“Let’s go for a walk,” Frederick stood abruptly.
Seemed harmless enough of a suggestion. Some air might do them all good after…whatever had just happened.
Only time would tell. And it turned out that time would tell sooner than he had expected.
Chapter 4
Dermont
“What a lovely day for a promenade.” Dermont overheard Honoria exclaim to Phoebe as she glided down the pathway in front of him. He was quite sure she didn’t mean to sashay her hips like that, all the same, he was having a difficult time extracting his eyes from her curvaceous bottom.
The other sisters strode behind them in constant chatter. He couldn’t help catching snippets of the story Celeste was recounting to Georgianna about the time all of them had gone ice skating for the first time. Terrified of falling, they had made a pact that if one of them fell, they would all fall so that not oneof them was singled out. Much giggling faded the story from his hearing.
“We have Frederick to thank,” Phoebe replied with an innocent glance over her shoulder at the two men.
“Dermont,” Frederick took a few paces forward, “be so kind as to escort Honoria while I take Phoebe around for a bit.”
The request warranted a glare, but Dermont schooled his features and offered his arm to Honoria. Just as Honoria took his arm, her eyes darted forward to Phoebe who was discreetly stuffing something back in her pocket.
Dermont groaned softly. “Please tell me she did not bring what I think she brought.”
“It seems there’s no right way to respond to that request. But I can tell you that she’s happy to be out.”
“Happiness is overrated.”
Honoria gasped. “I beg to differ.”
“What would you say to that? I suppose you’d simply contradict me and say that happiness is underrated then?”
“No. I would say that happiness is misunderstood.”
He grunted in reply, and predictably, she picked up the conversation. “People think happiness is something you find. Something you can pursue.”
When she stopped her explanation, he glanced down at her thinking she might be trying to catch his eye. Annoyingly, she wasn’t. Her gaze was fixed on the Serpentine and the crystalizing effect the water had, shimmering under the sun.
After providing a description of what happiness wasn’t, she was waiting for him to ask her what happiness was. And even though he wanted to be contrary, he found himself curious. Again.
“If not that, what is happiness?”
“Happiness is simply a choice.”
He scoffed at the reductionalism of her theory. “You would say that—”
“I beg your pardon.”
He had never seen Honoria without a sparkle of cheer in her eyes and at least a hint of a smile on her face. Well, except for every time that she first saw him. At every social event and encounter in which they met, she always temporarily froze for an instant. Even after all these years, it was as expected as clockwork. He’d see her. She’d freeze. Then she’d regain her composure and flash a smile. Always smiling. Of course she would say that happiness was a choice.
“You’re incessantly happy, so it only makes sense that you would say that.”
“Well, Your Grace,” she tugged on those words until he met her fiery eyes, “I would have you know that I choose to be happy, regardless of what’s going on around me. It’s not always easy, but it’s my choice. Every day. Every day I choose to be happy. Some days it’s harder than others, but everyone gets to choose what hardships they’ll take on. Being angry is hard. Being happy is hard. Make your choice. Telling the truth is hard. Telling a lie is hard. Make your choice. Being friends is hard. Being alone is hard. Make your choice. Being fake is hard. Being your true self is hard. Make your choice. The choice is always yours to make regarding how you will respond to life.”
Well…that was unexpected.
Speechless, Dermont wondered deeply for the first time about the inner workings of this woman. He had only ever seen her as lighthearted and too nice for her own good, overly compliant. But today, she had proved herself more than that. And it was only the afternoon. How much did he really know about Honoria? A veritable spinster nearing thirty. Eldest of eight sisters, only younger to her brother Charles. But that was only listing facts about her. What of her heart and her mind?
A screech from Phoebe crashed through his musings.
“Not again,” he groaned quietly. And when Phoebe took off in a run lifting her skirts and Honoria followed, calling after her, he grumbled louder.