Page 9 of When She Was a Governess
“Thanks to your father, yes,” Henry said wryly.
“He assumed you would marry Eleanor,” Charlotte said.
“As did I.” Henry lifted his glass of claret and took a sip. Hearing Eleanor’s name still hurt, even after all these years. An image of her lifeless body on the sandy beach played before his eyes. He pushed it away.
Thomas set down his glass. “It’s been over five years. Perhaps it’s time to choose someone to spend your life with. A mother for Amelia. A wife for you.”
Henry sighed. “It appears so.”
“I have an idea,” Charlotte said.
“You always do, dearest,” Thomas said.
“Perhaps Miss Ashford is the answer to all our prayers,” Charlotte said.
“Ah, here it is,” Thomas said.
Henry watched his cousin, unsure where this was going.
“You need a wife. Amelia needs a mother. Miss Ashford doesn’t want to leave Amelia. The solution is simple, really. You must marry Miss Ashford.”
“But they hardly know each other,” Thomas said.
“Is that true?” Charlotte asked Henry.
“She’s been with us since Amelia arrived, but no, I do not know her well. I have observed how good she is with Amelia, of course.”
“She is beautiful,” Charlotte said.
“True.” Henry took another sip of wine. “Clever too. Articulate. She would make a fine wife.”
“Does she have a dowry?” Thomas asked, always practical.
“Yes. Her brothers will offer a generous one.” Henry wasn’t sure how much it was but the money was not important. He had plenty of money of his own.
Charlotte smiled serenely. “Stranger matches have been made. You could do far worse, Henry.”
Thomas leaned back in his chair. “She’s right, you know. Miss Ashford clearly loves the child. Other women might not.”
Henry exhaled. “It would solve both our problems. But a loveless marriage? Is that what I want?”
“You’ve been living like a monk for years,” Thomas said.
“And who’s to say it will remain loveless?” Charlotte asked, a gleam in her eye. “You might fall madly in love. People do, you know.”
“True enough,” Thomas said.
“It’s easy for you to say,” Henry said. “You were a love match from the start.”
“I have loved you since the beginning of time, darling,” Thomas said to his wife.
“And I, you,” Charlotte said. “But perhaps love can grow out of a practical arrangement.”
“Itwouldbe convenient,” Thomas said mildly. “You need a wife. Sophia wants to stay with Amelia. The arrangement would solve both problems.”
“A proposal would save me from the marriage mart frenzy in London,” Henry said. “Which I’m dreading. All those balls. And small talk. And dance cards.”
“My father let us run too wild here in the country,” Charlotte said. “It has ruined all of for proper society.”
