October 1826
Another failed attempt at finding a wife. Another Season wasted.
Baldwin Darby, the Duke of Edmondstone, trudged into White’s. Most of the gentlemen in the establishment were already married, and he knew a few who’d recently secured betrothals. In January, he would be thirty, and he was still a bachelor.
He didn’t understand it. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with him. He was well-traveled. He was educated. He had money. He wasn’t one to brag, but he thought he was attractive.
It’s my personality. It’s hard to get a lady’s attention when you have nothing of interest to discuss.
Every time he managed to get past the formalities of a dance or two at a ball so he could visit the lady in her home, the conversation never went well. He was more than happy to listen to the lady, but sooner or later, the conversation would always turn to him, and that’s where things fell apart. No matter how entertaining he tried to be, the same familiar bored look would creep into their faces. As soon as that happened, he knew he’d ruined things. And he managed to ruin things each and every single time.
He picked up the decanter in the corner of the first room he came to and poured himself a glass of brandy. Maybe he shouldn’t keep dwelling on the fact that he was doomed to be a bachelor. All it did was depress him.
“Do you want to play a game of chess?” a familiar voice called out.
Baldwin turned from the decanter and faced his friend who was sitting at a chessboard by the window. He went over to him. “Don’t tell me Perry left you here to fend for yourself.”
Nathaniel Buford, the Earl of Roderick, grinned. “He did, but it was for a good reason. Rosanna turns one today.”
“Rosanna’s already one?” Baldwin asked as he sat across from him.
He nodded and arranged the pieces on the chessboard. “Perry and Paula are taking their children out for the day to celebrate.”
Baldwin hid the twinge of jealousy that rose up within him. Nate had two sons, and Perry had two sons and a daughter. Even Marcy, his younger cousin, had a baby. And they even had love matches with the people they had married, too. How did they make it look so easy?
“What’s your secret?” Baldwin asked as Nate made the first move on the chessboard.
“I’m not giving up my strategy,” Nate replied. “You’ll have to see if you can come up with a way to win the game all on your own.”
“I wasn’t talking about the game,” he clarified then sipped his brandy. He set the glass down and, after a moment, made his move. “I was talking about getting married. How did you woo your wife before she married you?”
Nate chuckled. “I didn’t. A scandal forced us to marry. The same is true for Perry.”
“I didn’t know you two married because of a scandal.”
“You weren’t in London at the time. Fortunately, no one talks about those scandals anymore. It’s not exactly something I like to think about. It was embarrassing.” He moved his piece. “Though, as I recall, Perry wasn’t appalled like I was when the scandal happened to him. I think he actually enjoyed it.”
When Nate didn’t continue, Baldwin asked, “What happened? How did your scandal occur?”
Nate grimaced. “I just told you it’s not something I want to think about.”
“I know, but I’d like to find out what happened.” When Nate groaned, he added, “I won’t ask about it ever again.”
After a long moment, Nate sighed. “Very well, but I don’t want this getting around. I worked hard to get my reputation back after that incident, and it wasn’t easy. Because of Lord Edon and Mr. Robinson, it took years for people to stop snickering or shaking their heads in disapproval every time I entered a room.”
Baldwin had the feeling Nate was exaggerating, but he opted not to argue. As Nate had pointed out, he hadn’t been here when Nate got married. He would just take Nate’s word for it.
“At a ball, I saw Claire on the veranda by herself. I went out there to warn her that she risked scandal. She was too naïve to understand how many gentlemen would take advantage of the situation. She happened to be on the edge of the veranda. While I was talking to her, she got dizzy and lost her balance. I tried to prevent her from falling off the veranda, but I ended up falling with her. Everyone ran outside and found us on the ground together.” He rolled his eyes. “Naturally, Lord Edon made things worse by commenting on the whole thing.”
From the other room came a round of laughter, followed by a gentleman commenting on Lord Edon’s marvelous ability to tell a good joke.
Nate shook his head. “If I could get him removed from White’s, I would.”
“You don’t hate him for what he did, do you?”
“No. I hate him because he can’t mind his own business. Sometimes I wish I could make him empty chamber pots.”
Baldwin shook his head in amusement. “You don’t mean that.”
“Oh, I do. Nothing would make me happier.”
“But you’re happy with Claire. What does it matter if Lord Edon said something to encourage the scandal that married you two?”
“You sound like Perry. He says the same thing.”
“Maybe Perry has a good point.”
“Though I’m very happy with Claire, I still don’t like Lord Edon. I never have liked him, and I never will.”
