Page 48 of A Rogue to Resist
As the solicitor departed, Drake unfolded the list and scanned the names with growing discomfort. Miss Jane Marshall, daughter of Viscount Seaward. Lady Eleanor Thornhill, second daughter of the Earl of Fairfield. Miss Catherine Pembrooke, niece of the Duke of Ashton. Each name was annotated with her age, family connections, and approximate dowry.
“Well?” Harrison prompted after allowing Drake a moment to review the document. “Any prospects catch your eye?”
“They’re names on paper,” Drake replied, refolding the list with a grimace. “How am I supposed to determine which stranger might make a tolerable life partner from this?”
“You meet them,” Harrison said pragmatically. “Dance with them. Converse about inconsequential matters while assessing whether their personalities would drive you to madness over decades of shared meals.”
Drake snorted. “You make it sound so appealing.”
“Marriage rarely is, from what I observe,” Harrison replied with a shrug. “Though my married friends claim compensations exist that balance the ledger.”
“Katherine suggested honesty,” Drake said, the words escaping before he could consider their implication.
Harrison’s eyebrows rose. “Did she now? And when did Lady Katherine offer matrimonial advice?”
Drake cursed inwardly at his slip. “She visited Greythorne with some planting schedules one day when I was discussing the entail condition with Winters. The subject arose in conversation.”
“Naturally,” Harrison agreed, far too innocently. “And her suggestion was...?”
“To be forthright about my situation,” Drake elaborated reluctantly. “To make clear from the outset that I seek a marriage primarily to satisfy the entail, rather than pretending romantic inclinations I don’t feel.”
“Bold advice,” Harrison observed. “And utterly contrary to how the marriage market typically functions. I’m surprised she’d recommend such a direct approach, given her own experience with matrimony.”
“Perhaps because of it,” Drake said, recalling Katherine’s exact words. “She said that had she known Edmund’s truenature before their marriage, she would never have consented, regardless of the advantages.”
“She spoke of her marriage to you?” Harrison sounded genuinely surprised. “From what I understand, she rarely discusses that period of her life, even with close friends.”
Drake shifted uncomfortably, aware that his conversations with Katherine had progressed to a level of personal confidence that might be considered unusual, given their relatively brief acquaintance and ostensibly adversarial relationship.
“She merely made a passing observation,” he said, downplaying the moment of vulnerability they had shared. “The point is her suggestion has merit. I have no desire to deceive some innocent young woman about my motivations.”
“Admirable,” Harrison conceded. “Though I suspect the matrons of thetonwill be scandalized by such directness. The marriage market thrives on pretence and strategic ambiguity.”
“Let them be scandalized,” Drake replied with a dismissive wave. “I built my fortune on honest dealing. I see no reason to adopt different principles in this matter, however personally distasteful I find it.”
Harrison studied him thoughtfully. “You know, there is another option. One that might satisfy the entail while avoiding the need to court a stranger.”
Drake tensed, immediately understanding his friend’s implication. “If you’re about to suggest what I think you are, don’t.”
“Lady Katherine—”
“Is finally free of the Halston name and all its obligations,” Drake interrupted sharply. “She has earned her independence at considerable personal cost. I will not be the one to suggest she sacrifice it again, particularly not for my convenience.”
Harrison raised his hands in surrender. “I merely thought—”
“Don’t,” Drake said again, more forcefully. “The very suggestion is offensive. As if I would ask her to shackle herself to another Earl of Greythorne after what she endured with Edmund.”
“Your vehemence is revealing,” Harrison observed mildly.
Drake glared at him. “Meaning?”
“Meaning that for someone supposedly considering Lady Katherine’s arrangement in purely practical terms, you seem extraordinarily protective of her feelings and freedom.”
“Because unlike my predecessor, I respect her as a person of worth and intelligence,” Drake responded, uncomfortable with Harrison’s knowing expression. “That doesn’t signify anything beyond basic human decency.”
“If you insist,” Harrison replied, clearly unconvinced. “Though I wonder if you’ve considered that marriage to you might actually benefit Lady Katherine as well. The western fields would no longer be in dispute. Her position at Greythorne would be formalized. And you, unlike Edmund, would treat her with the respect she deserves.”
Drake shook his head firmly. “It’s irrelevant. She has made it abundantly clear that she has no intention of remarrying. Ever. To anyone.”
