“Busy with what?” his father demanded.
Greydon walked further into the room. “I would rather not say.”
His father’s eyes narrowed. “Have you been spending time with Lady Enid?”
“I have,” he said, seeing no reason to deny it.
“You are being foolhardy. Take Lady Enid as your mistress and find a respectable young woman to marry.”
Greydon shook his head. “I intend to marry Lady Enid.”
His father’s mouth dropped. “You can’t be in earnest,” he said. “Lady Enid is ruined and her reputation will tarnish ours.”
“I think Phineas did a good enough job with that,” Greydon remarked.
“Phineas acted no different than what his rank allowed him to do.”
“You are justifying his behavior?”
His father frowned. “Of course not, but even he married a young woman with an unblemished character.”
“Phineas was a cad, and I have no desire to follow in his footsteps.”
“You would rather have this family disgraced?”
Greydon sat down on the chair that faced the desk. “That is not my intention, but I love Lady Enid.”
Scoffing, his father said, “Love is an impractical emotion. It drives sane men mad.”
“Did you not have love with Mother?”
His father’s face softened slightly at the mention of his mother. “I did and look where it got me. I can’t go to sleep without thinking of your mother. Besides, we started off as an arranged marriage. Our love was cultivated over time and experiences.”
“I used to think as you do about love, but I decided I would rather have Lady Enid in my life than be afraid of being vulnerable,” Greydon admitted. “Furthermore, Lady Enid made a mistake when she eloped but that mistake shouldn’t define her.”
“It most surely should. She is a weak female and abandoned her family.”
“And she has learned from that.”
His father leaned back in his seat and studied him for a moment. “Regardless, I will not allow you to marry her.”
“You have no say in whom I marry.”
His father puffed out his chest, no doubt in an attempt to intimidate him. “I am your father and you will do as I say!” he exclaimed, his words taking on a harsh edge.
Greydon lifted his brow at his father’s attempt to manipulate him. It would take much more than that to change his mind. “That may have worked when I was little, but I am not some weak-willed man. I will marry Lady Enid, assuming she will have me.”
“Are you prepared for the repercussions of your actions?” his father demanded. “The invitations will dry up and you will be left as a lone, dreary man.”
“I care little of social events.”
“You must care because this will all be yours one day,” his father said, waving his hand over his desk. “But without support from your peers, you will get little accomplished in the House of Lords.”
Greydon tugged down on the ends of his waistcoat. “I will find a way to accomplish my goals.”
“You are a fool, Son, and you aren’t thinking with your head,” his father stated. “Marriage is a transaction that is supposed to benefit both parties.”
“I cannot disagree more with you. Marriage is more than a transaction. I want to spend my life with Lady Enid because she makes me a better man.”
