"Bride?" Clayton shouted.
"Three weeks?" Roderick uttered.
"If not for the money," Stephen said bitterly, "I would let Sir Gerald have the old ruin."
"Gerald is an insufferable oaf," Emily said tersely. "A man like him should never have that amount of money."
"Can't let him have the castle," the duke said with a cold edge to his voice. "I've heard things about that man that would rattle your bones. Everybody back inside. Let's discuss this calmly."
Clayton, too startled to protest, followed the others into the library, with Banes leading the way.
"Three weeks," Clayton said, trying to assimilate the information as he strode restlessly about the room. "How the devil am I to find a bride in three blasted weeks?"
Banes pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his brow. "I have no idea, my lord."
"What about a special license?" Stephen asked offhandedly.
Clayton regarded his brother's smiling eyes. "And whom do I marry, oh wise one? Do not forget about that miscellaneous detail." His gaze swung toward his sister. "What do you think of Miss Hookston now?"
Emily gasped. "You wouldn't dare? This is foolish. Special licenses are for, well, special things, like me and Jared. We were in love. You cannot think of going through with this."
But Emily was wrong. He was already listing the possibilities in his head. No, he wouldn't have a marriage based on love. Lady Serena had burned any notion of that. While he had been serving his country under Wellington, she had decided to marry someone else. But a convenient bride was another matter.
He pursed his lips, intrigued at the notion. There had to be some lady who would fit in with his family, some lady he could set up nicely in the country, some lady who would bow to his commands and be a biddable wife. Yes, by Jove, he could do it. He would do it. But it would definitely not be Miss Hookston.
"Hell's bells, Clay," Stephen said, his mouth dipping into a frown. "Tell me you are not really thinking of doing this."
Clayton whipped his head around. "Put a cork in it, baby brother, or I'll do it for you."
Stephen's eyes narrowed. "Will you now?"
The duke raised his hand. "We can work this out. There is my wife's ball this week. What say you to finding a lady there?"
"I say it is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard of," Emily cried. "It's outrageous!"
"I don't think so," Clayton replied calmly. "Besides, I do believe it is my choice."
Clayton avoided Emily's sour expression as he strode toward the window. Inheriting that sizeable amount of money freed him from the family coffers. Not that he didn't receive a quarterly sum handed out by Roderick, but it was a pittance to what he had lost in his investments. He would be a fool to let this go. Yes, he would marry for convenience sake. He could do it. He could.
"It may be idiotic and outrageous," Banes said, "but quite lucrative. Ethical is another question altogether. Of course, this is none of my affair, but I will say, Lord Clayton, that after I spoke with your uncle when making this will, he mentioned something about his contented life as a married man. Perhaps he may have wanted the same thing for his godchild, duty and all that, you know."
Banes shrugged and stuffed his papers into a leather case. "I will leave a copy of the will with you and send one to your man-of-affairs. You have three weeks. If you do not have a bride by the stated time, the holdings and all monies will be settled upon your cousin. No need to see me out."
With a quick good-bye, the man departed, closing the door with a resounding thud.
"Well, he couldn't get out of here fast enough," Emily said. "I daresay it's such a sordid thing, I don't blame him at all."
Clayton dug his heels into the rug as he paced. "Three blasted weeks. It seems impossible. What lady in her right mind would marry me in such a short amount of time?"
"None!" Emily exclaimed. "Oh, depend upon it, you could have some simpering female like Miss Hookston, but don't let her pretty looks deceive you. She knows exactly what she's doing."
"And I know what I am doing," Clayton said, exasperated. "Miss Hookston may be a beauty, but believe it or not, she is not the kind of lady I wish for my wife. What I need is a detailed list of possible candidates."
Silence.
All heads turned when the mantel clock chimed the hour.
Clayton's narrowed gaze traveled over his siblings. "Confound it! Would you rather Gerald inherit the money?"
Emily's shoulders drooped.
Clayton's mouth twisted with frustration. "When I entered this room today, marriage was the last thing on my mind. Dash it all! The very last thing!"
