Page 16 of One Night to Remember
“Nothing at all is happening,” he said, as much to warn himself as to remind her. “This is temporary. Soon enough, you’ll be with your future fancy husband.”
The one whose enormous household she intended to manage whilst repressing her own interests and talents for the rest of her life.
“I hope so,” Lady Felicity acknowledged after a moment. Her shoulders curved. “I recently suffered a minor setback, but I’m certain I’ll turn things around.”
Ah. So the future fancy husband was not a nebulous dream, but a flesh-and-blood man. Some stuffy, pretentious bore who required an equally stuffy, pretentious bore as his wife.
Giles could not help but be disappointed that the woman he’d known as Stable Lass would accept such a fate without a fight. He’d hoped she would show more spirit.
“Can’t you find a rich toff with room in his mews for his mechanically inclined wife?”
She tossed him a pitying look.
“Of courseyouwouldn’t understand,” she said with a sigh. “Ladies are expected to be ladylike. There are infinitely more rules than you imagine. I shan’t have a fancy future husband or be mistress of a household if I don’t perfectly adhere to expectations.”
Her tone rankled. Of coursehewouldn’t understand. He was nothing but an unimportant blacksmith, plying a lowly manual trade, eking out a dismal plebeian existence, save for the glorious moments in which his vaunted clientele condescended to speak with him, or allow him to service their carriage.
Giles knew whathewould suggest she do with her hoity-toity rules and grandiose airs.
“That’s what matters most?” he asked with feigned politeness. “Wealth and status at all costs?”
“Atanycost,” she agreed fervently. “God willing.”
His lip curled. He’d thought she was different than the others. Maybe she even was. But she didn’t want to be. Striving to be a replica of every other high-flown aristocrat was far worse than having been born unctuous and superficial. This was herchoice. The sort of life she wanted to live.
He was glad their unwilling partnership had an end date. In fact, there was little reason for their paths to intertwine. They’d been working on these carriages in tandem for years without meeting. Given what he now knew about her, the best course was to return to being strangers.
“I will drop by every afternoon at this time to keep my eye on the curricle,” he said as evenly as possible. “Feel free to leave your suggestions in written form, if you’d like to avoid meeting in person.”
“Thank you for the idea,” she said after the briefest pause.
There. The temporary “partnership” needn’t affect either of their lives one whit.
