And then there was the drama surrounding the Prince of Orange who had been placed in charge of the allied military until Wellington arrived. Rumor had it that even Sir Charles had had a devil of a time reining in his majesty. Even with all that going on the great man himself did not arrive until the fifth of April.
Geoff could not imagine anything more exciting than to be in the middle of all the preparations for the battle and the subsequent reinstatement of King Louis XVIII to the throne.
Having been advised how difficult it was becoming to find suitable quarters, his father had already arranged houses for Geoff and his wife in The Hague, Ghent, and Brussels. It was expected that they would entertain foreign and British officers and their wives as well as the Prince of Orange, and other dignitaries.
Charlotte, he knew, would have been the shining star of the government’s delegation. He just prayed the lady he ended up marrying could do half as well.
His valet appeared at the door. “My lord, your bath is ready.”
“Thank you, Nettle.”
A few minutes later, Geoff sank into the hot water and tried to relax. But thinking what his father would have to say about his failure to wed Charlotte made his muscles tighten despite the warm water. He must write to Father before he found out about Geoff’s failure from some other source.
Abandoning his bath, he quickly dried himself, pulled on a pair of breeches and a shirt, and sat at his desk.
Yet, before he had finished mending his pen, Nettle appeared with a letter. “From his lordship your father, my lord.”
“Perdition.” This could not bode well for him.
Geoff braced himself for the scathing commentary on his being such a gudgeon as to not have been able to secure Lady Charlotte he was sure the missive held. He poured another glass of madeira, took a swallow, and pried open the seal.
My dear Harrington,
That was unexpected.
It has come to my attention that Lady Charlotte Carpenter is betrothed to the Marquis of Kenilworth. According to your mother, who was the bearer of this unfortunate piece of information—Geoff was sincerely thankful he had not had to give his father the bad news—the fault is entirely mine. If (again according to your mother) I had not insisted on you attending me, you would most likely be celebrating your nuptials to the lady.
That was most likely the truth. If he’d been in Town, he would have made absolutely sure Charlotte had not gotten to know Kenilworth.
Your mother has also informed me (As you might be able to ascertain this is becoming wearing. I have never known myself to be so mistaken in so many things at one time) that you have shown yourself to be capable of selecting your own bride and, in the event you require advice, your grandmother and Cousin Apollonia are in Town to provide you any guidance you might require.
Your mother has also included a short list of ladies you might consider, but are not to feel constrained to offer for. (I honestly do not know why she did not write to you herself.)
Aside from that, you no longer have the leisure to wait on me again. I am reminded that you did not have time to come here in the first place. Therefore, I must accept your decision concerning a bride.
As you already have a copy of the settlement agreements I had drawn up, feel free to contact Fielding & Connors, our London solicitors, to tailor the agreements to the lady you select.
Yr. father,
Markham
Geoff read the letter twice more to make certain that the missive was indeed from his father. The words were as close as the old man had ever come to apologizing for anything. No doubt he had his mother to thank for that. Mama had been visiting her mother in Bath when Geoff had been home. Otherwise he was certain he would have known about Lady Charlotte’s betrothal to Kenilworth before arriving back in Town.
That she had become engaged so quickly made little sense to him. In fact, she seemed to welcome him at first. He gave himself a shake. It didn’t matter now. What was done was done, and he had taken steps to move on.
He took another swallow of madeira.
Nevertheless, he was damn sure he would not have wanted to be present for what must have been an extremely unpleasant conversation between his parents. Although, he very much wished he had been listening at a keyhole. His normally complacent mother must have been in rare form for his father to write such a contrite letter to him.
Geoff took a breath, and his shoulders felt as if a great weight had been lifted off them. Not having to worry about his father’s approval would make his search for a wife a great deal easier.
He glanced at the second sheet of paper written in his mother’s neat hand and read the short list.
Lady Mary Linley
Lady Emily Oakwood
Lady Jane Summers
