Page 11 of Loving a Noble Gentleman
Chapter 5
“Uh oh.” Iris smiled to herself as she heard her son storming through the house. “Am I to understand that your meeting with Lady Roberts did not go well today?”
Edmund’s face was one of pure fury. He could barely contain the rage that coursed through his body. He had gone to speak with Mary because his mother had told him that he should and also because he held a lot of respect for Lord Roberts, but now he utterly regretted it. She had wound him up so badly he wanted to yell out in temper.
“No, it didnotgo well,” he growled. “It did not go well at all.”
Iris stood up and guided her son into the living room where they could both sit and talk properly. She knew that Edmund would not like being pushed into a corner when it came to marriage; she felt certain that he would be closed off when it came to meeting this Lady, but this was a stronger reaction than she expected.
“Please, Edmund, tell me what happened.”
“I asked around about her first,” he raged as he paced up and down the kitchen. “And I learned that she has a reputation for being standoffish and rude. Her sister too. She is married to Lord Jones and is known for treating others with contempt.”
“You do not know that yourself,” Iris tried to rationalise. “You have only heard that from others. You know as well as I do how quickly rumours spread around London.”
“Yes, well, I tried to think that. I wanted to believe that. I thought that maybe she was just shy, but it is all true. She is rude and not someone that I will ever marry.”
Iris nodded slowly, and her brain raced as she tried to work out what might have happened. “Did she do something in particular to make you feel like she was rude?”
“She rolled her eyes at me when I was talking about business.”
Iris found herself stifling a laugh. She did not want to be rude to her son, but she knew better than anyone how long-winded and dull his tales of work could be. He was very proud of his achievements, and rightfully so, but for someone who was not involved in the business world, it was very hard to listen to.
“What did her chaperone say?” she asked tactfully.
“He was very interested in what I had to say.” Edmund shook his head in dismay. He could not understand Mary’s reaction to him. Even now. “He was not rude to me at all.”
Iris took Edmund’s hand and stared deeply into his eyes. “Listen, Son, I know this might not be easy to accept, but for some Ladies, the idea of getting married is a hard one to digest, especially if it is to someone they have had chosen for them. Their father’s telling them that this is the right man for them is really hard to come to terms with. She is only just eighteen years old, is she not?”
“Yes.” Edmund shrugged. He did not understand where his mother was going with this. “So?”
“She is young. She does not even have her father around to argue with him about this. She is probably more distressed than you think. Maybe she is acting out, that is all. I am sure that it has nothing to do with you.”
Edmund pondered this for a moment. His mother certainly knew more about women than he did, but was she right with this one? Maybe Mary had been acting out as a form of rebellion, but that was not what he wanted either. He did not want a wife who was troublesome just for the sake of it. Especially if he did not feel any sort of love for her.
“Maybe that is the case, Mother, but I still do not wish to marry her.”
“Not even for your old mentor?”
Edmund shook his head. He did not like the idea of letting William Roberts down, but what else could he do? Maybe if he were around, he would be able to speak to him and find out the truth about his daughter, but that was not an option, unfortunately.
“I do not think so.”
“If that is the case, then you need to start getting yourself out there,” Iris pushed. “You are getting older now; it is time you find a wife and start having children. I know that you are holding out for the perfect woman, but you will not find her sitting around in the house like this.”
“What are you trying to say to me, Mother?”
“It is the season; there are many events happening. Men are out there at these events finding their wives, and you are doing nothing. I believe that it is time for you to start doing the same. If you do not find someone at these events, then maybe you should reconsider Mary.”
Edmund’s expression tightened. “I will not reconsider Mary. If I need to go to these events to get you off my back, then I shall.”
“It does not have to be like that,” Iris tried. “It might be something that you really enjoy.”
“Mother, you know I only attend the opera and other such events to keep my face known in society. That is all for business reasons. Going to something with the sole intent of meeting a woman will feel very uncomfortable to me. I do not wish things to be so forced.”
“I do not want to make you ...” Iris held back just a little bit. She did not want her son to feel pressured when all she really wanted was to help him.
“No, I shall. But only because my meeting with Mary was just that bad.”
