“Oh, yes, Mother’s summer gathering, the highlight of the Season,” Alex managed weakly. “That isn’t for a few days, though, is it?”
William’s expression was unreadable. “Yes, and there’s a great deal to be done. Rise and endeavour to rest it off. And should you indulge in drinking at Mother’s soiree, I daresay, she may not easily forgive you.”
That hurt more than Alex cared to admit.
The past six months – the past year, really – had been difficult to say the least. Their father’s death was a relief, and none of the Willenshire siblings pretended otherwise. There was really no point in acting heartbroken over a man who had loathed his children and had been hated in return. But the freedom they’d all looked forward to had never come.
Alex could remember every instant of that dreadful will reading and had done his best to avoid being sober ever since. The will was simple, but shocking: to receive their sizeable inheritances, each Willenshire sibling had to marry before one year had elapsed from the time of the will reading. If not, the money would be lost to them forever.
And that was that. The will was unbreakable – he suspected that William had looked into that – and they were faced with a straightforward dilemma. Marry, or die penniless.
Katherine had been the first to marry, the only girl in the family.Shewas happy enough, having married Timothy, a family friend who shared the same hunger for novels and writing. Henry, to everybody’s shock, married next, a charming and astute young woman by the name of Eleanor Fairfax.
That left Alex and William.
As the new Duke – the late duke could hardly prevent his son from inheriting the title and whatever money was attached to that – William would be expected to marry anyway, and soon. But since none of them could claim their fortunes without skipping up a wedding aisle, the poor man was left trying to run a vast estate with a mere fraction of the money needed to keep it going.
It's not fair,Alex thought, for the thousandth time since the will had been read.
William would no doubt manage to marry in the next few months. He was handsome, young, rich, and was aduke. Ladies were already throwing themselves at him.
Alex, on the other hand, was a drunken rake of a third son. Who’d want him?
“I would appreciate it if you would refrain from your incessant urging,” Alex muttered, hauling himself up into a sitting position. The room spun around him, and he squeezed his eyes closed, waiting for the world to settle down again.
William folded his arms tight across his chest. “This can’t go on, Alexander.”
“You chiding me? I can hardly disagree.”
“Don’t be silly. I meanthis,” he gestured to Alex in general. “You drink too much, you keep poor company, you stay out late, and you act like a fool. And don’t think I don’t know about the gambling. I can’t afford to keep settling your debts.”
“I might as well enjoy myself,” Alex snapped. “Our dear Papa has condemned me to a life of obscurity and poverty, getting the last laugh from beyond the grave. Why shouldn’t I make merry a little?”
“This is notmaking merry. This is folly. You’re on a bad course, Alex. We’re worried about you, all of us.”
Alex pressed his lips into a thin line. “You ought to save your worry for yourself. A penniless duke is a poor prospect, especially when he’s as sour as you.”
He immediately regretted the words. William blinked, flinching back, and a feeling of guilt washed over Alex. He swallowed hard, clearing his throat.
“Will, I didn’t mean…”
He was interrupted.
“Get out of Mother’s parlour, and take yourself to your room,” William said tartly. “I have a great deal to do, and I’d rather not have you making things more difficult than they need to be.”
Without waiting for a reply, William turned on his heel and strode away, letting the door slam behind him.
Alex rested his aching head back on the chaise longue and closed his eyes.
Oh, very well done, Alexander. What a fine brother you are. A fine brother, and a fine son. They’re ashamed of you, all of them.
I need to get married.
The thought arrived in Alex’s head with a jolt. It wasn’t a new idea by any stretch of the imagination. He’d dreamed of marriage and wedded bliss even before their father’s death, but now there was a layer of urgency to it all.
A woman who married Lord Alexander Willenshire, to all knowledge, would now marry a rich man. A socialite, and well-known man about town, if a little rakish. A rich man, despite the fact he was only a third son.
If she married the same man in just over six months’ time, she’d marry a pauper.
