Chapter Six

As he followed after Lord Tidemore, Henry found himself considering Miss Tidemore again. The playing of her violin had been quite extraordinary and he had been caught up by the swell of emotion which had pulled from her strings. When she had looked out across the room, he had caught her eye and thought to himself that she was not at all plain, which was just as he had hoped. Her playing had been to the very standard that her father had described… if not a little better, and thus, Henry had been willing to be introduced. That introduction had let him take in her features, her high cheekbones, porcelain skin, hazel eyes and chestnut brown curls. She had not smiled as they had spoken but Henry did not need that to know that she was certainly pretty enough for him. Her curtsy had been without fault and she had not spoken without requirement and had shown deference to her father. All of this told Henry that Miss Tidemore was certainly a very proper young lady, though it did not tell him anything of her character.

"I do hope you were pleased with my daughter, Your Grace?" Lord Tidemore turned to face Henry as Henry sat down in one of the chairs in the private parlor he had been led to. "Might I offer you a brandy?"

Henry nodded and watched as Lord Tidemore crossed the room to pour them both a drink. "Your daughter is certainly as you described her, Lord Tidemore."

The gentleman handed the glass to Henry and then offered a small smile. "I am not inclined towards lying, Your Grace. It sets up false expectations and is almost always discovered."

"That is true." Grimacing, Henry found his thoughts turning back towards Rachel and his previous engagement. Clearly she had kept a good deal back from him. Could he hope that Miss Tidemore would be as her father was and not at all inclined towards lying?

"I would like to propose that your daughter and I become engaged," Henry said, aware of the lift of Lord Tidemore's eyebrows. "However, it will be a prolonged engagement."

Lord Tidemore's eyebrows knitted together. "Prolonged?"

Henry took a sip of his brandy. "Yes."

"Might I ask for what reason you would wish to prolong it?"

Henry lifted his shoulders and let them fall. "I have my reasons for it, Lord Tidemore, though I shall not explain them all. Let me only say that a prolonged engagement would mean that I could make certain of your daughter's character."

Something changed in Lord Tidemore's expression, something that spoke of understanding and instantly, embarrassment shot up Henry's spine. No doubt Lord Tidemore had heard of what had happened with his previous engagement and could now understand Henry's caution.

"There will be questions amongst the ton as regards the reason for such a long engagement," Lord Tidemore said, his frown lingering. "What would be your explanation for that?"

"I do not care what the ton think and I certainly have no intention of giving them any sort of explanation. This is what I intend to do and society need not question it. If they do, they will not receive an explanation."

Lord Tidemore's frown grew darker. "And if you do not find my daughter suitable for you, then you will simply end the engagement and she will be left in disgrace?"

"I do not think that there would be any reason to do such a thing, unless your daughter proves herself to be weak in character." Henry threw back the rest of his brandy and then waved the glass towards Lord Tidemore. "Another, if you please."

It took a moment for Lord Tidemore to respond but he did eventually come to take the glass from Henry, his expression now a little inscrutable. Henry did not care. He had already made his mind up that whoever he chose for his potential bride would enter into a long engagement so that he could be quite certain she was not the sort of young lady who was inclined towards deceit and deception. In short, he wanted to be as sure as he could be that nothing akin to what had happened with Rachel would ever happen again.

"I suppose being a Duchess does require certain… aspects to one's character. Mayhap I might be able to inform those who ask that my daughter is learning what will be expected of her once she is wed." Lord Tidemore went to pour himself a second glass of brandy, having already handed Henry his own glass, refilled. "You do intend to spend time with her, I presume?"

Henry nodded. "Of course." The notion did not fill him with delight and he certainly was not looking forward to such a thing but what else could be done?

"Here in society?"

Hesitating, Henry considered this, thinking about what it would be like to have the entirety of the ton considering both himself and his betrothed. No doubt there would be many whispers, many long looks and many remarks made. Was that what he wanted?

