Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
During dinner, Marie noted how intrigued Juliet was by Lord Monheim’s choice in planning the menu, going so far as to comment that her sister and brother-in-law didn’t add as much variety like he had.
That comment led the people to discuss Greece, and Marie noticed the spark of interest Lord Monheim had in visiting that country.
How wonderful would it be if he went to Greece with the intention of meeting more of her family and then marrying her right there in Athens where they both expressed a love for Greek mythology and architecture?
Lord Monheim might not be given to flights of fancy, but he shared Juliet’s interest in more tangible matters.
Instead of separating out after dinner, the group went straight to the drawing room and played cards at a circular table.
Lord Monheim sat to Marie’s right while Edward sat to her left.
Brooke was on the other side of Edward. Then there was Richard, and finally, Juliet, which put her next on Lord Monheim’s other side.
Marie wondered if the seating arrangement was a coincidence or if Tove might somehow be manipulating the situation.
“Does anyone have anything fun planned for Christmas?” Richard asked once the group got comfortable.
“I’ll probably do the same thing I do every year,” Brooke spoke up. “Go to the festive balls and see how people have decorated their homes. Lady Cadwalader really likes to make a big event of the whole thing.”
“Have you been to one of her Christmas balls?” Richard asked.
“I have. I went last year, and it was as beautiful as people say,” Brooke replied.
Lord Monheim dealt out the cards. “I hear it’s not easy to get invited to her ball.”
“It’s not,” Richard said. “My family doesn’t have the kind of connections that let us into their social circle.”
“I have an uncle who helps Lord Cadwalader manage his investments,” Brooke explained. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be invited.”
“Considering how well Lord Cadwalader is doing, I’d say your uncle is to be commended,” Lord Monheim replied. “I hear his investments saw a fifteen percent increase over the past year.”
Edward’s eyes grew wide, and he looked past Marie to Lord Monheim. “That’s a risky investment, though, isn’t it? Returns aren’t usually so high.”
Lord Monheim shrugged. “Lord Cadwalader knows when to buy and sell at just the right time. Brooke’s uncle must know what he’s doing.”
“Who is your uncle?” Edward asked Brooke.
She collected her cards. “Mr. Colin Sinclair.”
Marie sorted through her mind for anyone she recognized by that name, but nothing came up.
She wasn’t the only one who didn’t know the gentleman since Lord Monheim said, “I’m not familiar with the name.”
“That’s probably because he’s not titled,” Richard mused. “Lord Cadwalader doesn’t publicly speak about anyone who doesn’t have a title associated with their name.”
“He’s willing to acknowledge Mr. Sinclair and his family,” Lord Monheim pointed out. “Mr. Sinclair can’t be that much of a secret.”
He could be if he didn’t really exist, Marie thought.
“Marie’s mother is a relative of the Cadwalader family,” Richard said. “I’m sure she’s been to one of Lord Cadwalader’s Christmas balls.”
Marie shifted as she became aware of everyone’s attention.
In her other life, she’d never been to a Christmas ball at the Cadwalader residence.
She was certain that she was always invited to the festivity in this life.
She just hadn’t lived in this life long enough to have experienced it.
They didn’t expect her to give them any details about it, did they?
Her gaze went to Brooke, but Brooke gave no indication that she should speak up.
“I’m hoping to leave London this Christmas season,” Richard went on, much to Marie’s relief. “Every year, I do the same thing with my family, and my family does the same thing with Lady Diane’s family. This year, I finally have enough money to go somewhere. I just haven’t figured out where yet.”
At this, Edward spoke up. “Juliet recently visited Italy. Juliet, do you think there’s anything in Italy that Richard would enjoy?”
Richard’s eyebrows rose in interest, and he glanced her way.
Juliet thought for a moment as she sorted through her cards.
“Like England, Italy is rich in history. If you’re interested in art, there’s Michelangelo’s beautiful work in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
Of course, being a gentleman, you might be more inclined toward the political history of the country, rather than the artistic.
You can discover all sorts of information about the Caesars of the Roman Empire. ”
Richard grimaced. “Unlike other gentlemen, I am not all that interested in politics. I know I probably should be, but I find political discussions dull.”
“In that case, maybe you’d like to go to Venice. That city has canals where you can travel by boat from one part of the city to the other. It has a sweet charm to it.” A sparkle came to her eyes. “However, I enjoyed my trip to the small island of Capri the most.”
“Miss Carter is a talented artist,” Edward chimed in. “I saw a couple of the paintings she did from her time in Capri. She gave one to her sister as a gift. It’s surprisingly realistic.”
Marie shifted in her chair. Juliet had told her that she had no interest in Edward, but perhaps Edward had an interest in her? She was certain she had detected a hint of awe in his voice just now.
“The painting was a wedding gift,” Juliet told the group. “It’s one of my favorite works because of the memory it evokes. I was missing her at the time when I visited Capri. I thought of her the entire time I did that particular painting.”
