Page 18 of Mr. Eastwood’s Match

“Mr. Eastwood, this has just arrived for you. There is a note inside, otherwise I would have returned it to your room.”

Lyness sat up straight and motioned for the servant to leave the hat on the desk. “A note, you say? Thank you, Thomas.”

Once the servant had withdrawn, Lyness tipped the hat toward him to see a small sheet of paper, not folded, and when he lifted it out, he noted something else. Flowers. At the bottom of his hat. Tiny little things. Tied together with a thin ribbon. He took those out to inspect them. Daisies and forget-me-nots, with a little yellow feather at the center.

His heart tripped.

The two flowers together were an interesting choice, if she knew the meanings behind them. Friendliness, affection, remembrance.

He brought the flowers to his nose and inhaled, then chuckled to himself. Not daisies. Chamomile. That changed things, somewhat. “Patience. Calm. Hm.”

Lyness looked at the small square of paper, knowing well that whatever she had written had been approved by her sister-in-law or brother. Unmarried ladies simply did not send notes to bachelors without oversight. It would be improper.

To Mr. Eastwood,

I thank you for the use of your hat in my self-appointed quest to save the canary. It may interest you to know that our tiny yellow friend is a female, and I have thus bestowed upon her the name of Honora Feathersby. Miss Feathersby is obliged to you for the use of your hat, too. She has seen fit to gift you one of her feathers with her thanks. As to your hat, I hope you find it in as good a condition as it was when you loaned it to us. I have made certain it is clean, with the help of my brother, and it has suffered no ill effects from its time with us. Please also find with this note a few flowers, gathered by myself, from my brother’s gardens. I look forward to seeing you soon, and I will give you more news of our rescued Miss Feathersby at that time.

Most Sincerely,

Lady Emily Sterling

He read it twice more, smiling all the while. The letter was as sweet as it was amusing, and something about it tugged at his heart as much as it did his sense of humor.

He liked her. A great deal. And he wanted to see her again.

Nothing was set in stone for Roman. Perhaps his brother would direct his interest elsewhere. There were other young ladies coming to dinner the next evening. Roman might find himself more interested in one of them than in Lady Emily.

Nothing was said and done yet. He had time and an opportunity to come to know Lady Emily better. Besides, he conducted estate business from York perfectly well.

He folded the note and tucked it into his pocket with a grin.

Then plucked the feather from the tiny flower arrangement, twirling it between his fingers.

“So much for leaving York,” he murmured. The ache from before changed. Lightened. Feeling dangerously akin to hope.

Chapter Seven

The night of his mother’s dinner party, Lyness spent more time in front of the looking glass than usual. His valet had made several slight adjustments to his hair, cravat, and stick pin. Finally, it could not matter that Lyness still felt unsatisfied with his reflection. The time to go downstairs to greet the guests had arrived.

“Thank you, Hobson. I am afraid I am out of sorts this evening. Everything you have done is perfect.”

“Yes, Mr. Eastwood.” Hobson bowed, gathered up the ruined cravats from the beginning of the ordeal, and went out the door to the servants’ staircase. Pointedly not saying another word.

Apparently, Lyness had irritated his valet.

Lyness avoided one last glance in the glass and went out the door. He went lightly down the steps to the first floor and into the sitting room adjoining the dining room, where they would greet their guests.

His mother looked elegant, as usual, in a gown of deep blue. A shawl embroidered with her beloved York roses was draped across her shoulders. She sat in her favorite chair while Roman leaned against the mantel.

“Lyness, my boy. You look well this evening,” his mother said, tilting her head to receive a kiss on the cheek from him. “I have missed entertaining, flanked by my two handsome sons. Was there ever a mother as fortunate as I am?”

“We are the fortunate ones, Mother,” Lyness said, relieved to find her in such fine spirits. She had not hosted a dinner party in over a year. Despite living in York, she had grown more and more withdrawn from Society. Calling her sons back from London for an unnecessary remodel of the estate had, it seemed, brought some life back to her.

Straightening his stance, and tugging at his sleeves, Roman added, “I agree with Lyness. Whatever fine things we offer this world, we can only do so because we have you, Mother.”

At that moment, the first guests arrived.

The Nelson family consisted of the father, two sons of similar ages to Roman and Lyness, and two daughters. Twin sisters of two-and-twenty years old. Thankfully, the sisters were not identical, so addressing them by the correct names wasn’t difficult. Roman’s solicitor, Mr. Holly, also attended with his mother and his widowed sister, Mrs. Elgin.