"Why aren't they out yet..."
Meanwhile, Hibbert was pacing back and forth in the reception room on the second floor.
As the heir of the Hall Family, he had been taught from childhood to maintain his dignity as a noble at all times, on every occasion, even if the sky came crashing down. It was not merely a matter of his own refinement, but of the entire family's reputation.
Recently, however, he had done quite a few things he would once have considered utterly absurd, all to save his family and preserve his future. He could no longer afford to worry so much about dignity.
Besides, the current situation genuinely made it impossible for him to stay calm.
For one thing, this might be the family's only remaining hope. If Viscount Scott refused to help, the Hall Family would truly be finished.
For another, his younger sister was currently alone with a gentleman in a private, enclosed study. And they had been in there for quite a while.
They... surely they aren't in the study...
Probably not.
Unlike his innocent sister, Hibbert knew all too well how debauched the private lives of the nobility could be. At those salons and evening parties, it was perfectly normal for a man and woman who took a liking to each other to slip into an empty room and get up to something.
In fact, viewed rationally and in terms of the family's interests, if the two really were wrapped up in each other in the study, or even went a little further, it would absolutely be a good thing for Hibbert!
It would mean Viscount Scott had not rejected Audrey or turned his nose up at the Hall Family's dire circumstances. He was willing to take them on! The Hall Family could be