"I think that I shall invite your daughter to reside with me at my estate for a short while," he said, seeing Lord Tidemore's eyes widen again in surprise. "With a chaperone, of course. It would be good for her to see the estate and all that she will have to manage. Of course, my mother would still be there for she will not make her way to the dower house as yet, and that would give opportunity for your daughter to learn from the Duchess herself."

"Very well. So long as she has a chaperone, then that would be acceptable."

"Of course." The more Henry considered this, the happier he became with the situation.

"I would travel with my daughter, I think," Lord Tidemore continued, clearly becoming more and more contented with the idea. "My wife and my younger daughter could remain in London for Amelia is also eager to make a suitable match."

None of this interested Henry and so, he got to his feet and, after finishing his brandy, set the empty glass down on the table. "I believe we have reached an accord, Lord Tidemore. I will leave it to you to speak with Miss Tidemore and confirm our engagement. Thereafter, I suppose that the ton will have to be made aware of it."

A glimmer came into Lord Tidemore's eyes. "I shall make certain that it is passed on discreetly, though I do not think that it will remain quiet for long."

Henry scowled. "No, indeed it will not." He made his way to the door, another thought coming to him. "Would your daughter be ready to take her leave of London within two days?"

Shock registered on the gentleman's face and Henry's frown grew deeper.

"Perhaps a sennight, Your Grace?" Lord Tidemore shook his head. "As much as I should like to be prepared in such a short amount of time, I do not think that I would be able to do so. I have business matters that must be completed first and my daughter will require some time to prepare herself for what is to come."

A little frustrated – for he did not want to linger in London and have the ton whispering about him – Henry eventually gave a small shrug. He could hide himself away in his townhouse for a few more days and that time would also give his staff back at the estate the opportunity to make certain everything was prepared. "Very well. A sennight, but no more, if you please."

Lord Tidemore inclined his head. "You are most kind, Your Grace. A sennight and no more."

"Very good. I will send details of where you are to travel. Good evening, Lord Tidemore."

"Your Grace?"

Irritated that he had been pulled back when he had been about to take his leave, Henry swung around and heaved a long sigh to make it quite plain to Lord Tidemore that he was not particularly pleased.

"Forgive me, but might I ask if you wish to see my daughter again within the next few days?"

Henry frowned. "See her?"

"As in, spend a little more time with her," came the reply. "Might you wish to call upon her? To take tea or perhaps join us for dinner?"

With a slight snort, Henry shook his head. "No, indeed not. I will be able to spend more time with the young lady at my estate and I can see no reason to do such a thing beforehand." With a roll of his eyes, Henry turned on his heel and marched out of the room, aware – but heedless – to the fact that he had left Lord Tidemore rather astonished.

***

"Mother, we are to return to the estate." Henry ruffled the newspaper in his hands and continued to read about the latest horse races rather than paying any attention to his mother's reaction. It was only when she let out a rather loud exclamation that he was forced to set it down, looking back into her face and wondering why she appeared to be so astonished. Quickly realizing his mistake, he folded up his newspaper and tilted his head. "I should have said that I am returning to the estate, Mother," he clarified. "If you wish to remain here in London, then of course, the house is at your disposal."

"It is not that which has astonished me, Fairglen," came the reply as his mother picked up the teacup and held it to her lips. After a moment, she set it down. "It is more the fact that you have declared you are leaving London without any explanation as to why!"

Henry frowned. "I thought that would have been clear after my visit to Lord Tidemore's last evening."

His mother blinked rapidly, before setting the teacup down rather sharply. It rattled on the saucer.

"You do recall that his townhouse was where I was last evening, were you not?" Henry continued, mildly. "I told you what my intentions were and since I have found the young lady to be suitable, I have decided to return to my estate and take her with me."

His mother snatched in a breath, leaning back in her chair in obvious shock.

