Scandal of Love (2 page)

In shock, Quinton leaned back into his chair. “Who would claim such a thing? Certainly not Lady Sera.”

“I don’t know. I had thought you arranged it all as a way to marry Lady Sera quickly and take hold of her dowry.”

“Absolutely not. I do need to marry for money but I would never ruin someone’s reputation over it.”

With a look of distaste, Harold pushed the glass of champagne out of his reach. “It’s a shame then. She was close to receiving a proposal from the Duke of Wathersby. It was rumored that he would propose within a fortnight. I doubt he will extend the offer now.”

Quinton had been absent from the activities of the ton for some time now, but he remembered enough to know that there was no way to recover from a scandal such as this. Her marriage prospects were almost non-existent now.

“She’ll be lucky if she can secure a titled fortune hunter,” Quinton said offhandedly.

The moment the words were out of his mouth, Quinton saw a gleam come in Harold’s eye. “You can’t be serious. I cannot offer for her,” Quinton said in disbelief.

Harold leaned forward. “Of course you can. Who better than you? You need the money, and as you said yourself, she would be lucky to get a title at this point.”

“Only because I supposedly ruined her!”

Harold shrugged. “She knows that didn’t happen. You will be like a knight in shining armor, rescuing her from disgrace.”

“There is still a scandal.”

Waving off Quinton’s statement, Harold said, “You can spin it anyway you like. Say you were proposing, and everyone will think that it is all
so
romantic. Those things are forgiven immediately.”

Would it really work? Was it possible to have this marriage dilemma over with that quickly? He had been expecting it to take several months at least, scraping by with the pittance he had left. A large dowry is all it would take to make his estates profitable again.

“I know that she is the daughter of a duke, but she may not have a large dowry. There are many families that are titled but have little wealth. How do you know she would be able to bring a large enough dowry into the marriage?” Quinton asked.

Harold laughed outright. “Sometimes I forget how long you have been away from society. Why you wanted to travel the continent for so long is beyond me, but you need not worry on that account. The duke is a very wealthy man, and Lady Sera has been one of the most aggressively pursued debutants the last two seasons because of that wealth. Whoever marries Lady Sera will be a very rich man.”

True, he wasn’t keen on the idea of marrying for money, but there wasn’t anything else to be done about it. He might as well accept his fate and move on as quickly as possible. That much he could do. It was the irony of his situation which he would have a hard time ignoring. He had fled to the continent to escape the loveless marriage his father had tried to trap him into, only to be forced into another one because of his father’s gambling debts.

He would marry Sera and repair his lands with the money she brought into the marriage. In return, he would give her his protection, a title, and her freedom. She had already suffered enough from the scandal, and he had no intention of restricting her once they were married.

“You’re right. This is an excellent opportunity. While I would not have wished her choices to be taken from her, I would be a fool not to act upon what has happened.”

Harold grinned. “You’re right. Now, shall we toast?” He pushed a full glass toward Quinton.

Quinton chuckled. “Why not? My course is set. I am to marry Lady Sera.”

“Here, here!”

Their glasses clinked and Quinton felt the first burst of bubbles on his tongue. His situation would be changing quickly, and while he didn’t harbor any hopes for his marriage, he was optimistic about his future.

Chapter 2

Buying a husband wasn’t something Lady Sera wanted to think about, but she had to. Her father was right, if she did want to get married, she needed to make a decision now if she would settle for a fortune hunter. Was a loveless marriage better than none at all?

Looking out the window of her private receiving room, she watched clouds roll in, squelching the sunshine she had so enjoyed earlier. It seemed fitting to her situation.

A knock sounded at the door before Westly, their butler, entered and announced, “Lady Aubrey for you, my lady.”

Hearing Aubrey’s name announced perked up her spirits. Rising from her chair to greet her best friend, Sera reached out to grip Aubrey’s slender hands. Aubrey’s color was high, showing her distress, but Sera thought the tinge of color on her cheeks was a nice contrast to her pale yellow day dress.

“I just heard an hour ago. How are you holding up?” Aubrey asked, squeezing Sera’s hands.

“As well as can be expected, I guess. I didn’t think you would come. This can’t be good for your own reputation.”

“Please do not concern yourself with my reputation. You know I couldn’t stay away. How could I? If our roles were reversed, I know you would come visit me.” Aubrey’s speckled green eyes staring knowingly into Sera’s.

Sera sighed. She was very grateful that Aubrey was there, but she couldn’t bear the thought of her best friend being tainted by the scandal as well.

They sat on the settee while still clasping hands. The strength that flowed from Aubrey helped her to more easily bear up under the scandal.

“What do you think happened? How could this rumor have gotten started?” Aubrey’s eyebrows furrowed.

Sera knew that her friend would have never put any merit into the rumor. Aubrey had come out into society a month before Sera had, and they had stuck by each other through most of the parties.

Other members of the ton had thought their friendship odd because they seemed so different, but they couldn’t be more wrong. While they differed in looks, they were kindred spirits.

