Page 6 of The Mistletoe Duke

“Oh.” She laughed, and then she sobered. “What about Bentley?”

“Bentley?” He gaped at her. “Bentley is an inveterate gambler.”

“Well, that’s no good. How about Exeter?”

“He’s a sot.”

“Lud, Jonathan. What kind of friends do you have?” She tapped her chin. “How about Moncrieff?”

Moncrieff had a serious proclivity for trollops. Hardly the marrying kind, but he couldn’t tell his mother that, or he might be in danger of proving her point. “Let me think on it.”

“You do that. And remember, it’s Meg. She’s practically family. She deserves someone nice. It was beastly what Cyril did to her.”

Jonathan murmured something and nodded, but he didn’t mention the fact that this was the way of the world. Though he would never have done so, many men ousted the families of the previous lord when they claimed the title. It was not looked highly upon by the ton, but that didn’t stop it happening. “I’m just glad she had you to take her in, Mother,” he said.

She grunted and stared at the fire. “Cyril should be flogged.”

“Perhaps you can arrange a party for that.”

“Perhaps I shall.” The gleam in her eye was a trifle alarming, so he decided to change the topic.

“Where are the girls?”

His mother took another sip. “Upstairs in bed, of course. It’s the middle of the night.”

Not hardly. It was just past eleven.

“They might be in Meg’s room, though.”

“Meg’s room? Why would my daughters be sleeping in Meg’s room?”

“Oh dear.” She sent him a rueful glance. “They might have run off another nanny.”

Another nanny? Jonathan raked back his hair. “Might have?”

“There was some talk of setting her boot on fire.”

“That would do it.” He had no idea why he had to fight back a smile. “How many nannies is that?”

“I’ve lost count. But, Jonathan, it’s not their fault.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Those girls need a mother. Nannies just won’t do for such high-spirited creatures.”

“They have a father.”

“Hmm.” She finished off her glass and re-poured. “A father who prefers to flitter about in London.”

“I hardly flitter. For the past two months, I’ve been working straight through.” The parliamentary session had been endless.

“My point exactly. They need a mother.”

Blast. She had won that point after all.

“Even though this party is for Meg, it wouldn’t hurt for you to assess some of the young ladies who are coming. Say you will.”

Blast.