Page 47 of An Earl Like You
Benwick hesitated. A slight frown touched his brow.
“Whoever marries my sister will be a fortunate man,” Hugh pressed. “She’s beautiful, charming, intelligent, and accomplished. You know that. She’s also got a loving heart, and will be a devoted and loyal wife.”
The frown deepened into a scowl. “Cross is a thief.”
He wanted to throttle the boy. “No one wants to marry Cross. But think how you’ll feel to see Edith on some other fellow’s arm, or dancing with him. How it will ache to picture her smiling up at another man, knowing she’ll bear his children instead of yours.”
Benwick squeezed his eyes closed. Hugh felt a surge of hope; he was wavering. “I shall hate it,” he said thickly. “Nevertheless... Nevertheless, I cannot force my father into a connection with Edward Cross.” He gazed defiantly at Hugh. “He nearly ruined my father—did you know that, Hastings? It caused great difficulty for my family.”
“We all make unwise investments from time to time,” Hugh tried to argue, but Benwick shook his head, his resolve back in place.
“It was more than unwise. Cross maneuvered to get my father’s money invested, then cheated him out of it. He should be in prison, not watching his daughter wed an earl.” He almost spat the last. “You’ve let a viper into your home, sir. I care very deeply for Lady Edith, but my father is adamant. If I must choose between her or my family, I will side with my family every time.”
“Why must you choose?” Hugh raised his brows. “You’re a man, not a boy. You know they have no objection to Edith herself. Surely you deserve to choose your own bride.”
Temper flashed in Benwick’s face. “Thanks to Cross, my marriage is important to my family as well as to me. I promised my father half of Edith’s—my bride’s—dowry funds, to pay his debts.” His eyes turned speculative. “I suppose if you were willing to make good on Cross’s swindle, I could consider it...”
“I beg your pardon?” Hugh was thunderstruck.
“Cross cheated my father out of twenty thousand pounds. I want it back.”
Hugh leaned back and folded his arms, outwardly calm but cursing and raging inside. For all his whining about swindlers, Benwick was apparently no better. Still... Edith loved him. Gritting his teeth, Hugh nodded. “I can make her dowry twenty thousand.”
“No, the half I owe to my father is twenty,” Benwick retorted. “For forty thousand, I shall overlook your unfortunate connection.”
Hugh came upright in offended outrage. “You can’t be serious.”
Benwick raised his chin, his cheeks mottled red but his hands trembling. “Perfectly.”
He couldn’t do that. It would leave him with only ten thousand pounds, and Henrietta making her debut next year. He couldn’t possibly give one sister forty thousand and the other sister only ten, and leave himself, his wife, and his mother with nothing.
He glared at Benwick in disgust. “So all your talk of affection for my sister was worthless. You should have mentioned sooner that you only viewed her as a potential fortune. I would have shown you the door immediately and saved us both a great deal of trouble.”
“I do care for Edith!” Now Benwick’s entire face was red. “How dare you, sir!”
“If you love her, it can’t be much,” said Hugh coldly. “You veer from adoration and eagerness to declaring you would jilt her, and now proclaim that you would choose your family over her every time. But for the princely sum of forty thousand pounds, you’ll take her. That isn’t love, Mr. Benwick, that is haggling like a fishwife.”
“You don’t understand. You don’t have to choose between following your heart and loyalty to your family!” retorted the young man. “Idolove her—Iwouldmarry her, even in spite of your noxious connections. But my father is insistent, and he’ll not be placated until Cross’s crime is made right again.”
Hugh came within a heartbeat of punching him in the face. His hand was in a fist, his weight shifted. One solid punch, right to Reggie Benwick’s perfectly straight nose, would make him feel vastly better. The stupid little coxcomb had no idea what he was talking about. “Loyalty to your family requires you to try extortion? Loyalty to your family requires you to hurt a sweet and loving girl?” Benwick flinched. Hugh gave him a scornful look. “If you come to your senses and wish to have a serious negotiation, you know where to find me. Until then... Good day, Mr. Benwick.” He brushed by the other man and left without waiting for a reply.
But on the street the reality sank in. Edith was going to be jilted. Hugh hoped the boy would have the grace—or shame—to do it gently and privately, but based on Benwick’s behavior today, it seemed unlikely. He pressed a fist against his forehead. He had to warn her. Even though it would make her hate him.
He put it off as long as possible, but eventually he made his way back home. He wished he could whisk Eliza off to their room and have dinner with only her, then make love to her for the rest of the night. He wished Edith would get swept off her feet by another young man this very night and forget Benwick. Perhaps they should all decamp to Rosemere and shake the dust of London from their feet forever. There were sure to be a few decent gentlemen in Cornwall who would be content with a bride who had ten thousand pounds. He only needed two, one for each sister.
He stepped into the hall and found chaos. Willy was barking while Eliza, on her knees, held him back. Edith cowered on the stairs, clutching the bannister, her face white with terror.
“Willy,” he commanded. “Quiet.” The dog stopped barking at his voice, and Eliza took advantage to scoop him into her arms. With an expression of abject apology she hurried to the back of the hall and disappeared toward the kitchen.
Hugh crossed the hall and took Edith into his arms. She was shaking like a leaf. “Shh,” he whispered.
“He made so much noise.” Her teeth chattered so hard he could barely make out her words. “Why did she have to bring a dog?”
“I should have warned you,” he told her, stroking her back. He’d had so much else to worry about, it never crossed his mind to mention Willy to his family. They barely tolerated mention of Eliza.
“Oh, Hugh.” She looked at him with tears trembling in her eyes. “Can’t she take him back to Greenwich? Just until I marry Reggie and leave this house?”
God damn Reginald Benwick. “We’ll think of something to keep the dog away from you.” He glanced at his other sister, who had just come running down the stairs, pale and wide-eyed. “Is Mother in?”
