Page 46 of An Earl Like You
Still petting Willy, Henrietta laughed. “I think so. We’ve never had dogs. Mama doesn’t like them, and Edith is frightened of them.” She dug her fingers into Willy’s fur, and he responded by stretching out across her feet.
“I hope no one will be afraid of Willy,” said Eliza. “He’s very friendly.” She tried not to let any apprehension color her voice. She would hate to have to choose between her dog and her mother-and sister-in-law.
“Oh, he is.” All the hesitation had vanished from Henrietta’s voice, replaced by wondering delight.
“Why is Edith frightened of dogs?” It wouldn’t explain Edith’s animosity toward her, but Eliza was desperate to understand her.
Henrietta grimaced. “A large dog knocked her down and bit her when she was a child. After that she would scream with fear whenever a dog came near her, which made our mother very anxious, so our father banned all dogs from the estate. The hunting hounds were kept at a neighbor’s.”
“How frightening.” Eliza was sympathetic. “Willy isn’t large enough to knock her down. I hope she’ll warm to him.”
Henrietta rolled her eyes. “Edith doesn’t change her mind easily. She already doesn’t like—” She stopped abruptly, and Eliza had a terrible fear the girl had been about to sayyou. Edith’s attitude was too cold to be simple reserve.
“I’m so pleased you came to get to know him.” Eliza leaned down and ran her fingers through Willy’s black-and-white fur, scratching on his belly where he liked it. “He’ll be your friend forever if you feed him a bit of ham.”
“Will he?” Henrietta grinned. “I’ll try it.”
“Would you like to walk him with me later? We discovered Green Park this morning, and Willy was thrilled.”
Henrietta bit her lip. She put her hand back in her lap. “Perhaps.”
That was too far to push matters. Eliza jumped to her feet. “Would you like to see him do tricks?”
As hoped, the girl brightened. “Oh yes! Please.”
After ringing for some cheese, one of Willy’s favorite treats, Eliza put him through all of his tricks. He stood up on his back legs, he rolled over, he found and fetched Eliza’s handkerchief after she hid it under a cushion. She even had him leap over the sofa and crawl back under it, which made Henrietta clap her hands in delight. Willy came and rested his head on the girl’s knee, his tongue lolling out, and at Eliza’s prompting she fed him a bit of cheese.
“Hugh says you will make your debut next year.” Eliza was groping for a safe topic of discussion.
To Eliza’s relief, Henrietta smiled and nodded eagerly. “I’msolooking forward to it. Edith has told me many tales of the balls and parties she’s gone to. She’s promised to be my sponsor next Season, in addition to Mama. I’ve begun dreaming of my court gown, which Hugh tells me is a sign I shall trip on my train or do something else humiliating.”
“No,” declared Eliza. “I’m sure you won’t.”
Henrietta giggled. “I hope not! He can be a terrible tease. After he said that I told him I would make him practice everything with me.”
“And I understand your sister is to be married soon,” Eliza dared to say. “How wonderful for her.” Perhaps she could help plan Edith’s wedding and share in that excitement.
Something changed in Henrietta’s face, as if she had remembered something unpleasant. “Yes.” She cleared her throat. “I should go reply to my friend Cecily’s letter. She’s at home in Cornwall.”
“Does she live near Rosemere?”
“Yes.” Henrietta looked at Willy, who was lying on the floor gnawing at a stick he’d somehow brought in. “Thank you for letting me pet him.”
“Of course, any time,” she said, but Henrietta was already on her feet, slipping out the door. Eliza gave Willy a helpless look. He rolled over and offered his belly. “What did I do?” she murmured, obligingly rubbing his stomach. She would have to ask Hugh and hope he could tell her.
With a sigh she glanced around the morning room. It was small, the walls faded pewter, the floor scuffed under a dark rug. The furniture needed new upholstery and the decorations were almost nonexistent. The least she could do was make a plan to improve it. She went to get her notebook, where she sketched ideas, and set to work.
Chapter 19
Hugh managed to find Reginald Benwick at his club and all but forced him into a private room. He swallowed his pride and apologized for offending Lord Livingston, but pointed out that he could not undo his marriage. He asked what he could do to make amends, given that he could not and would not repudiate his wife.
“But that is the problem,” Benwick argued. “Sheis the problem.”
“She is not her father,” said Hugh, for what felt like the hundredth time. “What has my choice of wife got to do with your feelings for Edith?”
Benwick looked away. “You know it’s not that simple, Hastings.”
“Right.” His opinion of the young man had dropped a great deal, but overnight he remembered that Benwick must still be dependent on his father. It was Livingston’s ire that drove his son, but with the right touch, Benwick would calm down and remember how eager he’d been to marry Edith. With the right inducement, he would stop talking about jilting her. “I understand. It has struck me recently that ten thousand pounds, while it was what my father wished for her, is a modest dowry for the daughter of the Earl of Hastings. Another three or four thousand would be more appropriate to her status.”
