Chapter Twenty-One

"T hank you for meeting with me even though I didn't ask for permission in advance," Felix told Lord Humphrey as he sat across from the older gentleman in the drawing room.

"You said the matter was urgent." Lord Humphrey accepted the brandy the butler offered him.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is," Felix replied.

When the butler turned to Felix, Felix shook his head. Felix hadn't realized how many gentlemen in London drank alcohol until he had to give it up. This was one of those situations where he wished he could have some brandy, but he'd gone this long without it. He had made good progress with Elizabeth. While he realized abstaining from alcohol had nothing to do with it, he could undo that progress if he slipped back into old habits. He had to clasp his hands together so he wouldn't reach for the glass the butler was carrying out of the room.

Lord Humphrey waited until they were alone before asking, "What do you wish to speak with me about?"

Felix took a deep breath and wiped his hands on his breeches. No gentleman wanted to find out a member of his household committed vandalism. This was bound to be upsetting. He only hoped Lord Humphrey wasn't the type of person who yelled.

"It gives me no pleasure to tell you this," Felix began, "but a young man painted A witch lives here on my front door before dawn this morning, and a servant saw the young man go to this townhouse."

Lord Humphrey, who'd been sipping his brandy, coughed. He hurried to grab a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his mouth and chin. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to spray that everywhere."

"Nothing got on me," Felix assured him, glad their chairs weren't close to each other.

The gentleman slipped the handkerchief back into his pocket then set the glass down. "Lord Roland, I think I know who did it, and I owe you an apology. Did the servant get a good look at the young man?"

"She said he was wearing a cloak, so I doubt it. The chambermaid who saw him works at a neighboring residence if you wish to speak with her."

"That won't be necessary. I believe you." Lord Humphrey brought the handkerchief back out of his pocket and dabbed his forehead. "My ward did this. Ever since he's come here, I've had nothing but problems." Clasping the handkerchief, he set his hand over his heart. "I will have a talk with him. I assure you this won't happen again. And I will pay for a new door. Which one of the townhouses is yours?"

"It's five homes down across the street in that direction." Felix gestured to where he lived. "But I didn't come here to have you buy me a new door. I have already taken care of it. All I want is for no one to do that again. My wife has been going through a difficult time. She doesn't need to see that."

"No, of course, she doesn't. No lady should be called a witch. One has to wonder why someone would even paint something like that on a door."

Felix studied him. Hadn't he heard the rumors about Elizabeth? Felix was certain they were circulating all through London. Either Lord Humphrey was oblivious to things that went on around him or he'd recently been on a trip.

"I still feel a responsibility to pay for the door. They aren't cheap." Lord Humphrey rose to his feet. "Please let me do this. I'll make sure my ward pays me back, so I won't be out any money."

Maybe this was the best way to handle things. A young ward would learn his lesson better if he had to reimburse his guardian for the door. Felix nodded. "I think your approach is the wisest one."

Lord Humphrey departed from the room, and Felix relaxed. That had gone better than he'd expected. He had worried the visit would result in an unpleasant confrontation.

While Felix couldn't rectify everything he'd done to hurt Elizabeth, this was one thing he had managed to accomplish. It was a small victory, but it was a victory, nonetheless. This was a promising sign that their future would be better than their past.

***

"W HAT DO YOU MEAN OSCAR'S gone?" Felix asked the butler that evening as he stared at the place where Oscar was supposed to sit at the dining room table.

"He had us load his things into a wagon," the butler replied.

"When?"

"This happened when you were out."

Felix didn't think he'd been at Lord Humphrey's that long. What had Oscar done—rushed the servants to get him out of the townhouse as fast as possible? Felix knew Oscar said he was going to move out, but he didn't think he'd do it so soon. "Where did you take Oscar's things?"

"I believe he instructed the coachman to take them to Lord Dayton's residence."

Now that Felix thought about it, Oscar did mention going to Adam's residence. What a day. Everything was happening so fast that he could barely keep it straight.

"Cook was not notified of the new arrangements until after he began preparing dinner," the butler continued. "I suggest not bringing everything in."

In light of the fact that Oscar ate double the amount he and Elizabeth did, Felix could see why the butler advised that. There was no point in having the servants go through all that extra work. Felix indicated his agreement then sat down.

The butler departed from the room to start bringing in the dinner.

He glanced at the doorway. Was Elizabeth planning to eat with him this evening? She wasn't usually early for dinner like he and Oscar were. In Felix's case, he was early for everything. Oscar, on the other hand, seemed to believe he would perish if he didn't eat as soon as the hour struck five. Should Felix wait until Elizabeth arrived before eating tonight? Or had she already eaten when Lydia stopped by to talk with her?

