Chapter Three #5
“She is a child,” he interjected. There were years left before Christine would be old enough to attend a soirée or assembly. He couldn’t even conceive of the moment when she would marry.
“Not for long,” Amelia answered.
“Margaret, darling, may I see you for a moment?” Lady Lanfordshire touched her daughter’s shoulder. “Your aunt and I have something we need to discuss with you.”
Margaret nodded and stood from her chair. “I’m going to remember where those pieces are,” she warned. “No cheating whilst I’m away.”
“Of course,” Amelia said, but David suspected she was cheerfully lying.
Once Margaret was out of earshot, Amelia studied the linen game board. Each of the squares was embroidered with a figure, and from some of the stitches, David suspected that the girls had made it when they were learning to sew.
“There’s another square with the same figure, two rows down,” she whispered, moving Margaret’s maiden there.
“She’s going to know what you’ve done.”
“Of course she will. But where’s the fun in following the rules?” Amelia reached for the teetotum, but he stopped her.
“We’ll wait on your sister to return.”
She sent him a chagrined smile. “You and Margaret are perfectly suited to one another, do you know that? Both of you prefer to obey the rules.”
“I think there’s a rebellious streak within your sister even greater than yours,” he predicted. “She’s not as obedient as she looks.”
He’d met a few women who outwardly followed every rule. No one would have ever expected them to rebel as much as they had.
“You’re wrong.” Amelia moved her tin dog a square forward. “Margaret is excessively obedient, to a fault.”
“And I suspect obedience is a fault that you do not possess.”
She glanced up at him, and her green eyes sobered. “No, I suppose not. I’ve always believed in honesty. Too many women hide behind the rules, afraid to speak their minds.”
He leaned forward. “I believe that is why I like you, Miss Andrews. You would never retreat from the truth.” With her, he was at ease, knowing she didn’t voice falsehoods.
Idly, he spun the teetotum, and the hexagonal top whirled before it landed on a one.
She stared down at the board, as if he’d made her uncomfortable with the words.
It had been merely an observation; yet, he’d seen the flush of embarrassment on her cheeks.
Before she could gather a response, he reassured her, “It is good to have an ally and a friend.”
Her shoulders visibly lowered, and she let out a breath. “Allies, yes.” She glanced back at her sister, but David kept his eyes upon her.
Although he knew it was a mistake, he couldn’t stop himself from saying what needed to be said. “As someone who would like to remain your ally and friend, let me offer my advice. Stay away from the viscount, for he’ll only bring you down into ruin. The man doesn’t know when to stop gambling.”
She still wouldn’t look at him. “You may be right. But I believe there is a good man in him. He’s made many mistakes, but that doesn’t mean he’s irredeemable.”
She was far too na?ve in the ways of men. Lord Lisford had chosen his own path to ruin, and he didn’t deserve salvation from an innocent like Miss Andrews.
“Some men are better off left alone.” He picked up his game piece, toying with it a moment before he set it back down. “And you should know that they don’t change. No matter what they say.”
“I wish you would stop treating me as if I’m wearing blinders,” she sighed. “I do see Lord Lisford’s faults. But I also believe he has a good heart, beneath it all. And that’s worth saving.”
“None of us wants to see you hurt.”
“I know it.” With reluctance, she put Margaret’s game piece back where it had been. “But believe me when I say my eyes are open.”
“The only person who can change the viscount’s behavior is Lord Lisford himself,” he said.
“And what of you, Lord Castledon?” she ventured. “When will you change your ways and start living again?”
Never, he wanted to say. Too many years had passed, and he’d grown accustomed to being alone.
He toyed with his tin knight again, tilting it left and right.
“I have no need to change my ways, Miss Andrews. I have several estates in England and in Wales, all of which are prosperous. I provide well for my daughter, and she has everything a girl could want.”
“Except a mother, you mean.” Amelia’s voice was soft, reminding him of his purpose.
“Yes. And that is why I am here. To find a woman capable of mothering my only child.” He suspected Miss Harrow would be the best choice, but it was reasonable to consider other possibilities. “I saw Lady Sarah Carlisle at Lady Rumford’s soirée last night.”
Before he could ask why she was there, Amelia shook her head. “Absolutely not.”
Though he wasn’t intending for Lady Sarah to be a matrimonial candidate—especially after what had happened before—it surprised him that Amelia held no sympathy for the young woman’s plight.
