“Ah yes, the owner of the cast-iron business you told me about. They are a big competitor to several American companies for the market in South America. Did you know that?”
“Yes, sir. Although I am a silent partner in the business, I am familiar with all aspects of the company and offer suggestions when I can.”
“I wish I had someone like you working for me—or several, for that matter. I spoke with many gentlemen at that house party in Cowes, and none of them had a head for business like you do. Take for example the way your large landowners handle the farming rents. One viscount told me he relied on his estate agent and lawyers to keep up with those details. But I asked myself, who is keeping up with them? In America, you can’t just allow the lawyers a free hand.” He chuckled. “I’m guessing it’s no different on this side of the Atlantic.”
“You are correct on that point,” Henry acknowledged with a smile. “I confess I’m surprised at how interested you are in the nuts and bolts of business over here.”
“Well, I have a personal reason for it. There’s a good likelihood my daughter will settle here one day.” He paused, giving Henry a significant nod. It made Henry realize that while they had been talking, he had in fact been completing his first interview as prospective son-in-law. He supposed on some level he’d known that, but he hadn’t wanted to dwell on it.
“If my daughter does settle here,” Mr. Myers continued, “I think it likely I’ll spend a bit of time here as well.”
“But what about your business in Pennsylvania?”
“That’s easily managed. I make good use of the transatlantic telegraph to keep up with pressing matters. Not to mention that one can get comfortably across the ocean now in just a few days.” He rolled his cigar between his fingers. “What would our ancestors have thought of that, I wonder?”
“It does seem a miracle,” Henry agreed. “I am glad to know your family is enjoying your stay in England.”
“Oh yes. We find the welcome much more congenial here. In New York, Mrs. Astor would not give us the time of day. We are new money, you see. Parvenus.” He pronounced the word with a distinctly un-French accent: parr-vee-nooz. “Whereas over here, we just spent a week in the company of the Prince of Wales.” He gave a self-satisfied chuckle. “As my wife remarked to me the other day, Mrs. Astor will be astounded when she reads that tidbit in the society columns.”
“Since you plan on spending a lot of time in England, I hope you will seriously consider this investment opportunity.” Henry pointed toward the prospectus.
Mr. Myers nodded thoughtfully. “I certainly will give it serious consideration. As I said, I admire your business acumen.”
This seemed a major step in the right direction. “I’m happy to answer any further questions you might have—”
“I’m sure I’ll have plenty,” Mr. Myers said, cutting him off. “Let me think it over. For now, shouldn’t we rejoin the ladies? It’s nearly lunchtime, and I believe Lady Morestowe has some amusements planned for us in the afternoon. My wife and daughter are looking forward to getting to know you better. My daughter is lovely, don’t you think? I’ve given her the finest education for ladies that money can buy. She charmed everyone in Cowes.”
Henry’s heart sank. A marriage match was still clearly the most important negotiation on the man’s mind today. Henry wasn’t yet willing to give up hope that he might be able to get somewhere with Myers without having to marry his daughter. However, he’d gone as far as he could for now. Sometimes negotiating involved biding one’s time. Besides, he still wanted to find out how Miss Myers truly felt about things.
He stood up. “Yes, I’m looking forward to this afternoon as well.”
If Henry had been told there were similarities between the Countess of Morestowe and Mrs. Myers, a woman raised in poverty in a coal town in West Virginia, he would never have believed it. Yet the two women were getting along famously. They spent luncheon gossiping about all that had happened at Lord and Lady Stafford’s house party in Cowes. They covered plenty of other topics, too. Their primary point of agreement seemed to be that if a young lady was wealthy and beautiful, she was the perfect match for any aristocrat. As though these were the only variables that mattered in that equation.
Miss Myers seemed to have “recovered” from her “allergies.” Her nose and eyes were no longer red, and she suffered no ill effects when they ate luncheon outside on the terrace. However, she still had a certain pallor to her cheeks and had indulged in a number of quiet sighs.
