Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
The Duke of Carlisle entered the dining room, and Marie looked up at him in surprise.
She was certain that he had made plans to be at a gentleman’s club this evening.
If she was right, it had something to do with Lord Cadwalader’s cousin being in town and the duke not wanting to miss the chance to speak with him. Perhaps those plans had fallen through.
He sat at the head of the table and placed the napkin on his lap as the butler hurried to serve him his portion of the food. He gave her an excited grin. “You are to be commended, my dear. I heard about the fight that erupted by Mr. Glover’s townhouse this afternoon.”
Her cheeks warmed. She was afraid all of London would be gossiping about that. “Why am I to be commended for it? I didn’t plan for the gentlemen to start fighting over me.”
“The fact that they were fighting over you is the important part. You don’t see anyone fighting over Lady Diane, do you?
” He picked up his fork and gave her a wink.
“No. Lady Diane might be desirable, but even she can’t compete with you.
I now have several requests from very notable gentlemen who wish to make your acquaintance. ”
Marie felt the color drain from her face. No. Not more suitors. She couldn’t handle any more! She could barely handle the gentlemen who were already vying for her time. She looked down at the poached salmon on her plate. Her stomach was suddenly too heavy to take in another bite.
“Now, it’s important we don’t waste this opportunity,” the Duke of Carlisle said.
“You can’t pick just any gentleman. We need a title.
That’s the first thing. We also need money and connections.
Both offer significant influence in a place like London.
We’ll need to sit down after dinner and cross off anyone who doesn’t match those three qualities. ”
The meaning of his words hit her like a ton of bricks.
This meant he would never permit her to marry Edward.
While Edward would inherit a title, he didn’t have the kind of money or connections the duke valued so much.
This meant that she really could not choose anyone in this life.
She would have to choose from the list His Grace created for her.
It wasn’t all that different from asking her real father to match her up with someone, except in that scenario, she only had the one gentleman to pick.
In this one, she might have a handful of them to choose from.
“What if I already have someone in mind?” she pressed, thinking that the situation really couldn’t be so grim.
He chuckled. “There’s no one you could pick that will be better than the ones I’ll list out for you.
Trust me. I am going to consult Lord Cadwalader himself on this matter.
You will be as esteemed as Lady Cadwalader herself when I’m done with you.
Oh, and I permit you to go to Lord Monheim’s dinner party.
You’ll be happy to know I approve of him. ”
She set her fork down. So that was it? She wasn’t even going to get a chance to talk to Edward, to find out if they made a good match?
No, this couldn’t be it. She had come to this new life for this purpose, and she was going to find a way to accomplish it. The only question was, how was she going to find a moment to speak with Edward?
“Lady Marie, it’s a pleasure to have you here this evening,” Lord Monheim called out as soon as she entered his drawing room.
Marie’s gaze swept the room. Brooke had already arrived. Mr. Richard Anderson was there as well. She wondered if they had been paired together this evening. Edward hadn’t shown up yet. No other ladies had arrived, either.
As if he could read her mind, Lord Monheim continued, “We’re still waiting for Mr. Glover and Miss Carter.”
Marie settled into a chair and noted that six of them had been arranged around the table where the tea set had been placed so the guests could sip on something while they waited for dinner.
“Miss McCord will be escorted by Mr. Glover,” Lord Monheim said.
Marie gave a glance over at Brooke. She still suspected the lady was really Tove.
It was fitting, she supposed, that Brooke should be paired up with him.
That would keep him from growing an attachment to a lady who truly existed in this timeline.
Still, there was the slight chance Brooke was not Tove.
Tove could very well be watching from somewhere else.
Marie scanned the room but didn’t know how Tove could be looking in on them.
Of course, Tove’s abilities were beyond her understanding.
“That leaves us with you, Mr. Anderson,” Lord Monheim continued. “I hope you don’t mind that I am pairing you up with Miss Carter.”
“I’m more than happy to escort anyone who isn’t Lady Diane,” Richard said.
“I don’t know how many more social events I can tolerate with that particular lady in the room.
It’s terrible that our parents get along so well.
Almost every social function I attend has to have her in it, and sadly, that includes my own dinner parties.
