Page 69 of A Lady's Wager
“I hope Mr. Granville does not object to bringing his new wife back to Town for your wedding,” Father said.
Charlotte swallowed. “Mywedding?”
He didn’t seem to take note of the tremor in her voice. “Wouldn’t do to wait too long. The Season is nearly over now.”
“You were kind to wait until after Louisa’s wedding.” It had, in fact, been a kindness on Father’s part. How could she ask for another delay? Yet if he made his decision in the very near future, he would most certainlynotchoose the gentleman she could actually see herself happy with. “Marriage is not something one ought to rush into.”
“Fortunately,” Father said, “we have had four years.”
“Does that mean you have chosen someone?”
He shook his head, and she breathed a little more easily. “I don’t intend to propose to a gentleman on your behalf.” He laughed a little. “But there are a couple of gentlemen who, I believe, are on the cusp of approaching me. And should they do so, I would eagerly move forward with a match between either of them and my darling daughter.”
Should they do so.If Mr. Vernon or Mr. Travers asked for her hand, Father would accept. And she would be married almost before she knew what was happening.
Thank the heavens for Julian’s offer to continue interrupting would-be suitors. A bit of awkwardness would, she desperately hoped, go a long way toward preventing what would undoubtedly be a disaster.
JULIAN ARRIVED AT LORD ANDLady Fischer’s soiree feeling surprisingly excited. Yes, a great deal of that was owing to the fact that he was absolutely certain Charlotte would be there, but that was not the entirety of it. He had, under her influence, come to truly enjoy the time he was spending in Society. Charlotte had welcomed him and liked him and, to his delighted shock, had forgiven him. She had opened the door and he was finally ready to step through it.
Franklin was not in attendance that night, as he was spending the evening with his family. Julian never truly envied his friend those familial connections, mostly because his own family had been such a source of misery. But he did miss family, just as he’d told Lord Tarrant. His father had been an objectively dreadful person, but Julian sometimes wished he were still nearby, wished he were still present, were still alive. It was a difficult thing being so alone.
Perhaps someday Julian would have a family of his own and a life filled with love instead of loneliness. His mind immediately conjured an image of his estate, set to rights, Charlotte there with him, their children completing the idyllic image. He didn’t think it such an outlandish fantasy. She had kissed him, after all.And though it had been painfully brief, he had reason to believe she might feel for him what he felt for her.
But marriage, in their circles, was not the stuff of fantasies. It was approached logically, with an eye to connections and building family fortunes.
He was titled and had an estate and income, yes. But that estate was in a degree of disrepair, which was a bit of a drain on his income to the point that a wager of £1000 had been more than he’d been able to ignore. Add to that the fact that he was a Lord Wesley and that Charlotte’s father knew enough of the family history to look unfailingly askance at Julian as a result, and only the tiniest thread of hope remained.
Still, he entered the grand drawing room of Lord and Lady Fischer’s home with his head held high. He was greeted kindly, something which happened nearly everywhere he went the past week or so. He couldn’t say for certain if it was the reception he would have received if not for Charlotte accepting him so readily and warmly. Whatever the exact reason, he was choosing to be grateful. Unfortunately, in the midst of the kind greetings came Sir Duncan. His presence seldom improved a situation.
The gentleman’s attention, though, was not on Julian, but rather on Charlotte herself. The earl stood nearby. With her father present, it was not Julian’s place to intercede. But Charlotte looked more than a little annoyed. If he wasn’t mistaken, she was also a bit miserable. His role that night was meant to be utilizing his knack for being a bit ridiculous in order to slow the efforts of would-be suitors. Sir Duncan wasn’t a suitor, but he could be thwarted the same way.
Julian sauntered to where they were and placed himself in the gathering.
“You have left all of the gentlemen of London wondering how long it will be before you follow your friend and marry as well,” Sir Duncan was saying.
“The gentlemen of London may simply have to learn to be patient,” Charlotte said. She managed a casual and friendly tone, but Julian recognized the frustration and tension in her gaze. Her father seemed oblivious to it.
“You could not be so cruel,” Sir Duncan said, his tone teasing as well but with enough snap to the words to render them more demanding than friendly.
Julian had harbored some suspicion that Sir Duncan might be the one who had made the bet regarding Charlotte’s marriage prospects. And he sneered enough at Julian when they were in company to add weight to the theory.
The earl was not moving to intervene, and Sir Duncan did not seem likely to abandon the subject or walk away. Julian was unwilling to leave Charlotte to deal with the blackguard herself.
“Is the theme of this evening’s soiree ‘Badgering Ladies on the Subject of Marriage’?” Julian asked, watching Sir Duncan with wide eyes and a look of feigned innocence. “I am afraid I have arrived with absolutely no experience in that area.”
“I have badgered no one,” Sir Duncan insisted, ruffling up on the spot.
Julian was not so easily distracted from his awkward aim. “Are we calling it something different? ‘Pestering,’ perhaps? ‘Making Oneself a Nuisance in the Presence of’?” Julian turned overly innocent eyes on Charlotte. “Am I meant to be annoying you right now?”
She smiled broadly. “If that is what you are attempting, Lord Wesley, I fear you are failing. I find myself delighted with your company.”
He looked to Sir Duncan once more. “My apologies, but it appears you will be required to undertake all of the pestering this evening. I am clearly quite unable to make myself irritating.”
Sir Duncan was not amused, but many others gathered around were.
“Are you inferring that I am mistreating Lady Charlotte?” Sir Duncan demanded, nostrils flaring with vexation.
“I wasimplying,” Julian corrected. “You wereinferring.” He looked to Charlotte once more. “Is incorrect word usage part of the evening’s entertainment? I fear I will be unskilled at that as well.”
