Gentleman of Her Dreams by Jen Turano Page B

straight into the bay.
    That would have handled the little problem sufficiently.
    He’d almost done it too, until he’d looked down and found Piper watching him. There’d been something strange in the little girl’s eyes, something that had appeared almost like . . . pity.
    He’d been certain he was mistaken until Piper looked from him, to Charlotte, to Hamilton, and then back to him before rolling her eyes and walking off to join her brother.
    It was odd to have a child roll her eyes at him.
    It was odder to be the object of pity. Even his mother had seemed a bit pitying when she’d actually ruffled his hair and presented him with the invitations.
    He couldn’t dwell on it.
    If pity was what it took to give Charlotte what she wanted, then pity he’d simply have to learn to live with.
    He was going to do what was right.
    He was going to get Mr. Hamilton Beckett for Charlotte.
    Unfortunately, Charlotte didn’t seem to be cooperating with his plan at the moment.
    He’d been certain she’d be thrilled when he handed her an invitation to the Watson’s dinner party yesterday, but she’d barely glanced at it before sending him a glare.
    Not understanding why she was put out with him, he’d offered to take her shopping, but even shopping hadn’t improved her mood. When she’d tried on a lovely gown that would have been perfect for the dinner party, and he acknowledged that thought out loud, she’d spun on her heel, marched back to the dressing room, and, five minutes later, stalked out of the store without purchasing a single item.
    It was completely out of character for her.
    He was somewhat surprised that she’d allowed him to escort her tonight, seeing as everything he’d done since the boating incident seemed to annoy her.
    He felt the carriage roll to a stop, and a moment later the door opened. He stepped out, taking a deep breath as he regarded Charlotte’s house.
    Honestly, she had nothing to be annoyed about at the moment. She was well on her way to obtaining what she’d claimed she wanted, whereas he—well, he was more disheartened and disappointed than he’d ever been in his life.
    He shook off the maudlin thoughts, summoned up a smile, and strode up the walk, his smile widening when Mr. Lewis met him at the door.
    “Good evening, Mr. St. James,” Mr. Lewis said. “I see you survived your day of boating yesterday.”
    “We lost the boat.”
    “Good riddance, I say,” Mr. Lewis said with a nod. “Miss Wilson was fortunate to have you with her. I hate to think what might have happened if she’d been by herself.” He shuddered. “You know that would have occurred if you hadn’t agreed to go with her.”
    “I shouldn’t have agreed to go with her, and I should have destroyed the boat so she couldn’t take it out.”
    “Now, sir, that isn’t the way to look at the situation. Life is meant to be explored, and someone of Miss Wilson’s caliber will always want to explore it to the fullest. She’s lucky to have someone like you who won’t stifle her spirit but allow it to fly.”
    For a moment, just a moment, his resolve faltered.
    Mr. Lewis presented a compelling argument.
    Charlotte was a free spirit, had always longed to fly.
    Was he doing her a disservice by pushing her toward a gentleman simply because said gentleman would be a safer choice for her?
    No, he couldn’t allow his thoughts to travel in that direction.
    She’d chosen Hamilton.
    She’d never chosen him.
    He needed to accept that.
    “Ah, Henry, you’re here. I was beginning to worry.”
    Henry stepped over the threshold and was surprised when Mrs. Wilson pulled him into a hug. She rarely hugged him.
    She stepped back and smiled. “It’s lovely that you’ve offered to take Charlotte to the Watsons’ this evening. I do so wish I could attend the dinner, but . . . Mr. Wilson and I have other plans, so I declined our invitation two weeks ago. It never occurred to me that Charlotte would want to go, but then, two