Amala noticed how thoroughly her parents were enjoying themselves, and even Kat seemed comfortable and not so bored and eager to leave as she had been the last time both men had visited. Even their talk of India—which generally made Kat either bored or uncomfortable—didn’t seem to be bothering her. As the afternoon progressed, with seemingly endless things to talk about, Amala noticed that Henry seemed happy. In fact, there was a light in his eyes she’d not seen since she’d met him that night at the ball. Except that now it was brighter. She wondered if she was the reason for it. Was it possible that she could be responsible for making a man like Henry Beckenridge so happy? If so, could she make him happy enough to compensate for all the difficulties she would bring into his life? It was certainly a question worth pondering.

The two men did stay until after supper, and the day was delightful—except that not once could Amala find a reasonable excuse to have even a moment alone with Henry. After he’d left with Chit, she sat with her family while they revisited the highlights of the day, and they discussed the fine qualities of these men. Amala noticed they were being careful to respect her wish that they not speculate over the possibility of any gentleman being a good match for her. But they did speculate about one of these men being a good match for Kat. Hearing Kat analyze what she found favorable in both men, Amala felt decidedly uncomfortable. She’d not anticipated that keeping her secret would subject her to the possibility of Kat taking an interest in Henry. And her parents were very supportive of the idea of her doing so. Thankfully, at this point, Kat didn’t exhibit any more interest in Henry than in Chit; she considered them both equally good men and potentially good husbands. But what if her feelings changed? What if she became drawn to Henry? Amala wasn’t worried about how Henry would handle Kat’s attention should it come to that. If she didn’t know him to be a man of integrity, she would not have agreed to this absurd arrangement. But she was finding it much more difficult than she’d expected to keep herself from just telling her family that Henry was secretly courting her—as much as it was possible to do so and keep the matter a secret.