Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

J ohn felt an urge to run after Lady Olivia, to make sure that she was not too upset by the way their tête-à-tête had been interrupted, but the look on his auntie's face tied him to the spot.

"What?" he asked as she hastened to close the door once more and keep their conversation private.

"You know what…" she retorted. "The week has only just begun, and yet…here I find you with an innocent like Lady Olivia." She frowned. "I know what the members of the ton whisper about you, my boy, but I have always defended you, saying you would never cross a certain line. But…"

"I have crossed no lines with Lady Olivia or with any of your other guests," he replied.

She snorted then stalked forward and plucked a pair of fine, silk gloves off a bookshelf. She held them up for his perusal. "Really?" she challenged. "Then, I suppose Lady Olivia was the one who took off her own clothing?"

John snickered. "As a matter of fact, that is precisely the case. I did not even know Lady Olivia was without her gloves until…"

"Until?" she urged.

"Come now, Auntie Aggie," John said softly, tilting his head slightly and gifting his aunt with his most dashing smile. "You know what happens at house parties like these. You arrange matters in a particular way because you hope that couples will find one another and make a match."

"Yes," the dowager agreed while stomping her foot for emphasis. "I look to make matches, to align couples and families that will mutually benefit from falling in love, but…"

"Falling in love?" he scoffed. "Don't be absurd."

"Ah!" she exclaimed just before marching forward and wagging her finger at him. "That is exactly what I thought. You told me you wished to find a bride. You said you would accept my invitation to this gathering because you meant to take a wife. And yet I find you in here with Lady Olivia, and when I mention the mere idea of love, you banish the notion with a laugh."

"I do not mean to offend you, Auntie, but you know me. You know that I do not place a premium on finding love."

Lowering her hand and placing it on her hip, Auntie Aggie shook her head despondently. "But what if love should find you?"

He laughed scornfully. "Impossible. I have hidden myself away so very carefully."

She clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "You were not always so cynical, my boy. There was a time when you and Percy…"

"No!" John interjected. "We shall not talk about my brother."

"But we must," Auntie Aggie insisted. "We…

"No," he reiterated. "If you wish to discuss the situation between me and Lady Olivia, I will answer your questions to the best of my ability, but I will not have a conversation about Percival."

A small crease appeared between the dowager countess' eyebrows as she frowned deeply. "Fine," she said after waiting a beat. "If you do not wish to review the past, let us focus on the present."

"Yes," John murmured, "that is a conversation I can fully endorse."

The dowager fixed him with a speculative stare. "What is your true purpose in coming to my soiree? Do you mean to make a mockery of me and my guests?"

Taken aback by the accusation, John answered quickly, "Not at all. I assure you." He paused before pivoting and leaning heavily against the nearest bookshelf. "You said yourself that you knew I was here to find a wife. That report is still true. I wish to mingle with your guests and find a quiet, meek woman who will serve as a dutiful, obedient wife." He sighed dramatically. "Frederick jests daily that I am giving up my liberty while willingly tying myself to another, but I know what is expected of me. I know that Mama, Papa, and Percy would have wanted me to find a lady, marry her, and produce an heir."

"So, you are here because you think it would please your dearly departed relatives to see you wed?"

He tipped his head back and forth in a noncommittal gesture. "I think Mother would have liked planning a wedding. And I know Father would have wanted me to sire a son. So…"

"So, that's all?" Auntie Aggie's expression grew even more perplexed as her lips pursed so tightly that they became one very thin line.

"What else is there to say?" John retorted. "Plenty of gentlemen settle down for the same reasons, and I feel I am not breaking a mold by following in their footsteps."

At that, Auntie Aggie's tough fa?ade cracked, and her features twisted into a sympathetic expression. She returned Lady Olivia's gloves to the spot where they'd been on the shelf previously then stepped forward and lifted her hands so she might cup his face. "My boy," she whispered, "you are so handsome and so…good."

"Good?" John snorted. "Me? The Charming Rake?"

"You are a good man," Auntie Aggie pressed on, ignoring his snide comments. "And it pains me to see you belittle your emotions in such a manner. Yes, I can understand how you want to do your duty, but you are not like other men, so you should not lump yourself in with their lot."

John pulled away from her grasp. "That is where you are wrong, Auntie. I am exactly like all other men. The only difference between me and them is that when I feel a passion stirring, I act upon it immediately."

"Yes!" she said enthusiastically. "Precisely! You were born into a passionate family. Percy was perhaps a touch more sentimental than you are, but…"

"Percy and I are not the same," John growled, agitated because he thought he'd asked the dowager not to mention his brother's name again. "He allowed himself to be consumed by his desires and longings while I…"

"You have chosen to seduce innocent young women," Auntie Aggie interceded. "You beguile them and enchant them, all the while scorning the love that might be just out of your reach."

"Enough," John commanded. "We shall not continue in this way." He huffed heatedly. "I will marry one of these young ladies, and my wife will give me an heir. That is all I intend and all you need to know."

"Oh, I am vexed by you," Auntie Aggie muttered. "For just a moment, when I saw you with Lady Olivia, I dared to hope you might have given up on your stubborn ways and…"

"Stop," he said, now imploring his auntie to desist more than anything else. He tried being gruff with her before, and she persisted, so he resorted to begging. "I have no wish to…"

"But you will find love," she proceeded. "You, who wish to shun your true nature, will give into your complex feelings, and I wager, before weeks' end, you will find yourself madly in love with one of these young ladies." Her eyes widened significantly just before she added, "I saw you working hard to impress Miss Templeton yesterday, and I understand Lady Abigail has been vying for your attention as well. But I did not see any attachment between you and Lady Olivia…until just now." She cupped her hand thoughtfully underneath her chin. "I suppose I shall just have to watch your movements more carefully going forward. And when I do suspect that your love for Lady Olivia has grown and blossomed, I will be sure to…"

John shook his head vehemently, causing his auntie to give up on her rambling speech. "You may keep your eyes open and watch how I interact with the ladies throughout the rest of the week, but I can assure you that I will never fall in love with Lady Olivia. She is beautiful, certainly, but I could not, and I will not marry a lady who is…who is…"

"Yes?"

He could see that his auntie was quite suddenly taking delight in his floundering. Her stern expression was momentarily erased and replaced by a softer, more compassionate countenance.

"Why can't you marry Lady Olivia?" she added, and he could detect a hint of a taunt coloring her words.

"It does not matter," John grumbled. "I declare it to be so, and thus it is."