Page 121 of May I Have the Pleasure
“It wasyouwho taught me what it means to be true. I owe you the greatest debt of anyone in my life.”
“Oh! Well… Thank you. That means much to me.”
“You also taught me to… well… to see things that are painfully obvious to one with some discernment, though invisible to others.”
“Yeeesss…”
“You have brought me here to ease Miss Sofia’s heart that will be broken into a thousand pieces when you wed the prince, have you not?”
“How did you—”
“Nobody has a better understanding of the costs of doing your duty. You are here to tell me what your duty is, and to ask me to help your friends do theirs.”
“Did Charlotte—”
“NO! Charlotte is as reliable as she has ever been, and even if she confided in Richard, which I doubt very much, I could not pry anything out of either of those that they did not want me to have. I have deduced this from… from my knowledge of the situation, from reading between the lines in your letters, and from what I can see.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“It is to me, but I very much doubt it is to anybody else. I have taken up the study of characters; complex characters are the most interesting, and there is one I study more intently than others.”
“So, you know what it would cost me to do my duty—what it would cost all of us.”
“I do, and I will do my duty as well.”
“Could… could… well, more like…wouldyou be happy with Sofia, knowing that for both of you, it is not a marriage of first choices?”
“We both have character. Wecouldlearn to love each other. Wecouldlearn to be happy, and I believe wewould. Is that what you are asking?”
“It is one possibility. It is the most sensible plan… the thing that solves the most problems… the path of least risk. You of all people understand how complicated it is. Widow to an English Earl, widow of a Swedish Prince, landowner in at least seven countries, caught between the ego and power of two monarchs, several powerful families, and an obscene amount of money. You can understand the pressures.”
“I can, and I will not be the one to add more. I will do this gladly.”
“I thank you. Thank you for not… for not… for not making me say it. I told Charlotte, but I am not certain I could say the words again.”
“For you my friend, anything. As for Miss Sofia, I see a lot of you in her. As for the prince, I admire him greatly. All will be well… in time.”
“I thank you for your forbearance.”
“It is my pleasure.”
“You madethat partof the conversation bearable, and for that I am grateful. Now, I must come to the hard part.”
“It gets harder than that?”
“Yes, my friend. I fear it does.”
“I am at your disposal.”
“Before I begin, I must work my way up to my real question with a story. Do you mind?”
“Of course not”
“You know my visible story better than anyone. One marriage from family obligation, one through ignorance and stupidity, one from duty to a friend, and one for international intrigue and hubris. Every marriage asupposedstep up in consequence.”
“Yes.”
“Did you know that I have never been kissed, or held by a man, or even heard any words of true affection except forone sentencefrom you six years ago. Even Wickham forewent the pleasures of the flesh for the pleasures of my fortune—apparently calculating he could buy all the flesh he wanted with my money.”
