“I wish you the same, my lord.”
Elizabeth Turley watched Merton weave his way through the crowded room. “What am I to do, Lavvie? Papa has his heart set on Merton.”
Her cousin, Lavinia, Lady Manners, sighed. “He does seem to have cooled. You may have to think of something drastic.”
“Such as?”
“Hmm.” She tapped her fan against her cheek. “Perhaps something that would require him to marry you.”
Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment. Lavvie's idea would never work. “You do know his reputation? He is so stuffy, he made his mistress dress in high-necked gowns and would only buy her subdued jewels.”
“How on earth do you know about that?” her cousin squealed. “You are not supposed to know anything about misâthat sort of female.”
“Hush, you'll draw attention to us. How do you think I heard? My brother told me. Gavin was at Oxford with Merton.”
Lavvie fluttered her fan. “Gavin should not speak to you of such things.”
Elizabeth shrugged. “He only told me because he has seen my interest in Merton.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Someone has to pull us out of River Tick.”
“Would Gavin help you with Merton?”
“No.” Elizabeth shook her head. “My brother doesn't like him. Gavin says he's a dry stick and would make me unhappy.”
“âUnhappy' is not having enough money to live on. At least your portion is safe.”
“Yes, it is a good thing my grandfather had the sense not to allow my father to handle it. I wish I could marry for love.” Elizabeth blinked, keeping the tears at bay. “Still, I have an obligation to my family. We need to think of something and fast.”
“You aren't the only one who has had to sacrifice.”
Elizabeth nodded. Lavvie had been made to marry a man that ignored her for the most part then blamed her for not giving him an heir.
“Enough of that,” she said bracingly. “What's done is done.” She moved to rap her feathered fan against one hand. “Let me think about it. I am sure to come up with a scheme.”
Elizabeth pressed her lips into a thin line. Sometimes her cousin's plans were not the best, yet what choice did she have? “As long as it does not ruin my reputation in the process.”
* * *
After Lord Merton left, Dotty danced every set. Finally footsore, she rejoined Grace and the others. “What a wonderful evening this has been.”
Louisa smiled and Charlotte said, “You are a success. I wonder if the gentlemen will think of a silly name for us.”
Louisa cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
Dotty laughed. “Last year in our home county, Charlotte and I were dubbed Sun and Moon.”
“Ah”âLouisa's eyes brimmed with laughterâ“I understand. Well, I would love it if they thought of something for the three of us.”
Behind them Matt made a growling sound. Charlotte and Louisa started to giggle. He was so protective. It really was very funny.
“He's never going to make it through the Season at this rate.” Grace took his arm. “Come, my love. There is a brandy waiting for you in the drawing room.”
In fact, wine, biscuits, fruit, cheese, and brandy awaited when they returned home.
Louisa took a glass of wine and fell on the biscuits. “I am famished. There is nothing but bread and butter at Almack's.”
“It has always been that way.” Grace dipped her spoon into a roll of Stilton. “Which is the reason for this. I do not know how one can expect to dance all evening without nourishment.”
Dotty ate a few strawberries and a soft white cheese. “I agree. I am ravenous.”
“We may have to add some bread and meat,” Matt said, getting up.
After their hunger was assuaged, Dotty, Louisa, and Charlotte went upstairs to their parlor. Tears of joy suddenly pricked the back of Dotty's lids. Being here with Charlotte was everything she'd hoped it would be. It did not even matter that Merton had ignored her the rest of the evening. “I am so happy I'm here.”
Charlotte hugged her. “I'm glad, too. The Season would not have been the same without you.”
“I agree.” Louisa opened the door. “The three of us will have so much fun.”
Dotty took a seat on the sofa as she reviewed the evening. Lord Harrington had stood up twice with Charlotte. Lord Bentley asked Louisa several times, but her dance card had been full. She confided in Dotty that even if it had not been, she would not stand up with him more than once.
Still, Dotty was impressed. “It looks as if the two of you have already made conquests.”
Louisa plopped down on a chair. “Please do not say that. Lord Bentley is very kind, but I feel nothing for him other than friendship.”
“Poor Bentley.” Always softhearted, Charlotte pulled a face. “You will break his heart.”
“I don't want to do that. If only he would take my hints.” Louisa sighed. “Being too direct with him would be like kicking a puppy.”
