"Sir Guy's Atonement" (Book 3) by Gratiana Lovelace, 2015 (a Wattys2015 Nominee)

Ch. 2: A Boon and a Betrothal, Part 1

Sir Guy:  "Seth!  What happened to your hair! Its length was on your collar when we arrived this morning.  Now that I collect you after your Uncle Lord George and I are done with our conference, your hair is all ... chopped off.  Your Mama will not be pleased at all." 

Indeed, Seth's hair [(3) right]  is shorter and ... choppier.  Seth rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

Seth: "Hhhh!  I know, Papa!  Aunt Lady Mary wanted to cut my cousins' hair, but the boys would not sit still--fearful of the blade. So Aunt Lady Mary bade me sit before them as she snipped my hair--to show them that getting their hair cut didn't hurt."

Sir Guy:   "Me thinks that my nephews took quite a bit of convincing--given the amount of hair that she snipped off your head.  Ha ha ha!"

Seth: "Indeed, Papa. Though, my neck does feel cooler, I find myself reaching to brush my hair out of my eyes--only to find it not there."  Seth looks quite startled.  Being shorn of his long locks--that so resembled his Papa's hair--will require some time for him to accustom himself to the change.

Sir Guy: "Well, it will grow back. We will provide that argument for your Mama when she asks about it." Sir Guy blanches. 

Changing the topic from his hair, Seth inquires  about the nature of his Papa's and his Uncle's discussion.

Seth:  "Papa?  What did Uncle Lord George say to you in his study that he did not want me to hear?"  Curiosity is ever present in Seth as the soon to be squire for his knight Papa.

Sir Guy:  Smirking with a bemusedly raised eyebrow, Sir Guy admonishes his son. "Now Seth, were I to tell you, that would defeat the purpose of your uncle's taking me aside to speak to me in private.  Wouldn't it?"

Seth: "I suppose, Papa." The handsome Seth pouts, petulantly pursing his lips so like his father, Sir Guy--both are beautiful and stubborn.  "But I do not like secrets that I do not know."

Sir Guy: "Ha ha ha ha ha!  Seth, a secret by definition, must be kept hidden.  And discretion is ever an attribute that a nobleman and gentleman should aspire to."

Seth: "I know, I know."  Seth whines.  "But if no one knows a secret, then it does not need to hide.  And if a secret does not need to hide, then I may know of it."  Seth smiles hopefully.

Sir Guy: "Your reasoning is faulty, my son.   But do not fret.  This secret will not be kept long.  And you shall be among the first to hear of its telling."  Sir Guy hopes to appease his son's inquisitive nature by tempting him with this promise.

Seth:  "Very well, Papa.  I will wait.   Hhhhh."  Seth rolls his eyes.

Sir Guy: "What now?"  He smiles at his son who is not faring well today--especially with regard to his hair.

Seth: "Why can not Aunt Lady Mary keep her sister Lady Caroline a secret and hidden for my lifetime?"

Lady Caroline is one year Seth's senior at the age of eleven. And her parents are discreetly inquiring about  potential nobles with whom they  might betroth their daughter for marriage when she reaches her sixteenth year.  With this knowledge, Sir Guy and Lady Roseanna are currently considering betrothing their son Seth to Lady Caroline.

Sir Guy: "Now Seth.  Lady Caroline is visiting her sister and becoming acquainted with the local gentry.  As their family and guest, they can hardly keep her locked away in the tower."

Seth: "Why not?  It is a nice tower--very tall, too high up for her to crawl out a window and escape."

Sir Guy:  Stifling a laugh, Sir Guy coughs.  "Kkkhh!  Yes!"