Chapter 5
Chapter Five
“Well, that went better than expected,” Alfred said.
“I have told you many times that you catch more flies with honey,” Edmund replied, grinning.
“Yes, yes, I admit you are a better negotiator than I. But still, sometimes I worry you make promises on which you can’t deliver.”
“Never!” Edmund replied, although the grin lingered on his lips. “That is one thing everyone can say about the Duke of Stonewood: he always delivers on his promises. Unlike you, Alfred.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Alfred asked, recoiling and regarding Edmund with a stern stare.
Edmund always did like needling Alfred. He always took things to heart, though with good humor.
And despite Edmund having teased him over and over again, Alfred always seemed to think that he was being serious.
Not only were they related by marriage, as Alfred was married to Edmund’s cousin, Mary, but they were also business partners as well. Edmund was still more reckless than Alfred would have liked, and Alfred was too risk-averse in Edmund’s opinion, but in this way, they balanced each other out.
Edmund chortled.
“My cousin, of course. You promised her marriage and ended up giving her a child. If that’s not a case of over-delivering, then I don’t know what is!”
Alfred’s defensive stance faded, and he smiled.
“Oh, yes, well, one does seem to follow naturally from the other. Speaking of which, it was quite a spectacle at the auction. I wish I could have been there to see it. What were you thinking, making such an ostentatious bid?”
“Well, I grew tired of losing out on everything else. I thought I should make an offer that nobody could match,” Edmund said, keeping his true intentions hidden from Alfred.
He preferred everyone to see him as a reckless rake.
It was a reputation he had cultivated for many years, and it had worked well for him.
People expected little from him, which allowed him to live a somewhat private life.
Of course, he had revealed the truth to Rose, but only because she deserved to know how close she had come to falling into the clutches of that dreadful Lord Whitcombe.
Edmund shuddered as he thought about what might have happened to her.
So many poor women had been cast out of that man’s estate.
Ladies had been stripped of their dignity, and when Edmund saw the chance to interfere, he could not stop himself.
But if people started to believe that he was capable of nobleness, then they might start thinking of him as a gentleman, and that would not do at all.
“And now you are going to escort Lady Rose Bolton five times. That is rather a lot for you, isn’t it?” Alfred continued his teasing. Edmund didn’t mind because it was all in good fun.
“Indeed, it is, but I am sure we will not run out of conversation. I just hope the young lady can keep up with me.”
“I must say that I don’t know much about her. Charlotte told me she’s Lydia’s friend, but beyond that…”
“She is not shy of speaking her own mind, and she does seem somewhat pampered. Frankly, it doesn’t surprise me that she does not have a husband yet, because she seems demanding.
I am not allowed to call for her too early, and if I take her to a public park, we must use the smoother paths because she doesn’t want her shoes to get muddy.
And you should have seen her when I looked through her book.
My goodness, you would have thought I was strangling her cat! ”
“Well, it seems as though you have your work cut out for you there. It wouldn’t be the first bad investment you’ve ever made, though,” Alfred said, slapping Edmund on the back.
“No, and at least I shall only have to pay the price for a short while. Besides, it was all for a good cause.”
“So there are no intentions for you to seek her hand then?”
Edmund furrowed his brow and looked at Alfred as though he had suddenly started speaking in a foreign tongue.
“Her hand? And why would I ever want to do a thing like that?”
“Because it’s about time you settled down, my friend. Time waits for no man. You are thirty now, and you must think about your future. Stonewood needs a strong heir, or would you rather it be passed to some distant cousin who knows nothing about the ways of business?”
Edmund turned away in an effort to hide the grimace on his face. He thought about his parents and how their marriage ended in sorrow. So far, things seemed to be working out well for Alfred, Mary, Charlotte, and Nathaniel, but it would have only taken one tragedy for them to be thrust into sorrow.
“The place will be in fine hands, I am sure. If I can manage it, then anyone can.”
“I will never understand how you can be so cavalier about marriage. Don’t you ever think about getting old? Wouldn’t you want someone to sit beside you and offer you companionship? The winters are only going to get longer the older we get, and to face them alone… I could not bear it.”
“And I could not bear having to see the same face every day. Variety, my friend, that is why I can be cavalier about it. I am sure you are quite happy to have the same meal every day, but for me? No, I must sample everything the world has to offer. I would only grow bored with the routine, and I am sure that any woman who spent more than a few months with me would find the prospect intolerable.”
“That is a good point,” Alfred said.
“So, all in all, it’s much better for me to remain alone. Besides, it is hard enough for me to focus on one thing at a time anyway. How could I pay attention to our business ventures if I got married?”
“As you wish,” Alfred sighed. “I should have known better than to talk some sense into you. It is just that Mary worries about you. She thinks you would make a fine husband. Even young Clara has started asking questions about why you do not have a wife, and I can only avoid the subject for so long. And she is only nine!”
“Why would you wish to avoid the subject?”
“She is hardly old enough to speak about such things. I only indulge her because, well, it is hard to refuse,” Alfred scratched the back of his head.
“You are too soft, my friend. But Clara has been a precocious child since the day you and Mary met, and I am sure she can handle the truth, especially when it is stated by her father.”
Alfred’s face fell. “I am not her true father, only her stepfather.”
Edmund placed a hand on his shoulder. “You are her father in every way that matters, and I am sure if I asked her, she would say the same thing,” he said, then chuckled.
“Tell them to have no fear. I am quite happy. I have the luxury to live life as I see fit, and there is no greater freedom than that,” he said, masking his true emotions with a grin.
Because he thought about his parents, and how much they had loved each other, and how that love had been doomed. Every time he considered how he would feel if he lost someone he cared for, his heart was torn in two. The pain he imagined was so intense that he had no desire to experience it himself.
