Page 3 of A Scandalous Love for the Enticing Duke
Henry thought about this for a while before responding.
“I would rather not. At least, not now. He would be so devastated, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth nodded, agreeing with him.
“Speaking of Nicholas, since I would be... leaving, do you not think it is time for him to take a wife? We have given him enough time to bury his head in those books of his, do you not reckon? He is not getting any younger, especially at twenty and seven summers. I declare, we need to get him married.” It was a thought that had plagued his mind in the past weeks, and he only hoped his wife would agree. She raised her head at that.
“You are right. He has spent enough time in his books. However, Nicholas has not so much as declared any interest in any young lady of the ton, or his peerage for that matter. I doubt he would be kin on the idea of marriage so suddenly, Henry. If it must happen, then we shall have to find a wife for him from a respectable household lest he makes a wrong choice, especially with the season coming around.”
“Indeed. Indeed. I would very much like to see him married before I go. We know a number of ladies from reputable households. We could think hard on whom to arrange for him. I would prefer a mature lady who has not only just left the schoolroom. You know how Nicholas is. He would need an older lady with developed senses who would arrest his attention, longer than those books of his.”
“Ahh. Yes. I can think of a few families, but all of them have daughters who are already married, betrothed, or just out of the schoolroom. It shall be hard to find such a lady, Henry.”
This placed him into deep thoughts. She had to be one who could engage Nicholas in sensible chitchat, not the meaninglessness ones from air-headed schoolgirls, for Nicholas would accept nothing less. But... Who could such a lady be?
He thought and thought until he remembered his dear friend, Williams Birmingham, the Duke of Cambridge. He and Williams had attended Eaton together and remained business partners until now. How was it that he had not quickly come to mind? Indeed, Williams had three daughters, all of whom were unmarried, and the eldest daughter was the perfect age he sought for his son. Eyes twinkling, he looked up at his wife.
“Elizabeth. You must remember Williams, the Duke of Cambridge. You and his wife, Victoria, have met for tea a number of times, I presume I am correct?”
She seemed to think for a few seconds, her brows furrowed in confusion before clearing with realization. “Ahh. Yes. Yes, you are. Although, I do not care for the Duchess; I remember quite well that they have three daughters, ripe for marriage, and yet to be promised.” Her eyes lit up as she put two and two together, and Henry saw another reason why he loved this woman. She had wit that could not be matched.
“You are thinking of Agnes Birmingham, are you not?”
“Aye. I knew you would figure it out. I have met with the young miss, a few times. Lovely child and sensible too. Aye. I think she would do just fine for our Nicholas. And that family, I have heard not of a single scandal to tarnish their good name. I do not think we could get a better match for Nicholas.”
“I agree,” Elizabeth replied, bobbing her head.
“In that case, we shall write a letter to the Birminghams and have it delivered before the season commences. We must know if they would like such a union between our families.”
“Of course! Howbeit, I do not conceive that would be an issue. We have just as good a standing as them, after all! Nicholas is also a fine young man. One of the most eligible bachelors in all of England, except the Prince of course, even if I do say so myself.” She sounded like it was absurd to even consider that anyone would reject them. It was only to be expected from a mother who was as proud of her son as she was of Nicholas.
“You shall get no arguments from me, dear wife. If it is settled, you shall call the scribe and have him draw up a proposal. Then, we shall send James to have it delivered to their manor in Cambridge.”
“I shall do just that. Oh Henry, if things go as planned, it is going to be a wonderful season!”
“Indeed Elizabeth. It is.”
Chapter 2
One of Victoria Birmingham’s favourite times of the day was her traditional afternoon tea with her friends in her drawing room, which was her fondest place in the manor. From the regal furnishing and the comfortable chairs, to the windows which opened out to the field and pond, affording her visitors a lovely view, one could say that the reason why the Duchess organised these tea parties in the first place was to show off her exquisite taste. She never hid the fact that she had singlehandedly redesigned the drawing room after marrying Williams, for the state in which it had been before was tasteless and terribly old-fashioned. In her words – a sight for poor eyes. So she went to work immediately and had her dear husband ensure that the drawing room was made to her taste. Now, it served as a good place to afford her much needed company in this country life which got terribly boring without the season to keep her busy.
There was always so much juicy gossip to be shared during these visits, and this was why she hated to be interrupted. Out of courtesy, her guests were expected to wait until her return before saying anything further, but she knew that was not the case. She could hardly fault them since she was just as guilty of the same offence when positions were reversed. She was the one to continue discussions as soon as the hostess made excuses for her leave, insisting that she could be filled in later. For this reason, Victoria was of the opinion that the few minutes of her absence was usually an avenue to discuss her. Everyone in her household knew better than to disturb her with unnecessary matters that could be attended to later. This made her wonder why the butler, Edward, was standing by her side this beautiful afternoon, trying to gain her attention. Miffed, she halted the ongoing conversation with a hand in the air and turned to him, giving the haughtiest look she could muster.
“Yes Edward? Do you care to inform the ladies and me why you have decided to interrupt our tea session this afternoon with such lovely weather outside?” There was absolutely no need to bring the weather into play, she simply liked to overkill.
The butler tried not to shift on his feet; notwithstanding, it was obvious that he was not happy to be in this position.
“My apologies, my ladies.” He bowed, one hand folded on his back as he did, while the other remain fisted by his side. They nodded at him, and although he could not see, stood up just in time – it came with years of practice.
“I have only been sent to inform Your Grace that My Lord has requested your presence. I informed him of your session, but he insisted I come for you. He says it is matter of urgency, and I am not to return without you.”
Victoria’s expression softened a bit on hearing this, but it did not stop her from feeling put off by the interruption. Still, she knew if her husband was taking her away from her guests, it really was something which needed her immediate attention. Hence, she rose on her feet and proceeded to regard all the women seated around her ballroom, with their ladies in waiting. Squaring her shoulders and straightening her spine, she lifted her head, feeling like the self-proclaimed Queen she was.
“Ladies. You must pardon me, I pray thee. We have all heard from my butler’s mouth, and it is common knowledge that I must not keep My Lord waiting. If you would be gracious enough to excuse me for some minutes, I shall return as soon as I can manage to leave the Duke’s presence. I do hope this is fine by you, and I am permitted to take my leave?”
A murmur of agreement went round, and she smiled, pleased that they had not answered differently than she had been expecting them to. Her asking for permission had only been a matter of courtesy, after all.
“Well, in that case, we shall continue this discussion upon my return. Enjoy yourselves.” Her voice was as cheery as it could be, but no one could lie that they had not detected the note of warning in them. Before she left, she gave her maid who was in charge of pouring the tea, a wink,and the woman who was named Betty, curtsied. Since her ladies would be leaving with her, she could trust Betty to keep her ears open for any gossip that would be shared in her absence. Her own servants were her tested and trusted gossip mill, as long as the Birmingham household was concerned, and very little went on without her knowledge in this house.