“Perhaps we can come up with something,” Dotty said. “Charlotte, what about you? Do you wish Lord Harrington would take himself off?”
“No.” She smiled softly. “As I said before, it is early days yet, but I think I may have found my match.”
A few moments later, Dotty yawned. “I am for my bed. I shall see you in the morning.”
Entering her chamber, she found her maid curled up in a chair. “Wake up, drowsy-head. I'm back.”
Polly jerked her head up. “Oh, miss. I'm so sorry. I must have fallen asleep.”
“Next time lie down on the sofa. It will be much more comfortable.” Dotty wished she could tell her maid not to wait up, but there was no one else to help her. “Unfortunately, I'll never get out of this gown without your help.”
“It don't matter.” Polly yawned. “May told me all about the late nights.”
Dotty pressed her lips together. “Be that as it may, you need rest as well. Try to find time to take a nap during the day, or if that is not possible, do so after I leave. I promise, I shall understand.”
Once she was in her nightgown, she dismissed her maid and sat on the window seat. Tonight everything had been perfect. All the gentlemen were polite and danced well, but Merton stood out as the most handsome, most graceful, and kindest. He was the one who had enabled her to dance her first London waltz. Although he had not asked her again, she had caught him glancing at her throughout the evening, and he never danced with another lady more than once.
She sighed. It was probably much too soon to form an attachment. Then she remembered her mother saying that the first time she saw Papa, she knew he was the one. Perhaps it would be the same for her. But would the gentleman feel the same? Perhaps, she should have gotten her father's side of the story as well.
Chapter Six
Dom handed his mother into the town coach waiting for them outside of Almack's and closed the door. “I have decided to walk.”
“Good night then, dear. I won't wait up for you.”
He tapped the side of the vehicle and it started forward. Alvanley's comments concerning Miss Stern stuck in Dom's mind and wouldn't let go. A baronet's daughter. Of course many peers wouldn't think anything of it. She was after all a lady. But the Marquis of Merton, his uncle had said, never married out of the peerage. Even if the family was old and respected.
The problem was she was everything he had ever dreamed of. Not that he had actually dreamed of a lady, but when he saw her he knew she was what he wanted. And he had dreamed of her last night.
Lush pink lips, hair blacker than midnight with fine curls that danced around her slim shoulders. Her green eyes put emeralds to shame. Her gown had given him tantalizing glimpses as to what lay beneath. Her bodice cut just low enough so as to give him a hint of the lovely milk-white mounds. He had never liked the low necklines many gentlemen admired, but damn if he didn't wish her gown had been the slightest bit lower. But then, other gentlemen would see her charms as well. He didn't want that. She incited him with a desire he'd never had for a woman. Yet perhaps that was the very reason he should look elsewhere. Passion, or rather love in a marriage, was to be avoided.
Uncle Alasdair said it always ended badly. It was that which caused the untimely deaths of Dom's father and his grandfather before him. His uncle told him how his father was showing off for Mama when he died, and his grandfather had tried to make it through a storm to get to his grandmother's side when she was sick. Grandmamma had lived, but his grandfather never recovered from the chill he had caught. What ill would befall Dom and thus his family if he married for love rather than duty?
Turning the corner into Grosvenor Square, he shrugged, attempting to dislodge the weight that had descended. He had invited Miss Stern to the opera, but after that he should probably put her out of his mind. The door opened as he climbed the steps. He handed the servant his hat and cane. “Good evening, Paken.”
Bowing, his butler replied, “I trust you had a pleasant evening, my lord?”
“As expected.” Dom turned toward the left and started down the corridor to his study. He didn't drink much, but right now he desperately needed a brandy.
* * *
Eunice turned her head in the direction of the door to the corridor. “Well?”
“He's home, my lady,” her maid said. “Don't look too happy about it either. Went to his study and called for brandy.”
“That may be a good sign. He doesn't normally drink spirits and never alone.” Yet, due to all the nonsense Alasdair had filled Dominic's head with, she never actually knew. A mother should know her child better than she did. “Matilda, do you think he could be smitten with Miss Stern?”
Matilda's lips formed a moue. “He certainly had trouble keeping his eyes off her tonight. On the other hand, he did not single her out.”
“No.” Eunice frowned. “Although, even if he is interested, one could not expect him to indicate it at Almack's. It would cause too much talk. He did manage to be the first to waltz with her.”
