Chapter Twenty-Three

O n the evening of the dinner party, Elizabeth arranged her engravings in her bedchamber. She debated when she should show them to Felix. She wanted to let him into this part of her life. He would appreciate these items. She was certain of it. So what was holding her back from doing it today?

She set the glass ball she'd completed next to the wooden plate with trees and a waterfall engraved into it. She stepped back and examined the etagere where she'd placed all of her engravings. There was room for more, of course. She always made sure she had more space for when she found an object that inspired her to create a certain design in it. Mr. Preston's shop was a wealth of inspiration, but it took the right image in her mind and the right object before she was ready to work.

Maybe she should show these to Felix after they returned from the dinner party. There wasn't time to show these to him now. They were due to leave in fifteen minutes, and she didn't like the idea of restricting something this important to only fifteen minutes.

She would have to do it after they came back. Decision made, she left the room. She glanced at the bedchamber that Oscar used to occupy. The door was open. The room was so clean that she couldn't believe this had been a complete mess only a week ago. As relieved as she was to know she wasn't sleeping close to a huge mess, she wondered if Oscar was all right. Sure, she didn't know him very well, but he was her brother-in-law, and that being the case, she did care about him. She wondered if Felix had spoken to him since Oscar moved out.

Inspired, she headed down the stairs. While she and Felix had been getting along well, there had been moments of silence when the two of them seemed to struggle to come up with something to say. Asking about Oscar would be a good way to start a conversation. In fact, it might last them until they had to leave for the dinner party.

She expected Felix to be in the drawing room, but it was empty. She bet he was in the library. Sure enough, he was there. To her surprise, one bookcase was completely bare. Stacks of books were strewn across the desk, a table, and a couple of chairs. Felix was bent over the books on his desk and reading the titles along the spines. She almost called out to him but thought better of it. She didn't want to startle him.

She made her way around the desk then waited for him to notice her. As soon as he did, she asked, "Are you making room for new books?"

He smiled a greeting to her then said, "I wish it was that simple. I'm not happy with the way these books are currently arranged. As you know, I have them sorted by genre. I probably should just keep them the way they are, but some authors don't write just one type of genre. While I was getting ready for the dinner party, I thought I'd arrange them by author instead. That way, when I want to read one specific author, I'm not having to look all through these books to find him."

Her mind unwittingly went to the time when Lydia had warned her that Felix made it a habit of rearranging his books. No one obsesses over the arrangement of books like he does. Elizabeth felt a giggle rise up in her throat but managed to keep it down, lest she offend him. There were worse faults a gentleman could have. Besides, every time she created a new engraving, she had to rearrange her things.

"How long do you think it'll take for you to sort through these books to separate them by author?" she asked once the urge to laugh passed.

"Hopefully not a full week. I'd like to get this done in half the time."

Her eyes grew wide. Half a week? That was still a considerable amount of time to spend sorting through so many books. She twiddled her thumbs as she debated whether or not to offer her assistance. She had the time to help. There was nothing new for her to engrave at the moment, and she didn't know what to do with her time when she wasn't engraving. Also, it would be a good excuse to spend time with him.

She cleared her throat. "Well, if you don't mind..." She paused. "That is, I have nothing to do for the next few days. I could help." She cleared her throat again, and her face warmed. This was unbelievable. Why was she nervous? He was the one who was infatuated with her. It was his place to be anxious, not hers.

His face lit up. "I'd love the help."

The knot in her stomach eased. Good. He was happy about the offer.

The butler arrived in the doorway and announced that the carriage was ready.

Elizabeth couldn't believe it. Had fifteen minutes passed by that quickly?

"We'll be right there." Felix patted the stack of books closest to him as the butler left. "At least we know these will wait patiently for the next couple of hours. If I know Guy, he probably won't want the dinner party to go on too late. We'll probably be back here by 9:30."

She couldn't believe it. "That early?"

"He considers the moon to be unlucky."

She was ready to argue that no one could be that superstitious, but considering his aversion to an owl statue, maybe it was possible.

"It's a good thing Lydia will be there," Felix continued as he escorted her out of the room. "I've heard stories about how Guy is at dinner parties. If there's anyone who can calm him down, it's her."

Now her interest was piqued. "What kind of stories have you heard about Guy at dinner parties?"

"One of the most notable stories involves the evening he met Lydia, and that one involves a cameo that another lady was wearing."

Her eyebrows rose in interest while they strolled toward the front door. "How does another lady's cameo involve your sister?"

"I'm glad you asked because I'll tell you, though you might find it difficult to believe." With a wink, he proceeded to relay the story to her.

***

"D O YOU THINK IT'S GOING to rain tonight?" Guy asked as he studied the clouds from the window in the drawing room.

