Chapter 4
“Surely your own life is of interest to you, even if I am not. “ Ambrose asked, lowering his cup of tea to his lap.
Turning slowly, Lady Evelina met his gaze with the same fiery defiance with which she had greeted him. Soft tendrils of her dark hair hung about her face, seemingly untamable despite the pins at the back of her head. Her light blue eyes flashed brilliantly as she gazed down at him.
“And what matters might those be, Your Grace? I refuse to be part of a conversation where I am an unwilling and uninformed participant.” She shot her brother a scathing glare.
The poor woman knows nothing of the arrangement.
Ambrose’s own irritation grew toward the situation as he decided to address her directly rather than wait for her brother to speak. “I agree, Lady Evelina, you should be apprised of everything that is going on. If you choose to stay, I shall speak plainly and clearly about the matter at hand.”
A look of confusion and surprise flickered across her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and lifted her chin with pride. “Very well, but I shall leave again if anything becomes unclear or if I am not pleased.” She strode past her aunt with a confident gait and took up her place.
Sipping his tea, Ambrose almost smirked.
There was something fascinating about the beautiful young woman and the way that she carried herself.
She was confident and cool, but she had smiled at Adrian when he had attempted to engage her in conversation.
It was almost as if there was something kinder lurking beneath the surface.
She made herself comfortable on the edge of the seat and looked at him directly. “Very well then, I am waiting,” she said the words as if they were a fact rather than a rude statement.
Her fiery indifference to everything that seemed proper both intrigued Ambrose and infuriated him at the same time. Nodding, he began to speak. “I do not think that you are aware of the matter, Lady Evelina, but your father owed me a great debt.”
“And what business is that of mine?” She cut him short, looking from Felix to her aunt. “Surely the matter of repayment can be settled without my presence?”
The Earl of Sluthershire avoided meeting any of their gazes, and Ambrose found himself bristling again with annoyance. The matter would have been much easier if he had just prepared his sister for what was to come.
“That is just the thing, Lady Evelina. It is your hand in marriage that was promised to me by your father before his passing.” Ambrose decided to skip ahead.
Her face paled slightly as her mouth opened, but quickly closed again. “I beg your pardon? Did you just say that my father promised my hand in marriage to pay off his debts?”
Ambrose nodded while rubbing the tips of his fingers against his palms. “I am afraid that the contract is legally binding and we must do what is right for those who came before us.”
“Except that those who came before us did not care how anyone else would feel on the matter,” Lady Evelina snapped, her eyes bright with the fire of indignation.
“Lady Evelina!” her aunt warned sternly. “You must not speak in such a manner.”
Her head snapped in her aunt’s direction as Evelina twirled in her seat.
The large feathers that had been fastened to the back of her head dipped furiously along with her temper.
“Auntie, must I hold my tongue? My father has been gone for years, but am I to be haunted by the ghost of his past? I do not see why it is I who should pay the price for his follies.” She turned back to Ambrose.
“What money is it that is owing to you?”
“I do not think that it is my place to answer that question, Lady Evelina. I shall revert to your brother and fill in any of the blanks if necessary.” Ambrose turned to Felix, who seemed to shrink several inches into his seat.
“There was some mismanagement of the estate while Father was still alive. It would seem that he borrowed a great deal of money from the duke to try to save it. I was not aware of any of this until after Father had died. If I had been aware of the matter, I would have brought it to your attention a long time ago…” His voice trailed off almost pleadingly as if he were asking her for forgiveness.
Evelina’s eyes flashed again as her body stiffened. “You may not have been aware of the mismanagement, but how long have you been aware of the fact that I am to be married?”
The earl sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair. “I did not know how to tell you,” he said meekly. “We have always had an arrangement between us, but this was different.”
“So different in fact that you waited for the duke to come and tell me himself.” She turned back to Ambrose. “And I am assuming that this is why you have come? To claim your prize?” There was something about the way that she said the word prize that tugged at his chest.
She was in an impossible position; there was no denying that.
“I do not wish to seem crass, Lady Evelina, but you are not a prize that is to be won. I am simply fulfilling the contract that was long ago stated between your father and me. It is a matter of honor that the debt must be repaid.” His answer seemed to catch her off guard as her body stilled.
“And is there no other way that the debt could be repaid?” she asked more quietly this time as the disbelief began to show on her face.
Taking a moment to study her face, Ambrose noticed the despair and desperation behind her eyes despite the defiant tilt of her chin.
