Page 7 of A Murder in Mayfair
“What ladies?”
“The ones who’ve bedded him, of course.”
“So he hops from bed to bed pleasuring ladies along the way? He must be quite busy.”
“He has mistresses.”
“More than one?” Steele had to have superb stamina.
She laughed. “Not at the same time. Honestly, Rosalynd, you have to socialize more. Then you’d learn a thing or two.”
As busy as I was, the last thing I wanted was to engage in more social activities than I already did.
“In truth, I think he misses his wife,” Claire continued. “She died in childbirth after only one year of marriage. Don’t you recall? It was in all the papers.”
At Needham Manor, I’d learned about his previous marriage, but not the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death. Eager to learn more, I asked, “When was this?”
“About twelve years ago.”
That explained why I hadn’t heard about it at that time. “I would have been fourteen then. At that time, my only interests were my studies.” Papa had been adamant about his daughters receiving the same education as his sons. Well, as much as could be managed. I was denied the privilege of enrolling at Oxford as that august university has not seen fit to admit women to its curriculum of study. “Papa hired the finest tutors for me.”
“While my father insisted I make myself agreeable to marriage-inclined gentlemen of the nobility.”
“At fourteen?”
Her mouth twisted with distaste. “Never too young to learn, as far as he was concerned. He didn’t care if they were young and handsome or decrepit old prunes. All he concerned himself with was the size of their purses and how much they were willing to pay for my favors in their bed. As soon as I made my debut, Edmunds submitted the highest bid. He was desperate for an heir, and thought a young wife would provide that for him.” She glanced down. “It didn’t, but not for his lack of effort.”
I squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry you had to suffer through that.” Thankfully, I did not have to endure that fate. Papa had insisted on a debut season. But he’d left it up to me to decide who, and if, I wanted to marry. Even at eighteen years of age, I’d had no desire to put myself under a man’s dominion.
Claire turned her attention back to the entrance. “Not every woman suffers in their marriage. The duke’s, by all accounts, was a love match on both sides. They married before the season was over. He’s still grieving for her, so much so he refuses to marry again. Many a single lady in this room would love to change his mind.”
So ladies did know. They just sought to convince him to try again. “Why is he attending this ball, do you think?” Could he be in search of a new mistress as Claire claimed? Somehow, I doubted it.
She glanced off toward the receiving line once more. “I think he’s here for political reasons. He’s a leader at the House of Lords, you know. He might be trying to convince a few peers to vote for a measure he favors or vote against one he doesn’t.”
A gentleman I recognized suddenly emerged from the crowd. “Lady Rosalynd.”
“Lord Selfgren.” I plastered on a smile. “How pleasant to see you.” Eight years ago, he’d asked Father for my hand in marriage. I’d turned him down, and he’d gone on to marry another lady. Sadly, she’d passed away a year ago.
“May I have the pleasure of this dance?” he asked.
The last thing I wished to do with the ballroom as crowded as it was. “I would prefer a promenade. It’s such a crush,” I said, nodding to the throng of dancers.
“As you wish. Shall we?” he asked, offering his arm.
As we made our way around the perimeter of the room, our conversation proceeded along the usual rules of etiquette. We both hoped we were in good health. I asked about his family. To my surprise, he talked about his children at some length. Clearly, they were very dear to him. “Little Johnny is almost seven, and Isabelle is a very precocious five. She’s already reading.”
“How marvelous.”
“The twins just turned two. They’re coming along.”
“Splendid.”
After guiding us to a spot empty of guests, he drew our stroll to a halt and faced me. “How is your family faring?”
I shared general details about my sisters and brothers.
“And Rosehaven? Is he still deep in the weeds as it were?”
