Page 75 of All is Fair in Love
The haute ton frowned upon such things. Till death do us part. You may well loathe your other half, but you stayed put. For those unable to bear their spouse, it was acceptable to take a mistress or a discreet lover. You could be miserable at home while privately finding happiness in another’s arms.
This wasn’t, of course, how Francis viewed marriage. He wanted what his parents had. A love-match. A life partnership. It was one of the reasons he had been so set on not being pushed onto the marriage market by his eager mother. A hastily arranged union was not something he would ever consider for himself.
He had intended to raise the subject of Poppy Basden with his cousin, of his plans to woo her, but all thoughts of his own situation were quickly swept aside at hearing the news of his aunt and uncle.
If the Duchess of Mowbray had officially abandoned her marriage, then it was little wonder that Mowbray House was cloaked in a shroud of quiet despair.
Gideon sniffed back his tears and took in a deep breath. “That makes two of us who have no idea what to say. It’s bad enough that it is my mother, but can you imagine the state Papa is in? This is his wife. His duchess. He hasn’t left their private rooms since the letter arrived. I was the one who had to send the note to Lord and Lady Denford to explain our non-attendance at the wedding.”
Francis would have liked nothing more than to offer Gideon a comforting hug, but from the stilted way his cousin spoke, he doubted it would be welcomed. This news had clearly rocked the Kembal family to its core.
“So, your father didn’t know your mother wasn’t coming back? I mean, not until he received the letter?” asked Francis.
Gideon shot a hard glare in his direction. “Of course not. Well . . .” He sighed once more. “Not that he told any of us children. Victoria and Coco were planning a lovely surprise party for when Mama and G returned. My sisters keep asking what went wrong and if any of it was their fault.”
Francis’s gaze landed on the nearby sideboard and the full whisky decanter which sat on top of it. Stepping around Gideon, he made his way over and swiftly poured them both a generous glass.
“Here. Get this down you,” he said, handing Gideon a drink.
Francis shuddered as his cousin polished the whisky off in quick time. Memories of his drunken state after the wedding came flooding back, and he set his untouched glass down.
Gideon slowly shook his head. “Can you imagine the almighty scandal that this is going to create when it gets out? And it will get out. We have already been receiving cards this week from ladies expecting to be calling on Mama. The lie that she is still recovering at our country estate from the lengthy sea voyage will only hold for a short while longer. After that . . .”
He threw up his hands, then slammed the empty glass down on the sideboard. It shattered into pieces, but Gideon didn’t even appear to notice, such was his distress. “She has no idea what this will do to our family. And if she does, then my mother is a wicked, uncaring woman.”
Francis moved forward and pulled Gideon into his embrace. He gently patted the top of his cousin’s head as Gideon finally gave up all pretense of decorum and wept openly.
This really was a disaster. What were they going to do?
Having stayed on the edge of his own family dramas during the past year, he was ill equipped to deal with the situation. The only thing he did know was that it wasn’t doing Gideon any good lingering in the house, constantly worrying over the situation.
“How about you go and get changed. I will speak to the head butler and arrange some mounts. A solid morning of riding in Hyde Park will at least get some fresh air into your lungs.”
Gideon drew back, wiping away his tears. “Thank you. I do need to get out of the house, if only to clear my mind for a little while.”
For the first time since they had left London, Francis wished Adelaide and Charles were back home. His mother would know what had to be done in order to handle the looming scandal. The family would of course close ranks, but it was the women to whom the task of protecting reputations and future marriage prospects would fall.
“I think when we return, you and I should pen a letter to Aunt Caroline. I can send it via a fast courier to Scotland,” said Francis.
As the most senior-ranking female of the family, the Duchess of Strathmore had to be informed of this unfortunate situation with all due haste. Hopefully, between her, Lady Adelaide, and Lady Mary, a plan to counter the cruel tongues of the ton could be formulated.
The family name and reputation had to be preserved.
Gideon nodded. “Yes, we need to address things sooner rather than later. My father is barely able to get out of bed each day, so it seems that the task of saving this family is going to fall to me. Thank you, Francis, your visit was exactly what I needed.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“An excellent choice. I am sure your friend will be delighted with such a handsome gift.”
Francis gave an awkward “thank you.” He wasn’t one for spending time in shops, let alone going on his own to buy a tea set, but if he was going to press ahead with winning over Poppy, it was going to take more than a functional Dutch oven.
He had to convince her that his intentions were not only honorable, but that she truly had captured his heart. A delicate set of cups and saucers seemed a good way to make Poppy happy. It hadn’t passed his notice that she had a soft spot for pretty items. For the things that made a place a home.
I want her to understand that I see her. That I acknowledge the hard life she has lived. She deserves all the comforts that have been denied to her for so long.
There was one particular thing that did give him pause. As he lay staring up at the brick wall of the warehouse late last night, it had occurred to Francis that his efforts to woo Poppy could be interpreted as a sly trick on his part to secure space in her warehouse.
Having recently arrived at the docks, Poppy wouldn’t of course know about the spice tender. But when he won the bid, which would be soon, he wouldn’t be able to hide it from her. She would realize he needed more storage space.
