Chapter 7

Anthony McCallister, the Duke of Bachester, poured himself a generous glass of cognac. Thomas already held his own glass, idly twirling it in his hand and watching the amber-brown liquid crawl up the sides of the glass. After learning about the arranged marriage, Thomas imagined this encounter to be very different.

He had imagined storming indignantly into his father's study and perhaps even raising his voice. He had imagined an argument, at least. Now that he had met Lady Victoria, however, Thomas could not even bring himself to be angry.

"So," his father said, leaning back in his chair. "Have you met Lady Victoria yet?"

"I did," Thomas replied. "At the ball last night."

His father's expression brightened. His Grace looked very similar to Thomas himself; they were both dark-haired and had nearly black eyes. He was larger, though—taller and broader—and there was something a little softer about the man's face. Once, he had been an uncommonly handsome man. He was still handsome, but age had made him more dashing than anything else.

"Did you like meeting her?"

Thomas chuckled. "I resolved to be angry about the arranged marriage. I hope you know that."

"I knew that you might react badly to the agreement," his father said. ‘However, I could not deny my friend's dying wishes. After losing his wife, Sinclair was … so upset. He was haunted by the thought that if something happened to him, his beloved daughter might be alone in the world. That is why he wed Lady Norwood, Lady Victoria's stepmother. That is also why he asked me to make this arrangement with him. I could hardly deny him."

"I suppose I understand that, but I still find the idea generally distasteful," Thomas said.

His father smiled. "You are avoiding my question, which makes me believe that Lady Victoria did leave a favourable impression on you."

Thomas sighed and shook his head. Like Samuel, his father always seemed to know more about Thomas' innermost thoughts than he really should. "I will admit that I do like the young lady. She is interesting. We spoke about plays, and I asked her to dance with me."

"How was that?"

Thomas took a long drink from his glass. "The conversation was fine. However, we were never able to dance," he said. "Before I could dance with her, Lady Norwood interrupted. She had a headache and needed to leave at once, so Lady Victoria went with her."

His father sighed. "Unfortunate. I wonder if Lady Norwood has told Lady Victoria about the arrangement yet."

"I do not believe she has," Thomas replied. "Lady Victoria did not seem to know who I was when we spoke at the ball. She was not even aware that her father was in business with you. I am sure she would have said something if she had known about the will. Surely, she would have recognized my name."

"Then, it must be that Lady Norwood intends to conceal the truth from her stepdaughter." The man's expression darkened. "I wonder what motivation she could have for doing something like that."

Thomas furrowed his brow. "Lady Victoria did say some other odd things that I wanted to ask you about. Lord Norwood was a prosperous man, was he not? I imagine that he would have left enough money for Lady Norwood and Lady Victoria to live well."

"Of course. He left a sizeable sum," his father replied. "Only the money invested in Sinclair McCallister was left untouched until Lady Victoria came of age."

Thomas hummed. He leaned forward, placing his empty glass on the edge of his father's desk. "Lady Victoria told me that she mends stockings and other garments," Thomas said slowly. "Surely, such a task is not something that a lady with Lord Norwood's money ought to be responsible for. She also expressed concerns about the cost of paper, which would impede her from writing her plays."

His father took a sip of his drink. The man looked thoughtful. "That sounds dreadful. There is …" he trailed off. "I have always disliked Lady Norwood. She is a snake. That is something that Lord Norwood did not agree with me about. He always loved that woman, even when I warned him that her character left something to be desired."

"What do you think she is doing?" Thomas asked. "Is it possible that Lady Norwood has spent all the money that Lord Norwood left for them?"

"I cannot say. I suppose anything is possible."

Thomas grimaced. He seized the decanter of cognac and filled his glass again. Lady Victoria should not have to mend her own clothing or worry about the costs of paper. She should be free to spend as much time as she wanted writing her plays.

When he thought about it, Thomas realized that Lady Victoria's gown had been plainer than the other ladies' gowns as well. Either Lady Norwood had squandered her stepdaughter's inheritance or else refused to give Lady Victoria even a scrap of it, even enough for paper or fashionable gowns.

"But," his father said thoughtfully. "I did always wonder if Lady Norwood married my friend because he was a wealthy man. I do not like to speak ill of women like that. Ladies have so few opportunities in this world, but I never felt that she loved him like she ought to have. She seemed rather selfish to me. Lady Norwood wanted to advance herself, and she did not care if anyone was hurt as long as her own desires were fulfilled."

Lady Norwood sounded precisely like the sort of ton woman whom Thomas had dreaded having to wed. It was strange that she had somehow raised a stepdaughter who was so different from all the other ladies, so bright and passionate.

Perhaps it was because Lady Victoria had not been allowed to live as a lady ought to, however. Thomas felt a pang of guilt. Perhaps he should have stopped Lady Norwood from leaving that night. He was not sure how exactly he would have accomplished such a thing, but at least he might have tried.

"If you like, I can send a letter to Lady Norwood," Thomas' father said. "I can invite them to dinner and tell Lady Norwood, in no uncertain terms, that Lady Victoria should know about the arrangement. Perhaps we may find the truth of the matter then. Often, if you catch people unaware, they will tell you precisely what you want to know."