“You’re judging her based on her brother’s behavior?
” He knew that Lord Strathland had been a thorn in the family’s side and that he’d hired men to attack their family.
The man had been imprisoned in an asylum for the past four years, from what David remembered.
“I will only say this—Lady Sarah needs to find her own husband without my intervention.” She toyed with her game piece, staring down at the linen. It was the first time he’d seen her this upset, and he couldn’t guess what had happened.
“Let us talk about your matchmaking again,” he suggested. “Do you honestly think Margaret would make a good wife for me?”
Her shoulders relaxed, and he saw that she’d moved her piece forward again. “She might. I do know she would make an excellent stepmother for your daughter. But—” She hesitated as if she didn’t know how to phrase her reservations.
He moved the game piece back where it belonged. “But what?”
She leaned in, dropping her voice low. “What of your needs? Had you considered that you might learn to love someone again?”
He bit back the urge to blurt out a resounding no. “It’s not a requisite for marriage, and I would prefer someone who will content herself with raising a child instead of harboring delusions that I would fall in love with her.”
“Delusions?” Amelia sat back in her chair. “Is that what you think love is?”
He folded his arms across his chest. “I’ve been honest about what I want in a future wife.
Love cannot be a part of that arrangement.
” Once before, he’d had his life ripped asunder because he’d dared to love Katherine.
It was better to have a polite companionship instead of a loving marriage.
The hole in his life remained, and he doubted if anything could ever fill it.
“Women aren’t like that,” Amelia protested. “A wife wants to know that her husband cares for her. That she is beloved by her spouse.”
“Those are your dreams,” he corrected. “I could name half a dozen women who would be delighted with me if I allowed them to spend my money freely and only spoke to them a few times a year.”
“But is that the kind of woman you want to raise your daughter?”
David let out a slow breath. “I suppose not.” What was best for him was not best for Christine.
Yet, he didn’t want to wed a young woman with expectations of love or more children.
Quite frankly, the thought of consummating the marriage caused him even more reluctance.
It had been so long since he’d been with Katherine, it would be hard to push her out of his memory.
Not only that, but each year of imposed celibacy had wound him up tighter, until he suspected a woman’s touch would drive him over the edge.
“I will make a promise to you,” Amelia said in a quiet voice, spinning the teetotum.
“If you consider courting my sister—or any other woman on the list—I will not wed the viscount until he has paid off every last debt.” She let the spinner fall to the board and added, “And by courting, I mean you should find someone whom you might love again. You don’t have to love her when you wed her. But there should be something there.”
“I would rather not wed at all,” he admitted.
“But I agreed to bring back a mother for Christine. And that I will do. She needs someone to help her as she moves into her adolescent years.” Although Miss Grant had certainly helped Christine with her studies, the governess was not at all prepared to help his daughter make her debut into society.
Margaret returned to the game table, and she sat beside him. Her cheeks were flushed, and she appeared out of breath. “I am sorry for being away for so long. Aunt Charlotte wanted me to help the boys in a game of blindman’s buff.” She picked up the teetotum and spun it, preparing to take her turn.
“Our game was nearly over anyway,” David said.
“One of us could still win,” Margaret pointed out. “It isn’t your turn yet.”
“Only if I allow you to cheat.” He passed the teetotum to Amelia.
She moved her tin dog three squares ahead and laughed. “There, see! The triumph is mine.”
Upon the embroidered square, he saw the words Advance to the end.
“That makes no sense at all. You’re only halfway around the board.”
“It’s a very special square. And so, I claim the victory.” Her mouth curved in a wide smile. “Tomorrow, you will accompany Margaret and me to the tailor’s. You’re going to buy waistcoats in several colors. That will be your forfeit.”
He had a sudden vision of being outfitted with a yellow waistcoat. Wincing, he turned his attention to Margaret. “Is that the forfeit you desire, Miss Andrews?”
“Not at all,” she countered. “Instead, I’d rather save my forfeit and claim it at a time when it’s needed.”
“A favor, then.”
She inclined her head. “There may come a time when I need rescuing from a meddling younger sister.”
True enough. Turning back to Amelia, he said, “I will agree to your forfeit. But you must promise to keep your word as well, regarding Viscount Lisford. You may find that he is not the man you thought he was.”
“Or I might find that he is a man in grave need of saving,” she answered softly.