Heiress in Red Silk (Duke's Heiress #2) - Madeline Hunter Page 0,101

she had imposed. More likely he would find her pique irritating and boring.

Perhaps he had. Maybe he had not even noticed her absence. Right now, she didn’t care because his embrace made her heart so happy for their special friendship.

Not friendship, her heart’s voice said. Call it love, because that is what you feel.

“The problem with his machine is simple to fix once you give it some thought. I will send him the solution I propose.”

Machine? Solution? Oh yes. Mr. Lovelace.

“That is nice of you.”

She felt him kiss the top of her head. “Think nothing of it.”

* * *

Rosamund walked to her shop, eager to do something besides practice elocution or manners. Her tutors had a habit of congratulating her, but it always sounded as if they praised themselves instead. She had improved much in the month of lessons, and they saw her as one of their creations, much as the new hat she was finishing was one of hers.

Upon arriving at the shop, she immediately went to the workroom. The apprentice, Sally, labored over trimming a headpiece. Rosamund checked her work, then sat to finish her own.

The hat used some of the ideas she had carried back from Paris in her reticule. The brim was uneven, and deeper on one side than the other. The larger side curved up, and she had split the brim there in three places. That allowed the plumes on the crown to show through to the front, and also gave the hat a different flair.

Covering those split sections had been a challenge. She carefully picked out the stitches on one of them and began to redo it.

Mrs. Ingram entered. “There’s someone asking for you in front.”

“Not a local businessman, I trust. My marriage was announced.”

“Nothing like that. Mr. Walter Radnor and his wife.”

Surprised, Rosamund set aside her trimming and made her way to the front of the shop.

Felicity waited there, dressed very fashionably and wearing a hat Jameson’s had not made. Walter hovered near her, looking pompous and vaguely uncomfortable. Felicity saw her and fluttered over.

“What a charming shop. Such interesting hats.”

Rosamund welcomed them, then waited with curiosity. When they both kept ambling around her establishment, she moved in and forced the question. “How can I help you? Have you come to commission something, Mrs. Radnor?”

“I think that you can address me as Felicity now, because we are related.”

“How generous of you.”

Felicity glanced at her husband.

He offered a hearty, bland smile. “We want you to know that we have accommodated ourselves to the marriage. What’s done is done.”

“How good of you.”

“Yes, well, about that, however.” He glanced around, his gaze returning repeatedly to the window. “Is there somewhere we can talk alone?”

“Come with me.” She led the way up to the first story and the space in front that the shop used. She had installed a divan and some chairs there, along with the necessities for fitting headwear.

“We called at your home, but were told you were here,” Felicity said after sitting on the divan.

Rosamund wondered who had told them that.

“Do you think this is wise?” Walter asked. “Continuing in trade now that you are wed is neither necessary nor appropriate.”

“Did the family send you to instruct me? If my husband does not mind, why should you?”

“Kevin has never been careful about social expectations,” Felicity said soothingly. “Walter is only trying to help you. Isn’t that right, darling?”

Walter nodded.

“Then you have done your duty.” Rosamund stood. “Now, I have a full day and—”

“Actually, we wanted to talk about something else,” Walter said while he half-rose himself.

Rosamund sat back down.

“Your marriage settlement—How did that address this enterprise of Kevin’s?” Walter asked.

“That is more private than I want to discuss.”

“Did you leave it that he is your heir?” Felicity asked. “I did tell you not to do that.”

“My dear, please don’t divert the conversation,” Walter said. “That is neither here nor there to our purposes.”

“Perhaps you will explain what is here or there,” Rosamund said.

Walter shifted how he sat. “Here is the thing. When almost a year had passed and you were not found, we assumed you would not be. That you were . . .”

“Dead?”

“Or had moved abroad. America,” Felicity added quickly.

“It was a fair conclusion,” Walter said. “I took it upon myself on behalf of the family to find out what that enterprise might be worth, should the legacy be divided up. I was surprised that while the details of Kevin’s invention are not known, there are those whose estimation of my cousin’s mind