Lord Monheim smiled. “There’s something to be said for putting your heart into your work. So many artists do work that seems to lack any real…depth to it. It’s almost as if they only do it for the money.”
“Some artists need the money,” Richard argued.
“True, but some only do it for the money,” Lord Monheim countered. “I happen to know for a fact that the man who painted the Duke of Hennesy’s portrait only did so because His Grace offered him a sizable sum of money to do it.”
“Didn’t Mr. Rippleton do that portrait?”
“He did.”
“Mr. Rippleton does an amazing job of capturing a person’s likeness. You can’t tell me he doesn’t enjoy what he does.”
“Mr. Rippleton enjoys painting, but he hates doing portraits. He makes his living doing the portraits. He doesn’t make anything from his other works. That’s why he took the job from the Duke of Hennesy.”
“Being able to make money at something you enjoy would be the best of both worlds,” Richard mused. “I think those of us born into money take the labor of others for granted.”
Lord Monheim gave a thoughtful pause then indicated his agreement. “Yes, we are fortunate. We have the benefit of choosing to spend time on activities that bring us pleasure.”
The room fell into silence, giving Marie time to mull over their words.
In this new life, she had her pick of so many suitors.
They were all good picks, too. Tove hadn’t thrown just anyone her way.
Tove had given her all suitable choices.
Marie could probably have a decent marriage with any of the gentlemen who were vying for her hand.
Had Marie not lived her other life—had she not known how difficult it could be to get noticed—she wouldn’t have realized how easy it was to take all of their attention for granted.
She didn’t have to think over what to say.
They were pleased by anything she discussed. Even her silence didn’t dissuade them.
The only gentleman she was uncertain about was Edward.
He wasn’t acting the same way with her in this life.
He was respectful and kind, but there was something missing.
Was it possible he had actually been happy with the arrangement their fathers had made?
At the time, she’d thought he was acting out of obligation.
But what if he hadn’t been? What if he had been sincerely interested in her, and due to her self-consciousness, she’d missed it?
She glanced at Edward. Did she even have a chance with him in this life?
He had been far more attentive to her in her other life.
She had been around him enough now to pick up on his composure when he was being polite and when he was interested in something.
He was polite to her in this life. He was cooler.
The warmth wasn’t there like it’d been that evening they’d met.
She realized now that there had been a spark of interest in his eyes, and when he touched her, he’d let his hand linger a little bit longer than necessary.
And the smiles he gave her lit up all through him.
The smiles he gave her in this life lacked any passion.
“With any luck, I’ll be sharing this Christmas with a bride.”
Lord Monheim’s words jolted Marie back to the card game. She pretended not to notice the way he glanced in her direction. If he was thinking of marrying her that soon, it meant a proposal was imminent. It also meant all the talking he and Juliet had done during dinner had amounted to nothing.
“A wedding around Christmas sounds nice,” Richard, thankfully, commented so that it got everyone’s attention off of her. “Christmas is my favorite time of year. A Christmas wedding sounds romantic.”
“I didn’t think you were given to romance,” Lord Monheim mused.
“Why wouldn’t I be? I’m a gentleman like any other.”
“I suppose all of that talk about how you don’t like Lady Diane made me think otherwise.”
“My Christmas bride will be someone I want to be around. There will be no one arranging a marriage for me.”
Marie blinked in surprise. There will be no one arranging a marriage for me.
Was there a reason why Richard chose to word things that way?
There wasn’t any possibility that Tove might have taken on the persona of a gentleman in this timeline, could there?
No. Tove couldn’t be Richard. She had danced with Richard in her other life right before meeting Edward.
But that was the same night she met Tove.
What if Tove had come to her disguised as Richard in order to get acquainted with her first?
Marie had been watching Diane for well over a year.
Had she ever noticed Richard in all of that time?
She bit her lower lip. No, no she hadn’t.
She couldn’t think of a single time she’d ever seen Richard near Diane in her other life.
And yet, in this one, the two were connected.
Marie’s gaze went to Brooke. Brooke was placing some cards down on the table, looking very happy to be here this evening. Maybe Brooke was actually a real person that Marie hadn’t noticed in her other life.
Or maybe Juliet was Tove in disguise. Juliet, after all, had been in Greece this whole time.
Wouldn’t that be a convenient story to explain her sudden appearance?
And she was connected to Edward. Maybe not directly, but the connection was there through her sister’s marriage to Edward’s cousin.
Did Edward even have a cousin in her other life?
Marie had to settle her thoughts before she did something stupid, like faint.
She closed her eyes for a moment to compose herself.
Then she opened them and took a deep, cleansing breath.
She couldn’t get lost in wondering which, if any, of the guests was Tove.
The important thing was that she realized she wanted to marry Edward.
Somehow, she was going to have to reveal this to Tove. The only question was when and how.