April 1819
Miss Opal Beaufort picked up her crying one-month-old nephew from his bassinet. Cradling him to her chest, she lightly bounced him and spoke soothing words to him until he calmed down. He put two fingers in his mouth and sucked on them as he looked up at her, his eyes wide.
She smiled and kissed his forehead. “You are too adorable for words. I’m glad you and your sister are here. Maybe someday, I’ll have a little one just like you.”
“If you do, pray you don’t get twins,” came a familiar voice from behind her.
She turned in time to see her sister-in-law, Iris, enter the small room adjoining the bedchamber.
Iris came further into the room and settled the one-month-old girl on the table where a blanket had been set out. She gently placed little Danielle on the blanket then proceeded to swaddle her. With a grin at Opal, Iris said, “They seem to need changing and feeding at the same time. It can be hard keeping up with them.”
“At least you have help,” Opal replied.
“Yes. The nursemaid you helped me pick out has been a godsend.”
“I was talking about me,” Opal said, jutting out her lower lip in a mock pout.
Eyes twinkling, Iris lifted her daughter. “Yes, I know. I couldn’t resist teasing you.”
Opal turned her gaze back to the baby boy. “I’m glad you let me rock one of these precious angels to sleep each night. I cherish my moments with them. Already, they’ve grown so fast.”
“And they’ll only keep getting bigger.” Iris sighed. “It can’t be helped. It is the way things are. But I’m glad we have the moments we do with them.”
The nursemaid came into the room. “Miss Beaufort, I’m ready to change Stuart’s nappy.”
“I will admit this is one task I’m more than happy to hand off to someone else,” Opal said as she let the nursemaid take him.
“When you’ve been with babies as long as I have,” the nursemaid replied, “you don’t even notice the smell.”
“I don’t believe it,” Opal said.
“Well, believe it or not, it’s true,” the nursemaid replied.
Iris grinned as the nursemaid left and turned to Opal. “Your brother wishes to see you in the drawing room. He’s been working on a list of potential suitors over the past few months, and I think he’s finally ready to show them to you.”
“He was serious about making the list?” Opal thought he’d been joking when he mentioned doing such a thing.
Iris gave her a sympathetic smile. “Warren likes to plan everything out ahead of time. He says it makes life easier. If it’s reassuring to you, I took a look at some of the gentlemen he was considering, and they sound like good matches.”
“Are they good looking?”
“I only know most of them by name, but the ones I recognized are pleasing to the eye.”
In that case, maybe it wasn’t so bad. Opal trusted Iris’ judgment. She had worried her brother would set her up with an ugly gentleman since his assumption would be that no lady would have a dalliance with him. He had his heart set on her marrying someone who hadn’t been with any ladies. She would like that, too, but she also wanted someone she could be attracted to.
Curious to know which gentlemen her brother, Warren Beaufort, the Earl of Steinbeck, had seen fit to put on the list, she hurried down to the drawing room. Her brother was at the table, reading something on the parchment in front of him. Since he didn’t notice her, she went around the edge of the room and came up behind him so she could see what had his full attention.
As she expected, the parchment contained a carefully written list of names and titles on it. He had even taken the time to scratch off about three of them, but then he’d rewritten one of them again.
“The more I get to know you, the more I think you have to be the most serious person in all of London,” she said.
Warren jerked and whirled around in his chair to face her. He put his hand over his chest and released his breath. “You are to never come up behind me and scare me again,” he replied.
“All right.” She went around him and sat in the chair across from him.
“That was an order,” he said.
“Yes, I know.” She put her hands in her lap and smiled at him.
“You seem to think that scaring me is amusing.”
“I meant no harm in it.”
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”
“It is.” Excited, she leaned toward him. “Have you put good looking gentlemen on that list?”
“Opal, a gentleman’s worth is not restricted to how he looks.”
“I know, but I’d like to want to kiss my own husband.” With a sigh, she thought back to some of the books she’d read. “Love must be one of the most wonderful feelings in all the world. There’s that one special moment when you know that this is the one person meant just for you. I’ve been waiting for that moment most of my life.”
“You’d do better to be sensible about this. Marriage is a sober matter. It’s for life. You don’t want to end up with the wrong gentleman.”
“I know I don’t. That’s why you’re making that list for me.”
“Right. We need to be sensible about this kind of thing. The decision needs to be made with your head. Not with your heart.”
“Is that how you decided to marry Iris?”
“I was very smart when it came to choosing Iris. I let the Duchess of Ashbourne and her friends pick her for me.”
“That doesn’t sound like you used your head. It sounds like you used theirs.”
His eyebrow arched upward. “I did use my head. I left the monumental decision of getting a wife up to three very capable ladies. They are famous for their matchmaking.” He rubbed his chin. “Maybe we should seek their assistance in finding a husband for you.”
“No! I want to pick him.”
She could never leave such an important decision up to three strangers. Warren had gotten lucky. He and Iris loved each other. There was no denying that.
But she might not fare so well. Besides, it would be an adventure in itself to be surrounded by a group of gentlemen, all vying for her hand. Or at least, that was how she imagined things would be. True, she was biased, but she thought she was pretty enough to attract plenty of gentlemen. She had the same golden hair her brother did. Plus, she rather liked the way her dresses fit on her, especially with the size of her breasts.
“I don’t like where your thoughts are going,” Warren muttered.
Her eyes widened. “You can’t read my mind.”
“You’re thinking of how pretty you are, and you assume gentlemen will be lining up to marry you.”
How odd. She had no idea he could really read her mind, but here he was, doing a marvelous job at it.