Stephen threw a booted foot upon the hearth and tilted a smile Clayton's way. "It happens to the best of us. Who knows, old boy, you may end up just as blessed as Roderick and me."
Clayton let out a dry laugh. He should be so lucky.
Emily's hands formed two stiff fists by her sides. "I fail to see the amusement in finding a wife." She regarded Stephen. "And I doubt Elizabeth would find this funny." She darted a gaze toward the duke. "Or Jane, Your Grace."
A flush swept across both gentlemen's cheeks.
"Em," Clayton said, hoping his sister would relent, "what about one of your friends?"
"Oh!" Emily marched toward the door. "You are impossible!"
Turning toward the window, Clayton caught sight of Banes stepping from the walk and into his carriage. Three weeks! Who the deuce would fit into his plans and marry him in such a short amount of time? Clayton stared back at Emily.
Her eyes burned into his. "I would never give you leave to marry one of my friends!"
Hmmmm, one of her friends...
A pair of intelligent emerald eyes suddenly came to Clayton’s mind. Of course! Miss Garland! The girl wasn't bad to look at, with her dazzling auburn hair and those fairylike eyes. And it didn't matter to him that her nose was always in the books.
At least he could have a decent conversation with the lady. Of course, he wasn't fond of her matchmaking mama, who had been hounding him for years. Still, he recalled the girl's kindness and biddable nature. There was that one time when he had been teaching her to waltz, but that did not signify. No, not at all.
His lips curved into a satisfied smile. "Em, I believe Miss Garland is staying with you for a spell, is she not?"
Emily wagged a stern finger at him. "Don't you dare!" With a huff, she turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her.
Roderick raised a mocking right brow. "If I don't miss my guess, I think that means you are to stay far away from the lady."
Stephen fixed his eyes on the door and frowned. Clayton looked at him in disgust. "Do not tell me you are leaving, too?"
"I daresay Emily has a point." Stephen plowed a hand through his brown hair. "I love my wife and don't plan to have her separated from me because of an old man's will. If you were to marry for convenience and I helped you, Elizabeth would be livid."
Stephen had almost been pushed into a marriage of convenience with Elizabeth over a stupid wager. Though the couple had worked out their differences and eventually fell in love, Clayton knew the same thing wouldn't happen to him. Love would not be involved at all.
He pointed Stephen toward the door. "I am not one to meddle in my brother's marriage. Off with you, then."
Stephen gave a sigh of relief and started across the room.
Clayton turned. "Roderick, are you with me on this?"
His eldest brother stiffened. "I am a duke. I can do whatever I want. No woman dictates my life."
Jane might have something to say about that, thought Clayton, but he had desperate need of Roderick's assistance and he kept that thought to himself. "Then you will help me?"
Roderick played with an ivory letter opener on his desk. "This is the end of the Season. The parties are winding down. As I said, we are hosting a ball in a few days, but I fear that will not leave you enough time to make a choice. You need a more intimate setting to make your move."
; Stephen turned with his hand on the door. "By George, never say it came from me, but I believe Lord Grimstoke is having a house party at the end of the week. I think you might find a reasonable female in the mix."
Reasonable female? Clayton dragged a hand over his face. What choice did he have? Emily was going to deny him the one biddable girl who would fit perfectly into his plans.
He heaved a resigned sigh and peered up at his brothers. "Never thought I would be saying this, but devil take it, which ladies would you suggest?"
Stephen yanked open the door. "This is where I take my leave. Ah, good afternoon, Jane."
The duke let the letter opener slip from his hands when he heard the duchess's name. The man's eyes softened as his wife's baby blue eyes peeked into the room.
"Roderick, dear. Forgive me, but I was wondering when you will be finished. I have need of the carriage for some shopping and the groom told me you wished to come along."
The duke gave her his sweetest smile. "Indeed, I do."
Roderick hurried to his wife's side, taking hold of her hand and kissing it. "I have a little side trip planned just for the two of us," the duke whispered.
