Even the Damp Squib’s illustrious siblings and cousin doubt if he’s capable of “rising” to the challenge of matrimony. Would you, gentle reader, if you were contemplating nuptials with the
Northumberland Nemesis?
Puts a new meaning to “life sentence” in this humble reporter’s opinion.
Respectfully yours,
The Midnight Cryer
Will inhaled breakfast, which was completely normal since he was dining at McCalpin’s home in the formal dining room. His brother employed an excellent chef who had the rare talent of knowing how to prepare a perfect English breakfast. The man cooked enough food to satisfy the entire English army with enough left to last the week. Since Will attended today’s breakfast, the chef had prepared his favorites—sausages, ham, mashed potatoes, kippers, eggs, rashers of bacon, flaky pastries, and crusty bread with fresh jam and honey.
He and his siblings, McCalpin and Emma, and his cousin Claire, shared the private breakfast every week whenever they all were in town. No spouses, parents, children, or friends were invited. It was the only time that the siblings and Claire—who everyone thought of as a sister—could talk freely with one another without any parental fallouts.
Will took another sip of tea and relaxed in the chair.
“March and I plan on telling Mother and Father about the baby this evening, along with March’s sisters and her brother.” Joy seemed to vibrate in McCalpin’s voice.
Emma smiled and placed her hand over McCalpin’s. “Congratulations to you and March. That’s wonderful news.”
“Indeed.” Claire nodded. “You’ll make excellent parents.”
“Well, since March raised her siblings, this will be like second nature to her.” McCalpin drew a deep breath. “Frankly, I’m terrified.”
The bemused look on his older brother’s face was charming. Will immediately thought of sharing the news with Theodora.
“Please feel free to share this information with your spouses with the proviso of complete privacy until tomorrow.” McCalpin turned his attention to Will. “You may tell Theodora also. After all, if Stella has her way, she’ll soon be your wife.”
His brother’s simple statement sent a blistering stab of guilt through Will’s chest. He had to tell them the truth about his arrangement with Theodora.
“There’s no need.” He swallowed his trepidation and continued, “She and I won’t marry.”
In unison, the three of them swiveled their heads to stare at him, much like a trio of owls. McCalpin’s attention darted to the two footmen in attendance. Without a word being spoken, they left, closing the door behind them.
“How can you be sure?” McCalpin asked.
Emma gently laid her serviette on the side of her plate and crossed her arms. He loved his sister dearly but recognized her shift of mood. Emma only did that when she was preparing for one of their epic arguments.
“Pray, tell us your thoughts.” Claire’s gaze never strayed from Will’s.
McCalpin leaned forward with his elbows on the table and a dark scowl crossed his face. “Did she jilt you?”
“No, she didn’t jilt me.” Will cleared his throat. “I’m inviting a select group of gentlemen to Langham Hall this week to meet Thea with the precise purpose that she might find one of these upstanding men as a suitable husband.”
“I don’t understand.” Claire’s dulcet voice had grown a tad sharper.
“It’s simple. Aunt Stella thinks Thea and I should marry. She even told me she’d disinherit me if I didn’t. To appease her, I called on Thea at her home. Thea doesn’t want to marry unless forced by the committee. I’ll introduce her to some of my friends in case she needs a groom quickly.” Will clenched his stomach in preparation for the barrage of questions that would surely be forthcoming. “I want her happy and secure. Whatever she needs, I’ll help her.”
He didn’t want to share that Thea would only consider him as a last resort. It would rip open a new hole in his chest.
A frown creased Claire’s brow.
“She’s my friend.” Will quickly added, “As such, Thea will have me beside her when she makes her first appearances in the ton, and I’ll even appear in front of the committee by her side if she asks me.”
“You are going to ton events?” Emma asked incredulously.
Will nodded. “I’m going for Thea. After the challenge to her title is finished, she can find someone to marry if she wishes. I’ll have satisfied Aunt Stella’s desire that I marry Thea.”
Emma’s green eyes flashed. “That’s the most illogical sentence I daresay you’ve ever uttered.”
McCalpin leaned back in his chair and smiled. Trust his brother to enjoy his grilling by Claire and Emma.
Will held up his hand. “Allow me to explain. After Thea secures her title, she plans to return to Ladykyrk. I’ll continue with my work for the family. Aunt Stella will come to realize that Thea and I would never have suited. I’ll be out of the doghouse and back in our great-aunt’s grace once again.”