Her cousin fell quiet for a moment, then said, “Perhaps at the Featherington ball he will make more of a push. He is just so cautious.”
“So unlike his father.” Eunice sighed. “Why, when David saw me for the first time, he finagled an introduction and barely left my side until the accident.”
She blinked back the tears.
Matilda reached over and patted Eunice's hand. “There, there. You didn't have him for long, but you know he loved you.”
She took out a handkerchief and dabbed at her cheeks. “Yes. I never for a moment doubted his love. Now, if only Dominic could find the same type of love, I wouldn't worry about him so much.” She sniffed one last time and took a sip of wine. “What do we know about the girl?”
“According to your cousin, Grace, she is the daughter of the local squire. Sir Henry Stern . . .” Matilda told Eunice all the information she'd been able to glean over the course of the evening. It was not much as Grace had been busy with her charges and stepmother-in-law as well as friends who had stopped by. Still it was enough for Eunice to form an opinion.
She took another swallow of wine. “Miss Stern sounds perfect. Someone who will challenge Dominic rather than be cowed by him.”
“I agree, yet how to bring it about?”
Drumming her fingers on the round side table, she turned the problem over in her mind. “First we must ensure Miss Stern is interested in my son, and he feels the same. Once we know that, I am sure something will come to me. David always said I was the most imaginative person he knew.”
* * *
Dom woke the next day still bothered by Miss Stern. Somehow he must manage to avoid her. He groaned.
The carriage ride!
He'd engaged to take her for a drive today. A sense of guilt nagged at him, and he could hear his uncle's stern voice berating his decision. Yet he had rarely been happier and was looking forward to spending more time with her. To pay homage to his duty, he resolved to remain at home and work on estate matters until it was time to leave.
Midway through the morning, he was interrupted by his cousin Worthington striding into the study. Dom glanced up, fighting the urge to scowl. “Is there a reason my butler did not announce you?”
“Because I told him not to.” Uninvited, Worthington dropped into a chair as if he were in his own home.
“See here, Worthington. I don't like being disturbed without notice.”
He raised a brow. “Neither do I. Yet you had no compunction about running roughshod over my butler.”
There was that, but it was different. “I am the head of the family.”
“You are not the head of my family,” Worthington growled.
Dom decided to ignore his cousin's ill humor. “My uncle saidâ”
“I don't give a damn what that old windbag said.” Worthington leaned forward in the chair, his hands clutching the arms. “I'll show you the charter if you don't believe me.”
Dom knew of the charter, of course. And despite what his uncle had said, the titles were different. But Uncle Alasdair insisted that as a marquis outranked an earl, Dom was still the head of Worthington's house. Now that his uncle was dead, Dom didn't know what prompted him to needle Worthington every time they met, but he just couldn't seem to help himself. “I'm busy. Why are you here?”
Worthington leaned back in the chair. “To speak to you about Miss Stern before anything can take root.”
Dom had never before had the desire to reach out and grab a man by the throat, but now seemed like an excellent time to start. “What are you talking about?”
“You. Dotty deserves better than to be courted by a cold fish like you.”
Sweat broke out on Dom's hands as he tapped his pencil. Was his cousin going to forbid him from seeing her? Even the name, Dotty, that he'd hated, didn't seem so bad anymore. “Who said I was courting her?”
Leaning forward again, Worthington's brows drew together. “That is exactly what I am talking about. You care for no one but yourself and your blasted consequence.”
His hands curled into fists. “You know nothing about me.”
“I know how you vote,” Worthington snarled. “I know you supported the Corn Laws that will end up causing men, women, and children to starve.”
Of course Dom had voted for the Acts. His uncle had explained how it would help the country. “Supporting the government is the right thing to do.”
“Only if you are a large landowner who doesn't give a damn about anything or anyone else.” Worthington's jaw clenched. “But I didn't come to talk politics to you. How can you say you're not courting her when you made an engagement to attend the opera with her, had Countess Esterhazy, of all the busy gossips, introduce you to Dotty to waltz, and asked her for a drive in the Park today? Do you honestly think the rest of the
ton
will be as sanguine as you are being?
You
will have brought her into their sights, and if you cast her aside, where will she be? Or do you even care? After all, she's only the daughter of a country baronet.”
The pencil Dom held snapped in two. Rage coursed through his veins, and he wanted to strike out. He forced himself to calm down. Fighting with his cousin would not help him. “Just what do you suggest I do?”
