Page 25 of A Sham Engagement

He sat down on a single chair opposite her. “As you are in a hurry, perhaps you might inform me to what I owe this unexpected visit.”

“I shall get straight to the point. Your father tells me you have at last settled upon a bride.”

He nodded, a little wary. “I have.”

“And that she is a nobody, sans dowry.”

“She is.”

His mother’s spine visibly stiffened. “Be honest with me, Jack. Is she a fortune hunter? Have you fallen into the clutches of an adventuress? It wouldn’t be the first time, would it?”

He let a smile touch his lips. “Really, Mama, is the former not a term reserved uniquely for men? And in what way do you imagine I would be taken in by an adventuress? Other than to take her promptly to my bed.”

Her brow furrowed in threat. “This is not a laughing matter, Jack, and there is no need for you to be coarse. A woman can as easily be after a fortune from a rich husband as a man can be from an heiress. And from what I have discovered about this girl, she is no heiress.” She must have spent the entire day in detective work, a dedication which had to be admired.

Jack sighed. “That’s immaterial to me. I have enough for both of us and more to spare.” Lying to his mother rankled. He’d always maintained an agreeable relationship with her. More so than with his father, at any rate.

She tutted at him, as she was wont to do in moments of annoyance. “Really, Jack, a girl whose family are plainly out for monetary gain is not a good match. And believe me, they are. I hear she’s uncommon pretty, though. Which, no doubt, they thought would snare her the sort of husband they need. The sort of husband with a sizeable enough fortune to pay their debts. You, in other words. Your fortune.”

The urge to defend Elenora from his mother’s diatribe rose. “I would have thought by now you would have been happy to see me marrying anyone.” He grinned. “Even a common flower seller.”

Her eyes widened. “She is not… is she?”

Now he broke into laughter. “No, she is not a common flower seller, as your sources must already have informed you. She is the daughter of a baronet from Wiltshire. A good family with a long and unblemished ancestry behind them.”

“A penniless rural baronet with a penchant for going deep in the card room, is what I’ve heard.”

He had to give her this. “You are right on that, Mother. But I am not planning on marrying the baronet, and as far as I can tell on our short acquaintance, Miss Wetherby has no interest in cards.” Wouldn’t his mother be surprised if she heard what truly interested his betrothed? And the avarice with which she’d purloined his book. It would be fun to tell her, just to see the shock on her face. He felt like shocking her. Always a good thing to keep one’s parents guessing.

She benefitted him with a reproving frown. “Do not be facetious, Jack, as it does not suit you and I find it irritating. I am perfectly aware that you are not betrothed to Sir Nicholas Wetherby, but your marriage to his oldest daughter will bring you into inevitable contact with the family. And I gather the eldest son is of the same bent as the father. A wastrel. They do not sound as though it will be a good connection.”

The smile died on Jack’s lips. “Hang on, Mother, I take issue with what you’re saying. Just because you’ve reached the lofty position of countess and control Amberley Castle and Father’s estates, it doesn’t give you the right to condemn those less fortunate than yourself in such a high-handed fashion.”

Her eyes narrowed, but she stayed silent for a moment. What was going on behind those eyes, so clever and calculating. He’d never been able to tell, and he couldn’t now.

Whatever it was, she seemed to come to some sort of conclusion. “I see you will not be dissuaded. So, perhaps you can tell me about the girl and how you came to propose.”

Jack swallowed. The exact circumstances should remain a secret—but had his father divulged some of last night’s goings-on to his mother already, and would she know if he lied? “You don’t know? Didn’t my father already tell you? Or any of your other informants?”

She shook her head. “Your father was most irritating, as usual. He merely informed me that you had, on a whim, become engaged. He was smugly satisfied, as all he’s bothered about is you producing an heir to his title. This morning. At breakfast. I mean, that he informed me at breakfast, not that you’d become engaged then.” Her chest expanded as she drew in a deep, heartfelt breath. “I have to admit that I was quite surprised.”

So his father had kept his promise, not a foregone conclusion by any means, where his mother, who could have stood in for the Spanish Inquisition, was concerned.

“I encountered her last night, at Father’s ball.”

She frowned. “I was there. Why was I not introduced?”

“You must have met her when she arrived with her parents and aunt. Everyone was introduced on arrival.”

“She came with her aunt?”

“Lady Dandridge.”

“Ah, Penelope.” She sounded a trifle mollified, as though a connection to Lady Dandridge might mitigate the penury the rest of Elenora’s family suffered. “I would remember if I’d seen Penelope arrive. Your father must have been greeting our guests alone while I checked the preparations.” She huffed. “It’s best not to leave it entirely to the staff, as things can so easily go wrong. Supervision ensures no mistakes are made.”

So she hadn’t met Elenora yet. Was that a good thing? The girl was such an original he couldn’t be certain what she might say to his mother. Although, it might just be quite amusing… Perhaps he would invite Elenora for afternoon tea with him and his mother. “If you were busy with preparations, your lack of an introduction to my fiancée can hardly be laid at her door. Nor the door of her parents. Rather, at yours. You have a housekeeper to supervise the staff.”

Lady Amberley was well known for her inability to resist interfering with the upkeep of any of her establishments. Her Town housekeeper, a woman Jack had known since his boyhood, had been heard to heave a deep sigh of relief when she retired to the country at Amberley Castle.