. “I will think on it, Bramley, and let you know my decision presently.”

He bowed, then left the room.

Mrs. Lawrence let out a sigh, then turned back to Sebastian. “Forgive the interruption. We are sorting through my late husband’s affairs, and I greatly underestimated the number of decisions it would require.”

Sebastian hesitated before responding, trying to gauge whether it was the volume of decisions that overwhelmed her or the emotional toll they were taking due to the affection in which she held her husband. Both, he imagined.

It had not escaped his notice that she seemed to have a preoccupation with the diamond ring she wore.

It stood to reason it had been a gift from her husband.

She often touched and spun it on her finger, though whether consciously or not, he couldn’t say.

He had been sorely tempted to read the inscription upon it but had refrained from doing so.

He saw his opportunity and approached it warily. “I can imagine it must be overwhelming, particularly when the decisions comprise such things as hunting equipment.”

“Hunting equipment, private correspondence, jewelry, snuff boxes, hundreds of books—many of them filled with the type of poetry I abhor…and the list goes on.”

Sebastian’s mouth quirked at one edge. “And what type of poetry might you not abhor?”

Her brow knit as she considered this. “I could not say, for I have yet to come across such a thing despite many years of forced study—and even a bit of imitation.”

Sebastian laughed. “Well, happily for you, all hope is not lost. You may well find it as you sort through the books you mentioned.”

“I am far more likely to force the task upon some poor, unsuspecting soul. Can I interest you, perhaps? ”

“A generous offer,” Sebastian said with feigned gratitude. “I would be more helpful with hunting equipment than poetry.”

“Well, there is an idea,” Phoebe said brightly. “ Would you be willing to help, Mr. Drake?”

Sebastian was left speechless, for it was clear she did not understand his meaning. He had not meant to say that he knew a great deal about hunting. Quite the contrary.

Mrs. Lawrence let out an uneasy laugh. “Phoebe,” she said with the smallest hint of censure in her tone, “I am certain that is the last thing Mr. Drake wishes to do with his time.”

Sebastian’s primary aim in calling upon her had been to leave with firm plans to see her again, and he was not about to let that opportunity slip through his fingers.

He did not know the first thing about hunting.

It was the sport of the wealthy, and thanks to his stepfather’s efforts to spend his inheritance, he had never been wealthy.

The one time he had joined a hunting party, he had narrowly missed shooting one of the hunting dogs.

But he would learn about hunting equipment if it would help his cause with Mrs. Lawrence.

“It would be my pleasure,” he reassured her. “ If it would be helpful. I am more than happy to do anything in my power to relieve the burden of decisions. Without wishing to boast, I have made a number of decisions over the course of my life.”

Mrs. Lawrence fought a smile, but her eyes danced. “A veritable expert, I expect.”

“Your words, not mine. Only tell me when you require me.”

“Tomorrow?” Miss Grant suggested.

Sebastian glanced at her, feeling more and more certain that she was, for whatever reason, doing everything in her power to ensure his return. They were one in purpose in that regard, then.

“We have an engagement during the day,” Mrs. Lawrence reminded her, “and Mr. Drake undoubtedly does too.” She returned her gaze to him. “If it suits you, perhaps we could plan for this same time on Monday?”

Sebastian agreed to this, trying to suppress the sense of victory coursing through him. She wanted him back, and this time, he would be ready.

It would be no trial at all to spend more time with Mrs. Lawrence. The more he saw of her, the more he admired her, and he suspected his call had had a similar effect upon her.

Now, he just needed to learn about hunting equipment by eleven o’clock on Monday.