All the ladies he had been interested in last Season and this Season had been rational. He would enjoy coming to know Lady Aurelia. Still, he wondered why she was not already wed. Was there some secret or circumstance that made her ineligible? His aunt would never stand for the possibility of a scandal. And how would he find out? Or should he even bother given he was interested in Miss Featherton? Then again, Marc had thought Turley had given up on her, but apparently the rumors had been false. He gave himself an inner shrug. He’d simply have to allow the circumstances to play out as they would. At least now he had an alternative to his aunt’s ultimatum that he find a suitable lady to marry before the year was out. He had managed to if not ignore, then not keep his dilemma at the front of his mind, but lately he had not been able to forget about it. Marc didn’t care if he had one of those love matches that were all the rage, but he would like to know he could get on well with the lady he’d wed.
“How do you like your tea?” Lady Aurelia’s question broke into his musings.
“Two lumps of sugar and more than a splash of milk.” She procured his cup of tea before getting her own. “Shall we retreat to the chairs by the fireplace before anyone else notices them?”
Her question conjured a vision of him sitting next to a fireplace with a lady, but he could not quite picture who the female was. He was about to answer in the aff irmative, when he noticed she had taken his arm and was leading him in the direction she wished to go. She was definitely a determined female. But would he like being managed? He supposed it depended on who it was and how it was done. They found the chairs were close enough together for a comfortable coze. He could become used to this.
* * *
Lucinda, Constance, and Cristabel had been waiting all evening in the well-appointed private parlor of Catherine, the dowager Lady Turner, to see if the first step of their new plan had gone well. Lucinda had never seen such an arrangement for a dowager made in the same house as the rest of the family. Everything from the private entrance to the kitchen and other facilities in her wing of the house had been well designed to allow her complete autonomy.
Catherine nodded as her maid whispered in her ear.
“Did it happen?” Lucinda asked.
“Yes.” Catherine grinned. “My daughter-in-law introduced Lady Aurelia and Lytton. They are having tea together by the fireplace.”
“I do hope they prove to be well suited,” Constance said. “It would solve all the problems that currently plague him, and her. I would dearly like to see my niece settled.”
“I am simply pleased that her mother convinced her to come and meet him.” Lucinda took a small sip of wine. They had not known until they had arrived this evening that Aurelia was attending the house party and for what purpose. “From what I know of your niece, she would not agree to wed him if she did not like him.”
“From what I understand, she has been a bit hard to please,” Catherine added.
Constance snorted. “The girl has turned down two dukes as well as other assorted gentlemen.”
Lucinda noticed that Catherine had dropped her jaw for a moment, and stared pointedly at Constance. “I do not suppose that would have anything to do with her great-aunt offering to take her in if her father attempted to force her to marry against her wishes.”
At least Constance had the grace to blush a little. Although she tried to hide it by taking a drink. “You know very well that after the debacle of a marriage my dear departed husband made for our son, I vowed no one else in my family would suffer the same thing. I firmly believe that if not for that marriage, my boy would be alive today.”
Well, at least she had stopped blaming her husband’s nephew who had inherited the title. “I have no doubt you are correct, my dear.” Rare tears blurred Constance’s eyes, and Lucinda patted her friend’s hand.
“At least we know why many of the gentlemen don’t like poor Lytton,” Catherine said.
Apparently his behavior had been compared to a Cit, always attempting to ingratiate himself. “I have no doubt it is because his aunt could find no good in the boy.” The thought of the insults that he must have endured because his great-grandfather was in trade angered Lucinda. “His aunt never made any secret that she disapproved of his mother’s breeding. And it is my opinion that after his parents died and he was left with his father’s family he was starved for affection and did not truly understand his place in the world.”
“If you’d been treated as if you were always lacking, you might have done the same.” Constance shook her head. “The right wife can bring him around. But I will not have Aurelia marrying him if she doesn’t want him.”
“We have all agreed on that.” Catherine poured more wine in their glasses. “I must say, even though it is only the first day, I never believed this house party would be so well organized. I was certain I’d be called down for any number of problems.”
Lucinda nodded. “It is also fortunate that the mothers who did accompany their daughters are pleased to have their own parlor.”
Constance heaved a sigh. “Thank you, Catherine, for thinking of that. I can think of little more tedious than having to listen to mothers of young ladies.”
Catherine chuckled. “Neither can I. Thankfully, I was only given one daughter, and she knew exactly who she was going to marry.”
“I do not think it was so difficult when my daughters were ready to wed,” Lucinda mused. “Now, Featherton almost gave me fits until he met his wife.” Her daughter-in-law frequently did not see eye to eye with her, but she never allowed that to stand in her way of doing what was necessary to ensure her granddaughters married the right men. “If only we knew how Georgie and Gavin got along this evening.”
“I shall ask my maid to find out the next time they are here,” Catherine offered.
“Thank you. I would have so liked to be able to see what was going on.” Lucinda glanced at Catherine. “I do not suppose you have any secret passageways and holes placed in the eyes of paintings.”
“Unfortunately, no.” Her friend laughed. “I am told the old house had them, but this one is too new.”
“Ah, well. I shall have to wait to hear about it.” Despite his ridiculous fears, Lucinda had formed a very good opinion of Gavin Turley, and she hoped Georgie would eventually accept him. Time would tell. And while they waited, there was another match to make.
* * *
In the carriage, Georgie yawned, and Gavin wanted to cuddle her next to him like Littleton was doing with his wife. Conversation had died down, and Littleton’s head was resting on Adeline’s. Gavin would wager they were both asleep. The steady pace of the horses lulled him. As it was, the only thing keeping Gavin awake was Georgie.
