Something Old by Rebecca Connolly (autobiographies to read txt) 📕

Moyle sitting together just down from him. Intriguing how, with Trembath on one side of her and Lily on the other, Miss Moyle was perfectly surrounded by allies.

If only Thomas had possessed the foresight to have joined them.

“Mr. Granger is it?” the woman beside him inquired as they began to eat. “I believe I heard Lord Basset introduce you.”

Thomas nodded and smiled politely at the copper-haired woman. “It is indeed, madam. I apologize for not having your name.”

She smiled with polite warmth. “No matter, sir. Mrs. Roskelley. My husband, John, owns Wheal Quick. You may have met him this morning.” She gestured farther down the table to indicate him.

“Ah, yes,” Thomas said, following her look and inclining his head when Roskelley looked at them. “Capital fellow.”

“I rather think so,” Mrs. Roskelley quipped, looking at her husband directly now.

Thomas glanced between the two as they shared what could only be called an adoring look, before Mr. Roskelley winked at his wife and then resumed his meal.

“It would appear he has a rather high opinion of you, as well, madam,” Thomas ventured to say with a smile.

She met his eyes, her smile genuine and bright. “We are dreadfully obvious, are we not? Forgive me, coming from London you must think us scandalous.”

Thomas sipped his water, shaking his head. “On the contrary, I consider a happily married couple a pleasant surprise, and the display of such to be quite refreshing.”

Mrs. Roskelley dipped her chin in a pleased nod. “Thank you, sir. I hope we shall not wear upon your indulgence.” She took a careful sip of water before glancing down the table toward Lily and Miss Moyle, who were still engaged in deep conversation, the meal before them almost forgotten.

“That is well done of your wife, sir. If I may say so.”

Thomas smiled as he looked at Lily himself, his heart lurching hard to the left when her eyes raised to his, and the corner of her lips quirked.

What did she see in him to make that happen? What made the dark depths of her lovely eyes turn warm in that moment? What had he done to earn any measure of affection?

“Everything my wife does is well done,” Thomas murmured, not bothering to hide the adoration in his voice when he did so. “Everything.”

“I see you have a rather high opinion of your wife yourself, Mr. Granger,” Mrs. Roskelley replied from his side, amusement ringing in every word.

Thomas smiled at being so easily caught after what seemed a lifetime of disguising his feelings. “So it would seem, Mrs. Roskelley. What do you know of Miss Moyle?”

“What everyone knows, sir,” came the honest response. “I have known Basset for many years, and there were always rumors of his father’s profligacy, though never any proof of illegitimate children. Basset was nothing like his father, though the same cannot be said for his younger brother Richard. Cut from the same wool, I am afraid. Basset has more than once had to take time away from his business in London to fetch his brother from some brothel or gambling den where he has spent more than he possesses.”

“Has he cut his brother off?” Thomas asked in a lower voice, not wishing to be overheard by other guests at the table. “Persuaded him to find employment?”

Mrs. Roskelley laughed very softly without humor. “I believe he has tried everything, Mr. Granger. I no longer have his confidence, as is right, but Richard Basset is a wastrel, and there is very little hope he will change. Basset pays his brother’s gambling debts, removes him from his place of scandal, and nurses him back to health before returning to his duties and letting Richard do as he will. He does not give him money to spend, but neither does he let his brother go to a debtor’s prison.”

It was a tragedy in so many respects, some avoidable and some not, but to maintain that loyalty under such strain was admirable, even if it was also foolhardy. “Has he any other siblings?”

She shook her head. “No, which is undoubtedly one of the reasons he was so eager to find Miss Moyle when he could. His father said nothing about her when he was alive, though he did not deny the connection to her mother. Once he died and Basset inherited, he learned of her existence and sought her out, eager to form a family connection. Given his behavior with Richard, you can only imagine his determination in persuading her to go along with him.”

Thomas shook his head, smiling wryly. “And yet, Trembath tells me Miss Moyle is the one with the stubborn streak.”

“If there was no other likeness between them,” Mrs. Roskelley echoed with a bemused smile, leaving the thought unfinished.

There was nothing to do but nod at that, both looking at the handsome girl now laughing with Lily as though she was perfectly at ease in her surroundings and among the company.

“I think, Mrs. Roskelley,” Thomas mused, glancing back at her, “you might be a useful friend to my wife and me.”

“I should hope so, sir.” Her eyes narrowed, her smile deepening. “Did you have a particular use in mind this evening?”

Thomas thought about it, then slid his eyes pointedly across the table. “I know Basset well enough from our communication over the last few years, but Trembath I’ve only met today. Are you as familiar with him as you are with Basset?”

Mrs. Roskelley lifted a glass in a very small toast. “I may claim Gage Trembath as my first husband, Mr. Granger. We wed when I was five, and he very kindly agreed to an annulment when Mr. Roskelley took an interest.”

“Very magnanimous of him,” Thomas complimented, finding himself envious of the childhood of affection his new acquaintances seemed to have had.

Was that part of the magic of Cornwall? Or was it simply a matter of taste for their parents? Thomas had no complaints about his own upbringing, but it had certainly been staunchly formal. He had no childhood friends