learning how to manage it all. I’m afraid I had to hire business managers to do all that for me. I am learning, however, and I imagine at some point I’ll take it all over.”
“You sound absolutely despondent.” He noted she seemed rather thrilled by the idea of his misery.
“It will simply take me away from things I’d rather be doing.”
“Such as balls and hunts?”
“My dear,” he said, “you are looking at England’s foremost bibliophile.”
He was uncertain whether he was pleased or annoyed by her expression of complete disbelief. Most people who did not know him well could not picture him wading through piles of books to find the exact copy of a fifteenth-century tome, but it was, by far, his favorite thing to do.
“You’re not joking, are you?” she asked, as if he’d said he collected human bones.
“One of the reasons I am here, other than to entertain you, is to assist His Grace in restoring his library. It was indeed tragic what happened here.”
“Oh?”
“The old duke sold every book. It was perhaps one of the greatest collections in England. They had original manuscripts from Archimedes. My God, just thinking of it.”
“I didn’t even know you could read,” she said, clearly jesting him.
Edward forced a smile, but truthfully, he was more than a little insulted by her amazement, something she immediately noted.
“I see I have struck a nerve. I had no idea you were so serious. You were much more fun to needle in Newport, Lord Hollings. Not nearly as sensitive. I do believe you’ve become entirely too stodgy since returning to England. Is it the air, do you think, that has stolen your sense of humor?”
“It is the responsibility.”
Maggie looked properly chastised, for which he was glad. This happy banter of theirs was somehow not nearly as satisfying as it once was. Perhaps because it was all so meaningless and could lead to nothing. Why flirt with someone he could never have, after all? She was engaged to marry another man, which made her more unattainable than had she been married. She really was none of his business. Whether she found books as fascinating as he did was of no consequence whatsoever. In fact, he didn’t know what had possessed him to ask her on this walk with him.
“Do you love him?” he blurted. Well, hell, he hadn’t even realized he was going to ask such a nonsensical thing until it came out of his mouth.
He watched in dreaded fascination as her cheeks bloomed with color.
“Whom do you mean?” she asked, being purposefully obtuse.
“Your fiancé,” he ground out, thrusting his hands behind his back to prevent him from shaking her.
“Love Arthur? Of course I do.”
His heart plunged more than he would have admitted, even upon threat of death. “Then that explains why you are marrying him.”
She swallowed; he watched the slim column of her throat move. She was still staring at the palace, and now it was clear to him that she was simply finding the home so fascinating because she did not want to look at him. She moved her hands up in front of her and grasped them together before pushing them down to her sides, where she fisted them in her skirts.
“I don’t think I could ever marry someone I didn’t love,” she said finally and with odd emotion.
“No. I don’t suppose you would,” Edward said, wishing this Arthur fellow was here before him so he could pummel him.
Maggie shrugged, and with her dark curling hair and fair complexion, she looked decidedly French. “We found we suit each other quite well. He adores Egyptology. Mummies and all that. It’s quite…fascinating.”
Edward chuckled. “You do not find it fascinating at all, be honest.”
Maggie looked up at him with all innocence. “I find it as fascinating as listening to you talk about books,” she said, which only made him laugh aloud.
“For your sake, I hope you do. There are enough miserable married people in this world without adding to them.”
“I agree
“You sound absolutely despondent.” He noted she seemed rather thrilled by the idea of his misery.
“It will simply take me away from things I’d rather be doing.”
“Such as balls and hunts?”
“My dear,” he said, “you are looking at England’s foremost bibliophile.”
He was uncertain whether he was pleased or annoyed by her expression of complete disbelief. Most people who did not know him well could not picture him wading through piles of books to find the exact copy of a fifteenth-century tome, but it was, by far, his favorite thing to do.
“You’re not joking, are you?” she asked, as if he’d said he collected human bones.
“One of the reasons I am here, other than to entertain you, is to assist His Grace in restoring his library. It was indeed tragic what happened here.”
“Oh?”
“The old duke sold every book. It was perhaps one of the greatest collections in England. They had original manuscripts from Archimedes. My God, just thinking of it.”
“I didn’t even know you could read,” she said, clearly jesting him.
Edward forced a smile, but truthfully, he was more than a little insulted by her amazement, something she immediately noted.
“I see I have struck a nerve. I had no idea you were so serious. You were much more fun to needle in Newport, Lord Hollings. Not nearly as sensitive. I do believe you’ve become entirely too stodgy since returning to England. Is it the air, do you think, that has stolen your sense of humor?”
“It is the responsibility.”
Maggie looked properly chastised, for which he was glad. This happy banter of theirs was somehow not nearly as satisfying as it once was. Perhaps because it was all so meaningless and could lead to nothing. Why flirt with someone he could never have, after all? She was engaged to marry another man, which made her more unattainable than had she been married. She really was none of his business. Whether she found books as fascinating as he did was of no consequence whatsoever. In fact, he didn’t know what had possessed him to ask her on this walk with him.
“Do you love him?” he blurted. Well, hell, he hadn’t even realized he was going to ask such a nonsensical thing until it came out of his mouth.
He watched in dreaded fascination as her cheeks bloomed with color.
“Whom do you mean?” she asked, being purposefully obtuse.
“Your fiancé,” he ground out, thrusting his hands behind his back to prevent him from shaking her.
“Love Arthur? Of course I do.”
His heart plunged more than he would have admitted, even upon threat of death. “Then that explains why you are marrying him.”
She swallowed; he watched the slim column of her throat move. She was still staring at the palace, and now it was clear to him that she was simply finding the home so fascinating because she did not want to look at him. She moved her hands up in front of her and grasped them together before pushing them down to her sides, where she fisted them in her skirts.
“I don’t think I could ever marry someone I didn’t love,” she said finally and with odd emotion.
“No. I don’t suppose you would,” Edward said, wishing this Arthur fellow was here before him so he could pummel him.
Maggie shrugged, and with her dark curling hair and fair complexion, she looked decidedly French. “We found we suit each other quite well. He adores Egyptology. Mummies and all that. It’s quite…fascinating.”
Edward chuckled. “You do not find it fascinating at all, be honest.”
Maggie looked up at him with all innocence. “I find it as fascinating as listening to you talk about books,” she said, which only made him laugh aloud.
“For your sake, I hope you do. There are enough miserable married people in this world without adding to them.”
“I agree
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