"Oh, I'm quite sure of that," he returned easily. He hadn't told their mother he was expressly interested in Miss Dempsey, but he had asked about her more generally, and that had been the one noteworthy thing: she hadn't had any offers. He had wondered if that meant she was in some way opposed to the idea of marrying, but he had the sense from his conversation with her that this wasn't the case.

"Anyway, it's nothing for you to worry about," he continued with a shrug. "How are your prospects this season?"

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