“Cancel your plans. Say you have an emergency at Merton or one of your other estates, and leave Town.”
He breathed through his nose to keep from leaping over the desk and pummeling Worthington. All his life he had done what others told him to do. No longer. Damn. Baronet's daughter or not, he wanted her. “No. If necessary I will see her father and ask his permission, but you are not going to stop me from
courting
her.”
Worthington rose from his chair, his hands fisted.
Dom stood as well, keeping his eyes on his cousin's. He took a step to move out from behind his desk.
And the door opened.
“There you are, Worthington.” Eunice smiled as she strolled into the room. “Grace has come to see me, and she said you might be in here. Oh no, please do not stand on my account. I came to invite you to join us for a cup of tea.”
Eunice glanced from her son to Worthington. Grace had been correct. The two idiots were about to kill each other. Eunice took Worthington's arm in both her hands. “I shall not accept a refusal, so come along now. We do not see near enough of you and your family. You too, Dominic. You spend far too much time on estate business.” She turned back to Worthington. “You do not know how happy I am that you and Grace have married. I am a distant cousin of hers, and her mother was my dearest friend. I longed for her happiness.”
She made sure to keep up a string of worthless chatter, not allowing them to get a word in edgewise while almost dragging the man with her. Thank Heaven she had been in time to stop a brawl. Men! What would they think of next? Although she had no problem with Dominic hitting someone, it could not be his cousin. She and Grace must find a way to reconcile the families. This animosity had gone on long enough.
Good Lord, the distance to the morning room had never seemed so great before. Eunice was very glad for the information Grace had given her about Dotty. In fact, Eunice could hardly wait to officially meet the young lady. Though there still remained much work to be done to convince Dominic to start thinking for himself. Perhaps today was a beginning.
Grace glanced up sharply when Eunice entered the morning room. She gave an imperceptible nod, and Grace seemed to start breathing again. Men made things so much more difficult than they needed to be. However in this case, a little of the right sort of opposition might be just what Dominic needed to push him closer to Miss Stern.
* * *
That afternoon, Dotty, Louisa, and Charlotte were drinking tea in the morning room on the first floor in the back of Stanwood House. They had been discussing the changes being made to Worthington House, where they would reside after this Season.
Dotty swallowed another bite of the excellent ginger biscuits. “When will the renovations be far enough along for us to see them?”
“I think in about a month,” Charlotte said, placing her cup down. “They will not be finished until later in the summer.”
Apparently, the whole of the schoolroom floor and several other rooms had to be refurbished. “Will you still come to Stanwood Hall this summer?”
Charlotte's smile was a little sad. “Yes, for at least most of the summer. Matt insists that Charlie remain conversant with his estate. We shall spend the rest of the year at Worthington Hall. She paused for a moment. “Even in this short time, Matt has made many things so much easier for us.”
Since their father's death, Charlie, Charlotte's brother, was the Earl of Stanwood, but he was just sixteen and still in school. Grace had been in charge of everything concerning the estate.
“We do not actually know when we'll be at Worthington,” Louisa added. “With Grace increasing, and all the children, Matt is renovating the Hall as well. Perhaps we shall be at Stanwood for a much longer time.”
This was news. “Grace is having a baby?”
“Yes.” Charlotte laughed lightly. “Apparently our wedding wishes were answered. She is due in December.”
“Your wedding wishes?”
“I so wish you had been there.” Her eyes sparkled. “We made Charlie read a letter we had all written. It ended with the hope that there would be more children.”
“As if eleven were not enough!” Dotty couldn't help but chuckle. “He may have to add a whole new wing.”
They talked of the changes being made to the estate and the parties they were due to attend that evening. Then Louisa directed her gaze at Dotty. “Are you really going driving with Merton this afternoon?”
She smiled and hoped the idea that Merton might court her did not drive a wedge between them. “I am. I have listened to all you have said, but until he shows himself to be someone I do not wish to know, I will allow him to squire me. He was truly very helpful last evening.”
Louisa frowned. “Only because he wanted to dance with you.”
“I won't deny he benefited, but so did I, and then he did his duty by standing up with other young ladies.”
Charlotte sighed. “He is very handsome.”
“Charlotte,”
Louisa and Dotty said at the same time. Dotty laughed. “Yes, but as Papa says, handsome is as handsome does. We shall see.”