Page 22 of The Duke's Ultimatum

“The same for me?” Sarah’s voice was soft and curious, far from the flirtatious and fun demeanor he had seen her normally present with.

If he had time to fully care about these women, he might have felt bad. Unfortunately for them, he was a very busy man and playing matchmaker for three young women was not what he dreamed of doing when he set out on his own. Such was his lot in life.

Derek tried to force a friendly smile.

“Yes, you debut next season, correct?”

Sarah nodded quickly.

“The same goes for you as well, Sarah. You will have your debut and the following season. If nothing comes of it, it will be up to me. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure the match is adequate.”

A snicker was hidden behind a cough.

Sarah and Beatrice exchanged a look before both of them turned to look at Eleanor.

Ah, yes, the eldest sister, the most curious one. Everything about her screamed pedigree and propriety. She was made for theton, and why she wasn’t married yet was a mystery he was going to get to the bottom of.

“Something funny, Eleanor?” Derek questioned.

“Huh?” The chit had the audacity to look confused.

Derek pushed out a breath as he studied her. She might bend to her mother’s will, but she had no problem standing up to him.Interesting.

“My apologies. I must have misheard. But since our attention is on you, why don’t we get to your situation.”

“My situation?” Her voice cracked. “And what situation is that?”

The Duke’s voice was contemplative. “How many seasons have you had?”

“This is my third.” Eleanor sat taller in her chair. She didn’t have a good feeling about the direction this conversation was heading. She almost wished he would bring up last night. Almost.

“I’ve been told you’ve had multiple suitors who would have made adequate matches, yet you turned them all down. Why?”

“You keep using that word, adequate.”

The Duke furrowed his eyebrows. “Is there something wrong with the word adequate.”

Eleanor looked to her mother for guidance, but she was only met with her mother’s own puzzled look. She had to have known looking to her mother for support on this topic was pointless.

She returned her eyes to the Duke with a pointed glare. “It’s just that I feel we should set our sights higher than just adequate, don’t you? If I am to spend the rest of my life with a man, I would like him to be the quality of man I deserve and not just an adequate flop.” Her words dripped with revulsion and disgust.

The Duke barked out a laugh. “Forgive my outburst,” he quipped, mockingly. “Quality of man you deserve? Please enlighten me on the type of man you deserve, Eleanor.”

Eleanor narrowed her eyes. If he wanted a list, she’d give him a list. She took a deep breath and relaxed into her chair.

“Someone with decorum, tact.” She kept her voice leveled and calm. “He would need to be intelligent; I don’t want to be bored for the rest of my life with a simpleton.”

The Duke’s eyes lit with amusement.

“I will need a man who is honest and a gentleman who would not put any woman in a position that would have her questioning her morals.”

The Duke’s eyes darkened in response to her comment. She knew she was playing with fire considering she still ran the risk of the Duke bringing up their meeting last night, but her pride was running her mouth.

“And I must say, Your Grace, with the rumors surrounding your dalliances, I must question if you are the best man for the job when it comes to picking out respectable husbands for my sisters and me.”

Charlotte practically fainted in her chair.

Sarah jumped up and rushed to her mother. “Mama!”

---