Page 5 of The Earl's Demure Spinster
Even Harriet seemed stunned by the bad attitude of her friend. Wesley was surprised also, but less so than his sister because he had been observing her parents much closer too. Usually, he would attend these dinners with a disengaged attitude. He would be there in body, but not in mind. So seeing the way that the duke and duchess acted, like they were on a pedestal as well, made him less shocked.
She was clearly very much a product of how she had been raised.
He really had come into this evening, trying to have the most open mind possible, but the way that Arabella was behaving had his walls drawing back up. This was unlikely to be the woman he was going to fall for. His mother would probably still pursue Arabella as his best marriage option, but Welsey was already less convinced.
He would not close off the idea of her just yet, but it was going to be increasingly difficult to keep talking to her while she was behaving like this…
***
Wesley was exhausted as dinner came to an end, but he had to keep the smile plastered across his face as his mother took the Duke and him to the parlor for drinks. Nervously, he grabbed a drink and sipped it as he sensed the conversation was about to shift.
“I think you are right, Lady Victoria,” Charles declared as he smiled at Wesley’s mother. “I think that we should discuss the potential advantages of a union between our families.”
Wait.
When did that conversation happen?
It must have gone on around the dinner table while Wesley was distracted. He could hardly breathe as he realized that this was already spiraling out of his control. He planned to tell his mother to halt the idea of him marrying Arabella as soon as he could or mayhap it was already too late for that.
“I am glad you think it is an interesting prospect,” his mother agreed. “I am glad that it is something we can discuss. I am sure it will be hugely beneficial to both of our families.”
“You have made some very good points. I am intrigued to discuss this further with you.”
Wesley deflated.
He could not wait to retreat to the solitude of his bedchamber so he could wrap his head around it all. This had been a very confusing evening for him, and he most definitely needed to process it before he could make a decision of what his next move would be.
The thought of marrying Arabella, even with all of its strategic benefits, did not sit right with him. He had always thought that he wanted a relationship that went beyond the calculated engagements of high society. Wesley really did want love, real love, and he could not imagine finding it with Lady Arabella Easton, who had done nothing but prove that she really thought that she was better than everyone else.
How she was friends with his sister, Wesley would never understand. Harriet was so sweet and lovely to everyone around her, whereas Arabella did not seem that way at all. It was sickening to see how she treated Harriet with disdain, as if she would never be as good as herself. Wesley was most definitely going to have to keep an eye on that, to ensure that Arabella did not upset his sister. He did not like that idea at all.
As for marrying her for strategic reasons… Well, that was never going to happen. He was simply going to have to find a way to make his mother understand that. One way or another.
