Chapter Eleven #2
“Miss Wood is very excited for him as well.” Mother set down her teacup, a tight smile splitting her features. “She is a good friend to help him find a suitable match.”
Lady Jersey looked between us with interest. “Indeed.”
Georgiana said nothing. Only smiled sweetly at them. “We are glad to hear it. Happy to see you, Your Grace. And we understand how busy your day must be.” She rose from her seat. “We hope to see you all again soon.”
Setting aside our teacups, I rose alongside my family and Georgiana and offered a bow. Mother followed our guests to the door, and we again took our seats.
“What the devil was that about?” I asked Maggie.
She sighed. “Just you wait.”
I searched Georgiana’s face for any clues, but she decidedly avoided my gaze as she said, “It appears we’ve made a grand miscalculation, you and I.”
Well, that did not sound good. “How so?”
The tall front door clanked closed, and with heavy steps, Mother strode across the room, voice shrill, “What on earth were you two thinking?”
I looked to Maggie for any sign, but her head was bowed. Georgiana sat in silence.
“Beg pardon?” I swallowed my last bite of sandwich.
Mother stopped above us, pointing her finger between Georgiana and me. “Did you lie to me? Is there something between the two of you?”
“No, Your Grace.” Georgiana, already sitting at the edge of her seat, straightened, semi-horrified. “We made an error in judgment.”
What had we done? Had I even been part of it? I’d gone straight to bed last night.
“My son does not make errors in judgment.” Mother’s voice was ice. Commanding. “Everything was set until you arrived. Marlow, she must go. She is in the way.”
Georgiana’s lips parted, her cleverness subdued in the face of the duchess, who sat in Lady Jersey’s abandoned seat, huffing. I had learned long ago that when a woman’s emotions were high, it was best not to rise to them or else risk elevating them even further.
I took a solemn sip of my tea. And disregarded my own instincts. “She will not go.”
Georgiana looked to me with surprise.
Mother stood again. “She must! Her presence is threatening to all your prospects after the way you flaunted her about at the Waymonts’!”
Flaunted her? Of all the ridiculous notions. “We made simple introductions.”
“Allegedly, it came across quite clearly that the two of you share a rather intimate acquaintance. Every caller has said you were grinning from ear to ear. Laughing together. Reminiscing! And that business with Mrs. Winston and wine? Your little friend spilt her drink all over a guest!”
“Allegedly,” Maggie muttered, and she and Georgiana exchanged a glance. I could’ve sworn Georgiana’s lips twitched ever so slightly, but she managed to stay contrite.
So, we’d enjoyed the night a little too much.
Perhaps we’d laughed a little too loudly.
Clung a little too closely. Thinking back, it might not have been the wisest decision to allow my future prospects to see Georgiana as my partner for the evening.
Circumstances with certain guests had required improvisation.
The alternative had been leaving altogether, and who could say that wouldn’t have caused even more questions?
No, Georgiana had to stay, else I would not have my ring. And I needed it to entice a wife and secure the future of the dukedom. The ring was a symbol of health and prosperity for our family. With it in hand, everything would come together just as it should.
“I am the Duke of Marlow. I have made my judgment on Miss Wood. We are friends, and I will not throw her out before her already short time here expires.”
Georgiana chewed on her lip, evidently thinking through her own response to my mother’s reaction. Her clear eyes flicked to mine. “Let us go out again together with a new aim in mind. We can prove them all wrong.”
Was that so?
“Marlow must be seen out alone,” Mother argued.
Georgiana shook her head. “You will only have them wondering where I am. If I am present but mingling with the ladies, I can earn their confidences and better help guide the duke in making his choice.”
“I agree,” Maggie said, sitting up straighter. “I can mingle with her. Ensure the proper assumptions are being whispered.”
“And what, pray tell, shall I be doing?” I asked them.
Georgiana waved a hand in my direction. “Walking a few paces behind with Lady Diana on your arm.” No hesitation. Only quick thinking.
“Must it be her?” I asked with a sigh.
“If you seek a love match, we could reconsider—”
“No,” I cut her off. “I relent.”
Mother blinked between us. “Where do you suggest?”
Again, Georgiana did not hesitate. “Drury Lane.”
The theater would be bustling with all the elite. Eyes everywhere. It fit her desires perfectly. We were all playing into her hand like fools.
Mother considered a moment, then she turned to me. “You’ll have to call upon Lady Diana straightaway and extend the invitation.”
I gulped down the rest of my tea. “As I’ve said, I have a meeting.”
She ushered me to stand. “Hurry off, then. It won’t take long. And you, Miss Wood, can accompany Margaret to a few houses as well. Get word out that you, too, are looking for a match with the duke’s blessing.”
“A . . . a what?” Georgiana blanched, and something in my chest hardened. That hadn’t been the plan. Not by far. “Your Grace, with all respect—”
“I know just who to visit,” Maggie said, standing. “Mrs. Johns is the matchmaker of the ton. She knows every eligible gentleman worth his snuff. We shan’t be gone long. Grab your bonnet!”
“But I have no interest whatsoever—”
Maggie drew her up from her seat. “Of course you do! You must marry eventually, so why not incite their interest now? I’ll have Toole call for the carriage, and Marlow can take the gig!”
Georgiana clasped her hands together. The crease between her brows returned. “But, I—”
“Nonsense!” Maggie turned her toward the door, and in a flutter of skirts, they were off.
I watched the empty doorway until the foyer grew quiet.
For once, I regretted the silence.
I thought back on my morning—of all that had transpired in the space of only a few hours—and felt the weight of it settle heavily upon my shoulders.
Toole, I could manage. Gabriel—I wasn’t so sure.
I needed to talk with him. Perhaps over dinner at White’s later this evening.
He was angry with me. He often was. But this time felt different.
This time felt like a shift between us, causing a break that might not easily be mended, and I hadn’t the wisdom to decipher a way forward.
Father always seemed to know exactly what to say and how to say it, and I . . . I was not him.
And then this business with Lady Diana. I felt little urgency, though I knew I should encourage her. For the dukedom.
I thought of last evening with Georgiana and fought a smile. How had we managed to not only scheme the ton into believing our friendship but an intimate one at that? It hadn’t all felt like a pretense. Neither had seeing her this morning.
“Thank heavens for that.” Mother settled back in her seat. “You’ll need your hat.”
I placed my empty cup on the tea tray. “Mother, I do not have time for this. Any of it.”
Mother took a deliberate sip. “There will never be enough time, Marlow. We must make time for important things, and marriage is perhaps the most important of them all.”
“On the contrary, an heir is the most important.”
She nodded. “Either way, Lady Diana is a worthy choice.”
And, so, to Lady Diana I went.