I heard that Kitty was looking for someone to be your chaperone, I offered my services.”
“Did Miss Britcher know you were his uncle?” Aaron asked as he gestured to Benjamin.
“Yes, she was here when the agreement was made.”
“Why didn’t Miss Britcher tell me who you were?”
Mr. Stonewall shrugged. “I didn’t think to ask her about it. Regardless, we finally came to the agreement that chaperoning you two wasn’t making matters better. So we returned to our respective homes in order to give you and your wife time alone.”
“You two agreed…?” Aaron took a moment to gather his thoughts then said, “Does that mean Miss Britcher doesn’t have a nephew?”
“No, she has a nephew, but he’s doing fine. She felt it was best if we forced you two to be together, and the only way to do that was by temporarily suspending our services. After some thought, I agreed with her. That’s why she made up the story about her nephew needing her.”
“What made you think we would get along if we were forced to be together?”
Mr. Stonewall gave him a pointed look. “You’re not here to see me, are you?”
Taken off guard by the question, Aaron blinked a couple of times.
“I’ll answer for him,” Benjamin said. “He’s here to see Kitty.”
“It looks like Miss Britcher was right then, doesn’t it?” Mr. Stonewall asked Aaron.
“That doesn’t mean we’re getting along,” Aaron replied.
“So, you came to argue with her?” Mr. Stonewall pressed.
“No, I didn’t come here to argue with her. I have better things to do with my time than make a trip all the way to this residence to fight with someone,” Aaron said.
“Then how is it you’re not getting along with her?” he asked.
Aaron let out a frustrated sigh. “You enjoy making things difficult for me. It’s why you refused to let me pay you to stop being my chaperone.”
Benjamin laughed. “My uncle doesn’t need money. He has even more than I do, and I manage very well.” He glanced at Mr. Stonewall. “Did Kitty really pay you?”
“I had to accept payment or else the poor thing wouldn’t have felt right about it,” Mr. Stonewall replied. “She’s really quite admirable. But,” he turned his gaze to Aaron, “no, I didn’t take the job because I needed any money. I did it because you were being unreasonable.”
Aaron glanced from Mr. Stonewall to Benjamin, wondering how much Benjamin knew about the situation, but Benjamin had the look of someone who was oblivious to the details.
Mr. Stonewall’s attention went behind Aaron, so Aaron turned and saw Kitty. Despite the shaky relationship he shared with her, Aaron had to admit that she was a lovely sight. The red gown she wore brought a nice rosy color to her cheeks that he hadn’t noticed before.
“I’m afraid our secret is out,” Mr. Stonewall told her. “Lord Northton knows I’m the uncle of your friend’s husband.”
Kitty looked at Aaron, eyebrows raised. “Does that upset you?”
“No,” Aaron replied, surprised she should ask the question. “All things considered, it’s the only thing that makes sense. I couldn’t understand why any gentleman would agree to let you hire him in order to chaperone me. It’s not gentlemen who require chaperones.”
“They do if they’re being unnecessarily demanding,” she said.
Aaron thought he saw a spark of amusement on Mr. Stonewall’s face, but he decided to ignore it. Given everything he’d put her through, he deserved that remark. “You’re right. If a husband insists his wife have a chaperone, then he deserves one as well.”
Not hiding her surprise, she said, “I didn’t expect you to agree with me.”
“I realize I’ve been difficult,” Aaron replied.
He didn’t feel like explaining why in front of the two gentlemen. Besides, considering the fact that he’d already told her about his mother, he didn’t feel like going into all of that again. What he most wanted to do was forget about his mother. It was enough she had tarnished his view of ladies. He didn’t need to give her his time or attention when he was trying to make amends with his wife.
“Lord Northton has some redeeming qualities,” Mr. Stonewall spoke up. “I doubt you’ll have any trouble with him. In the meantime, my nephew and I have somewhere to go.”
Kitty waited until the two left before she directed her gaze back to Aaron. “Would you like to have some tea before we go for a walk, or would you like to leave now?”
“I’d like to leave now.”
While he was sure none of the servants would interrupt their