“My dear,” Hortensia intoned. “Do not encourage him. Once you get him started, he will never stop talking.”
Ronan saw this as an opportunity to further engage Dahlia in conversation. “Have you had any formal training in art? You did quite a professional job decorating Holly and Joshua’s house. How did you manage it?”
Ah, now she was smiling and radiant.
“No formal training, but I think I have an eye for putting colors together.”
He nodded. “You do.”
Hortensia was not impressed. “Forgive me, Captain Brayden. But you are hardly one to judge. You wear the same uniform day in and day out. One color. Blue.”
Gad, she could be a dragon. Did she not see how happy Dahlia was? Why dash her hopes? “I am not in the habit of looking at what I wear. But I do enjoy looking at the ladies, and I know what pleases me.”
Well, perhaps that was not the impression he meant to give. He was no leering hound. He merely looked, as anyone else would, and this was all he did when around innocent young women. As for those not so innocent...he cleared his throat. There would be no more of that from now on. “The point is, my eye is always drawn to Dahlia. She always looks lovely. Elegant. Never garish or overdressed. Yet, always noticed. There is an art to it, is there not?”
“There is.” Heather nodded enthusiastically. “I always ask her advice on what I should wear. She knows how to put things together beautifully.”
Dahlia blushed. “Heather, you are my sister. You have to be kind.”
“And what of me?” Ronan asked. “I think I qualify as an impartial third party. It isn’t mere flattery. It is a statement of fact. You have a talent for this.”
Violet agreed. “Romulus and I have done little with our house. It is very much the way he first bought it from General Allworthy. I would have to speak to him about this, of course. But if he will allow me to make some changes, I would love your help, Dahlia.”
“Any time, Violet. It would be my pleasure.”
Ronan did not remain long after supper, but he was pleased and thought his visit went surprisingly well. Dahlia was smiling and chatting throughout, and obviously in better spirits. Of course, Rupert and his discussion of Italy and fabrics deserved the credit for that. The possibility of also helping Violet decorate her home put a sparkle in her eyes.
It was a good first step.
Dahlia walked him to the front door and remained beside him while Pruitt went to fetch his cloak. “Thank you, Ronan. I think I was a beast to Violet and my sister all day. I don’t know how they put up with me. But your visit cheered us all. I promise to be much nicer company for you and them from now on.”
“I enjoyed this evening, too. Your aunt and uncle are quite gracious.” He noticed Pruitt approaching. “I’ll come around at ten o’clock tomorrow morning to pick you up. Is that all right? I have most of the day free except for a Parliament function in the evening.”
“Yes, that’s perfect. We prefer to be up and about early in the day. I look forward to it.”
“So do I.” He tossed his cloak over his shoulders and strode out before he gave into the urge to kiss her. She had been looking up at him, her eyes big and trusting, and her lips beckoning.
She had him aching.
But he forced his mind to his next problem. His mother, Lady Miranda Grayfell.
What was she going to do to him when told he was moving out?
CHAPTER FIVE
“How can you leave me, Ronan?” his mother said in her most theatrical tone, placing a hand over her heart as she sank into her chair like a dying butterfly. They were in the parlor, and he’d caught her just coming back from the theater with friends.
Obviously, she was mimicking one of the actresses from that play. Even for Miranda, her performance was over the top. He waited patiently while she finished her scene, hoping she would calm down and listen to him once she realized he would not respond to her high drama.
Her friends had not stayed long, so he had taken the opportunity to draw her aside before she retired for the evening. “Am I to be abandoned in my dotage?”
He rolled his eyes. “I am not abandoning you, Miranda. Besides, you are decades away from your dotage. And do you seriously believe any of your sons will ever leave you to fend for yourself if you were to become ill? We will always look after you. But it is time for me to go. You know it is.”
He tried to speak gently because he knew it was hard for her. Yes, all her sons were grown. But until a few months ago, Tynan was the only son married and set up in his own happy household with his wife, Abigail.
Then suddenly, Finn fell in love with Dahlia’s cousin, Belle, and married her. They lived close by, but he knew it was not the same thing as having them under her own roof. Miranda had yet to adjust to Finn’s departure when Joshua fell in love with Dahlia’s sister, Holly, and bought his own home.
Now here he was, the only son left. “I want you to help me find a place. I don’t mind if it’s next door, but I need it to be my own.”
“My baby boy.” She dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief, but he knew it was mostly for effect.
He rolled his eyes again. “Will you help me? I’m hoping we can start tomorrow afternoon.”
She stopped dabbing her eyes, which were not tearing in the first place, and regarded him curiously. “Why the urgency? You are not thinking to bring your women into your own home, are you? Isn’t that what your seedier gentlemen’s clubs are for?”
“First of all, I have no women. Nor will I turn my house into a den of iniquity. Can I not have a place of my own simply for want of a little privacy? Will you help me search? Or must I turn elsewhere for assistance?”
She cast him a quelling glance, obviously not liking the idea of that. “Of course I’ll help you. Just don’t expect me to be happy about it. I love you, my dear boy. It does hurt to see the last of my chicks leaving the coop.”
He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I know. Nor am I taking this next step lightly. But I need you to help me, not undermine me.”
She gave a reluctant nod. “I think it will be easier than you imagine.”
“Truly?”
“I have a friend who has a lovely house just off Park Lane. It is too much for her to keep up. Her husband died last year and did not leave her quite as well set up as she’d hoped. Her sister lives in Bath, and since my friend prefers the quieter life anyway, she would like to join her sister there.”
Ronan’s heart beat a little faster in anticipation. “That sounds ideal, Miranda. Thank you.”
“Let me speak to my friend first and make certain she is serious about selling. I’m not sure she will be ready to show it to you tomorrow, but hopefully in a few days’ time.”
Ronan retired to his bedchamber feeling quite pleased with all he’d accomplished today. He undressed and handed his uniform and boots to his valet. “Thank you, Harrigan.”
“Have a good evening, Captain Brayden. I’ll have these clothes cleaned and boots polished before you rise tomorrow morning.”
He and his brothers had shared Harrigan until one by one they’d all left home. The codger had been a sergeant in his cousin James’s regiment and was more of a mother hen than a servant.