The viscount stared at her as though seeing her for the first time. She was just starting to blush when he gave her a little sideways smirk.
“You make an excellent point, Miss Elwood,” he said. “Many people were not aware of that fact, and many outright dispute it with rumours to the contrary. Still other people, though, think that it was pure madness that made him procure those pieces in the first place. They say he should have never been granted the pieces, no matter the price he paid, because his reasons for wanting them were unorthodox, even for the time.”
Martha nodded, thinking it over.
“I suppose it was unorthodox,” she said. “But he was only trying to do something nice for his wife. It was intended to be a private covered collection, after all.”
The viscount looked at her again, his smile widening.
“That is also true,” he said. “And thus, they fairly even split on loving or hating him for his decision.”
Martha nodded again, musing silently.
“I suppose that most men wouldn’t spend so much money on something like,” she said. “I can see how he would be seen as strange. But there are other men throughout history that would be considered odd or eccentric. Is he so much worse than them?”
Lord Billington shook his head, looking at her intensely.
“No, I suppose he isn’t,” he said. He fell into a pondering silence, and they continued looking at the exhibits. Martha was trying to find something else they could discuss, as she was finding his thoughts on art and history refreshing. But as she looked at him, she saw him admiring a fine horse sculpture. He was so enraptured that he didn’t even notice when she stepped closer to him to inspect it better herself.
“Are you, by any chance, fond of horses?” she asked softly, smiling at him.
The viscount looked down at her, his eyes wide. But when he saw her smile, he returned it with his own.
“Oh, yes, I certainly am,” he said. “They must be the most majestic of all creatures in the world.”
Martha shivered with unexpected delight. The softness in his eyes as he spoke of horses told her that he had a true fondness for them. And a man who was as monstrous as people were saying about him surely wasn’t capable of outward affection. And yet, Martha could feel the love he had for the animals.
“You like horseback riding, then?” she asked. There was no judgement. She just found that she loved seeing that concentrated delight on his face.
She hadn’t thought it possible for his face to brighten any further. But suddenly, it did as he nodded to her, grinning.
“Oh,surely yes,” he said. “There’s nothing better than going horseback riding in the country. It’s almost like riding on a seemingly endless meadow or forested area. It’s beautiful, especially on horseback.”
Martha nodded, contemplating what he was saying. She was getting the distinct impression that Albert much preferred the country to London. She couldn’t blame him. She knew it was very lovely in the countryside. London had its charm, but so did the countryside.
“That does sound lovely,” she said, though her mind was drifting to future scenarios. He spoke with such reverence about the countryside, that Martha couldn’t help wondering if that’s where they would go once they were married, and whether she would enjoy it as much as her future husband seemed to, if he did.
Chapter Sixteen
Albert noted the sudden silence, glancing at Miss Elwood after he finished speaking. She had a thoughtful expression on her face, and he looked away quickly. He had allowed himself to feel comfortable with her, and he had shared yet another part of himself with her. He scolded himself for letting his guard down yet again. How did he keep finding himself speaking before he thought when he was around her?
He looked out the window, reminding himself that continuing to be so open and comfortable with Miss Elwood would only end in disaster. At best, it could forge a connection between them, at least for her, that would cause her to get hurt when he told her that he didn’t want to marry her. And at worst, she would have personal insight to his life to add to the already abundant gossip within the ton.
He wouldn’t let himself entertain the idea of being hurt by her rejecting him. He already knew, based on the way she looked at him, that she was repulsed by him. That she was even polite enough to hold a conversation with him was astounding to him. But he supposed she must be trying to hide her true feelings, since she still believed they would be getting married. But that came as no surprise to him. There was no way he would ever have enough feelings for her to be wounded by such an event. It simply wasn’t possible.
As the other museum attendees continued staring at the couple, Albert’s conviction increased. He always hated the way people stared at him in public. However, that time, he felt they were doing him a great service. Now, Miss Elwood would see how it felt to be seen with him. She would surely be uncomfortable, and it would be that much easier to convince her that they shouldn’t marry.
Surely, she can now see that marrying me will lead to a life filled with unhappiness and misery,he thought, glancing at her again. She was a beautiful young woman who, undoubtedly, enjoyed socializing and making new friends. Any association with him would never earn her invitations to social events or new friendships. And it might cost her any friendships she currently had. As it was, he couldn’t understand why she was unmarried. She was pretty, polite, and kind enough to speak to him without grimacing. And she was a very talented painter. She could do far better than him. He just needed her to see that.
When they finally reached the Elgin marbles exhibit, Albert was already long distracted by the stares of the other patrons. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of that when he invited Miss Elwood to attend with him. He had moved to the countryside, and given up all the things he enjoyed, including the museum, for that very reason. He was furious with himself for having forgotten himself enough to subject himself to the judgmental eyes of London’s high society. And all because of some paintings done by the woman walking beside him.
At long last, they reached the Elgin Marbles themselves. Albert allowed himself to be mesmerized by the marble carvings and statues, thinking back to their earlier conversation. He had told Miss Elwood that he wasn’t sure whether he liked or disliked the seventh earl of Elgin. But as he admired the Marbles, he couldn’t help thinking about how grateful he was to the man for having the gall to purchase such relics.
Miss Elwood seemed rather taken with a particular metope depicting a centaur and a man in active combat. Albert was happy to pause and let her gaze at it in wonder. They had had a wonderful conversation earlier. But now, he was once again aware of the people standing around, staring at them. In fact, he noticed that some of the faces who were looking at them were people who had stopped to stare a few exhibits back. People were beginning to follow them, just to continue their gossip. He wished that he could beg Miss Elwood to hurry along so that they could leave. But she was enjoying herself so, and it would draw even more unwanted attention. He had no choice but to remain stoic and calm and pray that his guest grew bored before he lost his sanity.
He had never been more relieved than he was when their tour of the museum came to an end. He noticed that Miss Elwood looked a bit disappointed, but his gladness to get out of the museum and to the waiting carriage was too overwhelming to ignore. As before, he helped her inside, then waited for a footman to help her lady’s maid. It was all he could do to not collapse onto the bench seat opposite the women with sheer relief and fatigue.
As the carriage pulled away from the museum, he thought about his original plan for the afternoon. He had considered inviting Miss Elwood for fruit ices at Gunter’s. And had the afternoon ended on the note they were on as they discussed Lord Elgin and his importation of the relics they saw on display, he likely would have. But he was so demoralized by the prying and disgusted eyes of the other museum patrons that he couldn’t bring himself to even suggest it. So, instead, he allowed the carriage driver to continue on toward Elwood Manor, and he said nothing about fruit ices.