Mrs. Myers kept dragging her daughter into the conversation and prompting her to respond to questions and observations. Miss Myers complied, although Henry got the impression that her heart wasn’t in it. Henry’s mother likewise prodded Henry to join in, and he’d done his best to be a good host and keep the conversation light and genial.
Throughout it all, his thoughts kept returning to Cara. The terrace was located at the back of the house, with a view of the gardens and a stretch of lawn where a croquet game had been set up. The dower house wasn’t visible from the terrace, since it was located on the opposite side of the main house, and Henry was glad of this. It would be difficult to keep any of his attention here if he could see what was going on over there. He hoped Langham had relayed his message to her. He prayed that she would understand.
Finally, when luncheon was over, the countess suggested that Henry and Miss Myers take a walk to inspect the setup of the croquet hoops. “Florence is an expert in croquet,” Mr. Myers said proudly. “She is also very good at lawn tennis.”
“I hope to learn to ride soon,” Miss Myers added. “I understand that is quite the thing here in England.”
This comment earned approving nods from both mothers. Henry wondered if Miss Myers had been coached to say this, but her enthusiasm seemed real.
“I understand you and Lady Morestowe are excellent riders,” Mr. Myers said to Henry. “Perhaps we might visit your stables? I’d love to see them.”
“Yes, certainly.” Henry said this in an upbeat manner, although he dreaded the idea that Cara and Amelia might be there. He didn’t want a repeat of yesterday’s encounter between Cara and his mother.
He stood and moved to help Miss Myers from her chair. “Shall we go have a look at the croquet lawn?”
“Yes, you two go on. We’ll join you shortly,” said Henry’s mother. Henry noticed the significant looks she exchanged with Mr. and Mrs. Myers as he and Miss Myers left the terrace together.
“How are you enjoying your visit so far, Miss Myers?” Henry asked as they walked through the gardens on their way to the croquet lawn.
There was a slight pause before she answered. “It’s lovely here.”
It wasn’t exactly an answer to his question. “I expect it is not as exciting as a large house party in Cowes. I suppose there were many yachts there, too?”
“Yes, there were!” she replied with the first true smile she’d displayed today. “We were invited to visit several of the larger ones for dinners or parties.”
“It sounds exciting.” In truth, Henry had gone to the annual regatta there last year and had not much enjoyed himself. But that might have been because he’d been bombarded by society matrons trying to bring their daughters to his notice. “I suppose you met a lot of interesting people at those parties?”
“I met so many people! All very kind, of course. One was a gentleman by the name of Mr. Wesley Carrington. Are you acquainted with him?”
Henry tried to dredge up the name from his memory. It seemed he had heard the name, but he couldn’t place it. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.”
“Mr. Carrington is a banker in London. He is not nearly as rich as my father, but he has a home in one of the nicer parts of the city. Also, he has a wealthy uncle who never married, and he expects to be named heir to his uncle’s fortune one day.”
Henry began to think this line of conversation might lead someplace interesting. “It seems you became well acquainted with this gent
leman.”
“There was nothing untoward, I assure you!” She added guiltily, “I shouldn’t even be speaking of him.” She threw a glance backward, as though to ensure her parents had not snuck up on them.
Henry cleared his throat. “Miss Myers, perhaps we might speak plainly. It’s clear your parents have come here because they thought that we—that is, that you and I—”
Miss Myers turned on him with eager eyes. “Have you ever been in love, Lord Morestowe?” Evidently she’d decided to throw all caution to the wind.
He swallowed. “Well . . . that is . . .”
“I know you want to marry me, and my parents have assured me this is best for me. You do seem like a nice gentleman. However, I feel I should be honest with you. My heart will always belong to someone else.”
Henry stared at her in surprise. He was starting to like these Americans and their forthright way of communicating. “I see. You are speaking of this Mr. Carrington?”
“Yes!” Her eyes shone at the thought of her beloved.
