Something Old, Rebecca Connolly [ebook reader for laptop TXT] 📗

folded and pinned, and his long legs encased in pale breeches reminded her that her husband was a fine figure of a man.

He was no dandy, but he was a feast for fashionable eyes, nevertheless.

“And yet, no one will notice me with you on my arm,” he vowed, coming to her with an arm extended. “Which suits me perfectly.”

Lily took his arm, feeling her blush extend down to the tips of her toes, marveling that she was able to put one foot in front of the other without stumbling or wavering.

This could be a promising beginning.

They moved through the gallery without speaking, then down the main stairs, where they fetched cloaks and Thomas’s hat, then moved out to the courtyard where the carriage awaited them.

“I rather like having access to the carriage from the courtyard rather than the main entrance,” Lily murmured to Thomas as they neared the carriage. “The path from the drive to the house is so long…”

Thomas chuckled, pausing as one of the footmen opened the carriage door and lowered the step. “It is not that far.”

Lily shrugged one shoulder, the stiff, ruched fabric of her sleeve rustling as she did so. “Perhaps not, but the courtyard is much closer.”

“I’ll not argue that.” He handed her into the coach, waiting until she settled in the forward-facing seat before entering and taking the rear-facing seat for himself. The step was folded, the carriage door closed, and the footman nodded to the driver, who snapped the reins.

Lily twisted her lips as they pulled around the courtyard. “Will you tell me about Lord Basset? How did you come to make his acquaintance?”

“Lord Basset has been an acquaintance of mine for some time, though only through correspondence by letter,” Thomas told her, his hands folded neatly in his lap. “When business enterprises in Cornwall came to my attention, I found Lord Basset involved in several of them. My solicitor contacted his, and soon we were communicating with each other. On his advice, I became a shareholder in two local mines in addition to the shipping ventures I had already taken on, which have prospered well, despite a scarcity in other mines.”

“That seems fortunate,” she murmured, almost startled by the amount of information her husband was sharing.

He nodded once. “Today, our paths crossed in person as we met with other mine shareholders and owners in Redruth to discuss growing concerns across all mines.”

“And are the mines in trouble?” Lily asked, more out of curiosity than true interest. She had no idea what went into running a mine, owning a mine, or investing in a mine, let alone what possible concerns might exist, but if Thomas was in a talkative mood, she’d ask about every detail she could root out to keep him doing so.

“Not necessarily,” he relented without much emotion. “There are always risks, and the Welsh mines seem to outproduce them on average, but our mines seem to have each found a good cache that continues to bring profit. The concerns raised at this meeting were more of safety for the miners, which were fascinating to learn about.”

Lily shuddered as she considered the life of a miner and the dangers of being one. “Surely that must be paramount for owners and shareholders.”

Thomas smiled, though she did not see much amusement in it. “One would think and hope so, and yet… I suspect some of the owners and shareholders are more interested in the profit than in the people. I cannot say for certain, being unfamiliar with the other men at this meeting, but that was the impression I received. I shall need to discuss matters with Basset at some point.”

“Perhaps you might do so tonight,” Lily suggested, pleased that Thomas felt as she did on the subject.

“It may not be the place or the time,” he reminded her with a slight tilt of his head. “I have no notion how many guests he has invited to Trevadden Park, nor the identity or station of those he has invited.”

Lily giggled at the notion, shaking her head as she looked out at the passing scenery in the evening light. “We are walking into a great unknown tonight, are we not?”

He chuckled as well, and the sound warmed her more than her previous embarrassment ever could have. “I daresay we are, and I am delighted not to be doing so alone.”

“Should we establish a signal and excuse for ourselves should we need to make a hasty return to Pendrizzick?” Lily asked him, keeping her expression blank even as her tone took on a teasing note.

Thomas barked a laugh, grinning without hesitation. “Perhaps we should! Are you to be unwell? Am I? Perhaps our elderly Great-Aunt Mary has also come to Cornwall with us, and you are anxious for her comfort.”

“Poor Great-Aunt,” Lily bemoaned on cue with a heavy sigh. “She does endure so much and with so little complaint.”

“That she does.” He continued to chuckle, shaking his head. “And how shall we communicate our need to make such an excuse, hmm? Shall I turn my cravat pin?”

“And I shall fidget with the pearls at my throat,” Lily insisted with a nod, finding delight in this plot of theirs. “It is a near identical motion to yours, and I do not naturally fidget.”

Thomas grunted in agreement. “For which I am especially grateful. It would be deuced distracting for any man in your company to have you fidget with your jewelry, and I’d have to call out several of them for their behavior. Dueling being the tricky thing that it is, I’d rather not.”

Lily’s jaw dropped at the suggestion. “They would not be distracted.”

“Oh, I assure you, they would,” Thomas overrode before she could finish, nodding with a knowing smile. “I would be. I’ll apologize now if it takes me a moment to recollect what you are signaling if and when you do so tonight.”

There was no sound for the space of several thunderous heartbeats. Lily felt hot and cold, completely numb and consumed by tingling in