“Exactly how are you going to arrange this parade of potential paragons to Theodora?” With his earlier amusement fading, McCalpin regarded Will dubiously.
“It’s simple. I’m inviting three friends to Langham Hall for Thea to meet. If forced to marry, hopefully she’ll find someone whom she wants.” As Will said the words, his cousin’s eyes narrowed. A sure sign that her rare anger was about to make an appearance.
“That will never work, particularly as The Midnight Cryer mocks her every chance they get.” Claire shook her head vehemently. “I know what it’s like to be treated as an object of money and position while not being taken seriously.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “After four failed engagements, I understand what it feels like to have men look at you but not really see you. What you’re doing to her is unspeakably cruel.”
“Claire,” he spoke softly. “It’s not like that. I know you were hurt deeply by how the ton treated you. I would never treat Thea that way. This is what she wants. It’s a plan she can fall back on if the committee forces her hand.”
His cousin simply stared at him with a look that didn’t conceal her pain. “What about you?” she asked.
“It’s what I want too.” Even to his own ears, the words sounded lame—even weak.
Heavy silence descended in the room, reminding him that all the women in his family were strong and steadfast, like cornerstones of a building, always ready to bear the weight of keeping the structure sound.
Theodora possessed such strength forged from the trials she’d had to shoulder when her grandfather became ill. In a similar fashion, she’d support her family and husband. An image of Thea with their children flashed before Will. He pushed such thoughts away. Whoever was lucky enough to marry Thea would receive those gifts, but it wouldn’t be him.
“May I make an observation?” Emma asked. “You’ve always been admired by your friends. A natural leader who they emulate. With you escorting Thea to society events, it’ll appear you’re interested in her. But if The Midnight Cryer finds out you’re introducing her to potential marriage partners, it’ll hurt her. If there is even a hint that you’re jilting Thea or find her wanting, then your friends will also.”
McCalpin nodded. “She makes an excellent point.”
“Nonsense,” Will argued. “Everyone will think there’s something lacking in me. Once people meet her, they’ll see that she’s intelligent, warm, and generous. She’s a lovely woman who anyone would be lucky to marry.”
“With a fortune,” Claire added.
Will nodded once in agreement. “She just happens to have an ancient Scottish title with an accompanying grand estate and fortune.”
“Humph.” Claire brushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “How will you determine who wants the person you described and not her fortune? Remember how men treated me until Alex came along? He loved me for who I am, not what I owned.”
“The same applies to me,” Emma agreed. “Every man evaluated my value by the size of my dowry and the fact that I was the daughter of the Duke of Langham.” She sighed as if releasing a weight from her chest. “Until Somerton, no one believed in my ability to build a bank. Now, because of him, it’s a financial success that rivals the most prosperous financial institutions in all of London.”
“And your point, Em?” William drawled.
“Don’t be dense, William.” Claire’s retort sailed through the room. “We both found men who believed in us and, most importantly, looked beyond the trappings society tried to bind around us. Our husbands fell in love and married us for who we are, not what we own.” She held his stare as if challenging him. “How are you going to find a man worthy of her, and not someone who is only interested in her fortune and title?” She softened her voice. “I can’t help but think you do a disservice to yourself to not even consider marrying her. You deserve love, Will.”
McCalpin lifted an eyebrow in challenge. “Bad form, Will. You’re so worried you’ll get hurt that you don’t give happiness a chance. Be careful, Brother. This smacks of turning into an epic disaster, one of your own creation.”
“It’s not like that,” Will protested as he fisted his hands under the table. If he shared the humiliating fact that it was Thea who didn’t want him, it would cut him open and expose his failings. Was it a failing or just vulnerability? Perhaps he’d likened it to a twice-shy horse. He didn’t want to pursue Thea and experience rejection again.
It was simply easier to lose himself in his responsibilities. There was never a danger of a jilting or rejection when work waited for him with open arms.
Completely ignoring Will’s unease, his brother continued, “Aunt Stella isn’t squiring Thea around. You are.”
“Cavensham men fall in love—”
“We know the litany by heart. Quickly, thoroughly, and decidedly.” McCalpin waved his hand through the air. “The only one who believes that drivel is you. I didn’t love March until I came to know her as a person. How she thought. What she valued.”
“Though I’m not a Cavensham man, Cavensham blood runs in my veins,” Claire said. “Alex and I fell in love over the months after we first married.”