Jane's face colored, and Clayton gave Marcus a hard look. Down to one sibling. It was quite apparent Roderick was out of the game. Blast it to pieces! The duke had been married almost a year, and by Jove, staring at the couple, one would think it had been only a week of wedded bliss!
Roderick lifted a wary gaze. "Gentlemen, I will leave you to the details. My duty awaits."
Clayton sank into a nearby wing chair and groaned as the door snapped shut once again. "Duty! You would think all my brothers would help me out in a time like this."
Marcus crossed the room and grabbed the decanter of brandy, a wicked sparkle in his eyes. "Yes, well, married life can do that to you. You'd best be sure of what you want."
"Hell's teeth. I never planned to be married, not after—"
"Lady Serena?" Marcus said, not glancing his way.
Clayton's face went grim. "History. But the worst of it is, I lost everything in that shipment from the West Indies."
His brother peered at the glass in his hand. "Everything?"
"Everything. And if I don't take that blasted castle, I will be dependent on dear old Roderick and the family coffers."
Marcus pulled the bell cord. "I had no idea things were that bad. Then this mission calls for a bottle of a finer substance."
"Make it two bottles. If we have to make a list of ladies, I want to make it as painless as possible."
Chapter Three
"Your mother entrusted me to find you a husband. And I intend to do just that, even if I have to move the search beyond the Season."
Briana Garland looked up from her seat in the moving carriage and frowned at her godmother's remark. Oh, she loved the lady dearly, but sometimes Agatha was just as stubborn as she was.
Miss Agatha Appleby had been childhood friends with Briana’s mother, Lady Garland, and there was nothing Agatha wouldn't do for the lady or her godchild, including finding Briana a husband. And since Lady Garland had withdrawn to the country to recuperate from her persistent headaches, Agatha had become Briana's sole chaperone for the London Season.
"I have obligations other than marriage, Agatha."
The elderly lady's black parasol hit the floorboard with a loud clap. "Fustian! Obligations providing for a women's home? As a Christian I believe in your cause, but as a single woman you will be shunned by the world."
Pressing her lips together, Briana stared out the window of the vehicle as it rolled down the London streets toward the Duke of Elbourne's townhouse. Whether Agatha liked it or not, Briana intended to follow through with her plan.
She was going to visit her friend Jane, the Duchess of Elbourne, hoping the lady could help her find a home for her proposed women's shelter, a project that Agatha obviously believed would result in social suicide.
Briana leaned her head against the cool pane of glass, her throat tightening. What did she care about Society anyway? It's not as if she ever intended to marry.
"Briana, did you hear me?"
Briana turned. Her gaze collided with a pair of steely gray eyes. "I heard you. But you do things and you are not shunned."
Most people would take one look at Agatha, with her salt-and-pepper hair and plump body, and think her a sedate older lady consumed with thoughts of tea parties and peaceful drives in die country. But this harmless-looking lady had been secretly involved in the war against Napoleon for years. No one would ever think she worked for Whitehall.
Briana certainly hadn't thought such a thing, not until a few months ago when Agatha had come to her for help in the area of Egyptian architecture, which had led to the deciphering of certain mathematical formulas.
For whatever reason, Agatha had needed answers fast. Briana had provided the answers, but her suspicions about her godmother had grown to astronomical proportions.
Briana badgered Agatha for her own answers.
It all came to a head when Agatha needed more help in her so-called research. Though it proved a shaky period in their relationship, with great thought, Agatha had finally confessed to her involvement with the government and had asked for Briana's silence. Briana begged to be part of the lady's secret world. The answer had been an emphatic no.
But Agatha saw qualities in Briana similar to those in herself, which Briana, knowing the soft heart beneath that hard exterior, took full advantage of, and at a weak moment, the stubborn older lady, had given in to Briana's persistent requests to be part of Agatha's secret life. What was the difference anyway? Briana was providing Agatha with answers. This way she was part of the team.
