Everton made certain not to skip as he made his way to his room. How long had it been since the future ahead of him looked bright?

But he didn’t fall asleep quickly. Hope had settled in, and it wouldn’t allow his head to rest. A happy home life had been something he had given up on long ago. It was hours before he calmed himself enough to sleep, but he didn’t begrudge those hours. Even without sleeping, his head had been filled with dreams.

Chapter 25

Diana’s neck ached, but that didn’t stop her from leaning forward one more time to get a better view of the members of Parliament discussing her would-be railroad line.

Everton hadn’t come. There was still time for him to arrive before the vote took place, but she thought he would have been there for the discussion. So far, everything seemed to be going well, although it was difficult to tell what all those men in wigs were thinking. But her paperwork had held up. There were no faults found there.

“Why isn’t that scoundrel here?” Nate didn’t look at her as he spoke under his breath.

“What scoundrel?” Of course he meant Everton. Despite Nate trying not to show interest in him, he had spent as much time as she had leaning over the balcony in hopes of catching a glimpse of him. Still, he was no scoundrel.

“Lord Bryant, of course.” Nate spoke through his teeth, turning his head only slightly toward her. “He didn’t even bother to show up.”

“Something must have happened.” But what? Everton knew how important this was to her. She smoothed down her skirts and tried to calm herself. Everton was a grown man. He could take care of himself. He was certain to be all right.

“What could be more important than this vote?”

“I don’t know. I hope he isn’t injured.”

Nate snorted. “You and I have far different hopes for that man.”

“Nate, I wish—”

“Whatever you wish doesn’t change the fact that he isn’t here, and if he isn’t hurt, what excuse could he have? That he overslept?”

“It is nearly five o’clock.”

Nate shrugged as if the idea wouldn’t surprise him.

“He didn’t oversleep.”

“Then either he doesn’t care for you, which would be no surprise at all to me, or something bad has happened to the louse.” Nate turned to face her. “Which would you prefer?”

Diana gripped the bench in front of her. She needed something to anchor her here, in the noisy parliamentary hall. “He is not a louse.”

“Why do you defend him? Why does every woman defend him? Does a perfect face truly cover a multitude of sins?”

“He is not a sinner, Nate. I can’t think of a single sin to lay at his feet.”

“Diana.” Nate ran his fingers roughly through his hair. “The man has a different woman every week. There isn’t a constant bone in his body. He has ruined at least three different women this year.”