Page 4 of Long Live the Baron
“It is the way of high society,” his uncle responded defensively.
“Not according to the man she actually married—the duke.”
“The duke is obsessed with the hoyden for no reason I can fathom. She is a useless girl with no feminine accomplishments.”
“I am not sure about that. My friends seem quite impressed with the duchess.”
Lord Filminster broke eye contact, looking irate. He was not accustomed to his heir defending himself. Brendan had been a cowering boy the last time they had met in person, but he had found a measure of self-confidence in the intervening years, despite his uncle’s attempts to belittle him at every turn in his youth.
“We will meet Miss Hartnett with her family tomorrow night for supper. And you are to meet with me first thing tomorrow morning so I can provide you a list of engagements we will be attending together.”
“Miss Agnes Hartnett? She is seventeen years old!” Brendan knew he should not react, but his exclamation had escaped from his lips before he could stop it.
“And the daughter of a viscount.”
“You mean the child of a viscount?”
The baron smirked, evidently enjoying Brendan’s discomfort. “All the better for your pursuits with merry widows.”
Brendan wanted to roll his eyes. He had no intention of pursuing the type of marriage where he and his wife would be strangers passing in the hall. When he married, an intelligent and beguiling woman would be his partner, and he would not stray, but this was not the time to reveal such ideals.
He needed to meet with the duke so he could formulate a plan to get rid of the baron as expediently as possible now that his motives had been revealed. Annabel and Halmesbury were among the few people who understood the baron, but unfortunately for Brendan, they would be occupied with obligations surrounding the coronation, so he would need to tolerate the old man’s meddling for a couple more days.
“When would you like to meet?”
“I expect you to be here at first light.”
Brendan forced an affable grin and stood up. “I will see you first thing, then.”
The baron waved a hand in a gesture of dismissal, which Brendan took as his opportunity to escape. And think.
As he left the study, he almost ran into Michaels, their London butler, who was standing right outside the door. The older man straightened to his full height, which was several inches shy of Brendan’s, bending his neck back awkwardly to stare down his nose like the little French emperor. With a haughty sniff, Michaels stalked away, leaving Brendan to wonder if the scornful servant might have been eavesdropping on the conversation.
* * *
When Lily came downfor supper, she found her brother in the front hall. He was dressed to go out, with a beaver on his head, a coat slung over his shoulders, and gloves in hand.
Her spirits plummeted in disappointment. “You are not staying in with me?”
Aidan grabbed her hand in a cajoling manner as he smiled down at her. Lily cursed her height. Her brother was towering over her, and all she could do was stand about with the appearance of a child because she barely cleared five feet. If she displayed any anger that he was abandoning her for the evening, she would simply appear to be throwing a tantrum.
“You do not mind do you, Lily Billy? It is just that my friends have invited me to enjoy a game of whist at our club, and all the titled nobs are occupied with the coronation, so we will have the run of the place.”
“I was looking forward to catching up, Aidan! You have barely spent a moment with me since you returned to London. I am going to be dragged to the country soon for a house party, and Mama will be throwing titled gentlemen at me every step I take.”
“I swear I will stay in tomorrow, but tonight is too unprecedented to pass up. You would not want me to miss out, would you? Not after I distracted Mother from her ideas about Lord Ashby?”
“I did not know that would be an excuse to abandon me!”
“It is not abandonment. It is merely a postponement.”
Lily relented. Aidan was clearly committed to his plans, and she did not wish to stand in the way of his fun. She wished she could go with him, but she was a young single lady and not permitted to do anything interesting. If only she could find a gentleman whom she wished to marry. As a married woman, her whole world would open up, but she was unwilling to compromise her standards by settling for an old or inferior gentleman. “Oh, very well! But I expect you to regale me with stories of your travels tomorrow night.”
Aidan lifted a hand to chuck her on the chin. “We will spend the entire evening together in the library, Lily Billy. Thank you for this. You are a brick!”
Lily sighed, smiling as she watched him drawing on his gloves. “I am holding you to that, Aidan. No begging off tomorrow night.”
Once he departed, Lily requested her supper tray be brought to the front drawing room, which overlooked the houses across the street and encompassed an oblique view of the square. She would feel silly eating alone at the dining table, and the window seat in the drawing room was her favorite reading spot. She could not help reflecting that she had been doing far too much reading this past year.
