“Is Lady Enid one of those things?”
Greydon nodded. “She was,” he admitted.
His father huffed as he turned his attention to the hearth. “I do not know why you insist on disobeying me,” he said. “Lady Enid would be a terrible choice for your bride.”
“We shall have to agree to disagree on this.”
“I have taken the liberty of speaking to Lord Forbes on your behalf and we believe an alliance between our families would be beneficial.”
Greydon lifted his brow. “What kind of alliance?” he asked skeptically.
His father brought his gaze back to meet Greydon’s and replied, “A marriage between you and Lady Alice.”
“Lady Alice?” Greydon repeated. “She is hardly out of the schoolroom.”
“She may be young, but she is seventeen and is in her first Season. Besides, that was the age your mother was when we got married.”
Did his father truly think that he would go along with this madness? He had already decided he would marry Enid or no one else.
His father brought his glass up to his lips. “I know you have some misguided affections for Lady Enid, so you can take her as your mistress.”
“No.”
His father shrugged. “I do not care if you take Lady Enid as your mistress or not. I just thought it might soften the blow.”
With a shake of his head, Greydon said, “No, you misunderstood me. I will not take Lady Enid as a mistress but I intend to make her my wife.”
“Not this again!” his father exclaimed. “Your courtship of Lady Enid is improper. She is in no way worthy to be your wife, but Lady Alice is.”
Greydon remained calm and collected. No matter what his father said, it wouldn’t change his mind about Lady Enid. There was no point in engaging his father on this subject, but he did have a few questions of his own.
He came to sit across from his father. “Did you know that Phineas was planning on divorcing Harriet?”
His father sobered and grew silent. “I did.”
“Why would you help push his divorce through Parliament?” Greydon asked. “We both know there was a likelihood that it wouldn’t have been granted.”
“I know, but it had been over two years and Harriet had not done her duty. She had yet to bear Phineas a son.”
“So your plan was to help cast her aside, ruining her in the process?”
“What choice did we have?” his father asked.
Greydon would have liked to say that he was shocked by his father’s callousness, but he wasn’t. His consistent actions proved the type of person his father was.
His father growled, “Do not look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“As if you are judging me,” his father replied. “I am trying to protect our family’s legacy.”
Greydon leaned forward in his seat. “What would Mother say about your actions?”
His father visibly tensed, and his words grew harsh. “You will leave your mother out of this,” he demanded.
“How can I do that?” Greydon asked. “You have done nothing to honor her.”
His father jumped up from his seat, spilling his drink onto his hand. “You are out of line, Son.”