Sometimes I worry they want us to marry. ”
“When she marries someone else, then you’ll be relieved of that fear,” Lord Monheim encouraged.
“As sorry as I feel for the poor fellow, I hope he comes along soon.” Richard sipped his tea.
Until recently, Marie would have thought him rude to express such a sentiment. However, given the way Diane had treated the ladies at her tea party, Marie felt it only fair that Diane suffer some public disdain.
Marie hurried to pick up her cup and drank from it.
Was she turning into a horrible person by thinking such thoughts, or was she justified in them?
True, there wasn’t a single person who could be liked by everyone, but some people acted in ways that made them unlikable.
Wasn’t that their fault? They could be pleasant but chose not to be.
The butler entered the room and introduced, “Miss Juliet Carter.”
“I’m glad you could make it,” Lord Monheim greeted and urged her over to them.
Marie caught the blush on Juliet’s cheeks and recalled Juliet telling her that she fancied Lord Monheim. Marie bit her lower lip. The pairing of the people in this room was wrong. Juliet should be with Lord Monheim, Marie should be with Edward, and Brooke should be with Richard.
Lord Monheim walked Juliet over to the chair next to Richard then returned to his seat next to Marie.
“That leaves us only with one more person. Mr. Edward Glover should be here soon. We have another fifteen minutes before dinner is ready, so we’re in no rush.
” He grinned at Marie. “The time will fly by considering how enjoyable the company is.”
Marie pretended not to notice the disappointment on Juliet’s face as she forced a smile in his direction. This was not easy. She wished she could arrange for Juliet and Lord Monheim to be paired up, but since this wasn’t her dinner party, she had no recourse to do so.
“May I ask what kind of game we’ll be playing after dinner?” Brooke asked, a slight tremor in her voice that told Marie it wasn’t easy for her to pose the question.
“I’ve considered a couple of games,” Lord Monheim replied after taking a sip of his tea. “Do you have something in mind?”
She paused for a moment. “I’m not sure how everyone feels about it, but I enjoy the storytelling one.” Brooke’s gaze went to Richard. “Like the story you started at your dinner party.”
Richard’s eyes lit up. “Yes, that was a fun game.”
Marie caught the slight grimace on Lord Monheim’s face.
“I don’t mind that game so much, but I’m not inclined toward the fantastical.
I don’t have much of an imagination. I’ve been that way since I was a child.
” He offered a shrug. “My nursemaid would read stories about creatures that didn’t exist and doing things that could never happen.
I couldn’t imagine any of it in my mind, no matter how hard I tried. ”
Marie sighed in disappointment. That meant playing this particular game would be unfair to him, especially since he was the one hosting the dinner party.
“Perhaps we could play such a game at another dinner party,” she told Brooke.
“The number of people in attendance isn’t many.
That puts more pressure on everyone to come up with something in the story. ”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right.” Her gaze went back to Lord Monheim. “I enjoy a good game of cards, charades, or even silhouettes.”
He relaxed. “I’m glad to hear it. I thought the card games might be best for everyone to be able to sit at the same table and get a chance to know each other better.
That way, we don’t have to split up into groups.
One of the reasons I kept the number of guests small was for that reason.
The last dinner party I hosted was enjoyable, but when we broke up into groups, I realized I didn’t have a chance to get better acquainted with some people. ”
He glanced her way, and Marie’s face flushed.
He had asked to call on her the day after that dinner party, but she didn’t realize he’d done it because he felt like he hadn’t had a chance to get to know her during the dinner party itself.
The arrangement this evening could work to her advantage, however.
While Lord Monheim would get a chance to know Juliet, Marie could get better acquainted with Edward.
All of this would be seamlessly done. There would be no awkward pauses in the conversation, not when the next play of cards could be inserted here and there.
What a brilliant strategy. If Marie had known dinner parties could be so casual, she wouldn’t have fought her father so much about attending them or having him host them.
“I think a game of cards is a wonderful idea,” Marie spoke up.
Lord Monheim beamed at her words.
She hadn’t meant to encourage his ardor, but she feared she just had. Perhaps there might be something in the conversation this evening that would lead him in Juliet’s direction. Then, with any luck, he would ask to call on Juliet tomorrow.