It was on the tip of Baldwin’s tongue to suggest that Nate should let bygones be bygones, but he got the feeling Nate wouldn’t listen. Nate managed to be civil to Lord Edon. Whenever the two were in the same room, they managed to get along. That was probably all anyone could expect.
Ignoring another round of laughter from the other room, Baldwin moved a pawn. His mind went back to thoughts of ladies and marriage. “Do you know anyone who had a successful arranged marriage?”
“What do you mean by successful? Are you asking whether or not the wedding vows were exchanged or if the couple ended up happy?”
“I’m asking if the couple ended up happy. Did the arrangement lead to a love match?”
Nate moved a knight then sat back with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Most people seem to get married because they were caught in a scandal. There are some who meet and fall in love, which is the way it’s supposed to be done. But,” he drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, “there is a group of ladies who arrange marriages. I can’t remember the name of the group.” His gaze settled on Baldwin. “Are you looking to get married?”
“It would be nice to have a wife.”
Understanding lit up his eyes. “Right. Because of your title. You need an heir.”
“No, I don’t care so much about the title. I want to have a wife who’ll complete me.”
“You do?”
Feeling a bit uncomfortable with coming out and admitting something most gentlemen would probably rather die than say, he forced out, “I get lonely sometimes. It’d be nice to have someone to come home to and spend my life with.” His face warmed, and he broke eye contact with him. Before Nate could laugh, he hurried to add, “I know how that sounds. It’s foolish thinking.”
“No, it’s not foolish.”
Surprised Nate hadn’t laughed at him, he dared to look back at his friend. “It isn’t?”
In a low voice, Nate said, “No one here will come out and say it, but those of us who have love matches are better off because of it. Plenty of gentlemen marry for convenience, and they get heirs from the union, but then they run off to a mistress. You’re better off marrying a lady who can give you an heir and provide the passion a mistress offers.”
Baldwin relaxed. So Nate did understand what he longed for. “I don’t suppose Claire has any friends who are looking for a husband they can have a love match with?”
“All of her friends are married.”
What a shame. But he couldn’t be surprised. Claire was in her early thirties. She wouldn’t be spending time with ladies who were on the market.
“Excuse me,” someone said.
Baldwin and Nate looked up at Lord Reinstone.
“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation,” Lord Reinstone continued. “I realize we barely know each other, but I have a sister who is looking for a husband. Would you like me to arrange a marriage for you?”
“Um, I might be,” Baldwin slowly replied. “I haven’t really given an arranged marriage serious thought.”
Baldwin glanced at Nate, who didn’t give any indication as to what he thought of Lord Reinstone coming up to him this way. Baldwin hadn’t realized he’d been talking so loudly that others could hear him. He should have found a more private place before confiding to his friend.
“We can play this game later,” Nate said as he rose to his feet. “I’ll close the door on the way out.”
Baldwin was about to tell Nate that it wasn’t necessary for him to leave, but then he thought better of it. Perhaps he should hear Lord Reinstone out. Nate just got through telling him he didn’t know any ladies who might be interested in marriage. A couple of people had introduced him to available ladies, but none of those had worked out, thanks to his tendency to bore them. If he wanted a different result, he needed to try something different.
“I hope I wasn’t rude just now,” Lord Reinstone said as Nate shut the door on his way out. “It wasn’t my intention to send Lord Roderick away.”
“It’s fine.” Baldwin gestured for the gentleman to sit. “The truth is, I’d be interested in learning more about your sister. I’m sure he realized that.”
Lord Reinstone sat down and placed his glass of brandy next to the chessboard. “It seems that fate led us to the same place at the same time. I don’t believe in coincidence. I believe everything happens for a reason. Do you believe that?”
“I hadn’t thought about it.”
“The topic of coincidence is more of a philosophical question than a logical one. Are people put in the same place at the same time through some external force, or are we placed together by accident?” With a grin, he added, “I don’t think anyone will ever be able to answer that question, but this is the kind of thing I like to think about from time to time.”
“I saw you reading a book on Socrates’ teachings a while back.”
“Yes, I enjoy what Socrates had to say, but I prefer Plato more. Are you familiar with either philosopher?”
Baldwin shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”
“Both were insightful. If more gentlemen in Parliament were to study them, they would make more effective laws. Socrates and Plato had a wealth of insight into the human mind. In particular, I rather like what Plato had to say about human behavior. He said that human behavior is based on three things: desire, emotion, and knowledge.”
Baldwin considered his comment. “I suppose that is a true statement.”
“It is. Every single thing we do stems from those three things.”
