Marriage to a Mister (A Daughters of Regency #1) (13 page)

Evan watched as everyone in the room froze. The first to react was Edward, ushering out Felix and Dom, whispering something to his father, who then looked at him as if to ask if he would be fine. Evan nodded and his mother took his father's arm. As they walked out the door he could hear his father whisper. "I wonder if it ever occurred to Julian that he hasn't the right to order anyone out of
my
drawing room."

Evan almost laughed when he heard his mother shush his father, but then the duke stepped directly in front of him.
This was sure to be fun
, he thought as he looked the Duke of Norfield straight in the eyes. All of a sudden, Evan felt angry. Angry at Edward for asking for her hand. Angry at Fleur for saying yes, and angry at his whole family for picking Edward for her all those years ago, and even now, instead of him.

"What is the matter, your grace? Bee in your bonnet? Don't worry, I have no intention of leaving your daughter to disgrace and ruin."

"What is the matter with you?" Norfield flung his hand in the air, exasperated with Evan's flippant tone. "Do you ever stop to think before your mouth runs away with you? Do you think that you could do better than my daughter?"

"No. No, indeed I could not do better," Evan stated matter of factly.

Norfield cleared his throat. "You do intend to marry her then? Please, tell me straight, I must know. Will you marry Fleur?"

Evan sighed and ran his hand through his hair, the anger suddenly flowing out of him leaving him tired. "Of course I will, if she'll have me. It's the only thing to be done in this situation. I know this isn't what you wanted for her –"

"That, my boy, is the understatement of the –"

"However." Evan glared and tried to bring the conversation back to firm ground. "I will do my duty by her and make sure the jackals have no reason to snip at her."

Julian shook his head at Evan's answer. "You must know I don't like you, Woolf."

"And what did I do that was so awful to you?" asked Evan.
 

"What did you do?" The duke stepped closer to Evan. "After you left, I had to watch her as she locked herself away in her bedchamber for days after we arrived back to Norfield. She doesn't know that I know, but she wept for months after you left. All of this, because of you, because of that night. I saw everything, you know, in the corridor on her birthday. I went up to check on her and saw everything."

Evan stood still, eyes wide, his defenses rising.

His voice shook, control all but gone. "You were as much to blame as I, you know, you, who was like another father to me, you knew that I loved her, but all of you kept pushing her towards Edward." Evan took a deep breath, calming himself. "I do not know why I've never been enough for you —"

"It was never that, my boy. Don't make the mistake of thinking I never cared, but until that night I was not aware of just how deep your feelings ran. I apologize for that, I should have realized, I should have come and talked to you before you could leave that morning, but I wanted you to have time to cool your head."
 

"So do we continue to blame one another?" asked Evan. "I should have come to you as well, but I was young and stupid, and then I didn't know how to take it back."

The duke nodded, understanding. "What I need from you now is to know that you can you take care of her. Can you provide for her needs? All of them? Where will you live?"

Evan huffed. "What is this? An interview? I have already agreed to marry the lady, so I don't see the point in all of this."
 

"You will see the point when you have daughters of your own one day."

"Daughters? Me? Absurd." Evan nearly laughed at the thought. He had long come to terms with the fact that he would never marry or sire children.
 

"You do realize my daughter will want children of her own? She is just the sort of woman who looks forward to being a mother."

"I ... children?" Evan faltered.

"Yes, and several. I have often heard her speak to her sister about her ambitions of having at least, oh, seven or eight children, I think it was."

Evan paled. "Eight ... eight?" he asked, searching the duke's eyes for truth.

The duke smiled at his discomfort and fell into a chair beside him.
 
Evan followed suit, though more from not being able to remain standing. Eight children!

"Come now, I was only teasing, but it's true Fleur will want children of her own. How will you be able to provide for them? For her?"

If Evan weren't so relieved, he would have had the mind to be angry. Eight children indeed. "I do have a townhouse here in London and have recently purchased an estate not far from my father's in Kent. I plan to settle the land with renters, though my investments alone would keep your daughter well off for her lifetime. She will want for nothing, your grace."

