Chapter Six #2
He frowned. What was he to do now? He could not send her away as he had been the one to invite her.
But he also knew himself. He loved beautiful things, but he did not trust them.
They never lasted for long, and she…she was a treasure of perfection.
Her soft petite frame, blond fairy-like ringlets that dared escape her pins, and sweet cherubic face with those sea-blue eyes might very well finish him.
She was entirely to his taste, but he could not allow himself to think of her like that.
What he needed to accomplish now was too important to risk failure.
He needed a wife who would be faithful and fruitful, so he could carry on the name of Worthing and fulfill his duty to his late mother.
This young woman desired a business and to be independent.
The two of them working together might be an incredibly productive match where both secured what they needed…
or the absolute end to them both if he strayed off course and gave into his attraction to her.
But which would it be? His mother’s words from her letter to him about marrying, continuing the Worthing line and being a good father echoed through his mind.
Lady Buchanan cleared her throat, reminding him he had not greeted either of them, and still stood in the doorway.
He remembered himself, tried to smile, closed the door and made his way to them.
He would focus on why he had summoned them both: to see if Miss Granger could help secure him a wife—a wife that was not her, he reminded himself, no matter how beautiful she was.
‘Lady Buchanan,’ he began. ‘Thank you for joining us as chaperone. And Miss Granger, thank you for coming on such short notice.’ He gestured for them to retake their seats, and he settled himself on the sofa across from them.
‘Thank you, my lord, for your kind invitation to join you today.’ Miss Granger shifted on the cushion and her décolletage did the same in the fabric of her gown.
While the cut of the dress was conservative, the shapeliness of Miss Granger’s figure made it appear otherwise.
He picked up his tea, sat back in the cushions and reminded himself that he was a gentleman after all.
And the sooner he focused on his duty rather than his nether regions the better.
He had crafted a plan before her arrival, and he needed to follow it with military precision if he was to achieve his goal in the time frame he desired.
He would find a bride in thirty days, marry her within sixty or whatever time frame the reading of the banns allowed them, and have an heir within a year of that union.
He had no time for complications; he had delayed too long already in executing his duty.
He needed to focus on the task at hand and reduce any and all distractions.
He cleared his throat. ‘I shall not delay further, Miss Granger, but get to the root of why I invited you here. I am in need of a bride, but do not wish to endure the rather tedious task of finding one for myself. But I also need to know if you can deliver on my request or if I need to hire one of the more distinguished marriage brokers in town.’
He also prayed she would wipe the cream from the corner of her mouth. The damned daub was about to drive him mad with want. He sat as still as possible and gazed upon her. Perhaps if he didn’t move, he would not find her so intoxicating.
A flush rose from her chest up her neck and pinked her cheeks. Somehow it made her even more entrancing, and he had to look away.
‘I would love to assist you in that endeavor, my lord.’
‘And I would be happy to speak of her keen abilities, if you will indulge me,’ Lady Buchanan added before Miss Granger could continue.
While he was not entirely surprised by Lady Buchanan’s participation in the discussion he was intrigued by the fact that she, a rather handsome woman still in her prime, would be in need of matchmaking services at all.
Curiosity won in the end.
‘Please, my lady. Continue,’ he added.
‘It was Miss Granger who realised how keen of a match Lord Parks and I would be after merely observing a few of our conversations and interactions at some shared social events last summer with my cousin, the Duke of Wimberley. It was not long afterwards that she encouraged Lord Parks to ask me to join him for an afternoon drive in the countryside, which we both enjoyed. Ever since, we have been quite inseparable.’
The woman glowed at the mention of Lord Parks, and her affections for him were unmistakable.
But Lucas found himself wanting to poke holes in her joy for reasons he couldn’t name. ‘And yet you are still not married.’
‘Betrothed, my lord. We are to marry in November.’
‘Hmm,’ he added. ‘So not an entirely secured match.’
A pinch of colour rose in her neck, and Lucas cursed himself for being an arse. There was no need to have said that. He didn’t even know why he had.
‘You seem to mistrust in romance, my lord. Any particular reason for it?’ Lady Buchanan asked, lifting her chin.
Touché.
He couldn’t hide his slight frown, but he wouldn’t back down. ‘I am. A failed engagement years ago, I’m afraid. Surely you understand how broken promises of the heart can leave their mark?’
He had done a bit of digging since their dinner the evening before because her name had rung a bell.
His manservant and butler were more than willing to apprise Lucas of her past. Lady Buchanan and her late husband had frequently been in the gossip sheets.
Lord Buchanan’s proclivities in entertaining young women other than his wife were well noted.
While Lucas didn’t wish to be cruel, he also wouldn’t be intimidated by Miss Granger’s chaperone.
Enlisting the help of a matchmaker was difficult enough for him without constant rebuffs. He hoped they now had an understanding that he was simply not to be trifled with.
Lady Buchanan leveled a gaze at him. ‘If you do not require further information about Miss Granger’s successes, perhaps I can afford you a bit of privacy by situating myself at the other end of the parlour?’
‘Sounds like a splendid idea. I appreciate your discretion.’
‘Of course,’ she replied, holding his gaze with her own in a clear warning for him to behave, which he would. She patted Miss Granger’s hand and touched the corner of her mouth. ‘I shall be just over here if you need me, my dear.’
Miss Granger nodded and as Lady Buchanan walked away Lucas felt his shoulders drop. Finally, he could relax a touch. Not fully, but some, and he would take what he could get.
He brought his gaze back to Miss Granger.
His eyes met her own, which sparkled with enthusiasm, allowing him to see a hint of what she must have been like as a young girl.
He was also thrilled to note she had wiped the cream from her mouth after Lady Buchanan’s signal to do so a moment prior.
He sighed, leaned further back into the cushions and crossed one of his legs over the other.
‘The bride I require needs to be from a proper and well-connected family and…perhaps a bit homely,’ he began.
Her brow furrowed. ‘Did I hear you correctly? You wish her to not be overly attractive?’
‘Exactly.’
‘I must say that was not at all what I had expected, but I can seek out such a match for you, my lord. May I ask why?’
He frowned.
‘It is often helpful to understand the motivations for certain requests within a match,’ she added earnestly.
‘I am quite certain you can see the scarring I have, Miss Granger, despite the soft lighting of our dining room last night and this afternoon. And I am a man who has no desire to try to tame a wife of beauty who will no doubt find me unattractive and feel the desire to extend her affections to others outside of our marriage. I know what that does to a family, and I will not be a willing part in it.’
She didn’t reply, so he continued. ‘I also have a rather specific timeline for my request.’
‘Oh?’ she asked, her eyes widening.
‘I desire to be engaged within a month, married within two and to be a father within the year of the union. I will pay your expenses as well as a flat rate of one hundred pounds for the month’s work once I am engaged. Do you believe this is a contract you could fulfill?’