Page 63 of My Gentleman Spy
He looked at her, sensing that once the questions began, they would not stop until he had told them everything. He was tired of keeping everything in his life tohimself.
“Because on the boat back to England, Hattie and I shared a cabin. Suffice to say events occurred during that time which demand a settlement ofmarriage.”
Rosemary let out a low whistle. Will took her meaning as one ofdisapproval.
“I didn’t ruin her. Her blackguard of a fiancé had already seen to that. And no, I didn’t set out to seduce her either. In fact, she was the one who made the offer. I entered into the arrangement with every intention of marrying Hattie as soon as we got to London. I still do,” hereplied.
The room fell silent, apart from the gurgling of thebaby.
Rosemary leaned over and playfully ruffled Will’shair.
“You my dearest Will are in love. It is written as plain as day on your face. We couldn’t be happier. You deserveit.”
Bat sagely nodded. When he and Rosemary were first married, he had fought tooth and nail not to fall in love with his wife. Will had been the one to convince him that he was fighting a losing battle. The earl had been madly in love with his wife eversince.
Will looked at his friends and softly chuckled. There was nothing else he coulddo.
* * *
Hattie had been soclose to finally reaching out to Edgar, but at the last minute her courage had failed. Her long walk from Newport Street all the way to Ludgate Hill and back had resulted in nothing except sore feet and a long walk home in the early eveningrain.
It had been the first time in nearly two years since she had been inside the cathedral. Once it had been her father's favourite place for Sunday worship, now he viewed it as an ostentatious display of ill-gottenwealth.
“They should tear all the fine buildings down and use the stone to build new homes for the poor.” Hattie could count on her father making that particular remark every time they left the house and ventured near the finer homes close to HydePark.
Aldred Wright had argued the redistribution of wealth as one of the fundamental duties of the new church. Edgar however had not shared such radicalviews.
Week after week the arguments between her father and her brother had raged. Edgar had not taken up the new-found faith of his parents, preferring the traditional church. What had started out as a mere difference of opinion eventually became a gulf of differingbeliefs.
Eventually Edgar and Miranda stopped making regular visits to the house, coming only on high days and some holidays. After the final exchange of harsh words, they stopped visitingaltogether.
Reaching home in Newport Street, Hattie slumped despondently onto the wooden bench in the lower kitchen. She was grateful when Mr. Little did not bother to ask how things had gone on her trip to St.Paul’s.
After a small supper of a cold pork pie, Hattie climbed the stairs and went to bed. She was out of ideas as to how she could resolve her currentpredicament.
