Page 11 of A Fake Courtship with the Duke
"Susan," she said, "I am rather concerned about your friendship with this lady. She is hardly the kind of company to keep if you wish to protect your reputation. As you can see, the ton frowns upon ladies who behave in such a manner. To be associated with her could mean that you are considered to be as unladylike and uncouth as she is.”
Susan scowled at their mother, shaking her head.
“You are being most unfair, Mother,” she said. “Anne is the sweetest woman you could ever know. People judge her without learning why she does the things she does. I think it would be worse if she were known for being too friendly with men.”
The dowager gave her daughter an indulgently sympathetic look.
“My precious, you do not understand how society works,” she said. “If a young lady cannot be polite and proper in public, she might as well be married to five men at once. Miss Huxley is a blight on society, and I would rather not see you get any more mixed up with her than you already are.”
Susan looked as though she wanted to say something else, and Richard could see in her eyes that it would be less than flattering to the dowager. But she silenced herself, staring down at her plate still filled with food, her cheeks red and her chest rising and falling rapidly with her apparent irritation.
Richard looked at his mother, feeling protective of his younger sister.
“Mother, don’t you think that’s enough of the nonsense scandal sheets for today?” he asked.
The dowager duchess looked at him as though she wanted to say something more about the incident from the night before.But she glanced at the clock and her expression changed, and she looked at Richard with a look in her eyes that he was all too familiar with.
“Your concern needs to be with Eleanor today,” she said. “Her mother and she will be joining us for tea at any moment. I want to remind you of how important it is that you are present when they arrive. You can hardly make an impression on Victoria if you are off gallivanting in town.”
Richard bit the inside of his cheek, stifling a sigh. He thought back to his conversation with Thomas about the young lady. She was, by all accounts, very prim and proper, much like his mother. However, when eyes were off of her, she had a tendency to make her interest in Richard very blatantly and forwardly known. It was as uncomfortable for him as her strict, proper attitude in front of others. He had known that his mother was pressing for him to consider marrying her. But now, it seemed as though she intended to ensure a match between the two of them, no matter what Richard thought.
"I understand, Mother," he said, his disinterest clear as he spoke.
His mother’s eyes bore into his, and she gave him a stern gaze as though she picked up on his reluctance.
“Good,” she said. “You have no way out of this obligation, Richard. You must make an effort to be agreeable.”
Richard chewed his tongue to hold back his true response. He might have no way out of such an obligation. But he had no intention of making himself agreeable. If his mother wanted to match him with Lady Eleanor, he would make it as difficult as possible for her.
He didn’t get much time to consider how he would rebuke the young lady’s affections, however. The butler entered, with Lady Eleanor and her mother right on his heels. His mother rose, shoving the paper aside quickly as she greeted her friendand her daughter. Susan grabbed the paper and folded it up, tucking it beside her in her chair. Richard could see that his sister was deep in thought. But he didn’t get a chance to see about her because their mother cleared her throat and ushered Lady Eleanor over to him.
“Please, have a seat,” she cooed, giving Richard another stern look. “You remember my son, Richard.”
Lady Eleanor curtseyed primly, her blond curls bouncing lightly as she did so. She looked the part of the proper young lady, but when her eyes met Richard’s, they glinted with something akin to hunger. Richard stood and bowed, pointedly taking a seat in a solitary chair, rather than sitting back down on the sofa where he had been sitting.
“Please, take a comfortable seat,” he said with exaggerated sweetness, looking at Lady Eleanor and her mother as he gestured to the sofa.
The three women standing looked displeased, but none of them said anything. Their guests complied, sitting on the sofa as the servants poured them tea and served the cakes. Richard glanced at the clock, noticing that it was just past noon. It was sure to be a long day, and he hoped that Lady Eleanor and her mother wouldn’t stay long.
Tea was every bit as oppressive as Richard had imagined it would be. He kept to himself, only offering noncommittal nods and murmurs when he was forced to do so. Lady Eleanor's determined pursuit of his attention was quite conspicuous, and her mother, Lady Victoria seemed equally eager to engage him in conversation.
The combination of Eleanor, Victoria, and his mother made the room's environment even more suffocating than it had been when he first entered while his mother was reading the scandal sheets. He could feel his mother’s ice-cold glare on him each time he refused to respond to any of the conversation topics.That was fine with him. His mother had said he needed to be present. She hadn’t said he needed to be charming. It was a childish mentality, he knew. But as far as he was concerned, so was his mother’s matchmaking attempts. Perhaps, she would finally learn to stop doing that to him.
His thoughts drifted again to his conversation with Thomas. It was becoming clear that, if he wanted to silence his mother permanently on the subject of him taking a wife, he would have to take matters into his own hands. But where would he begin his search for a bride? And how could he ever expect to find a woman who wasn’t just as bad as Lady Eleanor?
His mother cleared her throat loudly, drawing his attention to her. The ice in her eyes was evident, despite the wide smile on her face. She looked at him in a way that made Richard uncomfortable. She was up to something. And he was sure he didn’t want to know what it was.
“Richard, my dear,” she crooned, holding his gaze firmly. “Why don’t you accompany Eleanor on a carriage ride to Rotton Park?”
Richard had to act quickly to keep his mouth from falling open. He might have expected such a request from Lady Eleanor herself. But his mother was a picture of propriety and primness. For her to make such a forward suggestion when it was up to the gentlemen to extend such invitations was as shocking as it was repulsive to him. His cheeks grew warm, not from embarrassment, but from anger, and he tried to collect his thoughts to think of some excuse to reject the trip. But to his relief, Susan rose, moving closer to Richard and breaking the eye contact he held with their mother. She gave him a pointed look before turning to their mother, offering an apologetic smile.
“Forgive me, Mother,” Susan said, her voice steady. “But did you forget that Richard and I have a prearranged trip to the library this afternoon?”
Richard couldn't hide his surprise at Susan's sudden intervention. He knew no such plans had been made, but he played along, offering his sister a grateful smile.
The dowager duchess’s lips pressed into a thin line.
“I can’t say that I recall that discussion,” she said, her agitation barely suppressed beneath more of the fake sweetness with which she had spoken to Richard. “Are you certain that’s today?”
