Page 14 of A Fake Courtship with the Duke
Anne looked at Mischief, who looked ready to do precisely what she feared. She nodded, realizing that there was something she would need before they departed. She hurried over toMischief, picking him up and scratching him gently as she placed him across the room from her guests, on the soft cushion in front of the large window that overlooked the front lawn of her family’s townhouse. Mischief mewed in complaint, glancing behind her at the duke as though wanting to finish the confrontation. But at last, he sniffed, kneading the cushion with his front paws before curling up into a ball and lying in the warm sunshine.
Anne sighed with relief, moving to the coat rack by the door of the drawing room, where one of her pelisses hung.
“Yes, I am ready,” she said, offering the duke a sheepish smile. “I apologise for Mischief. It takes him some time to get accustomed to new people.”
Richard shrugged, glancing over to where the cat now lay sleeping.
“No harm done, Miss Huxley,” he said.
Anne nodded, reaching for her pelisse. She glanced at Susan, who was straightening her own coat and smoothing out her skirt. What might be Susan's intent as she precipitously appeared in the company of her brother and exhibits peculiar conduct? What could a person who was not known for scheming be planning?
Chapter Six
Richard remained silent during his sister’s interaction with Miss Anne Huxley, but his suspicion was aroused. He had believed that his sister meant to save him from their tyrannical mother earlier that morning. But now that she had unveiled a desire to go into town and use him as an escort, he was beginning to sense an ulterior motive for his sister’s sudden desire to drag him to Miss Huxley’s house. He was aware that Susan was close friends with her, and he was accustomed to seeing her at different gatherings. However, he had never spoken more than a few words to her when it was socially required of him to do so.
In the beginning, the part of him that perpetually anticipated his mother's endeavours to find him a suitable match, entertained the notion that Susan and Miss Huxley might be conspiring to unite him with Miss Huxley. However, the evident surprise and irritation on the young lady’s face when they arrived had immediately erased any such suspicion. On the other hand, he still hadn’t discounted the fact that his sister might be secretly planning such a match. He might have thought their mother put Susan up to such deceit. But his mother’s adamant revulsion over Miss Huxley’s appearance in the scandal sheets ruled that out completely as a possibility.
What could Susan be up to?He wondered, giving his sister a pointed look as they settled into the carriage. Miss Huxley and her lady’s maid were trailing behind, whispering amongst themselves. He could hardly voice his fears or displeasure with Miss Huxley nearby. But he knew Susan would understand with a simple look that she was treading on thin ice.
If she was up to some sort of matchmaking scheme, he would not tolerate it. He wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt because he loved his younger sister. But he couldn’t help being wary, especially with the sheepish expression on her face. He raised an eyebrow, giving Susan a subtle shake of his head. If she noticed it, she didn’t acknowledge it. Instead, she leaned closer to him, dropping her voice low.
"Brother," she said, looking at him with eyes that pleaded for understanding. “I have an idea, and I know it will sound completely mad. Will you hear it?”
Richard sighed. He knew then that his suspicions were correct. He didn’t know if he wanted to hear his sister’s plan, but he felt he had little choice. And he had even less time before Miss Huxley and her lady’s maid joined them in the coach.
“Very well,” he said with another sigh. “Tell me what it is that you’re scheming.”
Susan gave him a small smile, glancing out the window to see where her friend was.
“What if we could put an end to Mother's relentless matchmaking once and for all?” she asked.
Richard frowned, looking at his sister even more cautiously.
“If your brilliant idea is to match me with Miss Huxley, you must be forgetting exactly how supportive Mother would be of that notion,” he hissed.
Susan grimaced at Richard’s sharp tone. Guilt filled Richard and he sighed once more.
“Forgive me, Sister,” he said with resignation. “I am simply weary of the discourse surrounding my prospective marriage. Pray, proceed.”
Susan nodded, though her expression was notably calmer and more guarded.
“Anne’s parents have been pressing her to accept the advances that her cousin, Albert Harrow, is making toward her,”she whispered. “And I understand that they are making plans to force her into marrying him. They are quite displeased about what the scandal sheets say about her.”
Richard nodded curtly, unable to hide his distaste for the man. He knew that Lord Harrow was a heavy drinker, had been known to lose large sums of money to gambling, and it was whispered that he had been in the company of numerous ladies. Even at his age, Richard understood that he behaved like a young rogue, and yet he seemed to manage to hold some prestige to his name due to his familial ties to the viscount and viscountess Huxley. Even though he didn’t know Miss Huxley very well, he felt a pang of sympathy at her plight.
“Pray, allow me to conjecture,” Richard said, keeping his voice low. “Your proposal entails arranging a connection between Miss Huxley and myself, thus enabling us to evade the lamentable shackles of unions with individuals whom we abhor?” Ordinarily, that would have been a implausible guess. But considering the way his sister had suddenly saved him from that horrible tea with Lady Eleanor and her mother, her sudden decision to drop in on Miss Huxley, and now, her telling him about Miss Huxley’s plight, it made perfect sense to Richard. And the expression on Susan’s face confirmed Richard’s hypothesis.
“It’s worth considering, is it not?” she asked.
Richard shook his head, even though the thought was taking root in his mind already.
“It would be utterly impracticable to achieve such a feat,” he said. “Besides, what makes you think that Miss Huxley would ever agree to such a wild idea?”
Susan shrugged.
“I believe she would do anything to avoid marrying her cousin,” she said.
Richard chuckled softly.
