Page 3 of Tamed By a Duke
Who was Charlotte to stand in the way of a beloved sister's happiness? Even if she could not fathom her wishes for babies and beaus.
Besides, if her father was willing to stoop to bribery for Bianca's cause, it meant that Charlotte did, in fact, have the upper hand over him. Something which rarely happened, and something she intended to exploit to her own gain.
"Very well," Charlotte said, raising her chin proudly, "I shall submit to your wishes, Papa."
"So, you will quit your sermon giving and find yourself a husband?" Brandon asked, his surprise at having been so readily obeyed evident in his tone.
"Ah," Charlotte smiled her objection, "You did not say that you actually wished me to be wed, Papa. You said that I was to prove myself capable of securing a husband, which is an entirely different thing altogether. Shall we agree that if I tone down my radical views and engage the attentions of a suitable, titled male, that you will allow Bianca to make her come out and me to continue on my path toward spinsterhood?"
"If you attract the attentions of a suitable male, I see no reason why you should not marry him," Brandon countered.
"I should not, because that was not the deal that you originally proposed," Charlotte shrugged, "And if you are to change the terms of the deal before it is even agreed to, then how am I to be confident that you will abide by your side of the bargain?"
Though Charlotte's looks differed significantly from her father's, she did share his keen mind. She knew that Brandon, as a man of business, would understand, and even respect, her argument on the semantics of their contract. And, as his end goal was simply to ensure that Charlotte would not muddy the waters for Bianca, she knew that his will would easily bend in pursuit of his greater objective.
"Oh, all right," Brandon growled, painfully aware that he had both won and lost at the same time, "But you must demonstrate that you are capable of securing a beau, and not just any beau. I won't fall for you prancing about in Hyde Park with Miss Havisham's brother; I want to see dukes dancing attendance upon you. Do you understand me? Dukes!"
"Perfectly," Charlotte replied calmly, though inside she fretted. Employing Sebastian Havisham, her friend's brother, who was always game for a lark, had been her very plan. Where on earth was she going to find a duke, let alone one who might be persuaded take an interest in her?
With a grunt of annoyance, Brandon exited the room, leaving the two Drew sisters alone.
"Oh, thank you, Cat," Bianca cried, as the door slammed shut behind their father, "I knew you wouldn't let me down. Tell me, do you wish to spend the evening with me studying Debrett's? Grandmama says that you mistook the Countess of Burton for a mere baroness at Lady Eglinton's ball. I know you didn't mean to, but one must be so careful not to offend. Upsetting the wrong person can mean the difference between a wonderful season and a perfect disaster."
"The introduction of the Corn Laws was a perfect disaster, I hardly think confusing a self-important countess with an equally insufferable baroness can compare," Charlotte replied, aggrieved, as ever, that her sister cared more about social strictures than the suffering of the poor.
"Do you always have to be so portentous?" Bianca asked with a sigh.
"Do you always have to be so frivolous?" Charlotte retorted, though there was affection in her tone.
The two Drew girls were as different as night and day, but despite their contrasting interests, they held a deep affection for each other. Charlotte could not claim to understand her sister's devotion to fashion and gossip, nor could Bianca fathom Charlotte's political views. However, despite this, they were as close as two sisters could be.
"Where are we going to find a duke who will take an interest in you?" Bianca continued, her blunt words having little effect on the feelings of a sister who had been thinking the very same thing. It was not that Bianca was being cruel, she was being practical.
Even Charlotte knew that in terms of the marriage mart, a duke was seen as the holy grail—or a prize pig if one wanted to be crude. As such, they had their pick of eligible misses the length and breadth of the country; pretty girls, with perfect manners, excellent lineage, and hair that did as it was told.
Charlotte, while passably pretty—in her grandmother's words—lacked the finesse required of a young lady; she was far too loud, far too opinionated, and her red mane of curls refused to be tamed into any type of fashionable hairstyle. In short, she was the exact opposite of what an entitled duke would think himself attracted to.
"Lud knows," Charlotte replied with a sigh of her own, "Though I'm certain we will find a way, Bee, don't fret."
"We shall pour through Debrett's later," Bianca decided, her rosebud mouth resolute, "After my piano lesson with Mr Dubarry."
Charlotte did not miss her sister's hand, which nervously patted her hair at the mention of Mr Dubarry. The young man had been employed, at their grandmama's behest, to encourage Bianca's burgeoning talent on the pianoforte. Though, the only thing that Mr Dubarry was encouraging, as far as Charlotte could see, was a case of love-sickness in her little sister.
Still, Bianca's sudden distraction allowed Charlotte an opening for her own escape.
"Might I borrow Ethel?" she asked, resisting the urge to sugar-coat her tone, for that would undoubtedly arouse Bianca's suspicions.
"Is Helga indisposed?"
Helga was Charlotte's lady's maid, a fierce, tall Swedish woman, whom Lady Everleigh had personally employed to try control her eldest granddaughter. Helga was a firm believer in rules and saw it as her moral duty to keep Charlotte from doing anything that society might frown upon. Unfortunately for Charlotte, that meant everything that she actually enjoyed, like today's planned outing to a political lecture at Hyde Park Corner.
"She is unwell, poor dear," Charlotte fibbed, feigning a note of concern for the Swedish woman, who in actuality was so robustly healthy, it was almost offensive. "I would rather take Ethel than drag dear Helga out into the cold."
"You're not planning on doing anything untoward, are you?" Bianca glanced at her sister suspiciously, unconvinced by Charlotte's apparent concern for the lady's maid whom she usually despised.
"When have you ever known me to misbehave?" Charlotte affected an air of one who had been grievously insulted. Her theatrics, however, only seemed to confirm her sister's suspicions.
"Cat, you made a bargain with Papa," Bianca cried, folding her arms stubbornly across her chest.
