Looking at her that night, his reluctance to pursue her had thoroughly faded. He suddenly could not think of what it was that made Miss Browning unlucky on the marriage market. She was educated, as her brother had insinuated previously, and she was not without some social graces nowadays. Her appearance was, at times, a bit dour and serious, but not so much as to completely discredit her as a companion.
Besides, the woman had grown into her weight, which had turned into soft curves that were more lush than most, and a round face that kept its youth easily. This beauty surprised Sebastian more than her other qualities. She was the last person he would have expected to turn out with anything resembling attractiveness. Tonight, she’d worn a dark green gown with a neckline that tapered into a deep V shape. His eyes had lingered on it just long enough to render him intrigued.
She’d been perfectly pleasant on the dance floor, though quite stiff. He hadn’t blamed her much; he had clearly approached her when she’d least expected it. Then the song had ended, and she’d disappeared, and he’d been left trying to understand what their conversation had meant for him.
Even after dancing with Miss Haversham, Miss Langford, and Miss Grayson - all of whom had been on Bancroft’s list - he’d found himself unable to shake the unsettled feeling.
Now, he lounged on the benches beside the garden doors, which sat down a lonely hallway. But he hadn’t been there long when he heard a familiar voice.
“Being a bit of a wallflower, are we?” came Bancroft’s playful tone. He plopped down on the bench next to Sebastian. His unsteady posture told Sebastian that his friend was also a few drinks deep.
“Only for a moment,” Sebastian said, turning to his friend. “I shall rejoin the mob soon enough. I fear the mamas might eat me alive if I do not.”
Bancroft gave a hearty laugh. “Ah, yes, the mamas. The shadowy figures in all of my nightmares.”
“It is not so bad as all that,” Sebastian said, though he only partly meant it. The truth was that he had almost perfected his turns about the room at these events. He ate, he drank, he danced, andthen he went home, and everyone thought him amiable.
The only diversion from this routine tonight had been his dances with the young ladies. Most importantly, his dance with Miss Browning. Her reticence, her overly polite way of speech, the way she’d run off at the very end - all of it had only confused him. He felt as though he’d spent the entire dance talking to a wall, for all the information he’d managed to gather on her.
“I saw you dancing with the ladies of the list,” Bancroft said. “Any of them strike you, by chance?”
Sebastian sighed. “Miss Haversham spoke the entire time of how much she desired to become a nun. Miss Langford stated that she hated children, and would ship hers off to school at the first opportunity. And Miss Grayson spent the whole dance staring at Lord Wickford.”
His first dance of the evening still sat heavy on his mind.
“What do you know of Miss Browning?” he asked Bancroft.
The man’s brow raised in surprise at his question, before understanding dawned in his eyes. “Ah, so you’ve chosen Piglet for the hunt.”
Sebastian ignored his crassness. “Why do you think she never married?”
Bancroft looked at him with amusement. “You’re asking if she’s heinous? Have you heard the phrase about beggars being choosers?”
Something in his tone made Sebastian bristle. “I may be a beggar, but if I am stuck looking for a bargain, then I aim to find the best one. Surely life does not have to be miserable with my future wife, even if money is the aim.”
Bancroft scoffed. “I mean…she’s Piglet. She never smiles, she lingers near Miss Greene incessantly, and from my understanding she keeps to herself. That last trait is most ideal in a woman, if you ask me.”
He left it at that, as though such sparse details would do Sebastian any good. After a long moment of suffering Sebastian’s glare, he sighed. “Look, you asked me for a list of ladies who had large dowries. I provided as much. The finer details you will have to find for yourself. If in doubt, simply ask Browning.”
Sebastian wanted to roll his eyes at the very idea, but something stopped him. If he did pursue Miss Browning, then surely her brother would be privy to it immediately, and would know precisely what Sebastian intended. As such, there was little use in beating about the bush with his friend. Perhaps an alliance between them would better serve the whole endeavor.
“At worst, you may find her to be a bit dour for your tastes,” Bancroft interjected. “But I find that financial security has a way of changing tastes.”
Sebastian sighed. “I suppose I could handle it if she was a bit of a sad creature.” A funny image appeared in Sebastian’s mind, and he snorted at it. “A sad Piglet.”
They laughed greatly at that, and Bancroft made an oinking sound, which set them off even further. For a moment, Sebastian felt that his circumstances were not so dire as he had made them out to be.
“Well,” Bancroft eventually conceded, “You will never find out more about her from here. Go and find Browning. Lay out your little scheme. I am sure he will gladly hand Piglet over to you.”
His friend was correct. If there was one thing Sebastian did not have, it was time. Standing up, he turned back to Bancroft. “Alright. But if she does become my wife, we have to stop calling her Piglet.”
“Well, of course. It’s not like any of us evercalled her that in front of Browning. We will stop saying it to you, as well.”
With his friends, that was the most that Sebastian could hope for. It was, of course, all in good fun anyways.
*****
Sebastian felt like a complete cad when he arrived the next day to Browning’s townhome. He had spent the better part of the evening prior attempting to figure out how to explain to his friend that he wanted to marry his little sister - not for love, but for his friend’s money. It had been nearly three in the morning when he’d realized that there was no respectable way of phrasing it.
