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'Mr Hayward,' you regarded not sparing a moment before surging on for fear of losing your nerve. 'I need your assistance.'
'And a pleasant evening to you Miss L/n.' He bowed at your rushed curtsey, a small smile settling over his face at your strange behaviour.
'Would you do me the favour of assisting me in my search for a husband?' Mr Hayward was quite glad he had finished his glass a few minutes prior for otherwise he was sure it would have left his nose with the shock.
You seemed quite serious however, so he made the effort, as he always did when it came to you, to find some words, 'Do you think I will be much help?' It was an almost useless question and yet Tom felt he needed some sort of reasoning if he was going to oblige such a strange ask, not to mention the less than comfortable position it put him in.
'You know the ton so much better than I.' You said it like it was obvious, it was not. It was arguably untrue. 'Who is decent, who to avoid...' Seeing him still unconvinced your heart leapt slightly, that there was a chance his hesitance was a shred of jealousy, and so you went for it.
'Most of all you know exactly what I am looking for in a match-' 'I do? -I have no clue a-aside from the obvious but-' His interjection could not have been more perfect, a flurry of stuttering that propelled you forward, right into your bold move.
'Of course you do Mr Hayward' keeping your voice light as you could as your nerves were settling in. 'Someone smart and not entitled or thoughtless.' You watched him nod, face somewhat steeled and stifling a slight chuckle at the pointed comment. 'Kind, humorous and interested in the arts...'
His brow remained furrowed- good god man.
'Dark hair, handsome and dresses in green almost too much.' You laughed to yourself at that one, thinking perhaps it may have been a little overly obvious and yet;
'You enjoy green that much?' He teased with a slight smile, 'So much that it is a requirement?'
You responded only with a humoured nod as your head fell to your palm, a movement Mr Hayward must have taken as embarrassment that had him rushing to reassure you. 'It is very specific but if you think it vital then we shall find you such a man.' Pulling the hand from your face he raised your knuckle to his lips and you watched as the most oblivious man in England made a promise that he could surely not complete.
'Indeed Mr Hayward.'
Your murmured confirmation was somewhat deflated- Well, wait one moment. There was one more thing you could try!
'Although I must admit there is more...'
'More?' His eyes were larger now and you hoped the shock might help his realisation as you persisted.
'I know I am quite particular... he must...' It should have been difficult to think of something else and yet it was not at all, 'He must smile wide... quite wide.'
'Quite objective' he mocked, that exact smile dancing across his lips.
'And yet I am certain, especially in this moment, that it is vital.' Please, please Mr Hayward, understand my meaning.
'Well then, I admit there is no man who comes to mind. I assure you however, I will keep my eyes open.' The stupidest man you knew concluded with a nod and a flash of that damned smile once more.
'I am in your debt then Mr Hayward,' and with a curtsey you went to recover from such a abominable flub. I mean truly has the man not once ever glanced at his own reflection?
~~~
It was only the next weekend that had you meeting Mr Hayward once more and yet it felt as if the small soiree at the Gardiner's had not come soon enough.
'Good evening Mr Hayward.' You had all but written off the conversation of the week before, not in doubt of his efforts but rather deep in thought of some other method and yet you had come up with naught.
'Miss L/n, good evening. How have you found your week?' Tom had found himself a place once more in a quieter area of the event, albeit a harder task in such a small gathering.
'Oh very well, so calm and to be ended with a night among such good and close company I would say it has been a fine week indeed.' If such a overzealous attempt failed perhaps simpler flirtation was to be preferred. 'And what of-' He cut in quick, evidently impatient. 'Very agreeable Miss L/n, yet I am sad to say that I have made very little progress in finding your match-' he had rushed the words out, worried in part that your description of him as 'good and close company' might drown out his functional thoughts as it rung over and over in his ears.
You could not stop yourself from interjecting either '-I did not mean to inquire -I did not expect...' you let your explanation hang there dragging out the silence until his lips parted, Mr Hayward forcing an enthused tone from deep in his chest.
'Oh, well anyhow I shall not give up!' You truly wished he would stop smiling at you like that, at least about this.
Oh who on earth did you think you were fooling no you did not, you would take every look at that smile you could get until it was off, married and by the side of another woman.
'Do feel free to Mr Hayward, it is a search that may be doomed.' May be doomed if not for him you would have been certain that no man in London had all that you admired, however if not for him, you most definitely would hold no preference over the colour that a man wore, nor for the width of his smile.
'Please,' He seemed almost too serious, 'you must know you will find a match.' Mr Hayward felt somewhat at a loss at your behaviour, concerned that after only a week, and a pleasant one at that, you thought yourself "doomed" as you put it and it was most evident on his face.
'I do, I keep hope. I simply do not mean to hold you to your assistance in a futile search,'
Your language was perhaps a little maudlin, but you hoped it would quell his determination at least somewhat. His lips parted at the precise moment an old acquaintance arrived, speaking fast and tugging your arm as she led you across the room to discuss he upcoming nuptials, letting you send only a small smile back to Mr Hayward in parting.
~~~
'You look quite vexed Tom,' Mr and Mrs Gardiner had approached their friend not long after in a way that was definitely somewhat sneakily even in the now almost bustling space. It was not as if it were a difficult task as his gaze remained stuck across the room to where Mrs Gardiner could spot you, doing quite a bad job yourself of being subtle about keeping Mr Hayward in your peripherals. 'May I venture to guess what, or rather who has you this way?'
