Page 46 of Crash Landing
This now gave him the golden opportunity to ask her more of the difficult questions she did not wish to answer.
The salvers atop the buffet were filled with ham, eggs, kippers, and other items she could only guess at by the pleasant aromas that wafted toward her. She delayed responding to him by pretending to peruse the salvers and beginning to pile a little of everything onto her plate.
Where were his cousins? Why had they not come down to breakfast yet?
When she sat down again, she dug into her food with voracious zeal as another means to delay responding.
He sat with arms folded across his chest while watching her. “What are you afraid of, Florence? Besides choking on your food if you do not stop shoveling it into your mouth as though demons are going to catch you if you do not swallow it down fast enough?”
“It is delicious, and I am famished.”
“You are avoiding having to talk to me. Never mind. Forget it.”
She was grateful that he did not press her for an answer, although he hadn’t really asked her anything in the form of a question. All he had done was make clear he was ready to marry her.
Was it not obvious she ached to marry him?
But how could she agree to it yet?
“Last night’s supper was incredibly good,” he said, folding up his paper and tossing it onto the empty chair beside his. “I wondered whether you would alter this morning’s breakfast menu.”
“I thought it better to take small steps and see if you liked the supper changes first, but I could mention it to Mrs. Palmer if there issomething in particular you would like added to the morning fare.”
“No, I’m satisfied with what there is. You really did a wonderful job with supper last night.”
Warmth spread through her body, for she had not expected the sincerity of his compliment or ever expected any compliment at all. “Mrs. Palmer deserves the credit. I merely supervised the recipe.”
“I liked all the little touches you added to the dining table, too.”
“Truly? I did not think you had noticed.”
“You ought to know by now that I notice everything. However, I would not have complained if you had left things as they were. It meant a lot to me that you did make these small changes. It showed that you were thinking of me and you cared. Your improvements are turning this house into a home.”
She did care about him. Very much so, she realized.
And was it not an awful thing to care so deeply for him? How could she give her heart to him while she was in the midst of dealing with her most difficult assignment yet?
“Men are fairly simple creatures, Florence. When we have what we want, we do not stray. Give us good food, a bed, and a sweet, warm body beside us, a smiling face to greet us as we wake up to each new day, and we’ll be content.”
She pursed her lips in thought. “But so many men do stray. What makes you think you won’t?”
“Because it is not in the Aubrey nature. No mistresses or affairs for us. We do not marry to turn our wives into housekeepers and go seek our comforts elsewhere. Being an Aubrey means coming home to our wives every night. I know this is not what mosttonmarriages are like. Most in the Upper Crust believe wealth and power are more important than a happy home life.”
“I would bring very little wealth and no power whatsoever to our marriage,” she said.
“Do you think I care? I want a love marriage such as my parentshad. I think you and I can have this. After all, you are the one who made those subtle changes to our supper last night and reminded me just how important a good home life is to one’s happiness. This is how I was raised and want my children to be raised.”
“I like the stories you’ve told me about your father and mother.”
His expression turned doting. “My father was a character, certainly not like the typical nobleman.”
“Starting with the naming of his children—Trajan and Persephone. Your father was one to carve his own path and did not bend totonrules or expectations. I admire that very much.”
He nodded. “So do I, although I have no intention of saddling my children with such names.”
Florence laughed. She was sorry never to have met the man before he passed. However, much of him was reflected in his son. The intelligence, the thoughtfulness, and the love of family.
Trajan’s parents may not have started out as a love match, but his father obviously sensed it could turn into that and had done all in his power to make his wife fall in love with him. Florence thought this was wonderful.
