Read A Match of Wits for Free Online Page A

telegrams stating I was leaving New York, but events kept happening that delayed my departure. It might have been that she didn’t believe me anymore. Truth be told, the only people who greeted me with any enthusiasm at all in California were Helena’s parents.”
    “I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Collins were delighted to see you. Every parent with unmarried daughters dreams of adding a son from the illustrious Beckett family to their household. Even my parents pushed me quite diligently in the path of your brother before he made the acquaintance of Eliza.”
    “You and Hamilton would never have made a match of it, even if Eliza hadn’t entered the scene.”
    “True, but my mother didn’t see it that way.” She smiled. “But enough about me and your brother and the courtship that never was. We need to return to the Helena situation.”
    “There really isn’t much more to say about the lady.”
    “I beg to differ. What happened after Helena got over her surprise at finding you in California? Did you ever discuss a wedding?”
    “She was rather evasive about the matter.”
    “Didn’t that concern you?”
    “I didn’t give it much thought.”
    “Were you still considering marrying her at that point?”
    “Of course I was. I’d told her back when we were six years old we’d marry someday.”
    “I don’t think any gentleman can be held to a promise he made when he was all of six years old.”
    “True, but Helena brought up my old promise when we were seventeen.” Zayne looked down and began fiddling with the reins. “She asked me if I still intended to honor what I’d promised her in our youth. Since she broached the matter right after her doctor told her she’d have to abandon her desire to have a debut, I didn’t have the heart to disappoint her. I was her only hope of obtaining a secure future, and I couldn’t deny her that. We were friends, you see, or at least I thought we were.”
    Agatha’s heart gave a tiny lurch. Here was the reason why she’d never been exactly successful pushing Zayne out of her mind. Though seemingly oblivious to the nature of some women, he was inherently honorable and chivalrous. He’d been willing to set aside his own desires, not that he’d ever spoken of those to her, in order to ease the distress of a friend, even if that friend didn’t deserve him or—
    “Maybe things would have turned out differently if I’d gotten around to formally proposing to Helena once I landed in California.”
    Agatha felt the oddest urge to laugh. “You truly never proposed to her?”
    “Well, yes, when I was six, but again, it wasn’t exactly what anyone could call a formal proposal.” He frowned. “I don’t think I even proposed when we were seventeen. I was at that awkward stage, and wasn’t really sure what to do around girls.”
    “From the sound of it, I’m not certain you’ve grown out of that awkward stage,” she muttered.
    “Nonsense, I’m a connoisseur when it comes to the ladies.”
    “Hmm . . . if you say so, but getting back to the whole proposal situation. Do you really believe Helena left you because you didn’t get down on bended knee?”
    “It’s hard to say at this point, although I’m fairly certain her decision to leave me had something to do with that other man.”
    “Other man?”
    “Indeed.”
    “You might have mentioned that a little sooner, Zayne. It puts a whole different perspective on your situation.”
    “Really?”
    Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Agatha nodded instead. “You’re not very good at explaining this mess, so I’m afraid you need to back up a bit and give me better details. When did this other man come along, and how did Helena get involved with him in the first place?”
    “Do we really have to continue with this discussion? It’s not a particularly happy period in my life.”
    “We can always discuss dynamite instead. As I mentioned before, I’m very interested in learning how to ignite it.”
    “I started