Baldwin wasn’t sure how Lord Reinstone wanted him to respond, so he opted to nod and take a sip of his brandy.
“Anyway, I came over here to talk to you about my sister. She’s at the age where she’s ready for a husband. Actually, she is a little older than most ladies when they enter their first Season. She’s twenty-three. I’ve tried to talk her into coming to London, but she refuses. As a result, I’ve been unable to find a husband for her. My mother is especially upset about the whole thing. She wishes to see my sister married. To help put my mother’s mind at ease, I decided to seek a husband on my sister’s behalf.”
“Why does your sister refuse to come to London?”
“She’s terribly shy. It’s not her fault. She’s spent her entire life at the country estate. It’s all she’s ever known. My parents had wished to protect her from the more undesirable aspects of London. I’m afraid that it’s hindered her ability to socialize as other ladies so easily do. Do you mind that about her?”
“No, of course not. No one can blame someone for being shy.”
“It’s a relief to hear you say that,” Lord Reinstone said. “So far, the gentlemen I’ve approached lost interest as soon as they found out that she’s terrified of coming to London. It’s understandable, I suppose. None of them want to give up the pleasures London has to offer.”
“Are you saying that she will never come to London?” Baldwin asked.
“She’s highly opposed to it. Whenever I try to coax her into it, she runs and hides. Considering how large the estate is, it can take hours to find her.”
Baldwin frowned. That sounded like a rather extreme reaction. It was no wonder gentlemen hesitated to marry her.
Lord Reinstone shrugged. “All she tells me is that she likes to stay in her rooms.”
“Her rooms?”
“Since she doesn’t like to go outside, my family thought it best to let her have the entire west wing. We live in the east wing.”
“Are you telling me she doesn’t see her family?”
Lord Reinstone sighed and rose to his feet. “I suppose now that you know the extent of her shyness, you won’t be interested in her.” He picked up his glass. “I shouldn’t have taken up your time. My apologies, Your Grace. I thought having a husband might be what she needs to overcome her fears of being around people. It’s probably for the best she remain alone forever.”
Baldwin winced. Now he felt bad for complaining about his situation. Lord Reinstone’s sister was in a worse situation than he was. Imagine being so afraid to go out that you stayed inside all the time. Even if you had an entire wing of the estate at your disposal, that was a sad way to live if you were all alone.
Baldwin stood up and followed Lord Reinstone. “My lord,” he called out, “wait!”
The gentleman stopped and turned to face him.
“Your sister…” Baldwin paused and thought over what he wanted to say. “She must get lonely out there all by herself. She must long for companionship. I’m sure you and your mother have done all you can. I’m not saying you haven’t.”
Lord Reinstone held his hand up to stop him from rambling. “My mother, my aunt, my uncle, and I have done all we could. She’s at least willing to see me when I’m at the estate, but I’m only her brother. I can never be close to her like a husband could be.”
“Well, yes, I suppose that’s true.”
“Are you interested in marrying her?”
Baldwin quickly assessed the pros and cons of agreeing to marry a lady he hadn’t met. The most notable con, of course, was the fact that he didn’t know her and she didn’t know him. They would be strangers. Perhaps they might get a chance to talk before the actual wedding. That would help ease the situation for both of them. But he didn’t want to give her a chance to get bored of him, so it was best not to let her get to know him too much. It was better she find out he wasn’t all that interesting to be around after marriage.
But who knew? Since she had lived such a secluded life, she might not know how entertaining a gentleman was supposed to be. She might not find him quite so dull. There was a benefit to marrying a lady who wasn’t used to the social life London had to offer. Perhaps she might not find him lacking once they married.
An arranged marriage would also relieve him of the pressure of searching for a wife. He wouldn’t have to keep coming up with things to say to every lady he met. He wouldn’t have to exhaust himself from going from one social engagement to another. He could stop asking people to help him find someone.
And he liked Lord Reinstone. Granted, he wasn’t friends with him, but they’d always shared a cordial acquaintance. Lord Reinstone had a good reputation. He was noted mostly for his thoughtful pursuit of philosophy and punctuality. And now, he was showing concern for his sister, which was something Baldwin could appreciate. A gentleman with those good qualities probably had a sister who would be a good wife.
Baldwin nodded. “Yes, I am interested in marrying your sister.”
Lord Reinstone smiled. “Excellent. I’m more than happy to arrange a marriage between you two.” He glanced back at the chairs where they had been sitting. “Shall we sit and discuss the details of the arrangement?”
Indicating his agreement, Baldwin led Lord Reinstone to the chairs.