Page 50 of Three Weeks with a Princess
Lia nodded. “Certainly,ifyou find a rich wife. You should be spending your time courting eligible girls on the marriage mart, not worrying about me. I’ll be fine.”
“And that brings us back to our original discussion,” Dominic said. “Our plan to introduce Lia into society. The best thing for her is to find a suitable husband who will value her many fine qualities and—”
“Overlook my many flaws?” Lia finished in a wry tone.
“You have no flaws, my love,” Chloe said. “Only a few minor obstacles to overcome.”
Jack’s eyes all but popped out of his skull. “You’re even more unrealistic than I am if you think Lia can waltz into a ballroom and not be ripped to shreds by the gossips. All the rakes and scoundrels will hunt her like jackals after wounded prey. I will not allow you to subject her to so ugly a fate.”
Lia had been about to object to the scheme on exactly the same horrid grounds before Jack had knocked her off course with his overbearing intervention.
“Do you truly think I would allow my wife’s niece to be ripped to shreds?” Dominic asked, staring Jack down. “Or that I would allow anyone less than respectable to even talk to her?”
“Of course not,” Jack said tightly. “But you can’t be with her twenty-four hours a day. And even you can’t stop the gossips, Sir Dominic. Not even the king is that powerful.”
“Sadly true,” Chloe said with a sigh. “In fact, the king’s sons generate some of the most salacious gossip in Town, as we are all painfully aware. As much as I hate to admit it, his lordship is not wrong to point out the challenges involved in finding Lia an acceptable husband. It won’t be easy.”
“Especially after my rather unfortunate theatrical debut,” Lia said.
“That regrettable incident aside, I’m confident we can rehabilitate your good name,” Dominic said. “In all other respects, you’ve led an unexceptionable life in the country. No gossip has attached to you personally and your mother has been married these past ten years to a good man who is both respectable and well-regarded.” He smiled at Lia. “Your mother is very popular, my dear. Your relationship with her isn’t all a black mark.”
“It’s not exactly a ringing endorsement either,” Jack said. “You may be able to rehabilitate Lia, though that word should not apply because she doesn’t need rehabilitating.”
She squeezed his hand, silently communicating her gratitude. He flashed her a brief smile.
“But you’re all demented if you think she’s going to catch a wealthy aristocrat or member of the gentry,” he continued. “The chances of a nobleman marrying her—or allowing his heir to marry her—are all but nil. And there would be absolutely no incentive for a younger son to do so either because she has neither a fortune nor a good name to bring to the relationship.”
Lia’s warmer feelings for him disappeared like smoke up a chimney. Unfortunately, she couldn’t argue with his blunt logic.
“Not every man in the Ton needs a wealthy wife,” Chloe pointed out.
“They may not need one, but they usually want one,” Jack bluntly replied. “And they invariably want their wives to come from impeccable backgrounds, usually even better than theirs. We’re all a fat lot of snobs and you know it.”
“Not all of us, but I take your point,” Dominic said. “Lia may do better with the country gentry, especially because she is a country girl herself.”
“Really?” Lia said doubtfully. All the country gentry she knew liked money and status just as much as their counterparts in London.
“Hmm,” Chloe said, resting her chin on the tips of her folded hands. “There are other possibilities we could consider. We know some perfectly respectable families who’ve done very well in trade or made fortunes in India. Who is to say that a wealthy nabob wouldn’t make a fine husband for Lia?”
“You talk about her as if she’s a commodity to be bought and sold,” Jack said in a disgusted tone. “I will not allow Lia to be sold off to the highest bidder like a piece of horseflesh.”
“That’s rather a good description of how the women in my family operate,” Lia said. “We generally have been in the business of buying and selling ourselves.”
Jack looked appalled. “I forbid you to say anything like that ever again, do you hear me? It’s utter nonsense.”
“We’re just exploring options,” Chloe smoothly interjected. “No one will try to force Lia to do anything. We only wish for her happiness.”
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate what you’re trying to do,” Lia said. “In fact, you’re all incredibly kind. But I must agree with Jack on this.”
He looked at her with exaggerated surprise. “Wait, I must mark this special occasion in my daybook. Lia Kincaid finally agrees with me.”
“Idiot,” she muttered.
Dominic studied her for a few moments with an uncomfortably penetrating gaze. “I feel confident we can overcome any obstacles of significance, my dear. But only if you truly wish to succeed.”
And that was the crux of the matter. Lia knew enough about the marriage mart to see what a gruesome exercise it would likely be. “I . . . I’m not sure,” she said, hedging. “It sounds as if it won’t be very pleasant, to be honest. I’m not sure I want to bother.”
“Right,” Jack said. “You will return to Stonefell—at least until your brother is back in England,” he added, anticipating her objection. “Then you can decide what you wish to do.”