Henry recognized the fervor of first love. It was something he remembered well. “I gather your parents object to him as a suitor?”
She nodded, sighing. “By the time he declared himself and I approached my parents about it, they had already arranged this visit. They insisted there was no going back. They said Mr. Carrington might get an inheritance one day, but you are already an earl.” She placed a hand to her mouth in embarrassment. “Forgive me. That sounded grasping and rude. I do not mean to offend.”
“Why are they so determined to marry you into the aristocracy? Your father is enormously successful. It seems your family has everything they could want.”
“My maternal grandparents were Irish immigrants. They lived hand-to-mouth, barely eking out an existence. My grandmother was once in service to an Irish earl, and she fed my mother with stories of how grand it was. My mother decided one day she would be rich, just like them. But she didn’t stop there. She wants me to marry an English lord. To her, that is the pinnacle of success.”
“So that is her dream, not yours.”
“That’s not exactly true. I was so excited about this trip to England! It does seem so grand to be able to say one is a duchess or a countess! But that was before I met Wesley—I mean, Mr. Carrington.”
“Believe me, I understand.” Henry thought of the way his plans in life had been upended.
“I shouldn’t have told you. My mother will punish me if she finds out.” She looked at him with pleading eyes. “You won’t tell her, will you?”
“The situation will require some tact on our part. Is that why you were crying yesterday?”
“Yes. My mother told me if I ruined things she would never forgive me.” She began to wring her hands. “Oh dear, I have ruined everything. You will never marry me now. We will all go home in disgrace, and it will be entirely my fault!”
It would seem Miss Myers was a young lady whose emotions ran high. He would never have guessed that from her subdued appearance yesterday. Her parents must have been doing all they could to suppress this aspect of her nature. “Is your father as adamant about this scheme as your mother is?”
“He is now, I suppose,” she answered despondently. “To be honest, I don’t think he’d have ever thought of it were it not for my mother. Coming to England was her idea. But he supports it. And of course he wants me to marry well.”
“Will you allow me to speak to your father?” Miss Myers’s eyes widened, and Henry realized how that sounded. “I don’t mean to ask for your hand.” He found a strange irony in having to reassure a young lady of such a thing. “Perhaps I can find a way to feel him out and find a solution to our dilemma.”
Everything had just gotten better and worse at the same time. He was risking a lot to turn away this opportunity. But he would be free to give his heart where he wanted.
Miss Myers took hold of his hands. “Oh, Lord Morestowe! You are so kind and understanding! How can I ever thank you?”
“Nothing is solved yet,” he reminded her. “Let us say nothing of this to anyone. I will look for the right moment to speak to him.”
CHAPTER
31
EACH TEAM STARTS at the stake at their end of the field,” Amelia explained to Cara. “They hit their balls through those hoops, and the two teams pass each other as they work toward their opposite sides. Whenever you reach a hoop at the same time as someone from the other team, that’s when things really get interesting.”
“I see.” Cara and Amelia were watching from Amelia’s bedroom window as Henry and the Myers family played croquet.
It felt a bit like spying, and perhaps it was. But it hadn’t been intentional. They had come back to the house so Amelia could change clothes for her riding lesson. After putting on her gymnastics costume, she had noticed the game.
“It’s very fun to play,” the child had informed Cara. Upon learning that Cara had never played croquet, Amelia insisted they spend a few minutes watching so she could explain the game.
“I wish we had been invited to play,” Amelia said. “And Cousin Langham, too.” She giggled. “He always cheats, but it’s so funny when he does.”
Cara was only half listening. She was focused on Henry and his interactions with Miss Florence Myers. It was clear they made up one team, while her parents comprised the other. The countess observed from a chair under a nearby awning.
Everyone seemed to be having a lovely time. Tears stung Cara’s eyes as jealousy drowned out any sensible or honorable emotions. Were all her hopes about to be dashed because of this rich American girl?
