“Charlotte, that sort of love takes time.”
She swallowed, nodding once. “I know, and I can’t seem to find the man I want to spend the time to find that love with.”
“What about Mr. Riley?” Georgie pressed gently. “I thought the pair of you were getting on rather well.”
“We seem to be,” Charlotte allowed with a faint smile. “He’s terribly good with Mama, and never makes her feel as though she is conspicuous as our chaperone. I am finding myself more comfortable in his presence, which is lovely.” She wrinkled up her nose and shrugged. “I don’t know, Georgie. What am I supposed to feel?”
Georgie smiled at the question. “At the beginning? Awkward.”
Charlotte scoffed and allowed herself a droll look at her friend. “Fair enough, I think we can say I have felt awkward.”
“One usually does.” Georgie’s smile turned wistful, her eyes taking on a far-off look. “Then you find yourself comfortable, but with an excited edge that doesn’t quite make sense.”
“That would describe what I feel right now,” Charlotte told her with a nod. “I could talk with him for ages, and yet I seem to fidget constantly.”
Georgie snickered, bouncing her son again. “It’s the anticipation, isn’t it? Wondering if something will happen, wanting it to and yet not wanting it to…”
Charlotte nodded over and over, then huffed to herself. “Maddening stuff. Tell me it gets better.”
“I am so sorry, it doesn’t.” Georgie made a face, shaking her head. “Things only get more complicated.”
“Lovely. I see I have much to look forward to.” She plastered a false smile on her face that made Georgie laugh. Charlotte groaned and put a hand to her brow. “Why did I want this again?”
“Because we have been led to believe that love is the most enviable of all things,” Georgie answered simply, “and it is. It is also rare and unusual, and there is something to be said for those people who claim a marriage of convenience is a far easier matter.”
“Is there?”
Georgie nodded. “Yes. It’s true. That would be easier.”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “But…?”
“But a love match is so very satisfying,” Georgie admitted with an almost dreamy smile. “So lovely. So enjoyable. And complicated though it is, I cannot think my happiness could be any more than this if I had married for other reasons.”
“I want that ease and happiness,” Charlotte confessed. “I want it so much.”
“I know, dear.” Georgie smiled as she hugged her son to her. “You do like Mr. Riley, don’t you? I’d hate to think that you were trying to force your emotions to fit into a mold of love rather than let it grow naturally.”
Charlotte nodded quickly. “Of course I like Mr. Riley. I do not see how anyone could not like Mr. Riley. He is handsome, charming, and excellent company. I’ve never had a better dance partner, and he seems to only get more interesting the more I get to know him.”
Georgie grinned at her, setting Thomas back on the ground when he fussed. “Charlotte! That is wonderful to hear! And certainly a very promising start.”
“Do you think so?” Charlotte rubbed her hands together in more of an anxious habit than a speculative one. “I want to smile whenever I see him, Georgie. I don’t always do so, but I want to. My lips simply want to smile when he is near. But he’s not said anything about courtship or affection to me. Do you think that is a sign?”
“No, I think it is perfectly right,” Georgie assured her. “Mr. Riley does not need to be proposing from the first moment he meets you and continuously until you accept.”
Charlotte snickered at the idea of Mr. Riley doing something so ridiculous, like one of the dandies of London. “I cannot see him doing any such thing. Going to his knees and dramatically asking for my hand or begging me to be his wife. He’s got far too much taste and sense for any such thing.”
Her friend dipped her chin in a knowing nod. “You see? You have grown so accustomed to receiving proposals from any man who has spent three minutes in your company that you cannot recognize the genuine attentions of a gentleman worth considering. Once you are both more sure of your feelings, you may be surprised by the speed at which things happen, but there is no set timeline, Charlotte. You must do away with the idea that there is some sort of deadline to love or courtship. It will not be any less sweet if Mr. Riley should propose next spring if it means that he is convinced you are the perfect choice for him.”
Charlotte’s cheeks heated at the idea of Mr. Riley feeling so much for her. They had seen each other almost every day, but she couldn’t say it had been for an excessive amount of time. He was always very cognizant and aware of the time he spent at her home during calling hours, and whenever they met in the park on a walk, which seemed to happen more regularly, he took great care that a respectable amount of time be spent together, and did not overextend it.
It all sounded very polite when she thought of it in such terms, but she would not have called Mr. Riley a particularly polite man. He was never rude, of course, and would never come close to earning such an insult, but he did have a bit of a wicked sense of humor that rendered him just amusing enough to keep around, for the surprise, if nothing else. When he and Charlotte had spent too much time together, they were quite the amusing pair. No one else would be able to attest to any such thing, as they hadn’t been out in public much, but they soon would be. What might they become with even more exposure to each other?
Charlotte sighed as she