“You’re probably right,” he began with a scowl, “and I don’t like it one bit.”
“Would you rather I end up being a spinster?”
“Yes.” When her jaw dropped, he added, “But I know it’s not good for you to remain unmarried. A husband is a good thing for a lady to acquire.” He lifted the parchment. “And we’re going to make sure you get the right one.”
“I can’t wait!”
“Promise me you won’t let the gentlemen know you’re eager when you meet them. They need to think they’re pursuing you. Otherwise, they won’t appreciate you.”
She considered his words and decided he made a good point. With a nod, she said, “I won’t let any of them know how excited I am to get married.”
“Good. Now, let’s go through this list.” He scanned the gentlemen he’d written down, furrowed his eyebrows, took his quill, and crossed out one of the names.
“Oh for heaven’s sakes. I thought you were done revising that list.”
“I am.” He put the quill back where it belonged then cleared his throat. “I just remembered that one particular gentleman was caught gambling at White’s. The last thing we need is for you to be with someone who’s likely to squander his inheritance.”
Well, she couldn’t argue that point.
“All right.” He straightened in the chair, and in the most serious manner, he continued, “Now that I think about it, we should probably start with the top three on the list. That way, I won’t get overwhelmed with all the offers you’ll be getting.”
She smiled in amusement. “You really think all of them will ask me to marry them?”
“No. I think they’ll ask me if they have my permission to marry you. If any of them go directly to you, then they’ll be doing this the wrong way.”
“Who will be deciding who I marry? Me or you?”
“You, of course, but they’ll have to go through me to get to you. It’s only right that I put the fear of the older brother into them. They’ll respect you more that way.”
Again, he was probably right.
His eyes lit up. “We’ll start by hosting a ball. That will give us the advantage. It’ll be an informal setting, but since we live here, we’re in familiar territory. We know the layout of the terrain, so even with a lot of people in the ballroom, we will be able to spot the targets easily.”
She giggled. “Warren, you make it sound like we’re going hunting.”
“We are. Finding you a husband is no different than a gentleman tracking down an animal.”
Though she thought he was being absurd, she decided to humor him by keeping this observation to herself.
“Are you interested in knowing who’ll be invited?” he asked.
“Considering one of them will be my husband, of course I am. But would you do me a favor?”
“What’s that?”
“As you’re reading off their names and titles, will you also rate them on how good looking they are?”
He shot her a pointed look. “You can’t base your decision on how good looking they are.”
“So you keep saying, but I’d like to know which ones to start with. From there, I’ll move on down the list to the ones that aren’t attractive.”
“I hope you’ll be sensible at the ball.”
“I will. You needn’t worry about me falling at anyone’s feet because I find him attractive. I can keep my excitement to myself.”
He groaned, but then he turned his attention to the list and began reading off her potential suitors.
***
“Please, Landon,” Mr. Guy Tait begged. “If you don’t go to London to pay Lord Asheley, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”
Landon Tait, the Earl of Farewell, sat back in the chair in his den. If he had any idea his younger brother had come to their country estate for this reason, he would have thought twice before letting him in.
“How often do I have to tell you that you need to thop wathing money?” Landon resisted the urge to cringe at his tendency to lisp any word that had an “s” in it. If he hadn’t been so upset by Guy’s latest reckless venture, he might have been more careful with choosing his words.
“I know,” Guy said, leaning forward in his chair and clasping his hands in front of him as if he was praying for Landon to give him mercy. “I should never have wagered all that money, but I did and I’m in real trouble. You know how awful Lord Asheley is.”
Choosing his words carefully, Landon nodded. “I do. I don’t have anything to do with him.”
“I won’t, either. Not after this. I’m done with the gambling hells. I just can’t risk putting Virginia and Thalia out on the street.”
Landon wished his brother had thought of his wife and their baby girl before he gambled. He shook his head in aggravation. “Do I not give you enough to make everyone comfortable?”
“You do.” When Landon frowned at him, he repeated, “You do! I was being greedy.”
“I can’t give you all the money I have. I have a comfortable amount but I’m not able to thpend all I want.” Oh great. He was back to lisping again.
“I’m going to watch what I spend from now on. I promise. This is the last time I’ll ask for your help.”
Landon should say no. Actually, he should have said no years ago when Guy started to spend more than he had. It was his fault that he hadn’t had the courage to let his brother suffer the consequences of his actions. And since he hadn’t, his brother had learned he didn’t have to be responsible. He knew he could rely on good old Landon to bail him out.
If it weren’t for Virginia and Thalia, saying no would be an easy matter. But if Landon didn’t intervene, an innocent lady and a six-month-old child was going to pay the price, and that was something he couldn’t allow.
“I’ll go to London,” Landon finally relented.
Guy nearly fell off the chair with relief. “Thank you!”
“But I won’t do it again,” he warned. “You gamble in the future, you will work to pay the debt off. Your wife and daughter will live with me if they need to.”
“I understand. You don’t have to worry about a thing. I’m done. I know I’ve said that in the past, but I mean it this time.”
Landon could only hope his brother really did mean it. “We’ll leave in the morning.”
Landon stood up from the chair and headed for the stairs. He would have to see Lord Asheley. That part was unavoidable. But maybe he wouldn’t have to talk to anyone else.
Once he gave Lord Asheley the money, he would come right back to the peace and serenity of his estate. One night. He’d spend one night in London with his brother’s family. And after that, he would never return to London ever again.
Yes, he could take care of business in one night. Because it was one night, there was no chance that anything bad was going to happen. Feeling better, he went up the stairs and to his bedchamber.