Page 5 of The Heartless Duke's Bride
“But you’re going to have to learn to love more than just your work if you want to marry,” Colin said sagely.
“You act as if you’ve been married all your life instead of just a few months,” Edward teased.
“I’ve been married a few months longer than you have,” Colin argued. “You’ve always been the older brother, Edward. You’ve always given good advice, and I’ve always considered myself lucky to have you to listen to. But now, for the first time in our lives, we’re facing something that I have more experience with. For the first time, I can advise you. I know it’s not what we’re accustomed to, but you would do well to listen to me here, Edward, because I can help you.”
“Perhaps you could if I was interested in finding love,” Edward said. “But I don’t want that. Trying to fall in love… that’s too much work, too much effort. I don’t need something like what you and Nancy have. I need a woman I can point to and say, ‘this is my wife.’”
“It’s not a wife you’re looking for,” Colin observed. “A duchess, maybe, but not a wife.”
“Well, Margaret will be happy.”
Margaret was their stepmother, and she had talked of little else besides Edward’s marriage since their father’s death. But Edward couldn’t help feeling that however much Margaret might push for his marriage, her heart must not truly be in it. If she really wanted to see him married, surely she could find more promising matches than the ladies she had recommended over the past few years.
“I won’t tell her until I’ve made all the arrangements,” Edward decided. “And I’ll very much appreciate it if you don’t say anything to her either.”
“You’re too hard on Margaret,” Colin said. “She’s not as bad as you seem to think she is. And she did really care about Father.”
“I don’t know that she did. Their relationship was always very tumultuous. They argued constantly.”
“I know, but…”
“You didn’t like her either. What changed?”
“I don’t know. I suppose I’ve come to feel some empathy toward her. She did lose a child. That must have been difficult. You remember how sad it made her.”
Edward nodded.
His stepmother’s miscarriage was the one thing about her that did have the power to stir his sympathy. He knew it had been painful for her, that she had always longed to be a mother. Being a stepmother was different. He and Colin weren’t hers. There was no resentment between them over that fact—Edward didn’t think of her as his mother any more than Margaret thought of him as her child.
It was just that he didn’t like her very much. She had been a drain on his father and on their family. Things would have been better if they had never known each other.
“I’ll let her know eventually,” Edward told his brother. “But I don’t want to hear her opinion of what I’m doing until the wheels have already been set in motion. If she knows I’m looking for a wife, she may try to help me find one, and I’m certainly not interested in her help in finding someone to marry.”
“Very well,” Colin agreed. “But I think you are going to needsomehelp, Edward. You want to find a lady who wishes to be a duchess but who has no interest in love, and you want to do it quickly. That’s going to be difficult, especially since you don’t want to find yourself married to someone who’s only interested in taking advantage of you financially.”
Edward sighed. “This is going to be impossible.”
“Not impossible,” his brother corrected him. “Complicated, yes. But I think it can be done.”
“You sound as if you have an idea.”
“I do. I’m going to speak to Nancy about it.”
“That’s your answer for everything these days.”
“Well, it’s not a terrible answer to have,” Colin said. “Part of being married is knowing that someone is always on your side, as you’ll discover for yourself soon enough.”
Edward struggled not to roll his eyes. He was happy for Colin’s happiness, but it was also a bit tiring to have to keep hearing him talk like this. As if he knew everything and there was nothing left that anyone could tell him. It was ridiculous.
But even so… maybe Colin did have a point.
“Do you think Nancy would be able to help?”
“I think Nancy might know someone who would fit the description of what you’re looking for,” Colin suggested. “You mustn’t forget that she has friends who are unmarried ladies. And she would be able to tell us which of them are worthy contenders to be your wife. We should ask her.”
“Perhaps that is a good idea,” Edward said grudgingly. “Very well, you have my blessing to discuss it with her. But let me know what she says, please, before you approach any young ladies.”
“Of course, I will,” Colin agreed. “You needn’t worry, Edward. We’re going to find the solution to this problem. And I’ll make certain it’s a solution that will make both you and the lady in question happy.”