Lydia set the teapot on the table before going over to him. She peered up at the sky where the sun was still casting plenty of light across the townhouses. She had made sure to bump up the hour of the dinner party to give them more time to spend with their guests, and she had made sure to wear a pretty yellow gown with pleasant blue ribbons. She even had four-leaf clover pins in her hair, though the emerald green didn't go with the rest of her clothes.

She had asked Cook to prepare an unseasoned pheasant with a few side dishes she knew Guy and Felix would enjoy. Felix probably wouldn't like the lack of seasonings, but she didn't dare press her luck. She'd had enough trouble getting Guy to agree to the dinner party. Now, as she inspected the clouds gathering in the sky, she prayed it didn't start to rain. Guy would cancel the dinner party if it did.

She turned her attention to her husband. "Felix is my brother, and Elizabeth is our sister-in-law. I know you think they don't care about you because that owl is still in their drawing room, but that owl has nothing to do with you."

Guy let out a sigh. "I realize they weren't thinking of me when they put that monstrosity on their fireplace mantle. I just can't believe that Felix would keep it there while I was in the room with him. I'm tired of people not taking my point of view into consideration. They might as well come out and say that they don't like me." He gave another glance at the sky, shook his head, then went over to a chair and sat down.

Lydia followed him. "Felix's marriage with Elizabeth is unstable. He couldn't remove that owl. She would have taken it personally."

"So her feelings matter whereas mine don't?"

"Of course, your feelings matter. If Felix thought they didn't matter, he wouldn't have come here to talk to you after the incident happened. He wanted to work things out with you."

Guy thought over her words. "I don't like arguing with him any more than he likes arguing with me. But after everything we went through in the country, he should know that an owl statue would bring up all of that unpleasantness. I would have liked it if he would have at least put it in another room so I didn't have to see it." He shivered. "Every time I see an owl, I remember what I saw in that cottage. To my dying day, that experience will haunt me."

Having been blindfolded while they were in the cottage, she had no idea what had been in there. Even her brothers were unusually quiet about the whole experience. That had to mean it was worse than anything she could imagine. Sometimes she was tempted to press Guy about it, but in the end, she figured she was better off not knowing.

She paused while she considered the best way to proceed. There had to be a way for Guy and Felix to get past this whole thing. She just needed to find the angle that would work. A statue, even one considered bad luck, shouldn't be something powerful enough to divide them. She loved Guy and her brother. And there had been times when the three had gotten along great.

Inspired, she asked, "What brings more luck than the bond of love?"

He arched an eyebrow and directed his gaze to her. "What?"

"Think about it, Guy." She pulled up a chair close to his and sat down. Then she placed a comforting hand on his thigh. "Any time there is something bad, good can conquer it if it's strong enough. It seems to me that there is nothing stronger than love. Wouldn't you agree?"

He gave her a wary look. "Well, I suppose one could say that, so long as that love is sincere."

She nodded. "Exactly. And my love for you is as sincere as yours is for me. The fact that we love each other has to be stronger than anything evil."

"Felix and I don't have the kind of closeness we do."

"No, you two don't, but you two are friends."

"I'm not sure I'd say we're friends."

"Oh, of course you are." She squeezed his thigh. "I remember how well you two got along after you burned down the cottage at my family's estate. You two took measures to rid the entire place of bad luck, and it made you friends."

He paused as he reflected on her words. "It was a cleansing experience to do away with all of the pain and turmoil that had been hovering over that place for centuries."

"Right, and you did that with Felix. That brought you two into a bond of friendship. Friendship might not involve the same kind of love we share, but love between friends is important, isn't it?"

"It is."

Lydia had to resist the urge to squirm in excitement. She was getting somewhere. Finally, after all this time of trying to figure out a way to get through to Guy, she was making progress. "Felix made amends for what he did to hurt Elizabeth. He married her."

Guy furrowed his eyebrows. "What does this have to do with me and Felix?"

"I'm getting to that. Just give me a moment."

He leaned back in his chair and gestured for her to continue.

"When Felix married Elizabeth, he was correcting a wrong," she began. "When people do that, they are turning away from bad luck. I know that Felix keeping the owl on that mantle didn't make you happy, and I understand why. But if Felix was going to keep on doing right by Elizabeth, he had to allow that statue to stay in the room. He did it for her, so that they might one day have a love like the kind you and I share. It seems to me that any bad luck associated with that particular owl will be negated under the love Felix is showing Elizabeth."

Guy's expression softened. "If I want to contribute to their good luck, then I need to support Felix's decision to keep the owl in that room. That would be a much better token than giving them rings or a tie pin."

Relieved that she'd finally figured out the correct approach, she gave him an encouraging smile. "Yes. This is the best thing we can do for them. And besides, if Elizabeth returns his love, then that owl won't be a problem at all."

"I suppose that's true. Their love would cut off its ability to create misfortune." When she indicated her agreement, he put his hand over his heart and let out an audible sigh. "Then I don't have to worry about going over there."

