Felix quieted, but the resentment on his face was clear.
“I will not speak of this again.” Thel swept his gaze down the table and made eye contact with each person present. “Constance will marry a man of her choosing. If we disapprove of her selection, then we will deal with that when the time comes. But you will not continue to question my decisions. Father hasmade it clear that as heir, I am the head of this house while he’s away.”
One by one, they looked down. Everyone except Felix.
“You don’t deserve to be the heir,” his brother whispered. Then he stumbled out of his chair and down the hallway. His wife hurried after him, leaving a trail of red droplets in her wake.
“Excuse me, everyone, but I believe I have lost my appetite,” Thel said before charging out of the dining room.
He did not want his family to see how badly Felix had rattled him. It would only upset the balance of harmony in the house when it was more important than ever for them to support one another. Part of him wondered if he had made a mistake not finding a husband for Constance earlier. As much as he wanted her to experience the love he had, he feared Felix would not easily give up his campaign to see her wed to a man of his choice. Whether Felix’s determination was due to a desire to see his niece matched to an appropriate man, or something else, Thel didn’t know, and he was not confident Felix would answer him if he asked.
When he was back in his office and behind his desk, he withdrew a leatherbound notebook and a pen. He was too angry to read, but his high emotions could be put to another use. The latest chapters ofLady Audley’s Secretwere unsatisfactory. He wanted to explore an alternative storyline where the main character’s wife joined him when he left for Australia to prospect for gold. It would have been better for the couple to stay in England with the rest of their extended family, but he could not think of a way to accomplish that without venturing into the realm of fantasy.
He dipped his pen in the ink and began writing furiously. Images appeared in his head one by one, painted in wide strokes like a watercolor. With each line, a bit of anger drained out of him until he was left exhausted.
Perhaps Felix was right about his celibacy. His attraction to Lady Allen was a distraction. He would not betray Marguerite by involving his heart, but—if Lady Allen was amenable—a physical affair would allow him to slake his lust and ensure his skills in the bedroom were up to snuff. He was unsure what he could offer in exchange, but he had no doubt she would make her desires known.
If she did not demand reparations the moment he told her what he had found in Constance’s room.
“There you are.”
He slapped his notebook closed. Elijah stood in the open door, a cigar between his lips.
“Felix is furious,” Elijah said as he sauntered into the room. “You know how he is, always acting like he’s the heir. Like he has authority over the rest of us. Without Father here to set him right, he probably thinks he’ll get away with it. I suspect he intended to use Constance in one of his business deals. You should not have engaged Lady Allen.”
Thel didn’t have the energy to remind his brother of the edict he had set down in the dining room. Elijah had never been the rule-abiding sort. Thel had once caught his brother with a set of shears in their mother’s closet, slicing her favorite gown into pieces. When he’d asked why Elijah had done it, his brother had only shrugged and said, “I needed strips of cloth.”
Thel slid his notebook back into his desk. “What has Olivia done to set you all against her?”
Elijah scowled. “You call her by her given name?”
Thel’s cheeks heated. “Lady Allen is a respectable woman, no matter what the newspapers say.” He picked up a cigar from the open box on his desk but did not light it. “In any case, I am Constance’s father, and our father’s heir. It is my duty to see to her future.”
Elijah made no further comment, but the disharmony in the house was worrisome. The family should have supported his decision regarding Constance. They should have come together to ensure her debut was successful and free of scandal. Instead, they were bickering like children. If the fighting continued, it would not be long before his Felix sought his own accommodations. The family was a delicate ecosystem. Once Felix and his wife and children left, it would not be long before Elijah followed. Every member of his family would go their separate ways, and he would have no chance of convincing Constance and her future husband to live with him. He would be left alone and without purpose.
Again.
He could not let that happen. They had been happy before, and could be so again, even if it meant letting Felix have his way.
Lady Allen was his last chance. No other matchmaker had been willing to abide by his requirements. If she could not secure a love match for Constance, a suitor who met with his brother’s approval, he would allow Felix to present him with options for an arranged marriage.
One way or another, his daughter would be married by the end of the season.
Chapter 7
Olivia stomped across the gleaming marble, not sparing a second to admire the vivid paintings and perfectly polished statues along the walls of Lord Lowell’s home.
Madame Julian had not been the last to refuse them. Oh, no. They had visited a dozen other modistes in an increasing fervor before finally ordering the carriage back.
The day could not have been more of a failure.
She clasped her hands at her waist to prevent herself from flapping them. She would not be foiled so easily. There had to be a way, someone she had overlooked.
Lord Lowell entered the room. “Lady Allen, I did not expect you back so soon.”
The words flew from her lips. “They rejected me! Oh!” She gathered the shreds of her self-control and straightened her back. “We must speak in private, my lord.”
“I agree.” He held out his arm.
