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be an added bonus provided, of course, that it didn t conquer
all reason.
You know, as it turned out there was no need for me to
marry you at all.
Why do you say that? he asked, joining her on the sofa
and sitting sideways the better to look at her.
Perhaps now you have met my father you will understand
why I did what I did in Charleston. You see, as the son of an
Irish navvy he s had little to do with society. In the early days,
work always came first.
And hardship breeds determination, which is why he s
managed to get where he is now.
150 Rogue s Widow, Gentleman s Wife
Yes, something like that. Mind you, he has always loved
hunting following the hounds and all that. He has friends
who partake, but the lords and ladies who also partake are very
different from the ordinary hoi polloi.
Are you saying they snub him?
In the beginning he was cut all the time. They can be
quite vindictive. Anyone who starts with nothing and becomes
very rich expects that.
Your father is a fine man. Those who cut him are not even
worthy of his contempt.
Maybe you re right. Personally I don t care a fig for it all,
but Father does although half the time he doesn t see it.
Rubbing shoulders with the gentry on the hunting field merely
fosters his illusion. He doesn t realise that his membership in
that exclusive set is conceded by himself alone. He might
have the money, and the panache to carry it off, but he is
grudgingly tolerated by the gentry. In the long run society can
be implacable and invincible. It s always been his sense of self
that s sustained him through every social encounter
although, before he met Caroline, deep down he felt that only
my marriage to one of them would grant him complete social
acceptability.
And in desperation you married me to escape all that.
Precisely. Father had an impoverished lord way past his
prime waiting for me on my return from Charleston. Every-
thing changed while I was away and I didn t know about it.
You see, Father went and married Caroline, whose closets are
stuffed with aristocrats, giving him easy access to all he
desires a true place in society without any help from me.
Rendering you redundant.
Amanda nodded and half-laughed. And in four days time,
as he will have told you, he s off to London to test the waters.
His dream has finally come true. They are to stay with Lord
Helen Dickson 151
and Lady Seagrove at Seagrove House in Mayfair Lady
Seagrove being Caroline s sister. She s to give a ball in honour
of her husband s fiftieth birthday and many people of note are
to attend. It will be Father s introduction into London society.
Anyone else would find the prospect daunting, but Father s
been like a dog with two tails for days now and doesn t know
which one to wag first. It s all so ironic really, don t you think?
Quite, Kit said, thinking what a truly adorable creature
she was when she laughed and letting his eyes dwell on her.
At that moment, bathed in soft light, with loose tendrils of her
remarkable burgundy-coloured hair around her face, and those
large eyes looking across at him, she seemed softer than she
ever had before. However, I m glad you didn t know about
his marriage to Caroline before you came looking for me, oth-
erwise I would never have met you.
Amanda met his gaze, hearing the warmth in his voice that
implied he was glad he had met her, and there was something
deep in his eyes that warned her not to delve any deeper and
ask him to explain what he meant. Instead, keeping to safer
territory, she said, It would have avoided the mess we now
find ourselves in.
You can t expect everything to be sorted out overnight, but
it will be, in time.
Part of Amanda listened to him while the other part centred
on Kit himself. In thoughtful silence she contemplated the tall
man reclining beside her, completely at ease. She found herself
wondering where he came from, about his family and the
woman who had nurtured him and the woman he had married.
Tell me about your wife, she asked.
Kit delayed answering her. His countenance grew serious.
I can see I shouldn t have asked. I don t mean to pry. It s
just that I know absolutely nothing about you where you
come from and what you were doing in America whereas
152 Rogue s Widow, Gentleman s Wife
you know a great deal about me. Caroline was saying earlier
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