The Persuasion

Grosvenor Square, London, August 1817

The door to his library crashed opened, bouncing off the bookshelves behind. An erect, gray-haired lady dressed in the latest Parisian fashion marched into the room and stood before him as he sat behind his oak desk, bathed in early afternoon sunshine. Jonathan Everslie, Marquess of Dalton, gave her his full attention, as she clearly wanted, and smiled in amused anticipation.

Without hesitation, Lady Lucinda Mulgrave launched the frontal attack he expected. "Now you have inherited the title, you must marry, Dalton, you must!" The up and down motion of her pointing index finger emphasized her words.

Good grief. He hadn't been admonished like that since boyhood.

"You have a large family of dependent aunts and cousins, and there is no heir to follow you. Do you want them thrown out on the streets when you die?"

Jonathan fought to keep a smile off his face and attempted to calm her with logic. "I must have an heir somewhere, Aunt Lucinda. It only stands to reason. If I were to expire, I'm sure he would be found." As an afterthought he added, "And would look after his dependents."

His aunt raised her chin and stared down her aquiline nose at him, her mouth set in a disapproving line. "There may be a cousin in New South Wales from my youngest brother who was sent there in exile—but his mother could be a convict for all we know. It is your duty to marry and beget an heir, and soon."

"Let me be absolutely clear, Aunt Lucinda. I know it is my duty to marry, but I won't marry anyone I consider unsuitable."

Lady Lucinda ploughed on with her lecture. "This is not the time to be fastidious. There are myriad young ladies every Season more than suitable for the task—with impeccable backgrounds, and some with money to match."

His words hadn't stopped his aunt… hadn't even slowed her down. What would it take to placate her? "And I will consider them. However, the Season doesn't begin for another seven months. This conversation is premature."

"Nonsense, there are many families with eligible daughters whom you could visit or invite to stay at Everslie Park in the meantime."

"And how do you suggest I do that?"

"You have your secretary write invitations and send them, Jonathan." She glared at him.

"How do I know who these candidates are?"

"I have a list already written." She produced it from her reticule with a flourish and laid it on his desk. "I expect to be presiding over a house party for these ladies and their families at Everslie Park by Christmas."

Having delivered her message and assumed agreement, Lady Lucinda nodded to him and strode from the study, leaving the door wide open.

Jonathan ran his fingers through his hair, pushing the short dark waves from his forehead. He picked up the list and scanned the names set down in his aunt's fussy handwriting. He had met them all and been bored to the point of irritation by their simpering ways. He groaned and crumpled the paper into a ball, tossing it into the empty fire grate.

"Stevens!" His elderly secretary and man of business appeared in the doorway. "Send to the stables for Nate to saddle my horse. I'm going out for a ride. I believe we have concluded today's business."

"Yes, we have, my lord, but have you forgotten that you promised to take your sister to a lecture this afternoon, as Lady Lucinda is unavailable?"

Vexed at the impediment to his escape, Jonathan sank back into his chair with an exasperated sigh. "Ah, yes, I remember. We shall be gone for the afternoon." He was trapped by his obligations. Or was he? Stevens still stood in the doorway, waiting for further instruction. He had an idea. A smile spread across his face. "Send word to my solicitor that I shall see him tomorrow morning."

"May I tell him what it concerns, my lord?"

"I wish to trace the whereabouts of my uncle's family in New South Wales, as he has met his maker."

Stevens nodded and left to follow Jonathan's orders.

Jonathan sank into a reverie about the onerous obligation that befell those who inherited titles—that of producing heirs for the benefit of their families. Of course, he mused, it shouldn't be an onerous task to find a wife and create a family—it should be a pleasurable duty.

Why wasn't it turning out that way?

***

She was the one.

He wanted her. Only her.

Jonathan shook his head. Am I mad? Where did that idea come from?

The room came into focus, and her words swirled around him. The drawing room of the modest townhouse leased by the Reverend William Brody was awash with late summer light streaming through its tall arched windows. An assortment of well-loved chaise longue and chairs were grouped around the simply dressed young woman who was expounding, in her low-pitched voice, on a better way to educate young women to take their place as men's equals in society.

Miss Brody had drawn quite a crowd for this unfashionable time of year. But then, there wasn't a fashionable person in the room. Instead, when he looked around, those he recognized were doctors and the committed few society people who devoted themselves to philanthropic causes. To his left was Mrs. Courtice, an eccentric and elderly widow who supported every charitable cause in the city. Her birdlike form was clothed in an outmoded dress. That was deceptive. She was neither timid nor wanting for money. In fact, he knew that her husband had left her extremely wealthy, as there was no entailment on his property and no children to support.

