Complications Read Free Page A

all of which Benjamin
found rather boring. He was spared having to wrack his brain further by his
sister’s arrival, her smile to them both radiant.
    “Forgive me for keeping you waiting, Mr
Saverney,” she said to her fiancé.
    He had jumped to his feet and bowed to her.
“It is more than worth it to see you looking so lovely.”
    She flushed and, although her carriage
dress was not the most up-to-date or stylish, and although she would never be Miss
Daventry’s equal for looks, her current joy gave her a true beauty.
    The two of them took their leave of
Benjamin, who watched them go and wished the thought of a conventional future
could bring him such joy. Lottie was the kindest of sisters and it was good to
see her so happy. However, he would miss her when she left the family home. In
fact, the thought of being left alone with his parents was an unpleasant one.
    He had once thought he had an affectionate
relationship with them, but since telling them the truth about his nature they
seldom spoke to him and made it clear that they still expected him to marry, no
matter how little he or presumably the woman involved could possibly want it. After
Lottie’s marriage perhaps they would see reason and he could go and live
quietly on their country estate. The more time he spent in the city the more a
reclusive life appealed to him; at least there he could throw himself into work
and forget about his attractions to men instead of being rebuffed and disliked
time after time.
    Thoughts of the countryside reminded him of
a letter he wanted to write to the family’s estate manager about a tenant who
was having difficulties paying the rent. The woman was recently widowed,
husband and son both lost to consumption, so he had no intention of seeing her
and her remaining children starve. Hopefully the estate manager would not
mention the matter to Benjamin’s father who let him deal with tenant matters but
would not approve of losing any rent. Benjamin walked into the library and sat
down with quill, ink and parchment to compose the note. As he was finishing
this a maid announced Miss Daventry’s arrival.
    He stood up as Amelia marched in and bowed
to her. She responded with a curtsy, although she rolled her eyes as she did so
then gave him an impish smile. He returned it, glad of the company of one of
the few people he could be entirely open with, and skipped any more formalities,
saying, “Lottie is not here at present. She is riding in the park with
Saverney.”
    She paused with a frown, clearly having expected
to find Lottie at home, but what she said was, “You do not like Mr Saverney?”
    His tone must have given him away - he did
not have a high opinion of the man but did not have anything against him, so he
could only shrug. He had not felt at first that Saverney returned Lottie’s
adoration, but the marriage proposal settled that. It would be pleasant to find
him less tedious, but perhaps that would change in time. “He does not have the
standing in society that my father might have wished for but he is wealthy and
comes from a good family. Anyway, Lottie loves him so I am happy for her that
he returns her feelings.”
    Amelia put a gloved hand on his arm,
expression sympathetic, and he realised she was thinking of his own
difficulties. He felt a surge of fondness for her.
    When Lottie had said she had told her best
friend about his romantic inclinations, Benjamin had been appalled. They had
known each other since infancy but, given the behaviour of the friends to whom
he had revealed the truth, he had expected Amelia to cut him out of her life. Instead,
while never directly mentioning the subject, she had shown a quiet support that
meant a lot to him, particularly when his own parents treated his nature as an
evil affliction that must be hidden at all costs.
    If only there was a rule book to tell him
how to live his life. Surely he was not the only man in the world who felt
romantically for other men instead of women.