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“I do not believe we are foolish enough to allow a woman to come between us.” Mayton shrugged. “It is a pity to lose such a gem, but I have had time to think, and in that time, something was revealed to me.”
“What revelation did you have?” Rhys asked when his cousin’s pause was drawn out.
“Elizabeth suits you more than Lady Irene, and perhaps she is the woman you need to bring about a change in your life.” Mayton smiled while Rhys scowled. “If she can change you, give you what I know you lack, then I will be happy with my loss.”
Rhys released a breath and went to sit in one of the chairs in front of his cousin’s desk. Could Elizabeth truly give him what he wanted yet stopped wishing for a long time ago? Rhys shook his head. He did not want to hope.
“Elizabeth might also make you toss out that damned list of requirements because she only fulfills two of them: being intelligent, more intelligent than you are, and she is of noble blood.” His cousin started to laugh then. “This marriage might actually teach you a lot, Guildford, because I surely would love to see you try to assert any authority over her.”
Rhys gave his cousin a disapproving look which he ignored. Rhys knew now that it would be almost impossible for Elizabeth to be the Marchioness he wanted, but he was still going to try to shape her into a good marchioness. Like him, she had a lot to learn, especially about the danger she could be in if she continued to write as Myers. This was the greatest threat to their harmony.
“If you are through mocking me, then perhaps you will tell me if you will be coming to my wedding,” Rhys said.
“I will. When is it?” Mayton skirted his desk to sit on the edge near Rhys.
“In three days at Guildford Manor.”
“Do you intend to stay in London?”
“We will live in Dorset for a while until London forgets the scandal.” Rhys had made that decision on the carriage ride from Winston House to Mayton’s. Taking Elizabeth away from London was the only way he could keep her safe until he convinced her to stop writing.
“Are you taking Grandmother with you?” Mayton’s brow rose.
“God, no!” Rhys shook his head. “The two of them will burn my Castle to the ground if I so much as leave them alone in it.”
His cousin laughed. “Yes, I can see your reason now.” He moved to a small table in a corner of the room and turned up two tumblers before pouring liquor into them. When he handed Rhys a glass, he said, “My earnest felicitations, Guildford.”
Rhys raised his glass. “Thank you, Mayton.” When he finished his drink, he rose, thanked his cousin for not forsaking him, and left.
He returned home shortly before dinner and was regrettably accosted by his grandmother in his study before he could quietly go to his chambers. “Are you not supposed to be up in your chambers getting ready for dinner?” he asked with a beleaguered sigh.
“I am already dressed for dinner,” the Dowager replied, sitting near the fireplace and tilting her chin up.
“Oh,” Rhys muttered. “Is there something I can do for you, Grandmother?”
“When are you getting married?” she asked.
“Have you decided to accept Lady Elizabeth?”
“I detest scandals, and I understand that you must marry her to keep our good name.”
“Too proud to accept defeat, I see,” Rhys chuckled then decided to use this opportunity to give her the rules he had made for peace to reign in his home. “Elizabeth and I will travel to Dorset after the wedding, but you will remain in London.”
His grandmother’s eyes enlarged as though she had just been given horrible news. “She does not know how to manage Guildford Castle.”
“She is a lady, Grandmother, and she was born to marry a nobleman—”
“Yes, but not to manage a home as grand as Guildford Castle.”
Rhys threw a glare at her. “You will remain in London, and if you decide to go to Dorset, then you will live in the Dower House.” She opened her mouth to dissent, but he stopped her with a raised hand. “When Elizabeth becomes my Marchioness, you will accord her the respect she deserves whether or not you wish to because sheisdeserving of it. Do we have an understanding?”
His grandmother stood, her chin proud and her eyes devoid of emotion. “As you wish.” Then she left the room.
Rhys leaned back in his seat and sighed. Keeping them apart would be almost as good as keeping Elizabeth out of London. He was about to rise when he caught sight of a new missive on his desk. Chaplin was charged with collecting his letters, and he must have placed this one there.
The red seal had no crest, and he found no return address when he picked it up. This raised his urgency, and he quickly opened it.
Lord Guildford,
I wish to congratulate you on your impending nuptials. Your choice of bride is an excellent one which will surely lead to your happiness. I advise you to appreciate that happiness while it lasts.
Sincerely, Mr. T.
Rhys’ teeth clenched the instant he read the threat in the message, and the problem was that he did not know if this threat came from his side or Elizabeth’s.