"Now, was that so difficult? About her dowry––"

"There is no need, sir, settle it on Lady Julia. Lord knows you will need all the bribes you can muster to marry her off."

The duke smiled. "This is true. However, Fleur will have a dowry. Save it for those eight children, as surely you will have many daughters."

"They will probably
all
be daughters, if I know Lady Fleur. It would be just my luck."

"Your privilege," the duke insisted. "Having daughters is like nothing else in the world; there is nothing better."

"Well you needn't worry, I will care for the lady and any offspring in every way that matters"

"Not in
every
way, I fear," said the duke as he wistfully looked out the window. "Evan, do you still love my daughter?"

Surprised at the question, Evan hesitated, not wanting to pour out his soul. He gave a cautious answer. "Apart from last night, I haven't seen Fleur in more than seven years."

"I understand," said Julian. "It will take some time for you to reacquaint yourself with my daughter, of course."

Evan wondered at the duke's sudden melancholy and decided to move on to important business.

"I will procure the license this afternoon. I'm afraid there isn't much time, so I won't be able to formally speak my addresses to Lady Fleur. Please relay my apologies."

"Running away again?" the duke asked in a joking manner, but Evan doubted it did not bear weight or truth.

"No, but I feel the lady should have time to adjust to this sudden turn of events. I've had all night to come to terms with most everything. I would wish her the same before tomorrow."

Julian nodded. "I will inform her. Be at my home with your family at half past ten. We can all away to Kent together." The duke started to rise but then stopped himself. "Evan, I hope you understand that I didn't mean to be so harsh yesterday. I was ... well, I was shocked. Forgive me if I hurt you in my haste to protect her."

Evan rubbed his jaw. "Any father would have been the same, so let us say no more. We shall be family from tomorrow onward, and we will be together at the house party in the next few weeks. My mother will be overjoyed that we have come to an agreement, or at least some semblance of civility."

"Yes, you are right, besides I must own that if it wasn't for Charles and I, if we had not been so very drunk the other night, then none of this would have even begun."

Evan looked into the duke's eyes, trying to read him. "What do you mean?"

"You don't know?" Julian asked.

When Evan shook his head the duke sighed. "Your brother was only set to marry Fleur because your father and I made an enormous mistake at Whites the other night. We were talking loudly about our children marrying. They story flew through London faster than a pair of matched greys. Edward was our solution."

Evan remembered something that had been nagging him. When asked, his brother said that his marriage to Lady Fleur was a delicate situation. "You mean
that
is the reason they were betrothed?
 
Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"I doubt anyone had time, it all happened so quickly, not that it matters now. You run along with the boys to procure the license and I shall inform your parents and then go home to Fleur. I shall see you in the morning."

"Good day, your grace," Evan said absently as the duke took his leave.

He sat rigid as his mind raced at the news he had only just learned. So it was not planned by the elders at all, but a solution to some mishap.

Evan laughed. It was almost too much to believe.

A woman compromised once was deliciously shocking, but a woman compromised twice in less than a day and betrothed to two brothers in the same amount of time? He doubted even France could provide such a scandal.

WILL YOU HAVE HIM?

Fleur bounded down the stairs in search of her sister. After finally getting out of bed, she had quickly dressed and made her way down to see to the rest of the house-closing. She reached the front entryway and stood before a table picking through letters when Craigs came in.

"Mr. Craigs, have you seen my sister? She wasn't in her chambers or the breakfast room."

"I believe Lady Julia is in the music room, milady."

"The music room? What on earth is she doing in there?"

"She seems to be practicing," Craigs sniffed then bowed before he took his leave.
 

Fleur made her way to the music room. There really was so much to be done before they left in the morning.
What could Julia be doing
, she wondered. She rounded the corner into the drawing room that opened into the music room and looked around.

"Julia? Are you in here?"
 

