came Lady Ramsbury’s reply, as Benedict looked towards her again in surprise. “To tell Lord Hosmer what he must or must not do will only have precisely the opposite effect to the one you desire.” Her eyes twinkled as she looked back at her husband, before finally looking towards Benedict himself. “Is that not so, Lord Hosmer?”
“I think that you have made me out very well indeed, Lady Ramsbury,” Benedict replied, swirling the brandy around in his glass. “Now if only your husband might agree with you!”
He shot a hard look towards Lord Ramsbury but his friend’s frown only deepened.
“Lady Hayward was very closely acquainted with my family,” Lord Ramsbury stated, as though he had not told Benedict such a thing already. “My mother, in particular, will be very glad to see her again… although she is yet to join us.”
A small frown flickered across his brow and Benedict could not help but smile. It seemed that Lord Ramsbury was a little anxious this evening, as though he wanted all to go well, but was uncertain that it would do so. Of course, Benedict knew that his current demeanor did not help the situation at all, but he did not want his friend to even consider the idea that he might be interested in courting Lady Charity. Indeed, he wanted to make it quite clear that he had no interest in any such thing and, in behaving in this particular manner, he was certain that he was doing so.
Part of him had been a little suspicious that the only reason such a dinner had been arranged was so that Lady Charity and he might spend a little more time in conversation and, of course, this had made him consider whether or not he would even attend – but the thought of sitting in his townhouse alone for yet another night, drinking his whisky and staring blankly into the fire, was not something that Benedict wished to do. Thus, he had agreed to attend, but had no intention whatsoever of making any particular conversation with Lady Charity.
“I am sure that your mother will be present very soon, Ramsbury,” Lady Ramsbury said, gently. “Come now, you worry too much, my dear.” She rose from her chair and went towards her husband, one hand reaching out to settle on his arm. “I know that you are concerned for your mother’s wellbeing, but I believe she is quite contented here in London. It was good of you to invite her.”
Smiling up at Lord Ramsbury, she waited until he let out a long breath, smiled and touched her cheek.
Benedict looked away. He had no desire to see any sort of fondness, nor even a modicum of affection between husband and wife. That brought too much pain into his own heart, too strong a reminder of all that had been lost to him. He had been the fool once, and would not permit himself to be so again.
“My Lord?”
Ramsbury turned quickly to see the butler standing framed in the doorway, his head lowering for a moment as he bowed.
“My Lord, your guests have just arrived,” he stated, as Ramsbury nodded eagerly. “I will have them shown in at once.”
“As quickly as you can,” came the response. “I am sure they will be very chilled indeed!”
Over the last two days, the steady rain had turned to hail and sleet, making it feel a good deal colder than before. Benedict, who was well able to afford to keep the entirety of his townhouse warm if he wished, had ordered fires only in the study and his bedchamber, having had no intention of going anywhere other than those two rooms, given that he could take his meals in the study. Lord Ramsbury, however, had been a little more generous and had made sure that the library, the drawing room and the dining room were all warmed by a great fire, although the hallways would still remain cold, of course. Benedict grimaced. Should anyone come to call upon him – as unlikely as it was – he would have to greet them in his study rather than take them to his drawing room. A small, wry smile pulled at one corner of his lips. It was just as well, then, that he had no intention of having anyone come to call upon him.
The door opened and Benedict rose expectantly, only for the Dowager to step inside. Her eyes roved across the room quickly, before she spread her hands and smiled