Page 9 of War of the Wedding Wagers
“And what constitutes a fortune hunter, Sir Frederick?” Miss Fairchild asked. “Either female or male. I am curious. You see, I was under the impression Mr. Greene had quite a fortune and was in no need of an heiress.”
“Mr. Greene’s reputation is not all that he makes it out to be. I have heard concerning things. But, you ask me what I consider constitutes a fortune hunter?” Frederick considered her question. “Why, simply when marriage is based on pecuniary considerationsbeforecharacter.”
“Pity the couple who has not a penny between them,” said Miss Fairchild. “Would you suspect every young lady without a fortune behind her of less than honorable motives if she smiled at you?”
“Why, Miss Fairchild, that is an interesting question,” Lady Townsend murmured, while Frederick, too, thought it rather direct. Still, it was refreshing…
“Take, for example, Miss…” she appeared to be scanning the room before she settled upon a young blonde miss looking longingly at the dance floor while the matrons on either side of her prattled away. “Miss Playford is a charming young lady without a fortune. Yet she has so many other graces andaccomplishments. What is it that you are looking for in a young lady?”
“Lord, I’m not in the market for a bride!” Frederick exclaimed with such vehemence that Miss Fairchild jumped before glancing with slight concern at Lady Townsend who blushed and stammered, “But if the right one happened to come along you’d surely not be averse.”
“But the right one has not come along,” said Frederick regaining his good humor. “And I am not looking. Now, pray excuse me, but I have claimed Miss Barrow for this dance.”
*
As the tallgentleman stalked through the crowd, Amelia turned to Lady Townsend with a frown. “I fear I must have misunderstood you, Lady Townsend, for I was certain you elicited my help in narrowing down the prospective matrimonial pool for Sir Frederick, who, I was led to understand, was looking for a wife.”
Indeed, Lady Townsend’s words had been welcome and percipient, for it supplied Amelia with just the excuse she needed to plumb the depths of Sir Frederick’s interest in a manner that would not appear odd or calculating.
If Amelia could discover the character traits that appealed to Sir Frederick, it would enable her to find the right “blonde” young lady who possessed such attributes.
But how dampening to learn that the gentleman seemed almost averse to the idea of marriage.
Particularly when Amelia needed him to marry in six weeks, if she was to enjoy any kind of a future, she thought gloomily.
Chapter Six
“Well, Eugenia, itdidn’t look as if your meddlesome antics achieved your aim of uniting Sir Frederick and Miss Fairchild in any meaningful way. I think you should simply give up your idea as a lost cause.”
Lady Pendleton’s look was smug, not sympathetic, as she went on, “Maybe I needn’t go to the bother of hosting my Ghostly Gathering at Pendleton Castle so the pair can get to know one another. That, my dear, is what I’d been thinking of doingpurelyfor your benefit, given our long friendship.”
Eugenia smiled. She’d learned that Lady Pendleton was full of talk but rarely followed through on her grandiose plans.
It didn’t matter.
By hook or by crook, Eugeniawasgoing to find a way to unite Miss Fairchild and Sir Frederick.
For she had quite simply set her heart on a hot air balloon ride over London with Lord Thornton.
Lady Pendleton surveyed the company. “Such predictable dreariness,” complained her friend leaning back. The dissatisfaction on her face made her look old and peevish. Eugenia touched her throat as a sudden thought occurred to her. Did she have a turkey neck like Lady Pendleton’s?
“And nothing to look forward to with my daughter launched and, predictably, having made the match of the season,” her friend went on before her eyes widened. “However, there is, ofcourse, my duty to Caroline!” Her sudden clap of the hands made Eugenia jerk forward in fright, as the young girl passed by on the arm of Mr. Greene. “Why, I do believe I shall do it, Eugenia! Yes! I shall hold that Ghostly Event, after all. A haunted castle week in the country. Pendleton may not think it a wonderful idea but he really has no say in the matter. And dear Caroline is my god-daughter. It would be such a kindness to her. Everyone will say it.”
Eugenia regarded her friend thoughtfully. Poor Pendleton had never had much say in anything. Lady Pendleton had inherited the viscountcy which had been created two hundred years before with a Special Remainder for Female Inheritance.
The former viscount had had to change his name to that of his wife and allow her to make all the decisions as per the stipulations made at the time the viscountcy was created. Eugenia often wondered if he’d thought it worth the cost to his pride.
“A ghost gathering. It so happens I’m fascinated by ghosts,” Eugenia lied, trying to think of any exposure to ghosts, or talks in which she’d participated. “As you say, there is only so much of such dreariness one can take.” She thrust out her chin—while smoothing her neck for Lord Thornton was somewhere about—and surveyed the room once more.
There he was, she thought in sudden excitement, her eyes alighting on handsome Lord Thornton who, perhaps feeling the intensity of her gaze, turned and immediately came in their direction.
His smile was as lazy and confident as Eugenia remembered. He’d never suffered from self-doubt. “I saw Miss Fairchild and Sir Frederick briefly confer with one another as a result of your clever engineering, Eugenia,” he remarked.
“Pure chance,” argued Lady Pendleton. “The pair has nothing in common so trying to force them to even like each other is alost cause. See how Sir Frederick watches over his little sister while Miss Fairchild clearly disdains society. There she is in her tucked-away corner looking like she’d rather be anywhere than here. Nothing more calculated to put off a man than disinterest.”
“I don’t know about that.” Thornton shrugged. “Thrill of the chase and all that. I’d wager most men are more intrigued by disinterest than a female who hangs off their very word.”
“In which case, Miss Fairchild and Sir Frederick are not a lost cause,” said Eugenia. “My cunning plan might, in fact, unite them.”
