Page 23 of In Compromise with the Earl
“And what are those?” Oswald asked. “Moreover, where do you get your knowledge from?”
She tipped her head. “I have been in thetonfor years, and so have my peers. You must realize to matchmake, I need to know many facts about people, my sources are legion. They help me with the work I do.”
“Gossiphelps you make matches?” Oswald asked dryly. “A dastardly thing, indeed.”
“I’d say it’s a necessary evil,” Lady Pandora replied. “Please tell me about the kind of lady you wish me to seek for you. Physical characteristics, accomplishments, mental acumen, lineage, etcetera. You may write them down if you would like.”
“Ah. Yes. To the matter at hand.” He scowled, his eyes hard as chipped glass while he glanced down at the paper. “I think this is not necessary. I will not insult your intelligence, My Lady, so I’ll just speak.”
“Noted,” Lady Pandora said, meeting his gaze with calm, but steely eyes.
“First, she must be intelligent and learned in many subjects,” Oswald said. “A good conversationalist and be able to follow a discussion with tact and humor, talented at the pianoforte, or any other art form, drawing, painting, what have you. I would appreciate it she speaks French, or any other language, fluently.”
“Of course.”
“Once upon a time I would have demanded that she be a peer in her own right,” Oswald said, his eyes drifting to the portrait of a lady behind Lady Pandora’s head. “Call me selective if you wish, but I believed blood called to blood to secure my own legitimacy.”
“But now?”
“Now, blue blood or not, I believe Ladies, true, genteel Ladies, can come in either class, the peerage or gentry,” Oswald said. “And as I think you might guess, the marriage to my late peer wife, ended on the worst note and a part of me is a bit scared that I may be walking into a trap again. I need a Lady who is circumspect. Do you see my logic?”
“Certainly,” Lady Pandora asked. “I would be wary as well. What else might I add to her qualifications for your match, My Lord? A huge dowry?”
“I would like someone with high social standing and a suitable dowry,” Oswald said, then waved his hand. “The titles I hold are over two-hundred years old and my Estates, domestic and abroad are abundant and bring in a sizable sum each year. I will provide, as is my honor to do so, but I do not want her to rely solely on me for all her wants and desires.”
“I see,” Lady Pandora’s eyes had taken on an assessing look, shifting a little as if her mind was coasting over a mental list of available ladies. “What about appearance?”
“I’d prefer someone fit,” Oswald replied. “Adept at riding as I am an equestrian. That would mean someone slender I suppose, but must be shorter than I and a good dancer. I am partial to blondes, but I suppose brunette works as well.”
“I’m listening,” Lady Pandora said.
“I do not want a fainting lily, I do not want a lady who will have a conniption when the slightest thing goes wrong,” Oswald added. “I am not against anyone with a child or children, but I would have an unencumbered lady, young enough. She needs not to be too young, who can bear children, and I want someone versed in the conjugal arts.”
Lady Pandora stared at him. “I beg your pardon?”
“Oh, you thought I wanted a virgin?” Oswald ticked up a brow.
“I did,” the matchmaker replied. “Most men that I draw into my service do.”
Thinking about Claire, and hervirginalcharms, made him shudder, “Not I, never again. Not after the charade my late wife put on, I am very wary ofvirgins.”
Lady Pandora looked unfazed. “Anything else My Lord?”
He could see her skepticism, as if he has asked her to find him a woman who would spin gold from flax or commune with the dead. Thinking about what he had said, his demands, he realized she was thinking that he might just die alone—a part of him agreed. “No.”
She cleared her throat. “Your list of requirements limits me severely.”
His brow quirked. “Surely there should be a few women who possess all the qualifications.”
“Let me see if I have it all,” Lady Pandora said. “You require a young, blonde woman, an heiress with means to support herself if need be, who is shorter than you. Good at music and the arts, learned in various aspects of knowledge, versed in the bedchamber but with no children…” she gave him a pointed look, “young enough to carry children and will not fall into hysterics when something goes awry.”
“Fine summary,” Oswald replied.
“I can think of only two,” Lady Pandora said tightly.
Drumming his fingers on the handle of his chair, Oswald added. “I forgot to add, no naïve and foolish country misses. Surely a woman as yourself with your legion of sources may find one that crosses all t’s? After all, you have learned the lineages of the upper ten-thousand families inle beau monde,have you not?”
“Yes, and I have created some very fine marriages with that knowledge, but this—” Lady Pandora waved her hand. “It will be a needle in a haystack. You are a very exacting man.”
