But if he meant to have a seat in Parliament, he could not also be at home helping his wife to navigate the complexities of married life. Mere good intentions would not be enough. But it was unfair to suggest that he stay away from his own house and allow her to resume her place as Belle’s right hand.
And though she was pleasant for the Duke, no matter what Ben did to please her Belle moped from room to room to room, not saying a word. It was not until they passed through the front hall again that her mood improved.
‘Guy!’ At the sound of his voice in the entryway, Belle pulled free of her fiancé’s hand and galloped down the hall toward the open door.
‘Miss Summoner.’ Guy Templeton turned at the sight of her, bowing deeply.
She ignored the formal greeting and took both of his hands in hers. ‘It has been forever since I’ve seen you.’
‘Only a few days,’ he replied, laughing.
Amy came into the room at a slower pace, not wanting to show the alarm she felt at the sight of Belle’s enthusiastic greeting. ‘Mr Templeton,’ she said, catching his eye to give him a warning glare. ‘What are you doing here?’
The smile he returned was as innocuous as ever. ‘I was invited. I have a house not a mile from here and I am a good friend of our host. It is hardly a surprise.’ He gestured toward Ben, who was still standing in the doorway.
‘You are a good friend of my sister, as well,’ she said, watching carefully for his reaction.
‘That I am,’ he agreed.
‘And this is still my house,’ Ben said quietly beside her. ‘I will invite who I choose to visit me. And Templeton is not just a good friend. He is my best friend.’ He stepped forward then and offered Mr Templeton his hand, which forced him to release Belle to accept it. ‘So good to see you. We will have far too many unpartnered ladies tonight. I cannot be expected to dance with all of them.’
‘Guy is a good dancer,’ Belle announced. Apparently, the recent lecture on discretion had gone unheeded.
‘You flatter me, my dear.’ Templeton smiled at her and held her gaze for longer than was necessary.
‘I am sure Mr Lovell is a good dancer as well,’ Amy said, trying to get her sister’s attention.
But Belle did not turn away from Mr Templeton. ‘I do not know. I have never danced with him before.’
In a lifetime of caring for her sister, Amy had learned to think of her disposition as placid, docile and agreeable. But never before had she been so consistently contrary for such a long period of time. She looked helplessly at Ben, readying another apology.
He warned her off with a slight shake of his head and then said, ‘That is true, Belle. But we will dance tonight and you will be able to judge for yourself.’
Then he turned to his friend. ‘It is clear that my fiancée is eager to speak with you, after so much time apart.’ He continued to smile as if there was nothing untoward in Belle’s reaction. If there was irony in the statement, it was very well concealed. ‘Perhaps you can be the one to escort her about my gardens. You know them almost as well as you do your own.’
‘I would be honoured.’ Templeton responded with a bow that was a trifle too formal to be given to a close friend. ‘Miss Arabella?’ He held out his arm to her.
Her sister embarrassed herself yet again by responding with such a relieved sigh that he might well have been rescuing her from a dungeon and not her own future home.
When they were gone, she turned to confront their host. ‘Are you sure that was wise?’
‘Allowing my best friend to escort my fiancée on a tour of the grounds?’
‘Some might say you are too good a friend in return,’ Amy said. ‘He was your rival before the engagement.’
‘As was every other man in London,’ Ben responded.
‘But none of the other men were such particular favourites of my sister,’ she reminded him.
‘Perhaps so. But I have faith that he will honour her commitment to me,’ Ben said.
It was surprising that a man who seemed so worldly could be so na?ve. Amy rolled her eyes. ‘You trust him. Very well. But now that she is engaged, Belle should not be cultivating the attentions of other men.’
‘You make your sister sound quite calculating, Amy. We both know that she is not.’
‘It is not a matter of subtlety,’ she said. ‘It is quite the opposite. She barely understands the effect she has on men, much less knows how to use it. It is why I have been guarding her so closely.’
‘And now it will be up to me to protect her,’ he said with a sigh.
Which meant that her job was ending. What would Belle do without her help? And what was left for her, if there was no Belle to give meaning to her life? She could imagine nothing ahead but emptiness. ‘I do not think she is ready to be married,’ she said. ‘Many things have changed for her in the last week.’
‘For all of us,’ Ben agreed.