‘Good. Because there’s no escaping the engagement now. I believe we’ve just made a public spectacle of ourselves.’
‘Oh!’ She looked around, though fortunately there was nobody else in sight. ‘No, it’s all right. I don’t think anyone saw us.’
‘Don’t be so sure.’ He grinned. ‘I expect there are tongues wagging behind several drawing-room curtains at this moment.’
She felt her cheeks redden and laughed. ‘Well, then, we’ll just have to hope they recognise you in those clothes. I don’t want them to think I’m engaged to you and kissing somebody else.’
‘Good point.’ He reached up and swept his top hat away from his head. ‘There. I don’t want anyone to mistake me for Lance either. Now...’ he tightened his other arm around her again ‘...about that special licence? I want to marry you as quickly as possible.’
Frances bit her lip. She wanted to marry him as quickly as possible, too, but there was something else she needed to do before that.
‘Could we wait until next week?’ She shook her head quickly when he frowned. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to marry you. It’s just that I want to put things right with Lydia first.’
‘You need to put things right?’ He looked distinctly unsympathetic. ‘As I recall, you weren’t the one who did anything wrong.’
‘I know. I know she acted badly, too, but it was partly my fault. I should have told her about us after the garden party, I just didn’t know how to. I think she’s hurt.’
To her surprise, he didn’t argue. ‘You might be right. I think she was genuinely shocked by what happened yesterday.’
‘She certainly didn’t expect to see me.’
‘Not just by that. Perhaps I was too blunt in what I said, but I wanted her to understand.’
‘What did you tell her?’
He heaved a sigh. ‘That our whole engagement had been a mistake and that she deserved someone who would love her for herself, but that it couldn’t be me.’ He pulled her close again. ‘Because I cared for somebody else. You.’
‘Oh.’ Frances felt guilty and elated at the same time. ‘I think she really believed that if she had ten minutes alone with you then everything would go back to the way it was six years ago.’
‘She said something like that.’
‘I still can’t help but feel sorry for her. Lydia sets so much store by her appearance, but it isn’t her fault really. All our lives, everyone’s always told her how beautiful she is, as if that’s all she is, just a face. It’s not surprising she’s come to place so much value on it herself.’
‘That still doesn’t excuse what she did.’
‘I know, but maybe now her first year of mourning is over, things might get better. I hope so. In any case, I want to put things right with her before we get married. I’d like for her to come to the ceremony.’
‘All right.’ He sighed again. ‘If that’s what you want then I won’t object, but I refuse to wait long. I’ll give you a week and no more. Next Monday at the latest.’
‘Thank you, Arthur.’
‘Not a day later, mind.’ He made a harrumphing sound and put his top hat back on again. ‘Now I’d better get you home before your father comes storming down the street looking for us.’
‘Shouting at the top of his lungs again?’ She laughed. ‘In a funny way it’s nice to know he cares so much.’
‘He cares a great deal. He told me so in his study this afternoon. He only hopes that I’m good enough for you. As do I, for that matter.’
‘And all this time I thought my parents were embarrassed by me.’ She curled her arm through his again. ‘I misjudged them both.’
‘And me, too. Admit it, you thought that ten minutes alone with your sister would change my mind about her, too, didn’t you?’
‘I...’ She chewed on her lip guiltily. ‘Not exactly, but...’
‘You wondered?’
‘Yes.’
He drew her closer so that they were walking shoulder to shoulder. ‘Frances Webster, if it takes the rest of my life I’m going to convince you how beautiful you are.’