Page 32 of The Duke's Ultimatum

William squinted down the hill. “Ah. Simon Hawkins, Viscount of Hountshire. His father did well when he was alive—made some poor choices along the way but nothing too scandalous. His mother died when he was young. He had decent tutors until he left for Eton. From what I hear, he had a particular reputation for fun and revelry while he was there. He came back shortly after his father died to claim his title. The change seemed to have calmed him down.”

Derek sat, listening to the lad’s history. The one thing he always appreciated about William was if he needed information on someone, William would get it. Their only agreement was no questions about how the information was retained. Which was fine with Derek as long as William was right, and he always was.

“He has a few business dealings around town but nothing too taxing. More like hobbies than a career. He leaves that to his accountant and solicitor. Most of the time he can be found at the gentlemen’s club.”

Derek sniffed. “Which one does he go to?”

“Why? Thinking of checking in on the fellow?”

Derek bristled. “No. I just want to make sure if this goes anywhere,” he nodded towards the couple laughing with another couple, “that all of his dealings are above board. If he frequents a place like White’s or Brook’s, then that’s one thing, but if he goesto the lesser-known ones on the other side of town, well… then we’ll need to set our girl’s sights on someone else.”

William gave Derek a knowing look. “Our girl?”

Derek stood up. “Don’t read anything into it, William. She’s my ward in a sense and a good match for her means a good match for the family. Business. That’s all this is.”

Derek started strolling down the path towards couples milling around the pond.

“Where are you going?”

“To check on my investment.”

CHAPTER 10

“Oh, Eleanor, thank you so much for helping me organize the ball for the children’s charity this coming Saturday. I’m not sure how I would have done it without you.” Caroline beamed at Eleanor.

“Children’s charity?” Hountshire inquired.

“I’m hosting a ball this coming Saturday, and we’re raising money for the children at St. Peter’s hospital, and Eleanor was just a fountain of information and resources. Did you know, she got the Stanley quartet to perform?”

Hountshire looked over at Eleanor, who was currently looking at her feet.

“The Stanley quartet, you say? That is quite the feat; they are quite popular.”

Caroline laughed. “Oh, didn’t you know? Our Eleanor knows positively everyone!”

“Who does our Eleanor know?”

At the sound of his voice, and how he dragged out the word ‘our,’ had Eleanor biting the inside of her cheek to keep from making a distasteful face. Of course, he would have to check in on her, probably to make sure she was doing her due diligence in finding a match.

“Your Grace, hello! It is lovely to see you again.”

“Miss Cottington,” Graynor acknowledged with a tilt of his head. His eyes slid to the Viscount.

“Hountshire,” the Duke bit out.

Eleanor gave him a questioning look. The Duke rarely sounded like he enjoyed conversations, but he usually had some decorum when talking. For whatever reason, he did not seem pleased with the Viscount.

“Your Grace. How are you today?” Hountshire took a step closer toward Eleanor—a tactic Eleanor knew quite well and, honestly, had no time for. If these two men were going to fight over ownership, they had another thing coming. No man owned her. Not yet anyway.

Eleanor was about to shift her weight away from Hountshire when she remembered why she was walking with him in the first place.Drat.Hountshire may her last hope for finding a husband before the month’s end.

She looked over to the Viscount and smiled. He was a bit pedantic and boring, but he seemed like a stable and capable man with a nice smile. At this point in her search, it would have to do. Plus, for many couples, love came later in their marriage. As much as she hated to agree with the Duke, marriages were primarily a business transaction.

When her eyes returned to the Duke’s, she noticed a tick in his jaw. Her smile grew. He must have realized she was not going to step away from Hountshire.

“Yes, Your Grace. I have not seen much of you since the carriage. Are you enjoying the party?” Eleanor let the sarcastic sweetness drip through her words.

“I have been, thank you. I’ve noticed you’ve been making your rounds accordingly. However, I have noticed that your time has been occupied with Lord Hountshire here.” With a forceful hand, the Duke slapped Hountshire’s back, causing the man to cough.

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