Thomas shifted as if a bit uncomfortable. “We—my brothers and I—have been absent from both our family and society. They believed we would not care.”
“No wonder Northey looked as if you had slammed him with a cannonball.”
Again with the “not quite a smirk.” She remembered seeing it the night before as well. She was starting to find it endearing.
Rose cleared her throat. “And what did you expect in return for this in-depth information?”
“Introductions.”
Rose blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
“As I said, we’ve been absent for a few years, and our reputations are...”
Rose filled in the gap. “Deplorable.”
“So you’ve said.”
“You’re also a duke’s son. And a man. That’s a combination that evokes a great deal of forgiveness.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have much time to do the necessary repairs. Robert could not convince any female to dance with him last night. Your sister was kind, but after your poking finger attack I didn’t even try.”
“Except with me. To help Beth.”
“Precisely. Would you have danced with me without that incentive?”
“Absolutely not. And you would not have danced with Lady Cecily if I had seen you approach her.”
He winced and shifted in his chair.
Rose leaned forward, leaning her arms on the desk. “Why is there so little time? As you are men, there is no need to rush into marriage. You are barely thirty. Your brothers even younger.”Say it, Thomas.
“And, as my father has repeatedly reminded all of us, by the time he was thirty, he had an heir, two spares, and a daughter.”
“Still—”Come on, Thomas. Say it.
Thomas forced his spine straight, and his words came out in a rush. “He’s given us until Christmas to repair our reputations and marry or be disinherited. And another year to reproduce.”
Ah. There it is.Rose had needed him to be completely open with her about his motivations. Otherwise, trust between them would be strained. And he had done it.
He closed his eyes. “Good lord, I should not even be talking to you about this.”
Rose’s eyes narrowed. “Why not?”
His eyes opened and he looked at her as if she had lost good sense. “You are a lady. A man should not discuss such—”
“I’m a lady you want to do business with. This is part of your proposal. I can’t make a proper business decision without all the facts.”
Thomas grew still. “What was it Miss Blackburn called you last night? A lioness?” His eyes appraised her. “People know you for this. They know how you feel about men with rakish reputations.”
“And?”
“That would make you a powerful ally in our quest for a restored place among the elite. Not even being a duke’s son carries that kind of imprimatur. If I were to escort you—”
“No,” she interrupted. “People would think you were courting me. Would not bode well for you to find a bride.”
He spread his hands wide. “Then circulate with me or Robert at a ball. Introduce me to your acquaintances. See that we get invitations to musicales.”
“Your mother could do that.”
