Page 3 of The Earl's Demure Spinster
CHAPTER 2
One week later…
The spring sunshine was finally starting to light up the London streets in the early hours of the morning, which always left Wesley in a good mood. There was nothing quite like staring out the window to see the color of the streets shining outside of his ancestral town house. It always left him wondering what the day ahead might hold…
“My Lord.” But before he could get too lost in those thoughts, the house servant joined him in his bedchambers. “I am here to help you dress for breakfast.”
At the mere mention of food, Wesley’s stomach began to grumble. He had no idea what would be on the breakfast table, but his family had one of the best cooks in the city, so he knew that whatever was laid out in front of him would be delicious. He was very lucky in that regard.
As he dressed, he allowed his mind to wander, to consider all the society events that he had up and coming. It was time to plan for the grandeur of the Season, which was always the most exciting time of the year for the London ton. A whirlwind of balls, soirees, and social gatherings that would sweep him into a world of glamour and intrigue.
As he finished dressing, Wesley cast a final glance at himself in the mirror, adjusting his cravat with practiced precision. His reflection stared back, a vision of aristocratic elegance and poise. With a nod to the servant, Wesley made his way down the stairs to the dining room, where the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and buttered toast greeted him like an old friend.
“Good morning, Wesley,” his mother declared the moment he stepped into the room. “Your sister and I were just speaking of you.”
Wesley met Harriet’s eyes and saw his sister smile reassuringly at him. “You were?” he asked.
“Well, it is time for us to focus on your marital prospects, do you not think?” his mother continued. “We need to consider a strategic alliance, to ensure you marry right.”
Wesley just about managed to resist the urge to roll his eyes. He hated this sort of conversation, it sickened him to his stomach. He would always participate in these conversations with a polite detachment because he knew that was what his mother needed him to do, but he was always conflicted. Much as he loved to do what was best for his family, and he of course wanted to make his mother smile, he did not like the idea of marrying for strategy.
Deep down, his personal desire was to marry for love. He wanted joy in his life, and he did not think that marrying a woman he did not know well would help him to achieve that. But his mother did not want to hear about those desires. He had learned that very quickly. She wanted him to have a bride fit for the family name. It was exhausting.
“I was thinking that it might be interesting if I talk to the Thompson family,” his mother continued as if she could not sense his inner turmoil at all. “Their daughter, Rose, is a very well bred woman who I am sure will be a very fitting match for you.”
Wesley screwed up his face in horror. “Oh no, Mother. I do not think so. Rose and I have never had much to say to one another. She is not interested in anything that I am, and I have never been able to engage in a pleasant conversation with her.”
“You do not have to talk much.” His mother frowned. She was clearly unimpressed with his response. “You have friends that you can talk to. We are discussing your wife.”
“But Father and you used to converse with one another," he reminded her. "You were each other's dearest companions before his demise.”
***
Guilt flooded him the moment his mother’s eyes welled up. He did not mean to remind her of her heartache, but he did need her to see that he wanted the same for himself. He wanted love as well. Wesley did not think that he should be constrained from love just because he had been born into an aristocratic family. It was too much pressure on his shoulders and he could hardly stand it. He just wanted to be happy.
Luckily, Harriet who was far less constrained by societal expectations, tried her hardest to lighten the mood before things got too dark and they all sunk too deeply into the sadness that the head of their family was not around any longer.
“Have any of you seen the latest scandal sheet?” she asked, with clear delight. “It arrived early this morning and it spotlights my dear friend, Arabella. She has been referred to as the Season’s most coveted debutante.”
“Ooh, now Lady Arabella Easton, that is not someone I have thought of,” Wesley’s mother jumped in before the conversation could shift entirely. “As you both know, I am wonderful friends of the Duke and Duchess of Ervington. She might be a suitable match for you, Wesley.”
Harriet shot him an apologetic look. This was clearly not the way she wanted this to go, but their mother was a force to be reckoned with. There was nothing they could do about her. Even as the weight pushed down on Wesley’s shoulders, he knew that he could not quieten her down.
“I can not believe I did not think of Arabella,” his mother laughed. “Well, do not worry, Wesley. I have already extended an invitation to the family for dinner this evening, so perhaps we may commence our preparations at once, before the Season even commences.”
Wesley sighed and slumped his shoulders forward. Arabella was his sister’s friend. Once more, not an individual he had ever contemplated as a romantic prospect, yet his mother was now quite taken with the idea. He found himself at a loss as to how he might dissuade her from this notion..
***
Wesley was grateful that he had arranged to meet his best friend, Edward, for a horse ride in Hyde Park in the afternoon, because the atmosphere in the house had become stifling. Now that his mother was focusing on Arabella as a potential match, she had already become relentless. She needed to ensure that the dinner in the evening went absolutely perfectly to impress the duke and duchess, and to see if there was any progress to be made with her plans.
Wesley could hardly stand it.
“Hello there,” Edward cried from atop his horse, the moment he spotted Wesley. “Oh dear, how are you?”
Wesley could only shake his head. “Let us ride through the park a little first. I need to clear my head.”
Edward nodded understandingly, urging his horse forward to join Wesley’s side. They rode in companionable silence for a while, the rhythmic sound of hooves against the path providing a soothing backdrop to their thoughts.
