Page 2 of An Affair with a Notorious Heiress
“I’m not looking to marry just yet.” His compassion went only so far.
“No, no, of course not. I don’t expect you to lead her to the altar. But if you were to dance with her, perhaps take her on an outing to Hyde Park, be seen with her as it were, it might serve to pique the other gents’ curiosity. I’m certain once they take an interest in her, they will be charmed as she is a most charming girl. She has none of her sister’s... flaws, shall we say?”
Flaws?The inability to remain faithful? To publicly cuckold her husband? To divorce a man whose lineage could be traced back to William the Conqueror? Americans certainly had a way of understating the faults of a calamitous woman. “I’m afraid you’ll need to turn elsewhere for assistance on this matter; ask another gent.”
“Damn it, man, no one else has your influence. The younger swells work to emulate you. They’ll follow your lead. Take some pity on the poor girl. I promised my brother on his deathbed I would see her well situated, and she’s enamored of the nobility.”
“So was her sister from what I understand.”
“In temperament they are nothing alike. Mathilda was always too strong-willed to be ruled. But Gina, bless her heart, is a shy wallflower for whom hope springs eternal. I have to do something to spark awareness of her. And I’ve deduced you’re the ticket.”
Tickets came at a cost. “A dance, you say, and an afternoon at the park?”
“Not much more than that, I should think. Truly, she’s a remarkable girl.”
But not one who stood out if Hammersley had to approach Rexton regarding generating interest in her. He wasn’t quite comfortable with the notion of giving the girl false hope regarding his intentions, but if he kept his interest casual perhaps no harm would be done. “Once I dance with her, mamas are going to think I’ve announced my stepping into the marriage market. It’s going to create some inconvenience as I’ll be fending off ladies for the remainder of the Season, which has only recently begun.”
“I’ll make it worth your while.”
But was it fair to the girl? He’d do all in his power to bring a quick end to the farce and find a proper gent for her. “Oh? How might you go about that?”
“Black Diamond. You can take him to stud.”
“Thrice.”
“Damn it, man, do you know how valuable that stallion is?”
“I do indeed.” Since the Arabian had soundly beaten Rexton’s best stallion in several races. “I want at least three progeny off him.”
“Two.”
Which had been Rexton’s price all along. “Two it is.”
“But not until my niece has a viable suitor. You have to play at courting her until someone makes it a point to beat you.”
Thatwould be a further inconvenience, as he doubted many gents would even consider that they could beat him. His was one of the most powerful families in Great Britain. But to have Black Diamond breed with his Fair Vixen would be worth it. He had little doubt the mingling of those bloodlines would produce a champion. “Consider it done.”
“Excellent. However, our agreement must remain between us gentlemen. I don’t want her hurt, so if it becomes known to her, our bargain becomes null and void.”
He was well aware ladies had tender feelings. “I would expect no less.”
“Come along then, let me introduce you to Gina. Who knows? You might just decide she’s the one for you.”
He seriously doubted that, but he was a man, after all, and ladies did interest him. “Should that happen, it won’t nullify our agreement.”
“Absolutely not. It will simply make our arrangement all the tidier.”
Miss Virginia Hammersley was so damned young. That was his initial thought upon being introduced to her. Her eyes were the color of a leaf bud in spring, sparkling with unbridled innocence. Her hair the shade of moonbeams. She was petite and willowy; he feared he’d easily break her if he were to ever bed her. It wasn’t that he preferred sex rough, but he did enjoy it with a great deal of enthusiasm that left him and his partner damp with sweat and gasping for breath. He felt rather guilty for giving the young lady any hope at all that he was seriously considering her as the Marchioness of Rexton and future Duchess of Greystone.
The way her face lit up as though it had taken its place among the bulbs in the chandeliers when her uncle gleefully told her with an exaggerated whisper that Rexton had been most insistent upon an introduction hadn’t done anything to quiet his misgivings regarding his deception. She wasn’t the one for him. He knew that fact within five seconds of gazing at her hope-filled expression.
Still he was determined to at least strive to keep to his end of the bargain, for surely she would appeal to some gent. So he was moving forward with the arrangement forhersake and the good of the country. New blood as well as the coins she’d bring to someone’s coffers was needed in the aristocracy. “I’d be pleased if you’d honor me with a dance,” he said, as his lips hovered over her delicate hand after pressing a light kiss to the back of her gloved knuckles. Dear God, she was as fragile as one of the china dolls he’d recently gifted to his nieces.
Her laughter rivaled the tinkling bells that filled the air at Christmas. “As my dance card is thus far absent any signatures, I’d be pleased as well. I’m quite accomplished and would dearly love to put my lessons to good use.”
They stood together, waiting for the next dance—a waltz—to start up. For the life of him, he could think of nothing interesting to say. He suddenly felt remarkably old, like a pair of well-worn boots that were incredibly comfortable but could no longer retain a shine no matter how hard the boot boy buffed at them with a brush. Perhaps he should have taken a wife sooner, when his age more closely aligned with that of the girls who were being debuted. They hadn’t seemed so youthful last year or the one before, but they made him feel rather ancient now, a relic that wasn’t quite as gleaming as it had once been. He couldn’t help but believe she saw him in the same light as she seemed to be struggling for a topic as well, as though she recognized they had little in common other than presently inhabiting the same area of the ballroom.
“I’ve heard about your sister’s balls for years,” she finally said. “I must say it lives up to expectations. The duchess is such a gracious hostess.”
