Chapter 3
KENDRICK
Steeling my nerves, I waited for the histrionics to begin. It was my least favorite aspect of dealing with the fairer sex. But instead, a heavy silence settled over the room. Brother and sister stared at one another, and I was surprised when Weston looked away.
Before I could break the silence, Miss Edwards spoke. “Perhaps you should leave us alone.”
I assumed she was speaking to me, and I could understand why she’d want to berate her brother. At least she wouldn’t make us all uncomfortable by doing so in my presence. But Weston’s blustering protest made clear that rather than arguing with her brother, she wanted to speak to me alone.
Interesting.
“There’s no betrothal,” Weston sputtered. “I can’t leave the two of you alone.”
She stood, placed her hands on her hips, and stared down her brother. “Perhaps you should have thought of that before you lost me in a card game.” She turned to look at me. “Do you have the promissory note?”
I tapped my coat where I had the note resting in an inside pocket. She nodded and turned to her brother with an expectant expression.
Giving up on convincing his sister, Weston turned to me. “I cannot allow this.”
I rose to my feet and stared him down, the thought occurring to me that Miss Edwards and I were a matched set as we waited for her brother to fold.
He blanched. “But there is no marriage agreement.”
I raised a brow. “Why on earth would you think I want to marry her?”
Weston turned to his sister, who lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug.
He turned then, his posture stooped with defeat, and left the room.
I shifted to face the curious Miss Edwards. She raised a hand and crossed to the drawing room door, where she proceeded to peek out into the hallway before closing it.
She didn’t appear to be throwing a tantrum, so I braced for tears. But to my shock, she leaned against the door and laughed. “Oh, that was wonderful. Well done, my lord. The look on his face…” She burst into uncontrollable laughter.
My senses were on high alert now for another reason. “I hope that you and your brother don’t expect me to marry you. If this is a ruse to force my hand because I’ve compromised you, you’ve miscalculated. Badly.”
She fanned herself with her hand and took a few deep breaths, attempting to rein in her amusement.
“No, no,” she said between dwindling giggles.
“Of course not.” She actually shuddered then.
“That is the last thing I want. Can you imagine what a disaster that would be, me expecting to coerce a Legend into marriage?”
I watched her carefully for telltale signs that she was lying but could see none. No fidgeting or faster breathing. And she had no difficulty meeting my gaze.
“Would you care to explain what is happening?”
Her laughter finally subsided, and she let out a soft sigh. I watched her return to the settee, then I settled into the armchair again and waited for her answer.
“I am only a month from my twentieth birthday.”
That caught my attention. With her buxom figure, her blonde hair, and her undeniable beauty, I couldn’t imagine how Caroline Edwards had managed to get this far without men doing everything in their power to secure her hand in marriage. Was it possible that she didn’t possess a dowry?
In that case, I could well imagine those men making more inappropriate suggestions.
Was that what Weston was doing here? Trying to find a wealthy protector for his sister?
I wasn’t immune to her charms, and if I’d met her at any other point, I would willingly take her to my bed.
I might even set her up so I could enjoy her enticements at my leisure, despite the dramatic way in which my last such arrangement had ended.
But I wasn’t here to debauch anyone’s innocence, and it angered me that any man who pretended to be honorable would offer his sister up for such an arrangement.
“This is your third season?” The thought stretched credulity given that she was the diamond of the season. I refused to believe she’d been ignored for two seasons. What had Fairfax said about her? I’d been too angry to pay attention.
She shook her head. “No, it’s my first season.
My brother would have married me off two years ago if I’d allowed him.
But I was just shy of eighteen, and I convinced Aunt Augusta that no harm would come of waiting a year.
” She sighed. “But since my birthday is in late June, that meant I was almost 19 last year.”
“How did you manage not to have a season then?”
She shrugged. “It wasn’t difficult to feign illness.
A few coughs, a reddened nose from rubbing it.
I even dampened my decolletage so it would appear as though I had a fever.
Not wanting to occupy the same carriage, Henry was eager to leave me behind when he set off for London.
Aunt Augusta was already in town, so when she discovered I wasn’t with my brother…
” She smiled. “It was already too late.”