What am I doing here? Jonathan glanced at his sister seated beside him. Her pale skin contrasted with the dark circles beneath her eyes. She had urged him to accompany her to this important talk for women.

Oh, he had resisted of course. What man in his right mind wouldn't, especially a peer of the realm? To entertain such notions was to upset the established balance of the known world. His role was to keep things stable. Bad enough that the working classes were threatening to rise up against their masters.

Nevertheless, he couldn't resist a plea from his sister Elizabeth for long. Her sweet disposition had always meant that he gave in to her requests—the precious few she made. Involving herself in charity work from the time she had left the schoolroom, she had pulled him into supporting her causes with generous donations. Occasionally he accompanied her when she needed a chaperone other than their aunt, but he had not escorted her to this residence before. He suspected their aunt hadn't either. A huff of amusement escaped him. Lady Lucinda would not countenance the idea of educating women to be men's equals.

Jonathan focused on the speaker. Miss Brody was petite, confident, and articulate. She had the most beautiful open and earnest face, with clear blue eyes. Her golden-brown hair was formed into a severe knot at the back of her head, emphasizing her high cheekbones but not improving her attractiveness at all. He began imagining how her loosened hair would curl around her slender shoulders. How far would it drape down her naked back? The audience listened in silence, intent on her message, unaware of his lascivious thoughts.

Soon the talk ended. For a moment there was stillness, then polite applause began. As hostess, the speaker invited all to join her for tea, which two servants brought in on cue. A hubbub of conversation followed as a number of guests surged toward her. Elizabeth took Jonathan's arm and urged him forward into the throng around the woman now presiding behind the large teapot.

Apparently, his sister knew the speaker. Elizabeth skirted the furniture, guiding him toward the young woman. Jane Brody, in her daffodil yellow summer dress and matching bead necklace, looked like a beam of sunshine.

He was drawn to her like a cat to cream. The thick carpet hushed his highly polished Hessian boots but the tassels swished against them as he strode forward—catching her attention, he noticed. At their approach, her gaze traveled from his boots up his body, transforming into a look of admiration, before she focused on his sister.

"Jonathan, may I introduce Miss Brody?" Elizabeth said, in her breathy voice.

"Charmed to meet you, Miss Brody. My sister insisted that I accompany her to hear your views." And I will certainly do so again after seeing how very much more attractive you are close up.

"I'm delighted to meet you, Lord Dalton. I trust I have convinced you that women have voices that ought to be heard. This fraternity needs people in high places, such as you, to spread the word and convince men that women are entitled to equal rights."

Surprised by her confident expectation that he was a supporter of her cause, Jonathan felt compelled to disabuse her. "I'm afraid that I do not yet believe there is reason or need for women to demand an equal place in our society. Nor to be educated for such a place. They are intended to marry and raise their husbands' children."

"If they do not need equality of rights, of education, then why do women die every day from too many confinements weakening their health?" she demanded quietly.

He struggled to keep his face impassive, but couldn't stop a flicker of his left eyebrow. "Unfortunately, they do die," he replied. "But the number of confinements a woman bears is an issue for man and wife to debate and settle—not society as a whole. And surely not a subject for an unmarried woman to concern herself with?"

"And how do you expect women to control their reproduction if they are not informed about or permitted to discuss the question and the means before they are wed? Afterward, their fate becomes a fait accompli , does it not?" she queried, her smile still in place and her voice calm, but with a look of fierce determination on her face.

He made no reply.

"Can I count on your maiden speech in parliament being on the topic of women's rights, my lord?" she added, a look of innocent inquiry on her face.

Good God! Has she left hold of her sanity like old King George? "I'm afraid not, Miss Brody. I will not be lecturing my peers on such a personal topic." He hoped the conversation was at an end, but he saw a battle light in her eyes and suspected she would not let him off the hook. She might be a formidable opponent if not a woman.

She spoke quietly. "I took you for a man of greater moral fiber, my lord. I see I was mistaken." She turned to his sister and then Mrs. Courtice on her right, offering them tea and cake.

He was dismissed—as if of no further interest or use to her. Being ignored by an unmarried woman, or by anyone else for that matter, was an unfamiliar feeling. Stunned, he stepped back from the group and strode away to talk with Dr. Logan, the middle-aged doctor who aided a mission in Wapping for unmarried mothers. It was a charity to which Jonathan had given funds for some time, but in which he had never taken a close interest, preferring instead to let his money do the work. He listened distractedly to the doctor but his mind was churning.

This woman, this Miss Jane Brody, the daughter of a clergyman, had challenged his very usefulness in the world and found him wanting. Anger flared in him. By what right did she feel she could do that? Did she truly believe that women were the equal of men? Obviously, she did. He looked around the crowded room. Did all these people hold the same belief? It was a sobering thought. Those present didn't represent the peerage but did include well-respected members of London's intellectual group.

