Page 5 of Matters of a Duke's Heart
Spencer shook his head. “As you mentioned, I scarcely attend these sort of things and do not expand my horizons. Not recognizing her is one of the reasons I dismissed her. You know how some women can be. Their mothers will arrange a meeting intended to trap men into marriage. It is terrible, and I just do not trust anybody in regard to that. One moment, she could have been alone, needing help, and the next I am taking her as a wife after we are caught alone together. Who can be certain of genuineness?”
“Or you could have turned her away, as you did, and find out later that she got very lost and was truly just a girl wandering alone. She asked you for help, and she trusted you to provide it. Goodness knows how you ever seemed approachable, though.”
Despite his friend’s teasing, Spencer did also wonder such a thing. Rupert was always trying to wipe the scowl off Spencer’s face with a witty comment, but although Rupert smiled easier, quicker, he, too, could possess a fearsome, stoic expression.
“I am sure she found her way back just fine,” Spencer sighed. “If I see her I will apologize for my impulsiveness. Speaking of ladies, though, where are your sisters?”
Rupert sighed, nodding to the cluster of women up ahead, lost in the throng of guests, with hair the same color as Rupert, all boasting different styles.
The twins, Georgina and Amelia, danced with another young lady, while the eldest of the sisters, Beatrice, watched over them with pursued lips, as if she was their chaperone rather than Rupert. She resembled Rupert most, and Spencer wondered if his friend saw the similarities in himself and his siblings.
“How are things going with their chaperoning?” Spencer asked.
Rupert shook his head, letting out a short laugh. “Beatrice has taken it upon herself to decline proposals until she sees the twins courted. Georgina and Amelia had a very successful debutante ball last month, and received some offers, but they insist on playing games with their suitors, making them guess who is who.”
“Ah, and if the guess is wrong…”
“They reject the suitor,” Rupert finished. “It is exhausting and frustrating, and Beatrice is telling them they do not have the time to be foolish. My mother has written from Wexley Hall in the countryside, saying that she will intervene if the behavior continues, but I would rather it does not come to that. Be glad you have no siblings, Spencer. They are nightmares in themselves.”
Spencer fell quiet for a moment. Perhaps a sister to oversee the marriage of would not be so terrible in exchange for what he did have responsibility over. “Sisters, no, but I fear as though I will blink one day, and Alexander will be the most eligible bachelor in the ballrooms, and I will be handing the dukedom over to him, hoping he does not break the hearts of too many disappointed ladies in his pursuit of a wife.”
Rupert let out a quiet laugh. “For his own sake, I hope Alexander does not take after you with your lack of social skills. That way, he will have a far better time on the marriage mart. However, you must first focus on your own pursuit of a wife.”
Alexander’s small face rose in Spencer’s mind. He thought of the pout he always sported, and the way his cheeks were often red. He was always pranking his governess before sprinting away, always red-faced with mirth.
“He is only seven, at least,” Spencer sighed. “He has the whole world to experience before he even has to start learning what marriage means. And you are correct, I am turning my focus to that…”
Rupert took his gaze off his sisters for a moment to stare at him, surprised. “You desire to be wed again?”
“Desire? Heavens, no. Have a need?” He sighed heavily. “Alexander needs a mother again, even if his actual mother washardly anybody he would have looked up to …” He paused, forcing his thoughts past the lingering grief and anger that rose whenever he thought of Lady Sophia Dunne, his late wife and Alexander’s mother. “I want him to have more stability.”
Spencer pinched the bridge of his nose as Rupert carefully asked, “what has the little spirited boy done now?”
“Only this morning, he asked his governess for some milk and biscuits to accompany his lesson, claiming he had slept poorly. Once she left the room, Alexander snuck out of the window—ground floor, thank Heavens—and when Miss Nightingale returned she found him clambering up the apple tree outside. She called for me, and all he did was giggle. Giggle.”
“Perhaps it is because he knows you will not do a great deal to reprimand him,” Rupert guessed gently. “You are easy on him due to your own guilt of not being more present for him.”
“That is why I hope he can have a mother figure. Somebody who can… help me… and be there for him. You know more ladies through your sisters, and meet with more lords who may have siblings, daughters. I have my heir, so I do not need more children, and this might soften the request you make to any lady you think is eligible. If you put together a list for me to consider, I will think more seriously.”
He could still see his friend’s surprise, but Rupert nodded. “I will. There are several unwed ladies from Beatrice’s debutSeason that I can first look into. You will want somebody who is not so recently debuted if you are primarily bringing her in as a mother figure. A younger debut will simply want the jewels and lifestyle of a duchess.”
Spencer grimaced, having not given that a lot of thought, but he hoped for a lady in her early twentieth year regardless. He was eight and twenty, and he did not want such a large age gap that he would feel too out of his depth, nor did he want a young, blushing debutante expecting too much, or somebody that would have her friends visiting every day.
He grimaced, trying to ignore the anxiety swirling in his stomach.
His eyes once again looked out, hoping to catch a glimpse of auburn hair and the pale lavender dress the lady had worn. I should have escorted her, he thought.
After all, I must wed anyway. Even if she had been tricking me into an arranged meeting to be caught out, at least I would have skipped the effort of finding a wife.
He knew that. Even if the very thought of marriage sent him almost spiraling toward the nearest gentleman’s club to calm his overthinking with a strong drink, Spencer knew he had to do the right thing.
But when the memory of his first marriage lingered like a terrible shroud over his shoulders, full of silent rooms and laughter that had only ever come mockingly, Spencer was not certain he was comfortable to go through with his plan.
Could he endure the constant worry his last marriage had brought him? Could he endure watching the clock, the vigilance that caused him more sleepless nights than any marital intimacy brought?
But he had to.
For Alexander’s sake. He had not been a good father, but he could do something for his son.