Against my better judgment, I could feel the corners of my mouth stretching into a grin. “So you avoided the whole thing.”
She smiled. “It was a glorious few months all to myself. My brother doesn’t normally bother with me, but Aunt Augusta is very committed to finding me a husband.
With the two of them away in London, I was able to turn away all the local suitors since it wouldn’t have been seemly for me to entertain them alone. ”
I had to work to hold back a smile. “Of course not. So, what happened this year?”
“Aunt Augusta happened. She didn’t trust Henry not to leave me behind this year, so she insisted we all travel together.
I didn’t try to feign illness this year.
When she’d returned to Dorset last summer, she’d questioned the staff and learned I’d had a miraculous recovery after Henry’s departure.
This year, I could have been on death’s door, and she would still have dragged me to London.
” She sighed. “I should have been more careful last year and pretended to be unwell longer. But I was so happy not to be in town doing all of this.” She swept her hand between the two of us.
“So you finally had your debut, and you were named the diamond of the season.”
She shuddered. “Yes, and it’s as horrible as I feared.”
“You don’t wish to wed?” When she shook her head, I continued, “Do you prefer…”
She tilted her head, making clear she had no idea what I was asking.
“Are you drawn romantically to women?”
Her brow furrowed. “Is that a possibility?” She took a moment to think about it and finally shook her head. “I don’t believe so, no.”
“But you don’t find yourself drawn to men.”
She let out a soft huff, and I didn’t miss the way her hands tightened in her lap. “Not before today, I didn’t.”
I couldn’t deny that the compliment was a balm to my ego.
“It is most inconvenient since the two of us know that you are not in the market for a wife.” She shook her head.
“It matters not. In little more than a year, I will reach my age of majority. If I can keep my brother and aunt from forcing me to wed, I will be able to take possession of the money set aside for my dowry and gain my independence.”
So she did have a dowry. I had to admit, I was intrigued by Caroline Edwards.
Her levelheaded manner was a stark contrast to her brother’s carelessness.
I watched her closely as I returned to the reason for my visit.
“There is still the matter of the money I am owed. I’m not in the habit of accepting women as payment for a debt. ”
“Yes, of course. I don’t know what my brother was thinking.”
She looked away, worrying her plump lower lip between her teeth. I was captivated by that small movement. With any other woman, I would have assumed it had been calculated to draw attention to her mouth. But my instincts told me she wasn’t being coy, so I waited.
Finally, she straightened and met my gaze again. “What is the sum?”
I named it, and she winced. “I’ll speak to my brother and see what can be done.”
“And if he can’t pay?” Promissory notes couldn’t be enforced legally, but most gentlemen went out of their way to honor their debts.
I didn’t need the money, so I wouldn’t go to the bother of calling him out.
But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t let others know Weston couldn’t be trusted to honor his obligations.
“In that instance, I’ll pay the debt myself when I have the settlement from my dowry.”
I balked at the suggestion that I was the type of man to leave her destitute. “And then what happens to you?”
She smiled at my concern, as though she found me amusing. “My dowry is very generous. I should still have sufficient funds to set myself up modestly. I don’t intend to live a lavish lifestyle. Don’t worry on my account. I’ll be fine.”
Her confidence intrigued me. Just how large was her dowry?
Added to her beauty, it was no wonder she’d been named the diamond of the season.
She must be the target of every fortune hunter and ne’er-do-well.
“And if you fall in love”—I forced myself not to sneer at the ridiculous sentiment—“and hand your dowry over to someone else?”
She laughed outright, and despite my better judgment, I found myself charmed by her sensible nature. “I’ve met every noble in town who is searching for a wife. You can rest assured I am in no danger of falling in love with any of them. I just have to keep Henry from coercing me into marrying.”
I folded my arms across my chest and smiled. “He could try. But since I now own you until I’m otherwise recompensed, he won’t be able to.”
Her eyes widened, and her entire demeanor brightened. The effect was something to behold. Fortunately, I’d been in the presence of many beautiful women and was mostly immune. Still, it was a pity I couldn’t take her as a mistress. I had a feeling she’d be full of wonderful surprises.
“You are correct. He can’t force me to marry when you possess his signed note saying I’m yours. You have the prior claim.”