He waited for the butler to return to the dining room with the pea soup. A maid followed behind with the drinks. This evening there would be no wine. There was only water and punch.

"Did Lady Roland eat while my sister was here?" Felix asked the butler.

The butler set down the large bowl with the ladle in it then turned to Felix. "I don't recall them asking for anything while they were visiting."

Felix nodded. In that case, Elizabeth should be hungry enough to join him for dinner. His gaze returned to Oscar's spot. After spending almost every day of his life watching Oscar eat everything in sight, he didn't know if he was prepared for this. Oscar might have spent half the meal talking with his mouth full, but he did keep things from getting quiet.

Felix didn't know if he could manage through a dinner alone with Elizabeth. Yes, they had managed a good conversation in the carriage and at the art gallery, but what could they talk about during the meal? Well, he supposed he could talk to her about Lydia's visit. Yes, that was something! At once, the knot eased in his stomach.

The butler waited expectantly for him to eat, but there was no way he was going to eat until Elizabeth got here. He rose to his feet. "I'll return to the drawing room until Lady Roland is ready to have dinner."

"My lord..." The butler didn't finish the sentence, probably because he realized it wasn't his place to tell Felix what to do.

However, since the butler had spoken, Felix decided to prompt him to say what was on his mind.

The butler shifted uncomfortably but said, "The soup may get cold."

"That's fine. I don't mind cold soup."

"Perhaps I should take the soup back to the kitchen so it stays hot."

Yes, that was a good compromise. Felix nodded then went to the drawing room. His stomach growled in protest. Ever since he could remember, he always ate dinner at five. This change was something his body wasn't used to, but some things were more important than a growling stomach.

He didn't think Elizabeth would take more than ten minutes to arrive. She periodically showed up anywhere between five to ten minutes late for meals. So he didn't bother bringing something to read. However, on this particular day, she didn't come down to the drawing room until 5:30. He had gotten so bored waiting for her that he no longer cared if they ran out of things to talk about or not. He was just glad he could stop staring at the wall when he saw her. He rose to his feet as she approached him.

"I went to the dining room, and you weren't there," she said. "Aren't you eating tonight?"

"Yes, but I was waiting for you."

Her cheeks turned pink. "I got distracted by something I was doing in my bedchamber. I'm sorry. If I had known you were waiting for me, I would have paid better attention to the time."

He offered her a smile to let her know he wasn't upset. "I heard Lydia stopped by. Between her visit and our trip to the art gallery, you had a lot to do."

"You had a busy afternoon, too. You were gone when Lydia came here."

"I had a personal matter to take care of with a gentleman. It wasn't anything important, but it had to be dealt with right away. Did Lydia need to talk to me about something?"

"She wanted to invite us to a dinner party."

He hesitated to respond. Knowing Lydia, she wouldn't have left until she secured the arrangement. No doubt, this was her attempt to get Felix and Guy talking again. That was the way Lydia was. Always the peacemaker. "How many people will be at this dinner party?"

"Just the two of us, her, and her husband."

In that case, things were either going to be very awkward or satisfactory. It was a gamble. One never knew what to expect when it came to Guy. But Lydia was his sister, and he couldn't begrudge her for trying.

As if she could read his mind, Elizabeth said, "She promised to talk to Guy on your behalf. I don't know if that helps you feel easier about the dinner party or not."

"I'm not overly concerned with what Guy thinks. He's ridiculously superstitious."

"Yes, but he is a friend, isn't he?"

Felix shrugged. "I thought we had formed something of a friendship while we were at my country estate. However, if he's going to let something like the statue of an owl drive a wedge between us, that changes things."

"I agree. I might not know much about friendship, but a friend ought to accept the way you choose to do things in your own townhouse."

I might not know much about friendship... ? Did that mean Elizabeth didn't have any friends? Felix thought over the time she'd been here. The only person she'd spent any time with was Lydia. But certainly, a lady like Elizabeth had to have lots of friends.

And what made him think that? Because she was beautiful?

Yes, he had assumed it because she was beautiful. He didn't realize it until now, but he had spent his entire life assuming that the best-looking people had an easier time in life than those who were like him. Perhaps he and Elizabeth weren't so different after all.

"Would you two like to eat now?" the butler asked from the doorway.

Deciding to let this particular topic go, Felix smiled at Elizabeth and led her to dinner.