The anger died as quickly as it rose. Why be angry at being called to account? Better to find out more about her ideas like the man of letters that he was. He would investigate her and her writings, find the flaws in her beliefs, and make sure she could never put him on the back foot again.

Her slight but womanly figure, seated at ease behind the china tea set, drew his gaze. She looked so right there; as did most ladies of his acquaintance. It was a charming and attractive sight. But she wasn't chatting about the weather and fashions and events for the upcoming Season, like others. Instead, she and her fellow bluestockings and philanthropists were discussing ways of changing the order of things in society.

She was a disturbing phenomenon.

***

Jane seethed. While smiling and serving her guests, she sensed Lord Dalton's eyes on her. He was the most annoying man. First his narrow-minded attitudes and now his steady brown-eyed gaze upon her. He was every inch the Corinthian, from his short brown hair swept upon his brow and his tall athletic body clad in the best of men's fashion, to his shining Hessian boots. Obviously, good looks, a wonderful physique, and enormous wealth did not ensure intelligence and manners!

What a contrast to his delightful and thoughtful sister. Jane had met Lady Elizabeth a number of times at meetings of charity groups over the last few months. The last encounter had been at a ball when Lady Elizabeth had been accompanied by her aunt, Lady Lucinda Mulgrave. The aunt was a typical society matron intent on pushing her niece forward into a suitable match. It appeared the brother was the same.

Having met two examples of the family, Jane hoped these traditionalists were not pressuring Lady Elizabeth to accept the usual role for women before she was old enough to think for herself.

Jane's sister, Charlotte, had married about a year ago at the age of twenty, despite all Jane's counseling to wait a little longer—until she was at least of age and better knew her fiancé. Instead, Charlotte had persuaded their father to give his consent to the marriage. She was now residing near Portsmouth with her cavalry officer husband, close to his regiment's encampment. Too far away for frequent visiting, leaving only weekly letter writing between the sisters as their means of communication.

Jane's next sister, nineteen-year-old Anna, was also keen to find a husband. Jane sighed. She couldn't understand the haste or the reasoning. She was glad to be unshackled by husband and children who would claim every moment of her day. Instead, she devoted her spare time to charitable work when not supervising her father's household and organizing her three youngest siblings, who were still living at home. Anna required escorting to public events from time to time, but the younger pair of siblings still needed tutoring, which Jane shared with their father.

Eight years after his wife's death, her father, the Reverend Brody, still had not recovered his zest for life, nor much interest in the people and events around him. He seemed to have shrunk inside his clothes; his hair had gone white, and his laughter was rare. Jane had taken over much of his charity work.

Realizing she was daydreaming, Jane focused on the conversation going on beside her between Mrs. Courtice and Lady Elizabeth. "Have you been well, Lady Elizabeth?" asked Jane.

"I'm much improved since the cloudy, foggy days have gone," she responded. "As long as London's sky remains clear, my cough is nonexistent. If the weather changes, I may have to retreat to the country again, like last spring. My brother keeps a close eye on me and whisks me away if my symptoms start."

"Indeed, he is a very caring, solicitous brother from what you say," Jane conceded.

Lady Elizabeth nodded. "I do wish I could convince him to take up your cause now he is to take his place in the House of Lords. The rights of women need to be recognized so we may have some chance of independence in these tumultuous times."

"Yes, we need a powerful champion if we are to spread your message, Jane," agreed Mrs. Courtice. "It is not enough for us to just perform charity work to help women who have fallen on hard luck. We need to change the way society thinks of women. We are not inferior to men. We ought to be educated to assume our rightful place beside them." Her look pierced Jane. "You must continue to write your pamphlets about our cause, Jane. It is valuable work."

"I won't stop until our aim is achieved, Mrs. Courtice," Jane agreed. "But we still need a patron—preferably a man of influence."

"Then you must try to persuade my brother to take up our cause, Miss Brody," Lady Elizabeth said. "If anyone can do it, it is you. He has always been complacent about social issues but now he has inherited his title, he has the ability to effect change. He needs to be shaken out of his complacency."

"How should I go about that? He seemed quite adamant that he was against women's rights when I spoke with him a little while ago."

"Don't let one failed attempt put you off!"

Mrs. Courtice nodded her encouragement.

"Call upon me tomorrow morning," Elizabeth urged. "My brother always works in his study with his man of business before luncheon. I'll ensure that you get the opportunity to talk with him."

Their eager looks overrode Jane's reluctance. Why did she feel as though she would be confronting a lion in his den when she tried to convert the handsome, yet reactionary, Lord Dalton to their cause?