Love was the realm of brave fools.
He was neither.
“So what is your intention with Lady Rose? Or should I not ask?”
“You can ask me anything you like. But do not worry, there is nothing shameful about it. She is a woman for whom manners and rules are a high priority.”
“Then this shall be a challenge for you.”
Edmund grinned.
“Indeed it shall,” he said, and tried not to be too drawn by the challenge.
There was something about Rose that inspired his curiosity. A lot of women, most of them in truth, would respond to his flattery with bashful smiles and coy looks. Rose was far more strident, not shy of stating that she had no intention of romance or marriage.
While that suited him, he still found his thoughts lingering on her and couldn’t quite understand why.
When they returned to the house, they heard a lively conversation from one of the drawing rooms, as well as the high-pitched cry of Luke.
“Seems as though little Luke is off again,” Edmund said.
“I know the sound all too well,” Alfred said with a wry smile.
“Never fear, Uncle Edmund is here to settle the child,” Edmund announced as he strode into the room with open arms, only to pause with a shocked look on his face.
Rose was sitting next to Charlotte. Lydia was beside the window, holding Luke.
Rose was wearing a slim dress that showed her slender figure.
Blonde hair framed her face like a golden veil, and her eyes were so bright for a moment he thought they were outside, because it seemed as though the sun was being reflected in them.
But there was no smile waiting for him, just narrowed eyes and pinched lips.
It was not enough to dull her beauty.
“Lady Rose, I was unaware you were calling on me today,” Edmund said in a tone that he knew would annoy her. Indeed, she drew her brows together, and there was a spark of irritation in her eyes.
“I was not calling on you, Your Grace. I was calling on Lydia,” she corrected.
“Edmund has the unfortunate malady of believing that the world revolves around him,” Charlotte said, then turned to Alfred. “Good day, Alfred. How is Mary?”
“She’s fine, thank you. She is working on something for Luke.”
“Again? She has already done so much for Luke. You must tell her to focus on her own family.”
Alfred held up his hands. “I know, but she feels a deep sense of gratitude toward you. There is no stopping her.”
Charlotte smiled. “Very well. Then I shall accept it in kind, and I will do my best to repay her. Alfred, have you met Lady Rose Bolton?”
“I have not had the pleasure,” Alfred said, turning and bowing toward Rose. “Though I must confess, Edmund has been telling me how excited he is about spending time with you.”
Edmund glared at Alfred as he moved toward Lydia and took his crying nephew from her arms. Lydia glared at him, although he wasn’t entirely sure what he had done wrong. He started swaying with Luke in his arms and began shushing the boy, who began to calm down.
“I am sure the feeling is mutual,” Rose replied dryly, staring at him.
“It will be more than mutual once you see what I have planned for our first promenade.”
“Oh, do tell,” Rose said.
“It will be better as a surprise. I do need to check first to make sure that it meets all of your conditions and rules.”
“Then I hope you do not spend too much time checking or worrying about how to fill the other four promenades either.”
“A lack of imagination is something that I have never suffered from,” Edmund said.
The words snapped back and forth in the air. Edmund cradled Luke’s head and noticed that Lydia and Charlotte were sharing a glance. He cleared his throat.
“Does the day after tomorrow suit you?”
“It does,” Rose replied, then stood up. “It was a pleasure meeting you,” she said toward Charlotte and Alfred, then turned to Lydia.
“I shall see you soon. Thank you for the company.” She then turned to Edmund, and for a moment it looked as though she was going to say something, but instead she turned her attention to Luke.
“Goodbye, Luke,” she said, pointedly avoiding saying anything to Edmund. She walked out of the room. Edmund watched her leave, thinking that she was going to be quite impossible.
“I will take him now,” Charlotte said, opening her arms to her child. Luke nestled into her arms as if he belonged there, and then Charlotte led Alfred out of the room. Edmund was about to follow them when Lydia spoke to him in a cold voice.
“How could you do this?” she said.
Edmund turned and was surprised to see her fair and gentle features contorted with anger. Fists clenched at her sides, and her eyes burned like two glowing coals.
“Do what?” he asked, puzzled.
Lydia rolled her eyes and flung her arms into the air.
“You know exactly what! Rose is my dearest friend, and you are going to ruin everything.”
“Would you have preferred it if I allowed Lord Whitcombe to win?”
Lydia faltered. “No, but still… of all the women in London, why her?”
“I do not know. I did not design this. But I am not going to ruin anything, Lydia. She will remain your friend after this is done. What do you think I am going to do?”
Lydia leveled her gaze at him.
“That is what I am afraid of, brother. I know what you are like.”
“Whatever you think of me, I will not seek to sully her reputation. We are going to spend some time together, nothing more. Besides, she is not exactly the kind of woman who appeals to me. She is disagreeable, spoiled, and stubborn. To be quite honest with you, I shall be glad when this is all over. And I am sure when all is said and done, you can both have many a laugh at my expense.”
“Just be kind to her, Edmund. Please. I don’t want this to cause strife between her and me.”
Edmund took Lydia’s hand and squeezed it tightly.
“I have always looked after you, Lydia. I promise that you will not suffer because of this,” he said. Lydia’s temper was calmed. She nodded softly and squeezed his hand back.
“Please keep that promise, Edmund,” she said, looking directly into his eyes. Edmund nodded solemnly, and then Lydia left.
He looked at the couch and noticed that there was a ribbon left where Rose had been sitting.
Edmund picked it up and wrapped it around his palm.
It was red, the same shade he had seen rising to her cheeks more than once.
She had some sharp edges and was not shy about sharing her opinion, so at least these five meetings would not be boring.
And he was amused by the fact that he could get under her skin so easily. He would have his little fun, as always, and then he would move on.