She had never wanted this, and even possibly detested the thought.
Ambrose himself had never wanted to marry, yet the duty of his dukedom dictated that he marry and marry well.
“The debts can be repaid in full,” he finally said after sizing her up for a moment or two.
“And how much would that be?” she asked directly before glancing at the earl, who seemed to shrink back whenever he could.
He considered her question again and the delicate nature of finances when it came to what was right in the ton.
“You would all need to sell your belongings along with your homes. And assuming there is a country home, that would likely have to be sold as well to make up the entirety of the debt.” He held her gaze, tactfully conveying the seriousness of the amount of money.
Her face paled slightly as she swallowed hard, keeping her shoulders straight.
She has her pride. I will give her that.
Ambrose marveled at the way she kept herself poised in the face of adversity beyond her control. She certainly was a fascinating young woman, and the fact that neither of them believed in love made the match all the more worthy.
Leaning forward in his seat, Ambrose placed his cup of tea back on the tray. “I am not asking you to marry me tomorrow, Lady Evelina, but I am asking you to give the matter a great deal of thought. By marrying, you could save your family from ruin and have a sought-after position among the ton.”
Her expression grew cold again as she looked him directly in the eyes. “If the position you speak of is so sought-after, Your Grace, then why has it not yet been filled?”
An awkward silence suddenly descended on the room as their gazes locked in a fierce challenge.
Mr. St. Clair coughed into his hand before sipping his tea, barely breaking the silence.
I do not need to explain myself.
He stared her down, refusing to play into her tactics to draw out the conversation.
Everything that needed to be said had been said.
“Three days, Lady Evelina. I shall grant you three days to consider the matter. If I do not hear from you by then, I shall contact your brother and begin discussions on the way forward. Now, if you would all excuse me, I have rather important matters to attend to back at the estate.” He stood, signaling the end of the meeting and the conversation at hand.
Everyone else stood as nobody dared defy his final words.
He bowed first. “I bid you all a good day, and I will be looking forward to hearing from you, Lady Evelina.” He waited for the ladies to curtsy and the earl to bow before leaving the room.
Out in the hallway, Adrian hurried to keep up as they headed toward the front door, where the butler was waiting to see them out. Once they had their hats and coats, Ambrose stepped out into the warm afternoon sun.
Adrian waited for the door to click shut behind them before speaking. “You would not really make them sell everything they own just to repay their father’s debt, would you?”
Ambrose straightened his cufflinks before clearing his throat and fixing his already perfect cravat. “No, I would never be as harsh as to do that.”
“Then why mention it in the first place?” Adrian took the stone steps two at a time as the descent to the street below.
“Lady Evelina asked a question, and I simply answered with a possibility. Her brother knows very well that the family would never be able to repay the debt. Their father was a scoundrel who mismanaged the estate worse than any earl I have ever known,” Ambrose answered in an even tone.
“But why press the matter of marriage if you are just as likely to forgive the debt? I know you, Your Grace. It is not like you to be unforgiving.” Adrian fell into step beside him as they walked the short distance back to the carriage.
“I must marry, Adrian, surely you of all people will applaud my willingness to do what is right in the eyes of the ton? I am an unmarried duke, and as such, I have a duty to provide a suitable wife for the position as well as an heir.” He stopped abruptly in front of his carriage and waited for the footman to climb down from his perch.
Adrian quickly shook his head. “No, you misunderstand my beliefs, Your Grace. I believe in marrying for love. Duty is not a strong enough glue to keep the institution alive,” he said passionately.
“Yet, despite your beliefs, women and men have been marrying for duty for centuries past.” He waited for the footman to open the door and climbed into the carriage, shifting into place while Adrian followed.
“But they have not been happy, Your Grace. The basis of love is what makes people content, not duty,” he almost seemed disgusted at the thought as he frowned.
Feeling the carriage jolt them into motion, Ambrose removed his hat and placed it on his lap.
“I can assure you that Lady Evelina and I are like-minded individuals. We need not worry about love or even affection when duty and honor are being upheld. If she agrees to my terms, I shall grant her the freedom she so keenly desires, as long as she appears at my side in the eyes of the ton.”
The lines between Adrian’s eyes deepened as he lifted his gaze in horror. “How romantic of you, Your Grace. It is a wonder how you have not caught a wife until now. I do hope that Lady Evelina gives the matter a great deal of thought.”
“She will.” Ambrose turned his head to look out the window at the passing scenery.
She will.