“Well, young lady.” Miss Elizabeth Turley’s aunt, Lady Bristow, sailed into the Turley House morning room and took a seat. “Lord Harrington has returned, and he is in desperate need of a bride.”
Elizabeth set down her embroidery hoop and took a breath. She had known her good friend, Charlotte, had decided not to accept Harrington. If he ever got around to proposing, which he had not. She had even introduced Harrington to Elizabeth.
Still . . .desperate for a wife?That did not sound good. “How do you know?”
A footman came in with a fresh pot of tea, set it down, and left. Elizabeth began to pour. Fixing her aunt’s cup as she liked it.
“I had it from Lady Collingwood. He has been accepted for a posting with Sir Charles Stuart, but he must be married. And, as you are aware, Lady Charlotte will have none of him. In fact, Lady St. John saw her riding in Kenilworth’s carriage this morning, followed by Lady Merton’s coach a few minutes later. So, Harrington has clearly been rejected.” Aunt Bristow accepted the cup of tea from Elizabeth. “He must leave for the Continent shortly if he is to take the position, and he must have a wife.” Taking a sip she raised a brow. “The question you must answer is what you are prepared to accept.”
She had been wondering where Charlotte had gone when what Aunt said caught Elizabeth’s attention. “Accept?” She tasted her tea and added more sugar. Aunt had clearly decided to add more Assam to the blend than Elizabeth preferred. “I do not understand.”
“Two or three weeks is hardly time enough for a love match,” her aunt scoffed. “Will you accept compatibility with a chance for love to grow later?”
Absolutely not. That was exactly what her cousin Lavvie had done, and the marriage had been a disaster. Only her husband’s death had saved her. Not only that, but from what Elizabeth had seen this Season, two weeks time was more than sufficient to fall in love. Lady Louisa Vivers, now the Duchess of Rothwell, had done it in a few days if not sooner. Dotty and Merton had not taken long either. In fact their gentlemen had fallen in love as well. As for Charlotte, she had taken longer to fall in love with Lord Kenilworth, but she must have for she would not have agreed to marry him unless she was in love, and he was in love with her.
Elizabeth was perfectly aware that did not mean she and Lord Harrington would fall in love in that short of a period. Yet, a few weeks would be plenty of time to know if they could have a love match. She had to ensure there was a chance of love before she could agree to marry a man.
“I do not know,” she said slowly, setting her cup down. Elizabeth selected a piece of seed cake. “It will depend how I feel about him.” At first Lord Harrington had reminded her of Lord Merton with his tall, blond looks. Lord Harrington, though, didn’t have the same somber disposition Merton had had until he married Dotty. That most likely came from still having a father and mother. Lord Harrington’s blue eyes seemed to smile more often than not. The problem was that his orbs had been trained almost exclusively on Lady Charlotte all Season.
Taking a bite of the cake, Elizabeth savored the blend of spices, considering her aunt’s question. “Firstly, I must get him to notice me. It would be extremely helpful if Gavin was friends with him.”
“Friends with whom?” Her brother strolled into the room and snatched up three pieces of cake and began to gollop them down as if he had not eaten a substantial breakfast just two hours ago.
“Lord Harrington.” Elizabeth poured him a cup of tea, adding extra sugar and milk.
One side of his mouth tipped up. A definite sign that he was up to something. “I was at Eton and Oxford with him. Why?” Finishing the cake, Gavin lowered his long frame down onto a chair across the table from her and took the teacup.
“I believe Harrington would be an excellent match for your sister,” their aunt said as she appeared to study Gavin for several moments. “We need to find a way to bring her to his attention.”
“Were you?” Elizabeth asked her brother. “You never mentioned it before.” Ideas began flying through her mind until one stuck. “You,” she said to Gavin, “could invite him to dinner this week.”
Her brother’s eyes widened innocently as he swallowed the rest of his tea. “Could I, indeed?”
“Yes, and I think you should,” Elizabeth said decisively.
Setting his cup down, he began to rise when the tip of Aunt’s cane hit him in the stomach. He made a slight “oofing” sound. “Not so fast, young man. We have some plans to make.”
Gavin looked ready to bolt, and if Elizabeth didn’t do something quickly, she would lose her chance. “You have been after me all Season to marry. You have even held up Lady Louisa’s and Lady Charlotte’s matches to me. Their brother helped them. It is your turn to assist me.”
“Aside from that,” their aunt said, not moving the cane from Gavin’s flat stomach, “Harrington is searching for a bride. He must marry or lose the position his father managed to talk Castlereagh into giving to him. Elizabeth is correct. You should invite him to join us for dinner.”
Gavin leaned back against the chair, and Elizabeth quickly handed him more tea and the last piece of cake. “There is nothing wrong with inviting him to dinner, but I have an even better idea. I shall invite him to tea.”
Aunt’s sharp gaze focused on Gavin, and her cane resumed its place next to her chair. “Why tea?”
“It is more informal. If they like each other, you or Lizzy could suggest they take a stroll in the garden or some such thing.” Absently, her brother devoured the cake. “And if that goes well, we can ask if he’d like to accompany us to the ball one evening or dine with us another evening.” Gavin raised a lazy brow and focused on her. “Will that do?”
Tea? She considered her brother’s offer. That would give her an opportunity to get to know Harrington a little more. Elizabeth graced her brother with a wide smile. “It will, indeed. Thank you. Let me know once you have spoken to his lordship, and he has agreed to join us for tea.”
“As it happens”—Gavin smirked—“I saw him earlier today at White’s, and I have already invited him for today.”
“Gavin, you wretch!” Elizabeth wished there was something hard at hand to throw at him, but settled for a pillow. “Why did you not tell us straightaway?”
Catching the pillow, he grinned at her before placing it on the sofa. “It was much more fun to see you and Aunt try to wheedle me in to doing something for you.”
He swallowed the rest of his tea. “I’ll see you later.”
“Where are you going?” Aunt asked.