Sera always thought it was a shame that Aubrey didn’t have more dancing partners. It wasn’t that she was plain. Quite the contrary: she was lush, her womanly figure filling out her gowns quite nicely. Her honey-blond hair was glossy in the candlelight, casting a romantic glow over her petite features. She also possessed a stunning intellect and sharp wit that anyone would find appealing.

The problem seemed to be Sera. She had overheard a remark by Lord Denton that when Lady Sera was in attendance, no one could be bothered to pay attention to anyone beside her. It was rubbish of course, but Sera couldn’t help but feel partially responsible for her friend’s lack of attention.

Returning back to their conversation, Sera shrugged. “Honestly, I have no idea. I haven’t even met Lord Devericks. Why my name should even be attached to his is beyond me. Are you acquainted with him?”

Aubrey shook her head slightly. “Not at all. I’ve heard rumors of him, but have never met him myself.”

“What kind of rumors?” Sera asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Well,” Aubrey said in a hushed voice, leaning closer to Sera. “It’s well known that he has been traveling the continent for the last several years. But what isn’t known is why he left in the first place. Several years back, he was one of the most sought after bachelors. Not only did his black hair and green eyes cause women to swoon at the sight of him, but he had a very respectable fortune.”

“Had wealth? You mean he doesn’t anymore?” Sera asked, confusion tingeing her voice.

Aubrey’s mouth fell open. “You mean you don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“His money is gone.”

“All of it?” Sera asked, shocked by the information.

Aubrey nodded. “Yes. In the last few years his father squandered almost everything they had.”

“How is that even possible? With such a fortune I would think it would be difficult to spend it all in a few years.”

“He gambled it away. Some of the gentlemen’s clubs have very high limits, and after several bad bets, it was easy to lose it all.”

“Who would do such a thing?”

Aubrey just shook her head as they sat there in silence, contemplating Sera’s future.

“I know how you feel about love, but are you considering buying a marriage now?”

Sera sighed. “I know that the chances of a good match based on love are now non-existent. I just can’t reconcile myself to that kind of life. I want a family of my own, but I’m torn over if having children to love will be worth having them with a man I don’t love.”

Aubrey squeezed her hand sympathetically before letting go.

“It’s not right. One vicious lie and my life is ruined. I’m sure Lord Devericks will suffer little over this scandal. Men always seem to suffer much less of the repercussions.” She shrugged. “But I know life isn’t fair.”

“I’m so sorry. I wish there were something that could be done to save you from this. I can’t bear to see you hurt,” Aubrey said, a honeyed curl coming loose from her coiffure as she leaned in to hug Sera.

“I know. I do too.” Resigned, Sera stood and walked over to her writing desk. She gathered two sheets of foolscap, a quill, and ink before returning to her seat. “We might as well make a list of eligible fortune hunters.” She paused a moment before they both started laughing. “I know this isn’t a time to laugh, but I can’t help myself. ‘Eligible fortune hunters,’ as if they were desirable.”

“It’s ok. We’ll get through this. Just because we make the list doesn’t mean you need to act upon it.”

Sera nodded a bit numbly. “You’re right. So, where to begin?”

“Lord Nimbly?”

“No.” Sera said, shaking her head firmly. “Not only is he a fortune hunter but he is a rakehell. He would never be faithful to me.”

Aubrey was quiet for a moment.

“I know, I may be expecting too much from a loveless marriage but I won’t have my husband with other women. He is getting my money and in return I will ask for his fidelity.”

“All right. Let’s see… how about Lord Fosterson?”

“He’s a bit on the older side, but that isn’t something I can be picky about,” Sera conceded.

“Perhaps that might be a good thing. You might become a wealthy widow sooner than you expect.”

Forcing a smile, Sera appreciated her friend’s attempt to raise her spirits. “One could only hope.” Writing down Lord Fosterson’s name, she said, “I think Lord Stanton should be included. Not only would his children be beautiful, he seems rather gentlemanly.”

“Agreed. He would be an excellent choice,” Aubrey said, hesitating before she continued. “Have you considered Lord Devericks?”

Sera’s quill paused halfway through writing Lord Stanton’s name. “Actually, no. I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“Any particular reason?”

Sera set the quill down. “No. I guess I didn’t think of it because we have never met. I do not know his character, and if I must tie myself to someone I don’t love, I want to know that he is someone I could at least like and respect.”

“You might want to consider him.”

“Why?”

“Well…” Aubrey trailed off, looking slightly uncomfortable.

“Oh, I see. You think that if I married him the scandal would be lessened. That my reputation would be restored.”

Aubrey nodded. “Yes. There have been many situations where this has happened and the results were much less lasting. Remember Lady Tewelton? She was compromised by Lord Hendricks, but once their engagement was announced, the gossip stopped.”

“You’re right. I should at least consider him. Perhaps there will be a way for me to meet him.” She paused, weighing the odds. “On second thought, probably not. I can’t imagine he would be too happy to see me since we’re involved in a scandal. If I were him, I wouldn’t want to see me either.”