The Earl's Wallflower Bride (2 page)

Warren grimaced. “Next thing I know, you’ll
be telling me to read Lord Edon’s horrible book.”

“No, I would never suggest that. The whole
matter of conceiving children isn’t complicated. No one needs a
book for that. I’m just saying if there is pleasure to be had in
something, why not accept it?”

“It’s hard to concern oneself with pleasure
when the call of duty is so persistent.”

“Well, I wish you much fortune in your quest.
May you find a wife who bears you a son on your first try.”

Warren picked up his glass and said, “From
your lips to God’s ears.” Then he took a drink of brandy.

***

Iris tried not to stare at the three ladies
sitting in the drawing room of the Duchess of Ashbourne’s
townhouse, but each of them were beautiful. The Duchess, who’d
introduced herself as Helena, had golden hair that practically
shimmered as the sunlight coming in through the window touched it.
Iris also had blonde hair, but it lacked the luster of the other
lady’s. Also, Iris didn’t have the smooth white skin and perfect
lips that formed a heart when pressed together. No, she had
freckles and her upper lip was fuller than her lower one.

The other two ladies, Melissa, who was Lady
Toplyn, and Chloe, who was Lady Reddington, had dark hair, but they
were equally as beautiful. Their complexions were clear and their
cheeks rosy. The only way Iris could manage rosy cheeks was if she
was embarrassed or if she pinched them. Then there were their
figures. All were perfect hourglasses, even after having children.
Iris had more on the bottom than the top, making her inadequately
proportioned.

What gentleman in his right mind would want
her when he could have someone who looked more like them? None. And
that was why her father brought her here.

She lowered her gaze to the cup in front of
her and took a sip of the tea. She didn’t mean to compare herself
to them. Nothing good ever came from it.

“We’re more than happy to help you find the
best match for your daughter,” Chloe said. Then she told Iris,
“What we usually do is start by asking what kind of gentleman you’d
like to marry.”

Iris made eye contact with Chloe, surprised
when she saw the lady looking right at her. Iris glanced at her
father. What did he want her to say?

As if he could read her mind, her father
said, “Only you can answer this, Iris.”

“Yes, if you could have any gentleman at all,
what would he be like?” Chloe clarified.

“Um, let me think,” Iris murmured as she
traced the edge of the cup. “Well, I suppose it’d be nice to have a
husband I could talk to. I’d like to have some things in common
with him.”

“Like what?” Melissa asked.

“I enjoy discussions about money and
politics. I’ve also hunted foxes. I like playing card games and
racing horses.” Iris stopped tracing the cup as a thought occurred
to her. Perhaps one of her problems in attracting gentlemen was
that she didn’t share interests that a typical lady did. Even her
newfound friend, Bethany, had interests similar to the other ladies
they knew. “I’m not sure what gentleman wants to be with someone
like me. I’m not what they expect in a lady.”

“Nonsense,” her father argued, quick as
always to come to her defense. “There are plenty of gentlemen who
share those interests. I know I do.”

Helena smiled at them. “Am I right in
assuming you two are close?”

Iris nodded. “My mother’s joked I’m more like
a son than a daughter. So, you can see my problem. No gentleman
wants to marry someone who’s more like a son. They want someone
with the grace and charm of a lady.” Not to mention the looks to go
with it.

“I really wish you wouldn’t do this to
yourself,” her father told her. Turning his gaze to the three
ladies, he continued, “Surely, there must be someone in London who
can value her. She wouldn’t simply be a wife. She’d be his friend.
He’d view her as an equal. She’d have his respect and
admiration.”

“What you’re saying is,” Helena began, “that
he must not find a strong and intelligent lady intimidating.”

Her father snapped his fingers. “Exactly!
Iris, the problem isn’t you at all. It’s never been you. We just
need to find the gentleman who will welcome someone who can
challenge him. Too many gentlemen want to feel superior to their
wives.”

“It’s true some want that,” Helena said. “But
I assure you there are gentlemen who want a wife who can be his
equal.”

Her father gave Iris an encouraging smile.
“You see? I told you this was the answer to our dilemma. You just
wait. They’ll find the perfect gentleman for you, and you’ll have
exactly what you deserve: a love match.”

Chapter Two

T
wo weeks later, Warren debated whether he should go to White’s
instead of going to the Duchess of Ashbourne’s townhouse. When he’d
made the appointment to visit with her and the two ladies who were
notorious for their success in arranging marriages in London, it
seemed like a simple matter.

But now that the day had finally come, he
experienced a wave of apprehension. What if this wasn’t the right
way to go about things. Was it really wise to trust his fate to
three ladies who didn’t know him? How could they adequately find a
suitable wife for him?

Then again, what were his requirements in a
wife anyway? All he wanted was someone who could bear him a son.
How hard could that be? Yes, he could go to balls and seek one out.
The Season, however, was quickly coming to an end, and he really
didn’t want to waste time going through the process of finding her
and then courting her. All that time would be better spent securing
the plans for his investments.

Decision made, he bypassed White’s and headed
straight for the duchess’ residence. Yes, this was the more
intelligent way to go about it. He wouldn’t go all the way to
Africa or India to gather spices, precious stones, and other
expensive items. He hired people to do that for him. This would be
no different. Except instead of paying someone in hopes of gaining
a monetary reward, he was paying someone in hopes of gaining an
heir. This was another business transaction, just like everything
else he did. And he was good at business transactions.

When he reached the front door, he knocked
and patiently waited. As soon as the door opened, he said, “I’m
here for my meeting with the Duchess of Ashbourne. I’m Lord
Steinbeck.”

