Jonathan even went so far as to accuse him, “You’ve already asked her to marry you and been accepted, haven’t you? You’re just waiting for her father to return to England to make it official. ’Fess up, Vincent. I’m wasting my bloody time here, aren’t I?”

“What, pray tell, does the one have to do with the other?” Vincent asked him.

“You wouldn’t feel confident in showing her off unless you already had her committed to you. Or are you going to try to tell me that you didn’t know you’d have half the ton knocking at your door after they got a look at her? Now, I know you well enough to know that you don’t like to entertain here. So what does that leave in assumptions, eh? That you couldn’t resist showing her off, just as I’d planned to do after I got her committed to me. I’m not fool enough to do it beforehand, and neither are you.”

Vincent only just managed to resist laughing. Should he ’fess up to being the fool Hale had just described? He really hadn’t thought of the repercussions that would result from taking Larissa out for an evening’s entertainment. He had wanted to distract her. He had wanted to offer her some amusement, nothing more.

And he had tried to avoid the ton by going to a less prestigious theater, but only so he wouldn’t have to fend off questions about her from acquaintances they might run into. That had backfired, of course, due to the play in question having received excellent reviews, which he hadn’t been aware of, which was a sure draw for the theater-frequenting crowd, including those from his social circle. But then, unlike Hale, he wasn’t hoping to marry Larissa, so wasn’t thinking about keeping other men from noticing her.

They had gathered in the parlor after dinner. Larissa had just excused herself to retire. It had been a strenuous day for her, apparently, being admired by so many.

Hale was obviously disappointed to see her go—he had arrived late himself and so hadn’t had a chance to spend much time with her today. That might account for half of his annoyance.

“I believe I’ve already mentioned to you that I have no plans to marry Larissa or anyone else for that matter,” Vincent said.

“You have eyes. The girl is nigh impossible to resist.”

“Nonsense,” Vincent maintained, and even managed to keep a straight face doing so. “She’s beautiful, yes, but I have no desire to complicate my life with a wife.”

“You’ll need to marry sometime.”

“Why? You hadn’t planned to, prior to meeting Larissa. Nor do I require an heir.”

“You’ve a title to bestow,” Jonathan pointed out.

“My title can rot. I have nothing I care to leave to anyone.”

“That ain’t normal, Vincent.”