Waterfield's parents exchanged a glance.

With the Ashford family's current status, they didn't need to rely on marriage alliances to secure anything. It was all about whether the kids liked each other. If they did, and it was a good match socially—great. If not, but they still liked each other—they welcomed it just the same.

Waterfield's mother had always been in poor health. She only managed to have Waterfield and couldn't bear any more children afterward. When ...