Page 48 of The Moonstone Marquess
“Then I am truly sorry.” He did have some understanding of their sorrow, for having seen the love matches made by his brother and his best friend, he knew how happy these couples were and how devastated they would be if forced to part. “I suppose you were not given the choice to pursue your heart’s desire.”
The viscountess cast him a wry smile. “I had the choice. Marry a pauper I loved or marry a title? I would still choose the title if I had it to do all over again.”
The countess agreed.
“But why?” Cormac shook his head. “Why knowingly enter into an arrangement that will make you unhappy? And since you would purposely make the same mistake again, why have you not reconciled yourself to it and made the best of the situation?”
“We are not all as strong as you, Burness,” Lord Crawford said.
“Me?” Cormac shook his head and laughed. “I am an utter arse.”
The countess approached and ran her hand along his chest. “But a handsome one, so you are forgiven all sins.”
The viscountess laughed. “I’ll have a turn with you next. Can you not see, Burness? We have reconciled ourselves with our lot in life. We are making the best of our unhappy situations by entertaining ourselves with men like you.”
He moved away to peer out the window.
Blessed saints.
Had he fallen so low in his reputation?
A light breeze filtered in to cool his mounting ire.
Melrose must have opened the window earlier to air out the room from last night’s drunken revels. He inhaled the refreshing breeze that carried the scent of the sea. “What of you, Lord Harding? You have said nothing about love.”
The man shrugged. “What is there to say? You know what I am. If I can get through life in moderate comfort, then who am I to complain? I haven’t a shilling to my name, but I can be witty and amiable, always ready to entertain the ladies…and the men, if that is their proclivity.”
The ladies tittered.
Cormac truly pitied them.
They’d settled into their miserable but easy lives, and he was not going to change their outlook. “What of you, Lord Crawford? You have an earldom on your hands. Are there any questions you have of me? We had a good talk yesterday. What are your thoughts on the matter?”
“I have given your advice much consideration and am now more determined than ever to travel the world and study ancient civilizations. It is the thing I truly love, and you are all invited to travel with me,” Richard said with a weak laugh.
Cormac shook his head. “And your sisters? Should you not see them settled first?”
“I mulled that over, too, and decided to leave their fates to my aunt. She will take them under her wing and make good matches for them. As for the expenses, I have not burned through my inheritance yet. If, as you say, my estate is in good order, then I can easily undertake the costs of their debuts. My estate manager shall see to the payments while I am sailing around the world. Do not look dismayed, Burness. I think my brother knew all along where this would lead. I just needed a wise head to guide me to it. You brought me clarity of thought while I was drowning in my fears.”
This ought to have pleased Cormac, but it really did not. Running away from one’s family and responsibilities was no solution. Well, perhaps everyone would be better off if he did get lost for years. Not all men were meant to be leaders.
But he did feel some remorse for the women in the Crawford family.
Then again, a shrewd aunt would do a far better job of finding suitable husbands for his sisters than Crawford himself ever could. For the sake of James, and to honor his memory, he would help out in any way he could.
As for these sad women before him, they were wrong about his not knowing love. He was in love with Phoebe. What he did not know was how long this feeling would last. This was what concerned him most.
He wanted to love her forever.
But what if he fell out of love with her a month from now? A year? Or ten years from now?
Or was love something that wrapped around your heart and fired your blood? Once found, was it as vital as the air one breathed into one’s lungs? Was it a craving that never left your soul, not even after death?
He thought of the Moonstone Cottage ghosts, the sea captain and Phoebe’s aunt. Was such an eternal love possible?
“Burness, the day is too nice for all of us to be lost in morose thoughts,” Lord Crawford said. “Feed us, and then I shall take a walk with you down to your beach. Happy now? I shall go with you.”
“I think you will enjoy it,” Cormac said.
