Page 46 of In Compromise with the Earl
“Well, that was not as difficult as I had expected,” she said. “I thought he would rake me over the coals for not securing the courtship with Jameson.”
“I don’t know why he had expected you to be with him,” Oswald scoffed. “You have nothing in common.”
She gave him a faint smile. “And we do?”
“More than I think we realize,” Oswald realized. “We both have an aversion to theton.”
“And Strathmore,” Aphrodite snorted. “That’s two.”
He sat as her side and grasped her hands. “Lady Pandora is right, we do need to talk over some matters and while not everything is set, we have enough to work with.”
Pulling a hand away, she touched his face. “You didn’t come here expecting a miracle match, did you?”
“I came here, ready to prove matchmaking was ridiculous,” Oswald said. “And with the lady I was paired with, it’s true. You might not be what they wanted for my perfect mate, docile, meek or compliant, but I am not complaining.”
“Funny enough, I came here with the same expectation,” she said. “But thenheshows up and ruined any chance I had of leaving here peacefully. I had not planned to find a husband here, but I was sure about avoiding Jameson.”
“If I had not stepped in, how would you have fared with him?” Oswald asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Unless throwing a drink into his face and slapping him would count. Or possibly trampling him with my horse, but I think that is a bit too extreme.”
“Troy has magnificent hooves,” Oswald’s lips ticked. “But you are right, that would have been a step too far.”
“And how far is far,” a matronly voice cut through the air and both turned to see a lady enter the room, while removing a scarf from her neck.
Aphrodite did not have to search the lady’s face to know that she was Oswald’s mother. She had the same dark hair and bright blue eyes as her son, but her expression, while calm, had an unwelcoming air to it.
She stood and curtsied. “Countess Tennesley, my pleasure to meet you.”
The Dowager’s gaze dipped from Aphrodite’s head to her toes. “I would say the same, but I must say, receiving a letter from my son about being engaged to Lord Kingsley’s daughter was a shock to my sensibilities. I had thought Oswald had won over a lady like Lady Carmichael or Lady Fairchild, not…you.”
“Mother,” Oswald’s tone deepened to a warning. “Tread carefully.”
The Dowager’s lips flattened. “Forgive me for being overly cautious. I’m sure you know about my son’s late wife and how that ended.”
“And what does that mean?” Aphrodite asked. “That I’ll end up dead?”
“No, but I doubt you will last,” the Dowager said.
Chapter Sixteen
“Enough,” Oswald snapped. “Mother, what has gotten into you? Where is this coming from?”
“By the things I know about her family,” the Dowager said. “And I am ashamed that you would choose a lady who might bring more shame upon us.”
Oswald stepped forward and partially blocked Aphrodite from his mother’s line of sight. “And my last wife proved to be a paragon of virtue, I assume? The lady that came to me looking like a spotless lamb but was a wolf underneath? Moreover, you are judging Aphrodite on the sins of her father and that is unconscionable.”
The Dowager bristled. “Defend her all you want but I am telling you the truth. I will not credit this nonsense. You were to find a humble, modest lady, not one who will make matters worse.”
“And how do you know that?” Oswald was getting angry. “Mother, I know you feel obligated to look out for me after the rut I had dug myself into and while I do thank you, I sent you that letter to notify you, not to ask your permission. I am marrying Aphrodite, there is nothing more to it.”
Frowning, the Dowager took one sweeping look over the two and pinched her lips. “Mark my words, you will regret it.”
Oswald rested a hand on her shoulder while the Dowager stalked out of the room without a look back, but Aphrodite could not let her go without trying again. She pulled away from Oswald and rushed to meet her in the corridor and stopped her.
With a curse, Oswald followed her and stood at the doorway to watch and wait to see if anything would go wrong.
“Wait,” Aphrodite hurried to put herself in front of the Dowager. “Please stop.”
