“The connection between my family and yours will be a benefit to me as well.”
“Then why not marry me instead?”
“I beg your pardon, Lady…”
“Diana. My name is Diana. And if you are seeking only a connection with our family, why not marry me instead of my sister?”
This was not at all what Matthew had expected when he wrote to the Earl to seek the hand of one of his daughters. Lady Marigold had seemed the ideal option. However, he recalled nothing of Lady Diana in his and his uncle’s discussions of potential matches. Surely they would have considered her as well, as she seemed to be the eldest sister and did not seem so old as to be ineligible for marriage.
“Why would I consider marriage to another when I have already settled on Lady Marigold?” he asked her, one eyebrow raised.
“You want a wife. You do not expect to fall in love or to find someone to truly enjoy your life with. You seek only to marry for the sake of marriage. And if that is the case, then one wife is as good as another, certainly.”
What she said was true. To marry Lady Marigold or Lady Diana mattered little to him. The two were sisters, which meant that everything desirable in the match with the first was also true for the second. True, Lady Diana was older, and he was not entirely sure by how much, but that was of no consequence.
It was clear, just from looking at Lady Marigold, that she was not keen on the idea of marrying him. Even now she was clutching at her sisters and staring at him with a mix of horror and curiosity that he did not like.
Bringing her to his home, away from her sisters, would surely bring him only frustration and discomfort.
And then there was Lady Diana, who was standing before him tall and proud, her shoulders squared as she stared at him. She did not look prone to histrionics as his intended did.
“Marigold is young. Too young to be wed just yet. And certainly too young to be wed to the likes of you,” Lady Diana continued.
She was unlike any woman that he had met before. No one spoke to him this way, and despite himself, he was intrigued. The fact that she was unafraid of him and that she was protecting her sister… was admirable. And the fact that she wished to marry him while the other girl clearly did not …
He glanced again at Lady Marigold and frowned.
She did seem quite young, though he knew she was almost twenty. The frantic, fearful look in her eyes, the way she clung to her sisters… She would marry him. Of that, he had no doubt, because her parents would force her down the aisle if necessary. But her eldest sister…
His gaze turned again to Lady Diana, who was standing before him with a firm expression, her posture strong and sure. She was older, that was true. But she was still a lovely woman. Still of marriageable age. And far more willing to marry him. And wouldn’t a willing wife be worth the potential strife of dealing with her impertinent streak?
“I am seeking a wife for the sole purpose of convenience,” he warned. “For the practicality of it. My business has flourished such that a wife is of use to me. However, I am far too busyto engage in the intricacies of married life. My wife shall be in charge of my household, and I shall not be bothered with that or with any romantic notions you may hold.”
The lady practically scoffed at him, tossing her head back and pulling herself up even straighter.
“I have no romantic notions to entertain and no illusions of such from you.”
“Diana!”
Her mother sounded positively scandalized at the way she spoke to him, but he found himself unoffended by either her speech or her look. Rather, this young woman, who believed she was his equal, intrigued him even more.
“Very well, Lady Diana. I shall accept your proposal. We shall be wed as soon as I get the special license.”
“We have an accord,” she replied cooly, stepping forward and holding out her hand.
He raised an eyebrow in surprise at the businesslike gesture coming from a young lady, but stepped forward nonetheless, shaking her hand as he would during any other business meeting.
While this one likely should have been carried out with her father and not directly with her, he was certain that there would be no objection to their betrothal.
A glance in the direction of her father confirmed this, as he acknowledged the agreement with a sharp nod.
“You had best be prepared, Lady Diana. I intend to wed quickly and to be done with this nonsense immediately thereafter.”
“I can be ready to leave in a quarter hour if that would suit you best, Your Grace.”
Her words were sharp, her tone… almost mocking, and it was clear her family was stunned by it. However, Matthew merely inclined his head, studying her more carefully.
“That will not be necessary, My Lady. The formalities of hosting an unmarried woman in my home, even my betrothed, are of no interest to me. I shall return with the license and we shall wed. Then you may accompany me.”