Emma smiled. “I knew Somerton for years before I realized we were destined for one another.” She wrinkled her nose. “I thought you were smarter than that.” She leaned close and stared him in the eyes. “I don’t think you truly believe it either. I think it’s an excuse.”
“Now see here,” Will protested. He pierced each of them with his gaze, though his defenses were weakening. “Thea and I will not suit.”
The bitter taste of bile rose in his throat, and he forced himself to swallow. God, he prayed they’d leave his affairs alone and not ask anymore.
“How do you know?” Claire’s eyebrows shot up, then she leaned forward slightly and narrowed her eyes.
“Claire, you know me. I’m not husband material.” He tried to take his cousin’s hand in his, but she drew away.
Will swallowed. He valued Claire’s opinion since she was one of the most levelheaded members of their family. However, her cheeks were stained scarlet, and the slight pursing of her lips gave him pause. He’d never seen her so angry—at least, never with him.
“Do you remember your eighth birthday?” Claire bit out.
McCalpin and Emma’s gazes bounced between the two of them.
Will shook his head.
“You asked the new cook to make you cherry tarts, knowing full well we weren’t supposed to eat cherries.” Claire shook her head slightly. “You knew that cherries didn’t agree with you, yet you proceeded without any thought to anyone but yourself.”
Will suppressed a shudder. After that birthday, he had never craved another cherry in his life. He’d been an itchy, miserable mess for days.
“Took full advantage of the cook, as I recall.” McCalpin chuckled. “Afterward, you resembled a swollen boiled lobster. Redder than the cherries you ate.”
“You were covered in hives.” Emma’s laughter joined McCalpin’s.
“Everyone except for the new cook knew you couldn’t tolerate cherries, including you,” Claire scolded. “Yet you proceeded to do as you wanted to the detriment of everyone else. The entire family had to postpone a trip to Falmont for a week. The cook almost quit, she was so upset.”
“I really don’t want to discuss it further.” Perhaps it’d be best if he just got up and left. He didn’t want to listen to his cousin’s litany, nor did he want to share anymore.
Claire stood also, then poked him in the chest to get his full attention. It wasn’t a hard poke, but the mere fact that she disapproved of his actions and thought to reprimand him was completely disconcerting.
“Be.” Poke. “Careful.” Poke. “What.” Poke. “You.” Poke. “Wish.” Poke. “For.” Claire squared her shoulders. “I’ll ensure that she has men following her like she’s the Pied Piper of Hamlin.” She turned, and the swirl of her silk skirts slapped his boots. With her ire high, she glided to the door, then turned and faced him. “Once I’m done, you’ll feel as if you’ve eaten a bowl of cherries.”
“Whatever she’s planning, I’m going to help her.” Emma stood and followed Claire out the door.
McCalpin shook his head. “What are you doing, Will? I’ve never seen you this out of sorts.”
“I’m not doing anything. It’s what Thea wants.”
McCalpin lifted a single brow in disbelief. “Oh, really?”
“She doesn’t want to marry me!” The sharp words ricocheted through the room.
There, he’d said it.
A beautiful, kind woman who he thought the world of didn’t want him. The Midnight Cryer’s words taunted him—he was a failure, a damp squib—and he’d finally admitted it. The pain in his chest threatened to bring him to his knees.
His brother simply stared at him.
“I apologize for my outburst.” He exhaled, wishing he was anywhere but McCalpin’s home. He threw his serviette on the table like a gauntlet. “Theodora’s an intelligent, affectionate, loyal, not to mention, lovely young woman. She deserves the best.”
“And you’re not the best?” McCalpin asked. His voice was low as if he were scared he’d poked the sleeping bear. “You have feelings for her.”
“It makes no difference.” He forced himself to hold his brother’s gaze. “She told me she doesn’t want to marry me.” He chuckled but it held no humor. “The first time I met her, she made it clear her thoughts on marriage to me.”
He’d never shared anything so personal with his brother or anyone else in the family.
“You can’t tell Emma or Claire. Let them continue to be angry with me. Perhaps they’ll be able to find someone whom Thea will love. But he needs to be a man worthy of her hand.”
McCalpin walked to Will’s side and clasped his shoulder. “Will, I’ll say it again. Admit it. You do have feelings for her.”
Will tried to tamp down the foreboding, but his heart was pounding in alarm.
He wanted to deny it, but he simply couldn’t.
Indeed, what had he done?