Page 28 of The Duke's Ultimatum

“Today.” Graynor looked directly at Eleanor. “I have it on good authority that there will be plenty of potential matches at Lady Merrington’s garden party.”

“Good authority? What, do you have a spy?” Eleanor snorted.

“I do,” Graynor deadpanned.

Eleanor stood straight. “What? That’s ridiculous. What does that even mean? Have you hired a man to seek out all the invitations and scope out the pool of eligible men?”

Graynor considered it for a moment. “Yes.”

He began walking to the door, completely oblivious to Eleanor’s shock.

“I expect you to be on your best behavior. This is an ample time to see your prospects and possibly pick someone.”

Eleanor turned to follow him out into the hallway. “After one garden party, you expect me to pick a husband?”

Graynor kept walking, not bothering to turn back to talk to her. She had to quicken her steps to keep up with him. “Notnecessarily, but I do expect you to have a narrowed down list of men you’re interested in.”

“Your Grace,” she huffed as she struggled to keep up with his long strides, “you’re acting as if this some…”

“Business dealing?” he finished for her.

She turned her head sharply in his direction.

“Feel free to judge me all you want, Eleanor, but this is a business dealing. I’m sorry if that offends your precious sensibilities, but that’s the way it is. The time for romance is over; now it’s time to find a suitable match, so we can move on to our next conquest.”

Eleanor stopped walking. “Conquest?” She was outraged at how he viewed her sisters and herself.

This time, Graynor did stop walking and turned back to her before he walked out the door. “I told you, Eleanor, I am a businessman, a successful one at that. Since you have refused suitors in the past, it is now time for someone to aid in your marriage contract.” Graynor raised his hand to stop the words that were about to come flying out of her mouth. “And it is a contract. So therefore, I will look at it as a businessman because it is the only way I know how. But you shouldn’t fear because I am damn good at my job. And if I say we’ll have you engaged by the end of this season, then you’ll be engaged by the end of the season. Now gather your sisters. You have a big afternoon ahead of you.”

He turned on his heel and disappeared into the sunlight coming through the front door.

Eleanor stood there, her chest heaving from the verbal attack she had just received.

“My goodness, that man is scary when he wants to be.” Sarah came up and stood next to Eleanor, who was still staring at the open door.

“How much of that did you hear?” Eleanor’s voice sounded small and far away in her own head.

“From about the time he told you to have a list of men you’re interested in by the end of the party,” Sarah offered.

Eleanor sighed. “So, all of it.”

Sarah cringed. “Sorry. If it’s any consolation, no one else heard it, not even the one maid that has gotten good at hiding from Mama and therefore hears everything. That one’s in the kitchen.”

Eleanor rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder into Sarah’s. “That one’s name is Mary, and no, that doesn’t help. I’m sure Mama would be grateful to hear that, but it doesn’t help me.”

Sarah wrapped her arm around her sister’s waist.

“I say don’t worry about it. It’s not like the men around here are untoward trolls. Your standards were just a bit too high. Mayhap, all he’s saying, in his own way, is that you need to lower them.”

The two girls made their way down the rest of the hallway and stepped into the sun. Two carriages were waiting to take them to Lady Merrington’s.

“I honestly don’t think my standards were that high, Sarah. Unless you think finding someone who sees you as you and not a status of nobility or a pretty thing on their arm is a high bar to reach. I didn’t realize I was asking for the world.”

Sarah let out a noncommittal sound. “You never know, Eleanor, maybe they are like that, but you just haven’t given them the chance. Perhaps you are doing what you are accusing them of doing.”

Eleanor raised her eyebrow in doubt.

“Don’t give me that look, dear sister. You don’t know what is going on inside of any man’s head?—”

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