Page 90 of Hearts of Briarwall

His solitude was short-lived.

“Mr. Hayes.”

Spencer paused at the familiar voice, closed his eyes, and released a breath. He turned. “Sir Lawrence. How do you do?” He glanced at the young lady on Sir Lawrence’s arm and the older woman not far behind them.

“Better than you, so I hear.”

The finely dressed young lady giggled and covered her mouth.

Spencer smiled. “Is this your daughter, perhaps? I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.”

Sir Lawrence’s haughty expression cooled. “I don’t have a daughter.”

“Oh? I must’ve misunderstood when Mrs. Piedmont referred to her grandchildren the other evening after the musicale.” The woman had made thinly veiled boasts of what kind of husband and father her son would be with the right woman, pointedly nodding to Lydia. To say the remainder of the evening had been uncomfortable would be an understatement.

“That was a reference tofuturegrandchildren.”

“Ah. Forgive me. That makes much more sense.” He looked between the man and the girl.

Sir Lawrence hesitated, but then straightened, his nose lifting into the air. “Mr. Hayes, this is Glorianna Jasper, and her mother, Mrs. Jasper, from Savannah.”

Spencer blinked, his eyes wide. To his surprise, his mouth twitched to fight a smile. “From America?”

Sir Lawrence nodded, and the young woman curtsied, her yellow hair coiled up beneath her enormous hat.

Spencer stepped forward and took her offered hand with a short bow. “A pleasure, miss.” He studied her. “How are you enjoying your stay here?”

She peeked at Sir Lawrence, and her cheeks flushed. “Very well, sir. Thank you.”

Mrs. Jasper caught up to them.

“How do you do?” Spencer said with a bow.

“Very well, thank you,” the woman answered, studying him to ascertain his status, no doubt.

Spencer turned his head to find Sir Lawrence watching him warily. He’d not yet let go of the girl’s hand. “And how long have you been in Sir Lawrence’s acquaintance, Miss Jasper?”

The girl opened her mouth to answer, but Sir Lawrence reached out and removed her hand from Spencer’s. “Perhaps, my dear, you will wait for us by the stream with your mother while I have some words of business with Mr. Hayes?”

Spencer watched with interest as Sir Lawrence escorted the ladies to the shady bank of the stream, then returned and motioned Spencer toward a nearby tree. Likely the stream would muffle their conversation.

“I could have sworn she was your daughter. Forgive me. Of course, when I first met your mother, I thought she was yourwife.” Spencer held out his hands as if helpless to fix it.

“I beg your pardon?” Sir Lawrence asked, his nostrils flaring.

“We got it sorted, though, didn’t we? Please do continue.”

The man collected himself, which did not take much time, as he went from an irritated plank of wood to a composed plank of wood. “I’ve learned you’ve had a bit of a falling out with the Woodings.”

“A bit. I’ve just learned you’ve been courting an American heiress at the same time you’ve been intended for Miss Wooding. Or have I misunderstood that as well?”

Sir Lawrence kept his expression bland, though a muscle twitched at his jaw. “A man must keep his options open. A dowry is a dowry. On that note, as I was under the impression you’d left Surrey, I was going to have my solicitor contact you, but since you are still here.” He cleared his throat. “I’m afraid I’ll have to decline you the funds for your little shops. Some ... unsavory revelations have forced me to look elsewhere for investment. Who knows? Imay open my own motorcar supply chain. After all, I know I can trust myself, eh?” His chuckle sounded like a hen stuck in her laying.

Instead of feeling defeated by this pompous and expected pronouncement, Spencer was filled with a deep sense of challenge as well as self-assurance that he could run circles around this top-hole blackguard.

If only he had the funds to do it. “I wish you all the luck with that.” Spencer would truly be starting from scratch, and with a marred reputation on top of it.

The man bent his head in false deference. “As for Miss Wooding,” Sir Lawrence continued, gazing about the park as if it were his own, “her brother wisely dissolved our understanding yesterday. Such a shame for her. She’ll be quite on the shelf.”

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