Was it meant as a warning? It certainly seemed so. ‘Once again, I assure you, Miss Summoner, that my intentions in that direction are nothing but honourable.’
‘Honourable?’ She lowered her fan to show there would be no dissembling between them. ‘At Almack’s, I heard you give high praise to my father and hardly a word for my sister. You had decided, since she was the prize of the Season, she would increase your stature. If that is all you care for, then you are not worthy of her.’
And that explained the lemonade. ‘You should not have eavesdropped,’ he said, though it was far too late to scold her on it.
‘And you should not have said things you didn’t want heard.’ The fan returned and there was another flutter. ‘It does not speak well of your judgement, Mr Lovell. Nor does it make you a suitable husband for Belle.’
Amy’s opinion of him had been ruined before he’d even gained an introduction. But that did not mean his plans were hopeless. ‘You should let Miss Arabella be the judge of her own heart.’
‘Or my father?’ The fluttering stopped again. ‘Because my father is the person you really wish to please, is it not, Mr Lovell? Since he left the raising of Belle to me, it should not surprise you that I claim the right to approve her husband. I have been both mother and sister to her for the whole of her life.’
He had been wrong about her from their first meeting, flattering himself that she pined for him or assuming that she needed help to correct her character and find a husband. She was totally in control of her heart and her future and had set both aside for the sake of her sister. And from the first moment they’d met, his behaviour had been a textbook example of what not to do to gain her approval.
He held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. ‘I have no choice but to apologise again for my behaviour. You are correct. It was reprehensible. I should not have spoken of my plans regarding a lady, especially not in a public place. But I hold firm in my belief that I would make a fine husband for your sister, despite what you might think of me. No man is perfect, Miss Summoner.’
She lowered her fan and studied him carefully, as if trying to decide whether to change her opinion. Then she shook her head. ‘I am not seeking a perfect man for Belle, Mr Lovell. I am seeking one with the correct set of flaws.’
The conversation grew more curious the longer it continued. ‘Tell me what you seek that I may mould myself into that man.’
Her eyes widened in surprise. ‘Your character sounds exceedingly malleable.’
And once again, he was nagged by the desire for confession that sometimes took hold of him as he looked into her eyes. Did she really deserve to know just how changeable he was? He shook off the urge. ‘Any man’s character must be changeable for the better. But my heart remains constant.’
‘Oh, I believe that, Mr Lovell. Your heart, if you have one at all, remains fixed on your own needs and desires. Since you have barely met Arabella, do not try to convince me that it is set on her.’
His needs and desires were synonymous with Arabella, since she was a means to an end. Put thus, even he could see how cold it was and how unworthy it would be in the protean eyes of the woman in front of him. Perhaps it was the straightest path to gain the power and admiration he wanted. But was it the right way?
Easiest was not always best. He knew from experience that what seemed pleasant often came with a price. It was one thing if he suffered. But suppose Amelia was right and her sister’s future would be better with someone else in it? At the very least, the situation deserved more thought than he had given it.
‘Miss Summoner! Miss Summoner!’ The stout older woman who had been with the girls in Bond Street was hurrying down the path towards them, a look of panic on her reddened features.
‘Miss Watson?’ Amelia turned to her, instantly alert.
‘Miss Belle is missing.’
Chapter Ten
Belle was lost.
Amy struggled to take her next breath. It felt as if she’d been holding it for a lifetime. But that could not be. Everything had been normal, only a few seconds ago. Then, suddenly, her lungs had turned to iron and her throat had become a narrow glass tube that would shatter at the first gulp of air.
It had been her job to care for her sister. Her only, her most important job. And just as she had known some day she would, she had failed. Had Belle wandered away? Had someone taken her by force? Or had she been coerced?