"No, you don't. That townhouse will be as safe as it ever was."

The butler came into the drawing room. "Lord and Lady Roland are arriving in their carriage."

Though Lydia wasn't as given to the notion of good and bad luck as Guy was, she did count it lucky that they had managed to resolve this conflict right before Felix showed up for the dinner party. This evening might be a success after all.

***

"A RE YOU NERVOUS ABOUT going in there?" Elizabeth asked when Felix didn't step outside the carriage.

The footman patiently waited while Felix stared at Guy and Lydia's townhouse. She would get out first but knew it would be best to wait for Felix to get out and offer to help her down the carriage step.

Felix shook his head. "Is this evening going to be pointless? The last time I was here, I couldn't get Guy to talk to me."

"He must be willing to talk to you now if he allowed Lydia to invite us here this evening."

"I don't think he allowed her to do that. I think she did it and then told him to expect us."

"Certainly, he would have sent us word if he wanted to cancel the dinner party."

Felix drummed his fingers on his knees. "I don't know if he would do it or allow the dinner party because he wouldn't want to upset her. If there's one thing I will say about him, he is dedicated to my sister."

"Then there's a good chance this evening will be all right since it's important to her," Elizabeth pointed out.

"You're right." He finally descended from the carriage then turned toward her, extending his hand out.

She accepted his hand and was surprised by how nice it felt to touch him. There was a slight tingle of pleasure that swept over her, too, but mostly, it just seemed natural that they should be close like this. Once her feet were on the ground, she slipped her arm around his and let him escort her up the steps. The more time she spent with him, the more appropriate it seemed that she should be with him.

They reached the front door, and the footman waved for them to enter the townhouse. Guy and Lydia approached them. At first, Elizabeth worried that she'd been wrong, that Guy was going to insist they leave. Felix must have worried about it, too, since she felt his arm tense up under her hand.

"Thank you for coming here this evening," Guy greeted. "Felix, I have come to realize that I overreacted to the statue of that owl in your drawing room. I ask that you and your wife forgive me."

Felix glanced Lydia's way as if he didn't know if he could believe what he was hearing.

Lydia, who seemed to be able to read her brother's mind, let out a laugh. "Felix, have you been drinking?"

Felix blinked in surprise. "No, of course not. I learned my lesson about touching alcohol."

"Well, then why don't you believe what you're hearing?" she teased.

"Because this is coming from Guy, and he just said that he overreacted to the statue of an owl." For emphasis, Felix added, "An owl."

"Lydia showed me that there are forces more powerful than an owl, and love is one of them." Guy took Lydia's hand and squeezed it. "I don't know what I'd do without her. Everything in life needs balance, and she balances me out."

As odd as Guy struck her, Elizabeth could tell how much he loved Lydia, and she could respect him for that. There were few gentlemen who looked upon their wives with such adoration. She was beginning to think she might envy Lydia's good fortune when it occurred to her that Felix looked at her that way as well. Which was very nice.

"To show you that I want to make amends for how I reacted, I would like to invite you here for a meeting with me and Algernon," Guy told Felix. "I now understand that not all owl statues are bad luck, but I don't know if Algernon will agree, and I'd rather not risk upsetting him by having the meeting in your townhouse."

Felix offered a nod. "That sounds like a suitable compromise."

Lydia clapped her hands together. "I was hoping you two would make amends!" She gave Guy a kiss then hugged her brother. "Now, there's no reason why you have to go through a period where you aren't talking to each other. If there's a problem, we can always work through it."

"She's right," Guy told Felix. "I should have taken the time to listen to you when you tried to explain your reason for keeping the owl in your drawing room. I'm sorry, Felix."

Felix stared at Guy for a long moment before he pinched himself. "This has to be a dream. Everything is going too well this evening. There's no way it can be real."

Lydia rolled her eyes but laughed as she urged him and Elizabeth to the drawing room. "For once in your life, don't think too much about something. Just enjoy it."

With a smile, Guy turned his attention to Elizabeth. "It's nice to have you here. I do apologize for telling Felix to get rid of your statue."

"I accept your apology," Elizabeth replied. "If it helps, owls are not bad luck everywhere. In Japan, they are considered lucky. They are a symbol of wisdom and fortune."

Guy's eyebrows furrowed. "Is it really?"

"If you don't believe me, I suggest you read Exploring the Orient by Ronald J. Henderson. It turns out a lot of things that aren't lucky in England are lucky in other places."

"Which would nullify good and bad luck altogether, wouldn't it?" Felix interjected.

Guy looked as if he was searching for a good rebuttal, but Lydia started talking about the upcoming ball and who would be in attendance. Elizabeth, figuring that was for the best, hurried to join her. They didn't need to go on and on about luck all evening. The tactic worked, and everyone was able to enjoy the dinner party.