It wasn't a matter of time, it was a matter of options. They had none. If Noble looked into it and found out something they didn't like, what were they going to do, call the wedding off? Ford couldn't imagine any scenario in which they would. The kidnapping was enough of a mark on Verity's reputation already; a broken engagement (now that they'd agreed to it) would put a final nail in her coffin and doom her to spinsterhood. They couldn't afford that — and they really couldn't afford to give her another chance at the season if she was already carrying around more baggage than most of her peers.

"If he already knew her, he wouldn't have waited until the end of the season to start paying calls," he pointed out. They had no evidence that Swann had been interested in Verity until he'd come out of nowhere at the Sanditon. Either he hadn't been interested before then, or Verity had been keeping his interest a secret from them — Ford didn't know which scenario he preferred. Both were unsettling. He shifted his weight and took a drink. "Maybe love at first sight really does exist," he remarked. His tone made it clear he did not really believe this.

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