"I am now engaged to the lady, so it will not be improper, if that is your concern," Henry continued, wondering why his mother appeared so astonished. "Her father will accompany her and during the next few weeks, I will determine whether her character is as her father states. I do not want to see even a hint, even a trace of deceit and so, in that regard, a time under my own roof with the young lady there also should give me adequate opportunity. If I find that she is inclined towards secrecy or mayhap too stubborn for my liking, then I will end the engagement and all will be well."

"She… she is the daughter of a viscount!"

"Yes," Henry said, quietly. "She is."

"And you expect to engage yourself to her?"

"No, Mother. We are already engaged. Her father must have informed her of it either last night or this morning."

The Duchess closed her eyes, one hand gripping the edge of the table. "Fairglen, you are being ridiculous. This is much too hasty and –"

"No, it is not. The last time I found myself engaged, I did so after some time in the company of the lady. I thought my heart had an affection for her, only to prove to myself that I did not truly know her at all. Now, however, I have opportunity to take my time and be cautious, while, at the same time, making preparations for a wedding. I cannot see any difficulty in this and I certainly do not want to have any sort of argument. What I should like, Mother, is your support."

The Duchess shook her head but said nothing, turning her head away from him.

"As I have said, I am returning to the estate in a sennight's time. You may join us, if you wish, or remain here in London. It does not concern me what you do."

After some moments of silence, the Duchess took in a long breath and then let it out again, shaking her head at him. "Why must you be engaged? Why could you not simply court the lady?"

"Because it would not be proper to spend many weeks at my estate with a young lady such as she under my roof. We must be engaged."

"And you think you will be able to discern her character in that time?"

Henry nodded. "I do. In addition, she will be able to understand all that is expected of her as a Duchess and that cannot be considered to be a bad thing. I think it might work out very well, provided her character is as her father states and that she can be trusted."

His mother considered this, nodding slowly before she answered. "Then might I suggest, my dear, that you make a house gathering?"

Henry frowned. "Why should I do that?"

"Because you must see this young lady as she is. You must be able to discern whether she will be suitable as a Duchess, must you not? And she must experience what it will be like to be in such a role. Therefore, why do you not invite a few close friends along with you? It would mean that things would also be a little less… intense for Miss Tidemore."

"I do not want to invite other people," Henry protested.

"But think of this young lady – though I know that such a thing must be difficult for you given that you are not inclined to such things!" His mother spoke a little more sharply now, her eyes flashing. "You are not considering this young lady at all, are you? All you are thinking on is your requirements! I am sitting here telling you that it would be better for her to have more company aside from just myself and you, but simply because you do not want to do such a thing, you decide that – "

"Very well, very well , Mother!" Henry interrupted, growing weary of his mother's complaints. "Do as you wish."

His mother blinked. "Me?"

"Yes, you may organise the house gathering but I want no more than two other families."

"Three."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Very well. Three. I shall call upon Lord Tidemore tomorrow and inform him that his whole family are invited to the house."

"And in ten days' time. Not a sennight."

Thinking that he would protest, Henry caught the glint in his mother's eye and hesitated, quickly realizing that it would not be worth it.

"I will have to send word to the house about what is happening so that everything is prepared," she told him, a small smile pulling up one side of her mouth in clear satisfaction that she had achieved what she desired. "We should return there in a sennight but the guests can arrive in ten days' time."

"Then I will invite Lord and Lady Tidemore and their two daughters to join us so we might have a day or two alone, before the guests arrive," Henry stated, feeling himself growing a little frustrated over what his mother had managed to achieve. "Will that satisfy you?"

His mother reached for the tea pot and poured herself another cup of tea as she smiled back at him. "Of course I am," she said sweetly, as though Henry had not made a single word of protest. "I am very much looking forward to meeting this young lady of yours. I do hope that she will be everything you require her to be, Fairglen."

"As do I," Henry muttered, his frustration still growing. "As do I."