Page 42 of A Lady's Wager
The judgement of the granddaughter of an earl marrying an attorney was quick and spry in Etta’s mind, but she managed to hide it. “And your other daughter is a countess, I believe.”
“Will be one day,” Mr. Firth corrected. “She married Lord Dewmont, whose father is Lord Burbury, Earl of Lonstead.”
“Yes, that’s right. I do remember that.”
They lapsed into a fresh silence broken only by the creaks and bumps of the carriage, which were really quite loud when no one was conversing. She wasn’t sure what else to talk about.
“You live in London year-round?” Mr. Firth asked.
“My second husband provided well for me, including the town house in London where I live. I quite like the city.”
“Really?” he said, wrinkling his nose. “You do not long for the open spaces of the country?”
“What good would longing for anything do?” she countered, pushing away the dissatisfaction she had felt these last months…in part because of this man himself. Trappings and fripperies.
He was thoughtful as he looked at her across the space of the carriage. “You have been married twice.”
She felt herself stiffening up but did not shut down the thread—his curiosity was…curious. “Yes, sir.”
“But you are not married now.”
“No, sir.”
“And you help young girls make their match when they come to London for a Season?”
“When they need a sponsor for different events, yes, but primarily, I offer nomination to be presented to the queen, which gets them started. Often their mothers will do the job of hosting their time here, but not every mother is much good, if I’m honest. Few people know the city and its players the way I do.”
“And do your nominees always make a good match?”
“Yes,” she said without the confidence she might have otherwise relayed. Her lucky number thirteen was not on track to do the same, and she felt a stabbing pain in her stomach to think of what was happening. However, she finished the answer because Mr. Firth was still looking at her. “Every one of my charges have made an excellent match.”
“What is the definition of an excellent match?”
“Security,” Etta said. “Securing one’s care and confidence about the future is the very purpose of marriage. I take my role in helping them find security very seriously.” And yet…Rachel.
“And what of their happiness?”
Etta paused, realizing that he’d been leading her. She took a breath and settled herself into this other topic in which she was well-versed. “It is the same thing.”
“What is the same thing?”
“Happiness and security.”
Mr. Firth laughed. “It is not the same thing.”
“For a man, perhaps not. A woman comes into this world dependent on the men in her life—her father, her brothers, her sons. While most men do right by the women in their care, there is only one relationship in which she has any power—that of her husband. A man who can provide for her and their children allows her to find her happiness within the circumstances he haspower over in ways she never will. She must have absolute trust in his commitment to her so that her security is ensured.”
Mr. Firth cocked his head to the side, looking at her closely. “So only a rich man can make a woman happy.”
“Only a man with the ability to secure her future can make a woman happy.”
“And love?”
“Will grow over time, if it will grow at all.”
“You are a traditionalist, then,” Mr. Firth said with a nod. “Marriage is a transaction.”
“I am a realist, Mr. Firth. The world is such that women must depend on men, so a wise woman will choose a dependable man, thus ensuring her happiness.”
