Disinheritance (The Chaplain's Legacy Book 1) by Mary Kingswood

Author:Mary Kingswood [Kingswood, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sutors Publishing
Published: 2024-01-19T00:00:00+00:00

19: Walter Intervenes

The incident at the General Office began a pleasant interlude in Winnie’s life. In one way or another, Mr Lomax managed to see her every day. Sometimes it was merely a morning call, but more often there would be a drive or a walk, with Aunt Sofia chaperoning them. When they went to the theatre, he joined them, and when they had dinner guests, he was invited too. When a party was got up to go to Richmond to visit Uncle Edmund’s mother, the ladies drove in Mr Lomax’s landau. When neighbours held an evening party, with impromptu dancing, he danced twice with Winnie and then hovered nearby for the rest of the evening, as if he wished he could stand up for every dance with her. And after ten days, the seriousness of his intentions became clear when Mrs Lomax arrived from Oxfordshire to inspect the young lady who was keeping her son in town. Two days later, they dined at Mr Lomax’s town house on Charles Street, just off Berkeley Square.

It was gratifying, of course, but to Winnie it was also heartbreaking, for while one man courted her with flattering intensity, the other treated her with the same casual affection as always. Why, why, why could it not be Walter who drove her about, who brought her flowers, who looked at her with fire in his eyes? He was hurtfully disdainful of Mr Lomax, as if he thought that no sensible man could possibly want to pay her any attention. And he showed not one iota of jealousy.

Gradually it became clear that he would never change. If the long journey south and spending hours every day together did not bring him to see her in a different light, if even a rival for her hand could not inspire him to see her as a woman, then nothing would. And although these bitter reflections caused her to weep a little, she could not wait for ever for Walter. She knew what she must do. She was unsurprised, therefore, when Aunt Sofia came to see Winnie in her room one night.

“I think you will need to be ready, Winnie,” she said without preamble.

“Ready?” she said, although she knew what her aunt was about to say.

“For his offer. Alfred tells me that Mr Lomax came to see him privately today, and was very open about his intentions. He has four thousand a year, and no debts or encumbrances. I believe he will speak before you leave town, so you will need to have your answer prepared.”

“I know what I will say, if it comes to that point, Aunt. I shall accept him, of course, subject to Papa’s approval, naturally. And I should like to see his house first, before I commit myself irrevocably.”

“You doubt his description of it?”

“No, not at all, and I know that Uncle Edmund has verified everything from his friends at White’s and the Treasury. No, I should like to see his house and estate to understand what sort of man he is.

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