Page 23 of Romancing the Rifleman
Peter still looked unperturbed.“I’m being realistic.How many people do you know who are truly happy in their marriage?”
“I can think of one.”Henry pointed to his chest.“Me.Do you have any idea how happy I am being married to Caro?I am—” he paused, gesticulating wildly—“absurdlyhappy.”
“Honestly, it’s disgusting,” Harrington confided.“I was at their house earlier today, and I was forced to endure the sight of my little sister pinching his arse!”He shuddered at the memory.
“And do you know whose marriages are every bit as disgustingly happy as Caro’s and mine?”Henry jabbed a finger against the table.“Every single one of Harrington’s siblings.Thorpe is so happy being married to Izzie, I worry he might burst from it.Hell, even Trevissick is happy being married to Ceci.I didn’t realize he was capable of smiling.”
Peter spread his hands.“Well, that seems to apply to people who have married into the greater Astley clan.And I have proposed to Adelaide.So, I suppose I will have to adjust my expectations accordingly.”He signaled to the waiter.“Now, if you two are done badgering me, I have work to do.”
“As do I.Thanks to you.”Harrington patted his breast pocket.“I’m going to see how many of these men I can track down this afternoon.”
Henry sighed.“Even I have horses to train.”
Peter snatched the bill and paid the waiter in one smooth motion.
Henry stood.“Thank you for getting lunch.Again.One of these days, you’re going to have to let me treat you.”
Peter rose, reaching for his hat.“Yes, well, for some inexplicable reason, I like you two.”
They parted at the door.As Harrington headed to his first stop, he could feel his beefsteak roiling in his stomach.The time for talking and planning was over.The only thing left to do was to go out there and try his hand at being a politician.
As he headed toward White’s, Harrington could not help but observe that he was every bit as anxious as he’d been two months ago when the French army had been actively shooting at him.
Chapter11
Lucy and Izzie arrived at Latimer House at teatime.
This was usually a good time for a private visit as Diana’s sister-in-law, Cecilia, her great-aunt, Griselda, and her nephew, Alaric, were all in their respective rooms, taking a nap.Cecilia because she was heavily pregnant with the next member of the Latimer brood, Aunt Griselda because she was eighty-five years old, and Alaric because he was not yet two.
They gathered in the sitting room connected to Diana’s bedroom, which was decorated in rich shades of emerald green and gold.Ellery, their beloved family butler of more than twenty years, personally delivered the tea tray.
As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, Izzie pounced.“What’s going on between you and Harrington?”
Diana accepted the cup of tea Lucy had poured for her.“He had a particular question he wanted to ask me.William Windham has asked him to throw his support behind a pair of acts coming up for a vote, relating to soldiers’ pay and pensions.Mr.Windham wants your brother to drum up some votes, and he asked for my advice about how best to go about it.”
Lucy’s face fell.“Then… you don’t like him?”
Diana sipped from her cup, considering her answer.The conversation was a bit awkward, as Harrington was the twins’ brother.
But Izzie and Lucy were her best friends.Although Diana was very good at deflecting questions with an icy stare, she found that in this case, she didn’t want to.
“I do like him,” she admitted.She held up her hand as Lucy squealed, and a familiar arch look came into Izzie’s eyes.“I don’t want to overstate the situation.My acquaintance with him has been short.But I would like to spend more time in his company, to see if there is potential for something more than friendship.”
Lucy clapped her hands and bounced in her seat.“That’swonderful, Diana!”
“It really is,” Izzie agreed.“I can’t recall you liking another man even this much.”
It was true.There were a great many men who wanted to marry her for some combination of her dowry and her status as the sister of a duke.
But Harrington seemed to regard the notion of marrying her as impossible.Which made a certain amount of sense, as her brother despised him.
But the point was, as far as Harrington Astley was concerned, her fortune was out of reach and any time he sought to spend in her company was because hewantedto.Because he actually enjoyed her acid wit and admired her intelligence.
A tantalizing prospect, indeed.
“So,” Diana said, plucking a madeleine from the plate, “tell me more about your brother.”
“Harrington iswonderful,” Lucy said.
