Page 6 of Papa's Desires
He had gotten off on the wrong foot with Miss Wickersham and despite his multiple apologies, the situation had not improved. By rights he could simply return to his carriage, continue his journey and instruct the solicitor to discontinue the payments to Talcott House, which had been his inclination from the beginning. However, his curiosity had been piqued by the collection of youthfully dressed young women, in particular the golden haired lass. Where had they come from and why were they at Talcott House? What was Miss Wickersham’spurpose?
“Miss Wickersham,” he said with a bow, “I beg your forgiveness. I arrived with my mind set upon believing certain things and I must admit I am quite taken aback by what I have found here in my few short minutes at Talcott House. Would you please be so kind as to enlighten me as to your purposehere?”
For several long moments, Miss Wickersham studied him and he found himself very much hoping to meet her approval, a feeling which he had not experienced in an exceptionally long time. He had been raised fully mindful of his place in life, which had included little need for acceptance by others. Quite the contrary, it had been he who bestowed approval, not the other wayaround.
Much to his relief, his hostess’s shoulders relaxed slightly and she inclined her head in acknowledgment of his apology. “All of the young ladies who live here at Talcott House have been rescued from the most dire of circumstances. Orphaned, abandoned, and usually living upon the streets, they were vulnerable to the whims and cruelties of others. They have been deprived of the carefree childhood which I believe is every person’sright.
While many operate under the belief that blood and lineage are determinative of one’s place in society, I disagree. My young ladies have been educated and trained in all the same ways as the daughters of the finest families inEngland.”
Ah, now he understood his father’s involvement. The former Earl of Shively had been a firm believer in nurture over nature. His son, however, had not been convinced, having been strongly influenced by a particular incident in which his late mother was robbed and pushed down in the mud by a street urchin in London in broad daylight, many years ago—and the pair had spent many an hour debating the issue. Grayson could not fathom a circumstance in which the criminal who robbed his own dear mother could be educated and integrated into polite society, and it had galled him to no end that his father had practically shrugged the incident off, much to he and his mother’s dismay. “I see,” Grayson said. “My father had strong beliefs that with the proper environment and education, class lines could be virtually erased. As you might well imagine, this was not a belief shared by hispeers.”
“And what of his son?” Miss Wickershamasked.
“I shall admit, when I observed the young ladies in the garden, they gave every appearance of being from fine families. Though, of course, it was a brief observation. I am curious, however, at their youthful appearance and behavior. Are they stunted in some way as a result of theirlineage?”
Bloody hell. He had done it again. Just when Miss Wickersham had softened her attitude toward him, he caused offense. Her jaw tightened and he feared she might order him from the premises, but she did not. “As I stated before, the young ladies of Talcott House have all been deprived of a happy and carefree childhood which is the result of being loved and cared for in a safe and nurturing environment. Here, they are encouraged, in fact required, to embrace the youthful activities which were deniedthem.”
“Do they never leavehere?”
“Of course they do. They are not prisoners. Each girl is raised with the knowledge that when she is of a suitable age, I shall select a husband for her who will cherish and care for her in the same way she has been here. A papa, if you will, who wants nothing more than to lavish affection and adoration upon his little bride. It is not, as you might surmise, a typical marriage, but for the right gentleman and young lady, it can lead to many years ofhappiness.”
“A papa who is also a husband?” His head spun in confusion and several indelicate questions, which would not be proper to ask, popped into hishead.
“If you are wondering about whether these are marriages in the truest sense of the word, let me assure you, Lord Grayson, they are. In fact, I like to believe that the brides of Talcott House are as well prepared, if not more so, for the duties of marriage as their counterparts who have been raised since birth to wed England’s most eligiblebachelors.”
An image of the golden haired beauty, her eyes darkened with passion, flitted through his mind and an accompanying pulse of lust stirred hiscock.
“Perhaps my point would be better illustrated if you were given a tour of Talcott House and its grounds to see all we have to offer our little charges.” Miss Wickersham strode to the edge of the garden and to his delight, motioned for him to follow. “I suppose I can accommodate you, Lord Grayson, despite the fact that you have shown upunannounced.”
“That would be most kind of you, Miss Wickersham,” he replied, anxious for a chance to get closer to the flaxen haired girl. But he also wished for a closer look at the charitable cause his father had supported for years and years, as now that he’d learned the true nature of Talcott House, he supposed it would be dastardly of him to discontinue the monthly stipend. While he shared differing views from his father, he was not entirelyheartless.
Grayson followed Miss Wickersham, his gaze constantly scanning for the pretty golden haired young lady. He hoped the opportunity to speak with the little angel arose, because he very much wanted to hear her voice and learn her name. His pulse spiked at the prospect, but he schooled his features, keeping them impassive so as to not give Miss Wickersham any indication of his lasciviousmusings.
He was a gentleman, afterall.
