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Beside him, the younger Hood bristled but remained silent, clearly waiting for his father’s verdict—giving off the impression he was sure it would be a resounding negative. The silence stretched as the Viscount contemplated Rex with a serious expression, and Rex looked serenely back at him. While he was by no means sure of his position, one didnotrefuse a Marquess without good reason.
Finally, the Viscount leaned forward, placing his hands on the desk in front of him.
“Mary has become like a daughter to me,” he said, looking directly into Rex’s eyes. “As both of my other daughters marriedintomy family, she is the first daughter I have whose marriage ismyresponsibility. I want to be clear. I do not care if she is courted by a prince, a duke, or a businessman without a title to his name. My one and only concern isMaryis happy. You have my permission to pay your addresses to Mary, but she is the one who will ultimately make the decision of who she weds.” He gave Rex a short, sharp nod, and Rex’s estimation of the man went up even more.
There were not many among thetonwho would balk at sacrificing a daughter, much less a niece, to gain a connection to a title as lofty as his. Rex had known from the first, all he had to do was pick a chit, and he could likely have her. The only thing that had kept him from doing so were his stringent requirements for his bride.
“Thank you for your permission,” Rex said formally, aware of the younger Hood fuming beside him, put out Rex had not been sent packing. “I can promise you if we were to wed, Miss Wilson’s happiness would be of my utmost concern.”
The words rang surprisingly sincere, causing both of the Hood men to cast thoughtful glances at him, although the younger’s was full of suspicion. Rex was a tad surprised himself by the truth of his assertion. Of course, he had never imagined purposefully making his imagined wifeunhappy with him, but until Mary, he had not truly thought to do the opposite.
When he had been courting Arabella, he had felt assured she would secure her own happiness, no matter who she married. They would have had a comfortable friendship and rubbed along together, but he would not have considered himself in any way responsible for her happiness. With Mary, he felt decidedly different, despite her brazen actions, which bespoke her pursuit of enjoyment. While she might not be as publicly dedicated to satisfying herself, she had gone looking for what she wanted. Yet, for some reason, he still wanted to be the one to ensure she received it.
Eventually, he was going to need to examine that impulse more closely.
Mary
There was no inquisition like that of a matchmaking mama, scenting a possible hunt, even if Aunt Elizabeth was her mother’s sister and not her own mother. Being questioned so closely by an expert was truly unnerving, especially with everything she had to leave out.
She could hardly admit to following him out of the ballroom onto the darkened garden walks, where he had kissed her, and she certainly could not confess the events of the night prior. To give her aunt and Arabella something to mull over, other than the introduction Arabella had witnessed, she disclosed running into him in the hall when he had come by the house the other day, but she could not divulge all ofthatencounter, either.
With such limited information to dissect, the two ladies picked apart the possible meanings behind every word exchanged between Mary and Hartford, of which there were not many. She wanted to moan and bang her head on the table when she realized how little Hartford’s interest in her made sense. If she could tell them the whole truth…
They would have her married off to him before she could blink. He had been right. Despite the fact she was still a virgin, thetonwould not care. Just being at his house without a chaperone was enough to irrevocably compromise her reputation, much less at the kind of event he had hosted last night.
The door to the dining room opened, and Mary’s head swiveled on her neck. She was dimly aware of her aunt and Arabella’s movements in unison with hers. Uncle Henry came through the doorway first, followed by Thomas, whose fierce frown morphed into odd compassion when his gaze met hers. She was surprised by the disappointment she felt when Hartford did not follow them.
“Mary, the Marquess of Hartford would like to court you,” Uncle Henry said, sitting down in his seat and picking up his paper as if he had not just dropped news guaranteed to shock. “He will return this afternoon to take you for a ride in Hyde Park if you wish.”
“Henry!” Aunt Elizabeth shrieked her husband’s name, her hand coming down flat on the table with a bang that made them all jump. Uncle Henry’s newspaper came down again, and Aunt Elizabeth glared at him. “What do you mean he wishes to court Mary? What did he say?”
“Exactly what I said.” A little smile played on Uncle Henry’s lips as if he was having a good time at his wife’s expense. “He wishes to pay court to Mary. I told him he had my permission, although whether she eventually accepts his suit would be up to her. You do not have to marry him unless you want to, dear.”
Uncle Henry’s newspaper went back up, covering his face, and Aunt Elizabeth jumped to her feet. For a moment, Mary thought she might throttle her husband, but instead, Aunt Elizabeth turned and looked at Mary, her dark eyes oddly wild.
“Up, Mary, do not just sit there! We have work to do!” She gestured hurriedly and so forcefully, Mary was on her feet before she had a thought.
“Work?” she echoed, feeling adrift.
“Yes, work,” Aunt Elizabeth said, taking Mary by the arm and directing her to the door. “Come, Arabella, we will want your keen eye.”
“What are we doing?” Mary was a bit desperate in her confusion. Everything was moving so quickly, and she had no idea where her aunt was leading her or what she intended.
“Deciding what you are going to wear this afternoon.” From the dire tones of her aunt’s voice, it sounded more like she was declaring they were going to war. Arabella scurried behind them, and when Mary glanced over her shoulder, she could see the excitement on Arabella’s face.
“For a ride in the park?” Granted, this would be the first time a gentleman tooled her about, but she did not think Hartford would care overmuch what she wore. “What is wrong with what I am wearing now?” She liked the pale green walking dress; it was comfortable and pretty and one of the few items which Aunt Elizabeth had felt looked well enough with her blonder hair, so had allowed Mary to keep in her wardrobe.
Aunt Elizabeth came to a grinding halt, turning in front of Mary so she could face her. The gentle expression on her face, as if she was about to tell Mary something frightening, took Mary’s breath away. She had not seen her aunteverlook like this.
“Mary, darling, the Marquess ofHartfordis going to be taking you for a ride around Hyde Park. Even if he were not Hartford, but another Marquess, the matrons lined up there will be paying utmost attention.” Aunt Elizabeth’s eyes were full of sympathy as the realities of the situation finally hit home. “This is his public declaration that he will be courting you. Your dresses are no longer just clothing, they are armor to shield and support you. Every eye is going to be on you, and we are going to ensure they see a beautiful, well dressed, utterly respectable debutante who has caught the Marquess’ interest.”
“You are going to be mobbed after this,” Arabella added cheerfully, coming up beside her to pat Mary’s arm comfortingly. Unlike Aunt Elizabeth, she seemed positively gleeful at the attention that was about to come down on them. “Do not worry, Mary, we will help you manage.”
Double blast.
Mary gulped. This was far more complicated than she had bargained for… but what choice did she have? How was she going to keep investigating the members of Hartford’s club if everyone would be paying unprecedented attention to her?
Rex