“Yes, Her Grace is expecting you.” He
gestured for Warren to follow him. “She’s in the drawing room
waiting for you.”

Excellent. Her Grace was punctual. Already,
this was turning out to be a profitable endeavor. He followed the
footman and saw three ladies sitting in the room. Her Grace was on
the settee, sipping tea, while Lady Reddington was at the desk,
holding a quill over some parchment, and Lady Toplyn was in a chair
across from the settee. The group seemed orderly, another promising
sign.

Her Grace rose from the settee and motioned
for him to sit next to her. “Welcome, Lord Steinbeck.”

He bowed then proceeded to the settee. With a
glance at Lady Toplyn, he asked, “How is your brother?”

“Malcolm’s doing well,” she replied. “His
wife is expecting a child.”

Malcolm was going to be a father? Why didn’t
Malcolm tell him? He would have wanted to celebrate the good news
with him. Forcing aside the sting, he sat down and smiled. “Will
you send him my congratulations?”

“I’ll do that,” she replied.

“Would you like something to eat or drink?”
Her Grace asked, pointing to the scones and the tea.

Figuring it’d be in bad form to not accept at
least something she offered despite the fact that he was neither
hungry nor thirsty, he said, “Tea will be fine, thank you.”

With a nod, she poured him a cup. “If you
wish,” she began, “you may address us by our Christian names. We
don’t stand on formality when we’re in this room. I’m Helena. That
is Chloe, and I assume you know Melissa’s name since you’re friends
with her brother.”

She handed him the cup, and he took it, not
comfortable with the idea of addressing them informally, even if it
was only in this room. Perhaps he could get away without calling
any of them by name. He decided to offer a smile, letting her infer
whatever she wanted from it, and took a drink of the tea. Black
tea. She had good taste. Yet another promising sign.

Chloe cleared her throat to get his
attention. “We usually start by asking what type of lady you’d like
to marry. What kind of interests would you like her to have? What
do you want her to look like?”

“I’m not a gentleman who believes in mincing
words,” he said, putting his cup back on the tray, glad they chose
to get down to business instead of engaging in small talk. So much
time was wasted with small talk. “Truthfully, it matters little to
me what her interests are or what she looks like. My main concern
is getting an heir. As long as she can conceive a child, she’ll be
right for me.”

He thought keeping things as simple as
possible would be a huge relief to them, but he could tell by their
expressions that they weren’t at all happy with his answer.

“I’m not sure what else you want from me,” he
said. “I’m not particular about the kind of wife I get.”

“My lord,” Helena began, “we prefer to make
matches that will be happy ones.”

“I will be happy with whoever you give
me.”

“But your happiness isn’t the only one we
need to take into consideration. We also need to look at the lady’s
needs and concerns. There has to be some benefit in this marriage
for her.”

“All right.” He thought over it for a moment
and ventured, “She gets to be a countess. I do very well
financially. She’ll never want for anything.”

“What of companionship?”

He shrugged. “What of it?”

“Most ladies who come to us want a marriage
to be more than a way to secure their livelihood. Ideally, they get
a husband who can share life’s joys and sorrows with them.”

Share life’s joys and sorrows? Wasn’t that
what friends were for?

“Let’s try a different approach,” Chloe said.
“What are your interests?”

Thankfully, this was easier than trying to
figure out an answer the ladies wanted to hear. “Since I’m friends
with her brother,” he motioned to Melissa, “I’m sure she’s aware we
have a mutual interest in the pursuit of making money. Not only do
we want to make it, but we also want to be wise with our use of
it.”

“Then would it be safe to say you’d be a
better match with a lady who doesn’t waste money on senseless
things?” Chloe asked.

Funny. He hadn’t thought of it like that.
“Now that you mention it, it would be nice if she didn’t squander
the wealth I’m building. I’d like to leave a sizable inheritance to
my heir.”

“Good!” Helena smiled. “Now we’re getting
somewhere.”

“According to Malcolm,” Melissa inserted,
“you two can talk about money all day long and never get bored.
What if you got a wife who could have the same kind of
conversations you have with Malcolm?”

How Warren missed those conversations with
Malcolm. As much as he wanted to ask her why Malcolm seemed to be
avoiding him, he didn’t dare. At least not in front of everyone.
So, he settled for saying, “I doubt anyone can match your brother
in intellect when it comes to money. But if she had a better
understanding about it than most ladies, it would be nice.”

“What other interests do you have?” Chloe
asked as she dipped the quill in the inkwell.

“I like to keep current on what’s happening
in Parliament,” he said. “For instance, were you aware Parliament
is trying to suppress more civil disturbances that have been
erupting in our country?”

Helena and Melissa didn’t seem to know what
he was talking about, but Chloe stopped writing in order to say,
“My husband mentioned something about the Coercion Acts.”

“Right. That was passed earlier this year.”
Good. He was glad to know at least one lady in the room knew what
he was referring to. Maybe it would be nice if his wife knew
something about what was going on in England. “I suppose it might
be nice to be able to talk to my wife from time to time about
things happening in England. Politically, I mean. I don’t care
about what people are wearing or what the latest scandal is.”

Chloe offered a nod and turned back to
writing her notes. It was a shame he couldn’t see what she was
writing. He’d like to know if this was in his favor or not.

“What do you do to relax?” Helena asked.

“Well,” he forced his gaze off the parchment
Chloe was writing on, “when I’ve performed all my duties for the
day, I enjoy simple things like playing cards. I never gamble, so I
don’t play for money. I only play to win or lose the hand. Once in
a while, I take pleasure in riding a horse.”

Melissa tapped her lips with her index finger
before asking, “Have you ever gone fox hunting?”