Of course, Briana's work for Whitehall was done at home, a desk job of sorts, but Briana was thrilled. She didn't have access to exactly what was going on. But it didn't matter if Briana knew only a small piece of the operation. That momentous time in her life had brought her out of mourning for her father and sister and into a new world of excitement and intrigue.
The lady's black parasol thudded against the carriage floorboard. "For heaven's sake, child! I am an elderly spinster! I am allowed to do what I want! Taking care of single females in their delicate time, well, it's simply not done by another unmarried woman, especially a young female as pretty as you. The scandal, child."
Briana touched her hair. Did the lady ever think that their work with Whitehall was scandalous? Of course that was secret, but still...
"For one thing, I am not pretty. Auburn tresses are not at all the thing." Briana raised a hand to her nose. "And freckles are considered a sin. Nothing I do helps."
"La, my dear, you are prettier than ever, and you possess a brain most gentlemen would give their right arm to have."
"I have no wish to capture a gentleman's attention," Briana said, wishing the driver would pick up his pace and hurry to the Elbourne townhouse. The very idea of finding a husband was beginning to grate on her nerves. Agatha was becoming more obsessive about the subject every day they were together.
For the past few weeks they had been staying in London with Agatha's nephew, Lord Stonebridge, and Lady Emily. Briana enjoyed her stay at the earl's home, and she especially loved the children and catching up with Emily, but even Emily had been hinting about a husband for Briana. And Emily could be quite mischievous if she wanted.
"My dear girl," Agatha said, "fading into the walls is all well and good if you are trying to escape a scandal, but as a lady on the search for a husband, it won't do at all."
The carriage had begun to slow down and Briana was counting the seconds. This was definitely a subject she did not want to touch. It opened too many wounds. How could she tell her godmother that allowing herself to love a man would only cause her pain? The man would eventually leave her, either physically or emotionally, and that was never going to happen to her again.
"I like not being seen, Agatha." It saves me from heartache.
"I have noticed that lately, especi
ally this Season. You used to be such a happy child. Maybe not as outgoing as Emily, but you enjoyed being with people. I heard Lord Rockham asked you to ride with him in Hyde Park the other day and you declined."
Agatha took Briana's hand in a warm clasp. "What happened to the girl I used to know?"
Briana swallowed, not trusting her emotions. That Briana is dead, she wanted to say. That Briana was an innocent soul, full of dreams and foolish wishes.
Emily was wed to the man she loved, and for her, marriage was wonderful. Jane was like a daughter to Agatha. She had married Emily's brother, Roderick, the Duke of Elbourne, and the loving couple were seen everywhere together.
Briana closed her eyes. Somehow her friends had found men they could trust. Briana never would. She just didn't see it happening for her. Trusting a man could be hazardous to her heart and her freedom. Hadn't her sister paid the ultimate price? The past was indeed a lesson for the future.
"What happened?" Agatha repeated, her voice full of concern.
"Oh." Briana looked up, squeezing her godmother's hand. "After I declined the offer, Lord Rockham asked Miss Celia for a ride instead. I didn't mind at all."
Agatha's gaze narrowed on Briana's forced smile. "I am not asking about Rockham. I am asking about you. And do not lie to me. Those eyes of yours tell me you were buried in the past."
Briana dropped her lashes. "My sister died alone and afraid. I can never forget that or how my father sent her away."
Agatha clenched her hand on her parasol until her knuckles turned white. "Your father was an idiot."
Briana blinked back the pain. "What father would send his daughter away? Clarice was with child, Agatha. A child with child!" Briana wiped a hand across her eyes. "He wanted nothing to do with her. Oh, he admitted his fault later, but it was too late. Too late for everything."
Her father's actions had horrified her. He had died a few weeks after Clarice. The doctor had mentioned a heart ailment, but Briana knew it had been caused by a mixture of grief and guilt over his daughter's death.
Agatha bent toward the window and dabbed at her eyes. "Drowning in the Thames, such a terrible accident. It's your father whom I'll never forgive."
The Convenient Bride (The Clearbrooks) Page 3