Lord Devon walked over to his wife and kissed her cheek. “I’ve missed you.”
Easton saw his mother’s reaction and knew she understood that the debate in Parliament had not gone well. His parents had such an intuitive marriage, each seemingly knowing when the other needed more support than usual. He hoped that one day he’d have the same kind of relationship with his wife.
Wife.
It was a word he no longer cringed at or felt the need to ignore. He was ready to take on a wife, but he wasn’t sure the woman he loved was ready to marry. She was young, but many young women married in their debut year and went on to have successful marriages. He just needed to convince Miss Parker that their marriage could be one of those success stories.
“Easton, my darling. So nice of you to join us,” Lady Devon said.
Easton went over and kissed his mother’s cheek before greeting Kathryn and Sam.
It wasn’t long before the maid brought in a tea tray, and Kathryn poured out.
“So, Easton, what brings you around today?” she asked, handing him a cup. “Not that I’m not delighted to see my brother.”
“I’m trying to find a suitable date for the outing to Vauxhall Gardens.” He turned toward his mother. “Father says he’ll attend if the Gardners also attend. Do you know if that’s something they would enjoy? I do know that Chandler will be bringing Lady Arabella.”
“I honestly don’t know. Would you like me to visit Lady Gardner and find out? What’s the date of the proposed outing?”
“Saturday next.”
“I shall send a note around and go see Lady Gardner.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
“I think it’s a marvelous idea,” Kathryn said. “I haven’t been to Vauxhall Gardens in years.” She turned to Sam. “Darling, have you ever been?”
He nodded. “Once. My brother was in London and invited me to tag along with his friends.”
“There will be fireworks,” Easton said. “I thought everyone would enjoy that.”
“Absolutely,” Kathryn said. “If the group keeps growing, we’ll have to reserve two supper boxes.”
“The more, the merrier,” Sam said.
Easton inwardly groaned. He didn’t want too many people attending or he’d never have a moment alone with Miss Parker, but he smiled through his frustration, especially when he saw how excited his sister was about attending. It was good to see her smile.
Mia was in the drawingroom with Audrey when Fletcher returned from Parliament.
“There are my two favorite girls,” he said, kissing his wife’s cheek.
“How did the vote go?” Audrey asked.
He shook his head. “Unfortunately, it did not go as Lord Devon hoped. He, Lord Easton, and I will just have to work up more support for it and try again.”
“You saw Lord Easton? Did he mention a date yet for the outing to Vauxhall Gardens?” Mia asked.
“As a matter of fact, he did. It’s scheduled for Saturday next.”
Mia squealed. “I can hardly wait. I’m so excited!”
“I agree. It should be a very enjoyable evening,” Audrey said.
A maid brought in the tea tray. “Lady Fletcher, will there be anything else?”
“No, thank you, Audrey said.
The maid curtseyed and exited the room.