“I don’t think that’s enough to earn Hazel’s forgiveness,” Mrs. Vanderslice said.
“I don’t, either,” Anna said, “but I can’t think why Mrs. Bates even has to know about it if it would upset her. And Mr. Thornton will think us very rude indeed if you refuse to do business with him after what he did for your sister and your fiancée, David.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking, Anna,” David said.
“And I’m not going to be the kind of wife who makes demands,” Elizabeth said, glad she was so good at lying. “I know you’ll make the right decision, David.”
“Of course he will,” his mother said, ending the discussion.
After dinner, the family retired to the parlor. Mrs. Vanderslice wanted to play cards for a while since Elizabeth made a fourth, or so she said. But when they were settled, with David beside Elizabeth on the sofa, he turned to her with a beaming smile and presented her with a small box from Tiffany.
Elizabeth didn’t have to pretend to be surprised. She hadn’t even considered the possibility that she would receive an engagement ring. At least when this was over, she’d have some jewelry to show for it. She bestowed a grateful smile on her intended and opened the box to reveal the ugliest ring she had ever seen.
Fortunately, Elizabeth had been carefully schooled in how to hide her true emotions. “Oh, David, it’s . . .”
“It was my grandmother’s,” he said, which meant it was really old, in addition to being old-fashioned. For some reason he seemed proud of this fact. “Anna helped me pick out which one to give you.”
Elizabeth risked a glance at Anna, who looked so smug, Elizabeth had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing out loud. Elizabeth would get even with her later. “I don’t know what to say.” Which was the absolute truth for once.
“I hope it fits,” he said, taking the box from her unresisting fingers. He removed the ring—how could he present it in a Tiffany box and deceive her like that?—and slipped it on her finger.
“It’s perfect,” she declared, holding out her hand to admire it. It looked even worse out of the box.
“David thought you might want a new ring,” Anna said, “but I told him you’d appreciate something that had been in the family for generations.”
“You know me so well,” Elizabeth said.
Anna ignored Elizabeth’s sarcasm. “What parts of Europe did you especially want to see, Elizabeth?” Anna asked to remind Elizabeth of their purpose.
Over cards, Elizabeth admitted being torn between London and Paris but being especially interested in seeing Rome and Venice. David, she noticed, didn’t say much. She suspected he was trying to figure out how to please his intended bride without bankrupting himself. She might have felt sorry for him if she hadn’t known he’d never have to face that choice.
? ? ?
Gideon was beginning to understand what hell must be like. Hell was having the one you wanted near enough to touch and not being able to touch her. Not even being able to get her to speak to you, in fact. The weekend had been torture, with Elizabeth flitting in and out, visiting the Vanderslices and having them visit here, and seeing David possessively tuck her hand into the curve of his arm and sweep her away. And she continued to ignore Gideon, giving him just the barest notice when forced to acknowledge his presence and speaking only the most banal platitudes when forced to address him.
And the very worst part was all of that only made him want her more.
For once, he’d been glad to leave for his office this Monday morning. While he couldn’t hope to forget about her completely, at least he didn’t have to see her or hear her voice all day. But now his day was over, and he had to go back to his place of torment. With any luck, she would have already left to spend her evening with the Vanderslices, and he wouldn’t have to see her at all today.
Of course, the thought of not seeing her at all depressed him beyond bearing, and he entered the house with a resigned sigh.
He was shrugging out of his coat when David stepped out of the parlor. “Gideon, old man, glad you’re home. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Gideon managed a smile for his old friend. “Have you?”
“I need your advice on something.”
Hopefully, he wasn’t looking for marriage advice. “Of course.” Gideon hung up his coat and followed David into the parlor. As he’d expected, Elizabeth was there, sitting on the sofa and looking so beautiful, it almost stopped his heart. “Miss Miles.”
She didn’t smile. “Mr. Bates.”
David sat down beside Elizabeth, as was his right, and Gideon took a chair opposite them. The gas fire burned in the grate, but Gideon still felt chilled. “You said you wanted some advice. You could’ve come by my office, you know.”
“This isn’t legal advice, at least not technically. It’s more . . . personal.” David exchanged a look with Elizabeth, and Gideon managed not to groan.
“I’m the last one to give personal advice,” Gideon said.
“It’s about Thornton.”
Not at all what Gideon had expected to hear. “What about him?”
“That deal with the rifles he wants to sell to the army. Well, someone came to see me today, a General Sterling. Retired General Sterling, I should say. The president appointed him to some committee that’s authorized to buy supplies for the troops, and Senator Wadsworth sent him to me. He’d sent Thornton to me, too, which is why he knew I could help the general.”
Gideon glanced at Elizabeth, but her face revealed nothing. “You said you weren’t going to work with Thornton.”
“I’m . . . uh . . . having second thoughts.”
How interesting. “Why?”
David glanced at Elizabeth, giving her the lovesick smile that made Gideon want to vomit. “I’ve been thinking about what he did for us. He’s the one who found the warden and got the warrant served. He got Anna and Elizabeth and your mother out of that workhouse. Without him, they might still be there.”
Gideon sincerely hoped they would have been released by now, but he couldn’t know for sure, so he couldn’t argue with David’s logic. “And you want to show your gratitude.”
“It’s the decent thing to do. It’s not like I’m buying the rifles myself. I’m just going to help him make the right contacts, and I’ll be helping the army get the supplies they need, too.”
“And someone is going to earn a fee, so it might as well be you.”
David stiffened but he didn’t back down. “A man has to think about these things when he’s planning to marry.”
Of course he did. “I have it on good authority that Miss Miles isn’t interested in your money.”
At last she met his gaze. Her look was sharp enough to draw blood, but he held it until David said, “I know, but she does want a European tour for a honeymoon.”
“I told you, that doesn’t matter,” she insisted.