“A tight ship,” she said with a smile. “We are again with the nautical themes. So does this astuteness apply to his home life? Am I to expect to also run a tight ship in his home?”
“I do not know,” he said. Did she have to question absolutely everything?
“I do not aim to be contrary. It is simply that I wish to know what is expected of me. Also, if I may make an observation?”
He wanted to say no, because he had a feeling that whatever she was going to observe was not going to be in his favor. But he did not want to be contrary either. “Very well.”
“Every time you tell me about a gentleman, you are always determined to make him sound agreeable and promising. I think it would be easier if you also had something less than flattering to say. I do not expect whoever you introduce me to to be perfect. I do not think there is such a thing as a perfect match, after all. But if you did not withhold the negatives from me, it would give me a better chance to prepare myself.”
He blinked. He knew negative things about all the gentlemen he wanted to introduce her to, but he hadn’t thought it wise to share them with her.
“After all,” she said, “I am sure when you tell the gentlemen about me, you tell them that I am widowed, that I have a child, and that my finances are not what they once were.”
“I do tell them. But I do not frame it as any sort of shortcoming. You couldn’t help that you became a widow after all. Lavinia is charming. Aren’t you charming?” he said and winked at the little girl. She bounced on his arm, and he felt the way that Helena was looking at him. He couldn’t quite name the appearance onher face, but it was softer than she had looked at him before. Kinder. As though she saw him as something more than the peculiar Duke who had shown up on her doorstep demanding to find her a husband.
“Now, if you must hear something negative, this gentleman is rather a bore. He has no notable pastimes to speak of.”
“I see,” she said. “Boring.”
“Yes. But stable.”
“It sounds dreadful,” she announced.
“You find stability dreadful?”
“No, I find the complete lack of any pastimes whatsoever to be alarming. Stability is very desirable, but a man who is entirely dull is another thing altogether.”
“Let us place him further down the list. Who else do you have?”
“Well, there is Mr. Donald Donaldson.”
She burst out laughing. “Let us place him at the bottom simply for the name alone.”
“You would discriminate against somebody by virtue of their name? That is not very charitable.”
“Very well,” she said. “Tell me about this gentleman.”
“He is wealthy, for one. He is a diamond merchant. You will always have beautiful jewelry.”
“That is tempting,” she confessed. “But besides that? Is he also boring?”
“No,” he said. “He has a number of interests. Fencing, hunting, shooting?—”
“No, no, no,” she said, wagging her finger. “That will not do. I would rather go back to the one who was boring. This one seems to have rather a death wish with all the excitement he seeks. All of these things could leave him just as dead as my first husband. And I do not look to repeat this experience.”
“So you do find stability appealing after all.”
“I never said I didn’t.” She looked at him. “Is that how you would describe yourself? Stable?”
Now it was his turn to burst out laughing. “Not in the least. I am indeed the opposite of stable. Which is exactly why I am not applying for the position. No — if you were to marry me, stability would not be something you would have. Excitement, certainly. You would laugh wholeheartedly, and you would find yourself travelling and exploring the world. But if you wish to sit at home and work on your embroidery, I am not the man for you.”
“I do not care for embroidery,” she said. “I prick my fingers more often than I care to admit.”
“Is that so,” he said, looking at her. “Would you describe yourself as adventurous?”
“I am a lady, therefore my options are limited. But I would love to see Scotland.”
He waved a hand. “Nothing much to see there. All greenery and mountain goats and such.”