'Ah-ahem' the choked out noise was half cough and half laugh. 'Miss L/n has asked for my assistance in finding a husband.' Mr Gardiner glanced to his wife in humour,
'My dear I fear we should feel hurt we were not first sought out.' The pair shared a look before turning back to the younger man who was only now meeting their eyes.
'That must be somewhat torturous?' Mrs Gardiner watched him glance in your direction as his lips pulled thin, a long breath leaving his nose in thought. 'Indeed'.
'Well, if it eases you perhaps we can be some assistance.' Mrs Gardiner's voice was calm as it almost always was, she was stifling her amusement at the situation aware of the turmoil it had formed in the man in front of her.
'I would be quite glad for it, Miss L/n is quite discerning, she has a list of... requirements.'
'It is good to know what one values before starting out' Mr Gardiner chimed, a search with no criteria was almost definitely more difficult than one with some preferences. Although some was quite the understatement in this case.
'She does know exactly what she wants, I know that much. I have not however heard her list.' Mrs Gardiner smiled a little cheekily and a maybe little impressed that you had taken such initiative.
Tom shut his eyes tight as your words spun in his mind, 'She wants a husband who is smart. They cannot be entitled or thoughtless.'
The couple spoke at once in a conspiratorial whisper, 'That part seems somewhat pointed.'
'She requires he be Kind, humorous and interested in the arts...'
The couple at his side nodded along, the list was somewhat long but decently fair, it was only when his lips parted once more that Mrs Gardiner spoke in slight concern, 'You have it memorised to the word?'
Mr Hayward nodded, his expression red and perhaps a little pained, not half a match for the tight knot of his chest 'I-I suppose,' before continuing on none the less. 'Dark hair, handsome and dresses in green-' Mr Gardiner let out an "ah" as it clicked into place. '-and she even specified; "almost too much". Miss L/n said this was vital although I admit I cannot say I understand it.'
The couple let out a joint 'I do' that had their grasp on each other tightening momentarily, a movement that Tom noticed and that against his will had his gaze searching the somewhat crowded space for yours.
'There is more if you can believe- She has said it necessary that he has a smile that is "Quite wide". I pointed out how subjective that was but she was immovable. Have you any clue how wide is quite? For I am at a complete loss.' He was near breathless by the time he stopped, the frustration, at the task, at himself, lay plain on his face.
Mrs Gardiner chuckled as she closed one eye, holding her pointer and thumb in the air between herself and Tom, recalling the way he had smiled the last time you had joined the three of them for tea. 'Around this wide.'
Mr Hayward did not believe her to be serious so as Mr Gardiner spoke he let her gesture fade from his mind. He truly doubted that Mrs Gardiner was seriously suggesting what he hoped she was. 'You have it all memorised and you have been agonising over this for...' 'It has only been a week that I have been searching...' he let the correction fade and die on his tongue, the other man's wording was correct after all. 'And yet you still cannot see it?'
'See what?'
Mr Gardiner clapped his shoulder as Mrs Gardiner tugged the lapel of his jacket, the couple somewhat crowding him now, and to his notice blocking the doorway he was almost sure you had left through from view. It was an annoyance even if it did make his focus truly hone in on their words. 'Green jacket, green waistcoat... was this a new choice or is it...' 'It is most of all I own.' Mr Hayward answered quickly even as his mind took it's time rounding onto their meaning.
'Has been as such for as long as we have known you for certain. Do you know of any one else with such a proclivity?' She mused with her husband following her lead;
'I can say most definitely I do not'.
Mr Hayward stood in the silence they left for barely a moment before his feet were moving, much too fast to be casual in such a setting though it slipped his notice with ease.
~~~
You had been dragged a room and a half away by the time he found you, standing with a gentleman he could not place, in a conversation that did not seem all that enticing and yet still his pace stuttered.
The man was... fine, passable, his jacket was a drab grey, he seemed serious and too cynical for such a pleasant night as it was, although possibly worst of all was his smile. It was not nearly genuine nor wide enough for your liking.
It must be said it was not as if you had given the man a fair chance past the moment you glanced up and were met with a face that was not that of Mr Hayward.
So when you did hear that familiar, almost breathless, call of your name you turned without thought, a grand smile tugging high into your cheeks.
'Please excuse me Mr...' Oh no. You would wager you could have had hours or even days and you doubted you would have ever found the poor man's name.
Thankfully Mr Hayward held out his arm and swept you away before any of you were forced to sit in that void of silence any longer. The smile on his lips was unusually tight at first, thankfully however as you moved further it spread wider and wider into what had to be the most exquisite one to date.
'It is quite impolite to forget a new acquaintance's name whilst in conversation with them Miss L/n' His quip was light and you found your own voice much the same, 'Would you think me unkind if I said I did not particularly care?'
'Not enough green for your liking?' The apples of his cheeks were dusted red now in a change that had you hopeful, 'I should not have told you that.' You groaned.
'I disagree- at least spare me the uncertainty-' He brushed off his sleeves and held at his lapels, 'Is this the right amount'
'You are mean Mr Hayward-' you swatted lightly at his hands and watched as his grin stretched somehow wider still, 'Surely someone has stated how well you look in green.'
'Not in so many words but I do believe handsome and green were somewhere in there.' His eyes were not searching yours but simply staring deep as if trying to reach deeper with every second.
There was a shared solidness now, in your chests and in your hold on one another as he breathed out calmly. 'I believe there was also a mention of my smile?'