Page 2 of Tamed By a Duke
No mention was ever made of Brandon requiring a male heir again, nor did he ever think on it. Brandon Drew was not the type of man who liked to think of death, for it required him to imagine a world without him in it. Which was, for a man of his pride, near impossible.
Instead, Brandon threw himself with gusto into the raising of his two daughters, keen that from an early age, they would be prepared for the life he had planned out for them.
There would be no marrying of nabobs for his two daughters, oh, no. Brandon was determined that his two girls would marry into the peerage—and no mere baron or viscount at that—only an earl, a marquess, or a duke would do.
As the two girls grew into beautiful young women, Brandon was certain that their looks, coupled with their vast inheritance, would catch them a prize-husband, if it were not for one problem.
Charlotte.
After a disappointing first season out in terms of husband-hunting, his eldest daughter had become vocal, opinionated, and headstrong, and she soon began to make a name for herself as something of a bluestocking.
"I blame the last governess," Lady Everleigh, the girl's maternal grandmother, said with a sniff, after one particularly disastrous outing to Almack's Assembly Rooms.
"Miss Greengrass was rather progressive," Brandon agreed, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other, for he had enjoyed some of the young woman's more libertarian notions.
"Imagine," Lady Everleigh continued, unaware of Brandon's discomfort, "She brought a pamphlet on the emancipation of some downtrodden group, and tried to interest Lady Jersey in her cause. It's a wonder she didn't have her voucher revoked on the spot."
"They can do that?" Brandon spluttered with horror.
Almack's was the place to find a husband; if the stringent patronesses ejected Charlotte, she might never be wed. Worse, her younger sister, who was yet to make her come-out, might be barred on foot of her elder sister's troublesome reputation, and then where would Brandon's grand plans be?
"Not only can they do it, they love to do it," Lady Everleigh replied with a sniff. The patronesses of Almack's were notorious for their adherence to the strict rules of membership, having once refused even Prinny admission when he arrived past the allotted entrance time of eleven.
"La! We can't have that," Brandon said nervously, "Think of how poor Bianca might suffer."
Bianca, the youngest of his two offspring, was by far Brandon's favourite child. Not only did she mirror him in looks—which appealed to his vanity—but her temperament was sweet and placid, and entirely in contrast with that of her sister. The idea that the fiery Charlotte, whose flaming red hair matched her temper, might scupper the chances of his sweet, blonde Bianca, left Brandon with a sense of unease.
"You must appeal to Charlotte's sense of fairness," Lady Everleigh replied firmly, for as a female, she had a better understanding of Brandon's progeny than he did. "Charlotte might be opinionated, but she is fond of her sister and would hate to see Bianca suffer as a result of her actions."
"Yes, yes," Brandon agreed; even he knew that Charlotte would do anything for her sister, "But what should I do?"
"It's rather simple," Lady Everleigh said simply, "Tell Bianca that she may not make her come-out until you are certain that Charlotte can secure a husband."
"Is that not punishing one for the behaviour of the other?" Brandon queried, somewhat perplexed.
"It's not punishment," Lady Everleigh wrinkled her nose, "It's encouragement. Charlotte is old enough now to learn that her behaviour reflects not only on her but on her family too. Believe me, once Bianca learns that her sister holds the key to her future happiness, she won't be long in persuading her to change her ways."
With her advice dispensed, Lady Everleigh swept from the room, leaving Brandon to call his two daughters into the library to hear his pronouncement...
Chapter One
"This is a punishment!"
Miss Charlotte Drew winced at her sister's loud, indignant cry. Their father had just finished sharing with them his latest edict, and Bianca was, understandably, shrill in her outrage. Her blue eyes misted prettily with tears, a fact that Charlotte noted with absent admiration. To be beautiful, even when crying, was quite the accomplishment; Charlotte's own face became red and blotchy the moment she even thought about shedding a tear.
"It's not a punishment, it's a bribe," Charlotte interrupted Bianca's sniffs, casting a shrewd, calculated look to her father. "Grandmama has a bee in her bonnet about me remaining unmarried and has decided to recruit Papa to her cause."
"She has done no such thing," her father blustered, affecting an aggrieved air, "I am perfectly capable of making parental decisions by myself."
"So, that was not grandmama's carriage I saw leaving just now?" Charlotte queried sweetly, not willing to allow her father off the hook so easily.
"That is neither here nor there," Brandon, who detested being caught out, was now red-faced with indignation, "What matters is that your determination to remain the most opinionated bluestocking who ever lived is putting your sister's future happiness in jeopardy. Your grandmama fears that your posturing and pontificating will get you ejected from Almack's, and then where will we be?"
"Oh," Bianca wrung her hands together, nervously, "You cannot have your Almack's voucher revoked, Cat! If you do, you might as well be dead."
Charlotte was wont to argue that the revoking of an Almack's voucher was far less fatal than her sister believed, but seeing the look of despair on Bianca's face, and the grim determination on her father's, Charlotte held her tongue. The silence, as her two family members waited for her response, gave Charlotte a brief moment to think.
She did not wish to marry, especially not any of the puffed-up popinjays of theton, who were only interested in her fortune, but Bianca did. Her little sister had, for years, dreamed of making her come-out and finding a dashing husband with whom she might start a family.
