She poked her tongue out at him.
Bristow cleared his throat to get our attention. I hadn't heard him enter. "Are you at home for Oscar Barratt, sir?"
Matt looked to me and I nodded. "Is he alone or with Lady Louisa?" I asked.
"Alone." He bowed out and returned a few moments later with Oscar.
"Ah, cake," Oscar said. "Excellent timing."
I asked Bristow to bring in refreshments for everyone. Willie sat up straighter and rubbed her hands together.
"What can we do for you, Barratt?" Matt asked.
I scowled at him. He might not like Oscar, but he should at least exchange pleasantries with our guest before getting to the point.
"I believe congratulations are in order," Aunt Letitia said, smoothly. Perhaps she didn't like Matt's abruptness either and being a more experienced hostess than me, knew precisely what to say to rescue the situation.
"No, Letty," Willie hissed. "He found out Louisa cast her net wide only days before she proposed to him. Remember?"
"I remember," Aunt Letitia whispered back. "But it's his place to say so, not yours."
Willie shrugged. "So are you calling off the wedding?" she asked.
Oscar cleared his throat and flattened his tie. "I see your friends and family all know about my life, Glass."
"They like to stay informed," Matt said.
"We don't gossip," Aunt Letitia assured him. "Even Willemina's very discreet, despite evidence to the contrary. Go on, what was it you wanted to tell us?"
Bristow returned with a tray of shortbread and bowed out. I made sure Oscar got two biscuits by way of apology for the interlopers.
"I felt as though I owed you an explanation after the other night," he said to Matt. "You see, Louisa and I are still engaged."
"Really?" I blurted out.
"However, in light of her past liaisons, I am no longer under the illusion that she's marrying me out of love."
"Oh, what a shame." Aunt Letitia clicked her tongue. "I do so enjoy a happy story, and I'm afraid this one will end in tears."
I eyed her carefully, wondering if she'd had one of her turns. Her eyes had that dreamlike quality they sometimes got when her mind slipped into the past.
Oscar finished his first biscuit while we all waited for him to go on. He swallowed, cleared his throat, and reached for the second.
"Why are you going through with the marriage if you know she doesn't love you?" Duke finally prompted. "Do you love her?"
Oscar considered the question. "I thought I did, for a while. But…I don't know. I don't think so. I was crushed that night of the Delanceys' dinner party when Glass told me she tried to court Dr. Seaford, but I think it was simply my manly pride that was hurt. When I thought about it, I realized I didn't mind that I'd never been the object of her affection. What I did mind was that she'd hoodwinked me. I told her so this morning."
"And?" I asked.
"And she apologized and promised to be honest with me from now on. She said she still wanted to get married if I did."
"And you do?"
"Why not? What have I got to lose?"
I frowned. "But…you're willing to marry a woman you don't love and who doesn't love you, because she has a fortune?"
He shrugged. "You make it sound strange, India. People have been marrying for reasons other than love since the institute was invented. At least neither of us is under any illusions. We both know this is a marriage of convenience. Besides, I like her and she likes me. We'll get along fine."
I stared at him. He smiled back.
"Don't worry about India," Willie said. "She thinks everyone should have what she and Matt have. People like you and me—sensible, logical people—know love ain't for everyone." She stretched out her legs and crossed them at the ankles. "And that's all right by me."
"I think it's commendable that you've both come to an agreement and are going into the marriage with honesty," Aunt Letitia said. "Too often the young lady is unaware and is disappointed when she learns her husband is only after her fortune. Lady Louisa is aware that you're marrying her for reasons other than love, isn't she?"
"She is now."
"Are you sure this is what you want?" I asked. "Marriage is for life."
He smiled. "I'm well aware of that. This is what I want, India. My work is too important to me to give it up."
"Work?" Matt echoed. "Are you referring to the book?"
"Yes, and any future books I wish to write. With Louisa's money, I can pay the printers well to minimize the risk of them pulling out of our agreement like the last one did. I can even afford to leave my job at the Gazette and throw myself into research, although I enjoy journalism, so I haven't decided whether to stay or not yet." He gave me a flat smile. "I'm flattered that you're trying to talk me out of this, India."
"Don't read something into her reaction that's not there," Matt growled. "India and I know what Louisa is like. I don't think you're fully aware of how manipulative she can be."
"She did lie to you about Gabe," I said to Oscar.
"It wasn't a lie," he pointed out. "She just failed to mention him. Besides, she didn't propose to him, just to Charbonneau."
"But she would have if we hadn't warned him and he hadn't put some distance between them."
"She wants to marry a magician. After Charbonneau, Seaford was the next logical choice. It made sense she'd pursue him. I don't mind. I know my magic is neither rare nor particularly powerful."
I sighed and appealed to Matt. He, however, simply thrust out his hand toward Oscar.
"Then congratulations," he said. "I hope you'll be happy together. Or at least not want to kill each other in five years."
Oscar chuckled and shook his hand. "Marriages of convenience can work, Glass. And who's to say we won't fall in love eventually anyway?"
Aunt Letitia clapped her hands. "That's the spirit. It will be a romantic ending after all."
I managed to convince Matt that I ought to come along to the meeting with Lord Cox's half-brother as a support for Patience. Considering she and her husband weren't on good terms, I suggested she might need me.
He saw right through my ruse, however. "If you want to meet him, just say so," he said as we drove to Lord Cox's townhouse in the early evening. "No need to hide behind Patience."
"I am not hiding behind anyone. Wipe that smirk off your face, Matt."
His eyes gleamed in the darkness. "You wipe it off. With your mouth."
"Americans," I muttered in imitation of Aunt Letitia. Then I kissed him.
A few minutes later, we were received into the drawing room where we met our host and hostess. Both looked nervous, glancing at the door at every sound. Conversation quickly stalled, and I searched for something to say to break the tension while we waited.
"Will you be redecorating?" I asked Patience. The drawing room had a woman's touch in the pale pink and mint green color scheme and spindly-legged furniture, but it was a good ten years out of date. The previous Lady Cox must have put her stamp on it when she first married and Lord Cox hadn't changed a thing since.