Miss Bradley-Hough nodded. “Yes, no doubt such work would be much eased by the help of a woman of noble character and profound faith.” She paused, and smiled at him kindly. “I hope you find her very soon.”
There was a moment of such perfect understanding between them that he could have kissed her.
Instead, he smiled back at her with equal warmth. “Indeed. So do I.”
He glanced at his father, who was furiously carving at his meat, his cheeks nearly purple with anger. Well, he could rage all he liked, but he could not deny that it was clear Miss Bradley-Hough had no intention of marrying Henry.
As soon as supper was over, he excused himself to take a constitutional outside. He walked under the clear sky thinking of the pleasure of another drive with Alice. One last chance to talk to her. To convince her to come visit his meeting house in London. (To be alone with her, just the two of them, in a space so small he could feel her warmth and hear her breathe.)
He began to hum that jaunty tune Alice had hummed in the curricle, smiling to himself. He was still humming it when he went inside and stopped in the library, where he had left his Bible. Jonathan was lying on a sofa with a large glass of brandy sitting on his chest.
He inclined his head, like he wanted to hear Henry better, and let out a shout of laughter so forceful the brandy nearly toppled to the floor.
(Don’t think unkind—) Miserable drunkard.
“Where did you learn that tune?” Jonathan asked, taking a sip between chortles.
Henry snatched his Bible off the table. “Just something Mrs. Hull was humming in the carriage to pass the time.”
Jonathan snorted. “Ah, of course. I should have guessed.”
Henry stopped and turned around, furious that Jonathan would speak of Alice in that knowing tone.
“What does that mean?” he asked sharply.
Jonathan stretched, looking immensely pleased with himself. “When did she lose her husband, your Mrs. Hull?”
Henry narrowed his eyes, still not following. “Last autumn, sadly.”
Jonathan raised a brow. “Ah. I see.”
“What, exactly, do you see?”
Jonathan took another sip. Smacked his lips. “Only that it is quite odd, you driving a woman like her alone. Bringing her here.”
His brother’s speech was slurred and he knew better than to engage with him, but Henry could not seem to hold back. “A woman like what?”
Jonathan made a lewd gesture. “You’ve always liked the little ones.”
Henry relaxed. It was just Jonathan trying to rile him, and he would not ruin his evening by allowing himself to be drawn in by veiled accusations that were based in nothing more than his elder brother’s lifelong desire to antagonize him. “A simple act of kindness, driving her. You would think it odd.”
He turned his back on his brother and continued toward his bedchamber, humming the song louder as he walked away.
Chapter 20
Alice dragged herself to the breakfast room alone. The snow had stopped. She would be going home.
She felt like the entire world was drawn in gray. Even the fine spread of cakes and hothouse fruit set out on the breakfast buffet was not enough to cheer her. She took a single boiled egg. And then, since she was alone, she wrapped a few cakes in a napkin for her sisters and put them in her pocket.
Henry walked into the room as she sat down at the table. He flashed her a smile so big that for a moment she saw colors again. Had he ever looked at her so fondly before? Was it because he knew that after today he would be rid of her?
“We can drive on to Fleetwend now that the snow has stopped,” he said cheerfully. “I’ll ready the horses as soon as I break my fast.”
She forced herself to smile. “Thank you.” The bundle of cakes felt strangely heavy against her thigh, like the weight of her fate was crushing her.
Henry’s father came into the room and immediately scowled at the servant who was handing Henry a bowl of porridge. He grunted a greeting to Alice and then pointed at Henry’s bowl.
“Where do you get that infernal mush? Surely we don’t stock that in my kitchens.”
“I brought some from my own home so that I need not inconvenience your household, sir,” he said in a pleasant tone. Alice marveled that he was polite to his father even though the man was an ill-tempered tyrant who treated him worse than bones scavenged by wolves in a long-abandoned graveyard.
His father watched him chew, which Henry did slowly, deliberately, as though the man was not staring at him like every swallow was an insult.
“Fascinating, he remains so large when he is so ill-nourished,” the elder Mr. Evesham drawled to Alice, helping himself to a plate of sausages. “Is it not, Mrs. Hull?”
Henry froze, looking like he’d been slapped.
Alice turned to Henry’s father’s, imagining her eyes were needles that could drill into his pupils. “I hope you will not think me too forward, Mr. Evesham, if I tell you that the Lord Lieutenant’s great strength and height is considered very pleasing among the young ladies back home. It will embarrass him to hear this, but they find him very handsome and are always doing their best to catch his eye. I suspect he’ll have his pick if he decides to marry.”
Henry and his father looked at her with similar expressions of disbelief.
She shrugged and picked at her egg. Henry had been a friend to her. Even if he was engaged to a fine lady and she’d never see him again after today, she could be a friend to him. The kind of friend who ate what remained of her egg very, very slowly, so that he would not have to be alone with his rat pecker of a father.
Mr. Evesham recovered himself. “Speaking of marriage,” he said to his son, “I’ll do what I can to repair what damage you did with Miss Bradley-Hough at supper” his father said. “You’ll have to give up this foolish notion of ministering to whores, of course.”
Henry looked up from his porridge.
“Foolish, sir?” he asked, keeping his tone neutral.
“Her father wants her wed within the year. She’s his only heir. If you’ll simply do what I’ve so helpfully arranged, you’ll be a rich man, Henry. Olivia will gladly have you, whatever she says. Her father’s given me his word.”
“We’ll discuss it upon my return,” Henry said in a tone that made clear the discussion would go badly.
So he wasn’t engaged. And very obviously did not want to be. A smile bloomed on her face, and she put her napkin to her mouth so neither man would see her grinning like a fool. Suddenly the morning was bright and she was hungry. She waved to the servant and took three fat, fragrant sausages from his silver tray.
Delicious.
Mr. Evesham had wrinkled his prodigious brows at his son, making them look like distressed caterpillars writhing around in salt. “Your return from where?” he demanded. “You can’t possibly mean to travel in this weather.”
“The weather is perfectly suitable for travel. Bright, sunny, and the roads will be empty because of the snow. We’ll make excellent time. Mrs. Hull will be with her mother before luncheon and I’ll be back by supper.”
He directed his attention to Alice. “Mrs. Hull, I will go prepare the horses for our journey. Ring for a footman to help you carry your things downstairs. We’ll depart at eight.”