The Lord of the Highwaymen - Elizabeth Bramwell Page 0,13

whatever that is worth,” replied Louis, exerting enough pressure on William’s back to force him to start walking again. “I think her an intelligent woman, and I think that perhaps you should try just being yourself, non? After all, she enjoys your company already.”

“For someone who has no trouble winning the regard of any woman he wishes, you don’t seem to understand how courtship works,” sighed William. “Leave me alone to sulk, if you please. It seems I am doomed.”

“You think too much, and for that, there is no cure.” Louis took a few moments to straighten his coat and cuffs. “You do not even have to flirt with her—hide behind formality if you wish, and ask permission to court her. You English are good at that, non?”

“Courtship involves flirtation,” said William with familiar exasperation. “I can happily attend a scientific lecture with her or even spend a pleasant evening at Vauxhall with her, but flirtation? I might as well ask a fish to fly! If the topic of conversation strays from something mundane, like electricity, or ancient writings, my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, and I sound like a buffoon.”

“Only you could think such topics mundane,” replied his friend with an almost melancholy smile. “You would have been popular with the French court, and Marie Antoinette in particular.”

Louis put his hand to his neck, and William did not know what to say. The silence drew out between them for a long moment before the chevalier shook his head as though trying to empty out the bad memories.

“You would be a good match, but you know that already.”

“It was easier before I realized I loved her,” William admitted.

A smile appeared on the face of his friend. “Most people say the opposite. Tell me, what is it you love? Why is Amelia special to you?”

William leaned back against the wall, half closing his eyes as he thought about the woman who had cut up his peace so completely.

“How simple and how complex that question is! I have known her since we were children, but we were so young when she married, and everyone told me it was nothing but calf love, so I forced myself to think of her only as a friend and fellow enthusiast for science and history.”

“And you achieved that?”

William smiled ruefully. “I managed to convince myself that my regard for her was not romantic in nature. It is her intelligence that has always captivated me. She asks such difficult, insightful questions at every lecture we attend, and always seems so genuinely fascinated by the subject at hand. When she went into half-mourning, I escorted her to a lecture about Egyptian death rituals. I think that was when I realized I was captivated.”

“With the subject or the companion?”

“Both,” he replied, laughing. “We had a fierce argument over the ritual significance of mummifying animals, and I was lost to her. It is not just her intellect, though. She has a way of putting one at ease in her company, of making one feel as though they are as important to her as a king. She laughs so easily, and just being in her presence can take even the most insipid of events and render them delightful. Have you seen her dance? But you must have. She is graceful and poised, and yet her enjoyment is evident.”

“And she is beautiful, non?”

William grinned. “Yes, and always fashionable with never a hair out of place. That is not why I love her, Louis. Almost every woman in my acquaintance can be described as beautiful and elegant. It is the quickness of her mind and the goodness of her heart that render her a nonpareil. If you told me I would have none but Amy to talk to for the rest of my life, I would consider myself the luckiest man alive.”

Louis didn’t answer straight away. William turned to face his friend, whose expression, while pleasant, was otherwise unreadable.

“Have you thought to tell her everything you have just told me?” he asked eventually.

William let out a bark of laughter.

“Lord, no! What do you propose I say to her: Hello, Amy, I love that you can discuss dead Egyptians in a friendly manner and understand the scientific lectures you attend, so I’d like to marry you’? I thought the French were supposed to be masters at flirtation!”

“Trust me, mon ami, tell her you love her mind and spirit, and that you wish to court her through scientific lectures and enjoyable evenings