Langham had told her about Henry’s insistence that he did not know Miss Myers was coming. This had been the countess’s doing. But if Lady Morestowe had gotten her way in this, might she not also prevail over Henry in the matter of marriage? Her opinion would hold enormous sway. Even Langham had gloomily admitted this could happen.
Miss Myers placed an expensively shod foot on her croquet ball, which was set against the ball her mother was using. With a swift thwack of her mallet, she sent the other ball flying to the edge of the playing field.
“Ooh, she dismissed her mother!” Amelia exclaimed. “That’s what you call it when you hit someone’s ball far off course. Maybe it would be fun to play with Miss Myers after all.”
Everyone on the croquet lawn seemed to approve of this move. Even Mrs. Myers laughed with delight, despite being greatly set back. All offered a round of applause and smiles to Miss Myers. Including Henry. Cara’s throat pinched, making it difficult to breathe. Miss Myers was beaming at Henry far too often and much too brightly. His answering smiles were warm and friendly. They did not necessarily indicate he was falling in love with her, but then, Henry was very good at hiding things.
Cara leaned against the window frame and closed her eyes, not wanting to see more.
“Are you all right, Miss Bernay?”
“Yes, fine.” Cara offered Amelia a wobbly smile. “We’d better get going, if you want that riding lesson.”
With this reminder, Amelia immediately forgot all about croquet. As she bounded down the steps, eager to get to the stables, Cara followed, wishing she could forget so easily what was happening on the back lawn.
Watching Amelia as she went through her paces on Maisie, Cara had mixed emotions. She kept recalling the elation she’d felt the last time they were here, when she’d been convinced she was going to marry Henry, be a mother to Amelia, and live at Morestowe forever. She had reveled in that kiss she had so wrongly mistaken for a promise.
Cara would have given almost anything not to have seen the looks and smiles passing between Henry and Miss Myers today. But she had seen them. And perhaps it was better to have her eyes opened than to remain a naïve fool. Miss Myers was rich, and she was pretty enough, especially with her exquisite wardrobe and a maid who styled her hair perfectly. She was clearly more suited to be a countess.
Cara, on the other hand, was going to be an excellent artist. She b
rought her mind back to the decision she’d made earlier today. She would take up her plans for her art more seriously, and as soon as possible. When Adrian and Georgiana returned from Blackpool, surely she could live with them again.
It would be hard to leave Amelia. And this wonderful place, which had already grown dear to her. And Henry—
She choked back a sob, raising a hand to cover it. But no one was watching. She willed herself to think only of the future and of her greatest strength: she was very good at starting over.
No sooner had she reminded herself of these things than she saw Henry, Miss Myers, and Mr. Myers approaching. Miss Myers had a delicate hand placed lightly on Henry’s forearm. They stopped halfway around the ring from where Cara stood, and the Myerses’ attention was immediately drawn to the horse and rider.
Henry, on the other hand, looked straight at Cara, almost as if he’d been searching for her. She fancied that her heart paused, held in check by the intensity of his gaze. What was he thinking?
The moment ended when Miss Myers tugged at Henry’s arm and pointed toward Amelia. “Look how accomplished she is, and how well she is riding. And so young! Why, I am positively jealous!”
Gripping the fence to steady herself, Cara turned her attention back to the ring. Amelia had the pony in a brisk trot. As Miss Myers had noted, the girl was poised and confident.
Seeing Henry, Amelia called out a greeting. To her credit, she appeared to catch herself before she made the mistake of raising a hand, since she was supposed to keep them low and close to the saddle. She settled instead for a lift of her chin and quickly returned to the job of keeping the pony on course.
“Very good, Miss Amelia!” Mr. Hart called out, noting her self-correction. “Good afternoon, your lordship! We are having an excellent session today.”
“Yes, I can see that,” Henry answered. He looked pleased and proud of Amelia’s progress.
“I’m sure one day you will ride as well as she does, my dear,” Mr. Myers said to his daughter.
The Artful Match Page 29