"I am here!" Fleur heard her shout.

"Here? Where is here?" Fleur smiled when Julia stood up from behind the large pianoforte.

"What on earth are you doing?"

"Practicing."

Fleur raised a skeptical brow and Julia laughed.

"Yes, practicing. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Frankly, yes. Papa has been urging you to practice for years. Why the sudden interest?"

"Because now
I
wanted to," Julia said as if it were obvious.

"Right. Of course you would choose this very moment," Fleur said, giving Julia an exasperated look. "Are you ready to depart tomorrow? Lucy is finished with my packing and things are set to close the house. Do you need any more help?"

"No, I am also ready, though I'm already tired just thinking about the next few weeks. Two weeks in the same house as Charity." Julia shuddered.

"Don't be unkind. If it weren't for her, I would still be lying on the ground with my skirts around my head while you just stood there with everyone else staring."

"I was in shock," Julia protested.

Fleur laughed. "Yes, I suppose it was very shocking."

"You're being awful lighthearted about it now." Julia moved her music sheets back into a neat pile.
 

"Oh, Julia, what else am I supposed to do? I have to laugh or I would just ... but what is done is done, and I'm determined to put it behind me and enjoy our time with our friends."

"It really is laughable, you embroiling the family in scandal when you know everyone thought it would be me."

"Yes, I am laughable," Fleur said while pushing Julia over so she could sit down on the bench beside her. "I'm positively wretched."

"No, you're wonderful. And you will be happy with Edward, you'll see. Evan is the wretched one."

"He saved my life, Julia," Fleur said disbelievingly. "No matter what has happened in our past, I think we owe him our gratitude."

"Fine, I'm grateful, but that's all. Honestly, he's an –"

"Julia."

"Well, he is. Even Papa thinks so."
 

"I think what?" Fleur and Julia both looked to the door when their father walked in.

"Papa!" Julia ran to her father and greeted him with a hug and a quick kiss to the cheek. "We were just discussing the fact that Evan Woolf is an–"

"Julia!" Fleur and Julian both snapped at her.

"I was going to say he's an abominable man," she said, hand on her hips, nose raised.

"Of course you were, dear." Julian shared a long look with Fleur.

"Fleur, I'd like you to speak to you alone in my library, now, if you please. Julia, will you see to it that everything is ready for tomorrow?"

"We handled everything this morning, you are just trying to shoo me away so you can talk about what happened at Lord and Lady Blackburn's this morning."

"Julia –"

"No. Fleur is my sister and I have a right to know what's going on. She will just come tell me everything when you leave anyway."

Julian sighed, knowing her words to be true.

"Fine, you may stay, but I want your word you will keep quiet until I have said everything there is to say on the matter. I won't hear any arguments, understood?"

"Yes, Papa."

"Did something happen?" Fleur stood and walked across the room to her father and laid a hand upon his arm. "You seem out of sorts."

"There has been another difficulty ..."

Fleur urged him on. "What is it? I know you are worried for me, Papa, but after last night really what else could possibly go wrong?"

Julian wished she had chosen her words differently. "The gossip, my dear, it was more than we expected. You know how people love to go on about the latest scandal. It was unflattering to say the least."

Fleur reeled back as if slapped. "What is being said?"
 

"That doesn't matter, the important thing is the situation has been handled and there will be no more unsavory gossip about our house."

"I don't understand," Fleur said. "You said there was a difficulty. Was Lord Ravenbrook ... was he reluctant to honor the betrothal?"

"No, my dear, no, nothing as bad as all that. He would have married you gladly."

"Would have?" Julia asked as she crossed her arms with indignation.

Feeling as if he was being ganged up on, Julian cut to the heart of it. "It's been decided that tomorrow morning you will be married by special license, but not to Edward. You will marry his Evan, if you feel so inclined."

"What?" Julia gripped her father's arm, hard. "You cannot be serious, Papa, you cannot. He's a tyrant. Fleur, say something."