An Unwitting Match (The Lockwood Family Book 1) by Laura Beers

Author:Laura Beers [Beers, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-08-06T00:00:00+00:00

Miles adjusted his cravat as his valet removed a speck of lint from his jacket. A distant chime echoed through the manor, beckoning everyone to gather in the drawing room for dinner.

Bailey took a step back. “Will there be anything else, my lord?”

“No, but thank you,” Miles replied.

He walked towards the door and pulled it open, revealing Bennett leaning casually against the opposite wall.

Miles raised an eyebrow at his friend’s unexpected presence. “Dare I ask why you are lurking outside of my bedchamber?”

“It isn’t lurking when it is my home,” Bennett replied as he straightened himself. “I thought we could make our way down to dinner together.”

Miles worked to keep the disappointment off his face since he had been eager to escort Edwina down to dinner.

Bennett gave him a knowing look, as though he could read his thoughts. “My cousin has already made her way downstairs and is most likely waiting for us.”

“That is good,” Miles said, attempting to appear uninterested in what he had just revealed.

As they walked down the corridor, Bennett asked in a firm voice, “What are your intentions towards Edwina?”

Miles was caught off guard, not by the question itself, considering the amount of time he had spent with Edwina, but more so by the timing of it. How could he answer this question in such a short period of time? He cared for Edwina, but he had no intention of pursuing her. He couldn’t. How could he when he still loved his wife?

Stumbling over his words, he said, “I… um… have none.”

Bennett came to an abrupt stop and turned to face Miles, his nostrils flaring in a sign of anger. “You mean to have a dalliance with her then?”

Miles was taken aback by the accusation. “No! How could you even think such a thing?”

“What am I supposed to think?” Bennett asked. “You have been spending quite a lot of time together and growing rather close.”

“We are simply friends,” Miles insisted.

Bennett’s expression was stern as he countered, “Your actions in the gardens this morning suggested otherwise.”

“I assure you, my behavior towards Lady Edwina is entirely honorable,” Miles said.

Bennett studied him for a long moment before saying, “I believe you, but that does not mean I have to like it. I do not want to see my cousin get hurt.”

“I do not wish for that either,” Miles replied earnestly.

With a heavy sigh, Bennett continued down the corridor as Miles matched his stride. “I worry about my cousin in the marriage mart,” he confessed.

“As do I,” Miles said.

Bennett ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair. “I don’t know how I can possibly watch over both my sisters and Edwina this Season. It all seems too overwhelming.”

“I can help you,” Miles reassured him.

“You are attending the Season?” Bennett asked.

Miles nodded. “It is time for me to take up my seat in the House of Lords.”

“That is commendable, but I did not think you would make time for the frivolousness of social events,” Bennett commented.

“I am dreading those social events, but I made a promise to Lady Edwina that I would be there to help guide her,” Miles shared.

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