Thomas hummed, thinking. "That is kind of you, but I am unsure if that is the best approach to take with Lady Norwood."

His father raised an eyebrow. "Do you have another idea?"

Thomas tapped his fingers along the edge of his father's desk. "I liked speaking to her before her stepmother made her leave," he said. "She is a great admirer of the theatre."

"Much like you."

"Yes," Thomas replied. "She was quite forthcoming about her interests, too. I wonder if she would be less so if she knew we are arranged to wed."

"Who can say with ladies? Sometimes, they are unpredictable."

"I think she is, yes. I would … well, I am rather fond of her," Thomas said. "I know that I cannot say much about her—not from a single meeting—but she interests me. I would like to woo her and court her properly without her knowing that everything is already arranged."

"Really?"

Thomas nodded. "Yes. If Lady Victoria knows about the arrangement, she may feel as if she has no choice but to marry me, and she is far too special to be coerced into a marriage that she does not want. I will not let that happen. If the young lady wishes to marry me, I want it to be because she has some genuine affection for me."

"A love- match," his father said, offering him a wry smile. "You have never shown any inclination towards one before."

Thomas laughed and shook his head. "I do not know that it will be a love match with Lady Victoria either, but I would like to try and win her. Perhaps we may build something special together."

"Well, you have two months to win the lady's affections. Do you realize the implications of what you are suggesting, though?" His father's eyes crinkled around their corners. "If she does not love you, her stepmother will receive half of Sinclair McCallister."

Thomas let out a low breath of air. His father made a compelling point. After all, Thomas himself had been upset at the prospect of all that wealth going to Lady Norwood. He felt even worse about the prospect now that he knew of his father's poor opinion of the lady.

What if Lady Norwood truly was wasting all of the late Lord Norwood's fortune? Surely, she would not spend the wealth from Sinclair McCallister any more wisely if it were in her possession, and poor Lady Victoria would suffer for it.

Still, Lady Victoria deserved better. She ought to have the opportunity to fall in love with someone who adored her. Thomas' chest fluttered with the strangest sensations. There was something about Lady Victoria's innocence, in the way her blue eyes had fixed on his face and how her cheeks had pinkened when he spoke to her. He still remembered how everything about her seemed to brighten when she spoke of the theatre and the merits of Jonson's play. She was so earnest, so sincere.

"I know what will happen if I fail," Thomas conceded, "but I cannot bring myself to … I want to earn her love. I think I can do it, too."

"I have never heard you speak of any woman in such a way before."

Thomas offered a half-hearted shrug and shook his head. In truth, there had been very few women in his life. He had avoided them as often as he could.

"I have never been so interested in a woman before," Thomas replied. "I know that sounds absurd, but there is something special about Lady Victoria. She deserves more than an arranged marriage."

He felt that he—perhaps—understood Samuel's attraction to the actress Loralie. Thomas had thought it was a little ridiculous to be so besotted after a single meeting, but Lady Victoria had cast his world into an entirely new light.

"How do you plan on winning her love, though?" his father asked. "I am delighted that you are resolving to do this. It has been far too long since you had any interest in anything that did not involve Sinclair McCallister, but you cannot simply desire to charm a lady. You must have a plan."

Thomas sighed. "I suppose it will involve attending several of the ton's functions."

His father's smile was a little too enthusiastic, and it filled Thomas with a sort of fond exasperation. "I feel as though you are deriving too much amusement at my expense."

Doubtlessly, Samuel would be amused, too. He would find it terribly comedic that Thomas, having refused female companionship for so long, had decided to put half of Sinclair McCallister at risk in return for the chance to woo a single woman whom he had seen now on two occasions.

"Perhaps a little," his father replied. "I am pleased, honestly. Life is about more than business, and I was beginning to worry that you might have forgotten that."

"I did not forget it," Thomas said. "I suppose I just … I suppose I had forgotten how to rest."

"Or how to enjoy something," his father said softly. "I am proud of you always, but I hope you know that I am also very proud of you for this."

Thomas nodded. He slowly rose and bowed to his father. "I suppose I shall see you at the ton's next function, then."

His father chuckled. "I suppose you shall. Hopefully, Lady Victoria will be there, also."

"You do not think her stepmother will keep her away, do you?"

Thomas considered his earlier thought—that Lady Victoria could prevent him from inheriting half his fortune simply by choosing not to wed him. Now, he wondered if Lady Norwood was not the real villainess. What if she did not want Lady Victoria to have any inheritance? Surely, if Lady Norwood were as deviant as Thomas' father claimed, she would seek to safeguard her own interests.

"No," his father said slowly. "Lady Victoria must have a season and attend events. If you like, I can consult with Sinclair's solicitor, but I am certain Lady Norwood will not hide her away."

"But she may flee the ball with her," Thomas mused. "Well, that is fine. I am prepared to face Lady Norwood."

Indeed, he was looking forward to it. Even if Thomas did not understand everything about the woman or her treatment of Lady Victoria, he knew that something was amiss, and for Lady Victoria's sake, he would do whatever was needed to determine what that was and—hopefully, if Lady Victoria found him agreeable—give her a happy ending.