Page 66 of Everything But the Earl
Lark’s eyebrows shot up. He loved gossip. “Announce what?”
Fletcher sighed. “The Duke of Rotherfield is formally courting her.”
“Rotherfield?” said Lark. “Well, that is a surprise.”
“In what way?” asked Fletcher.
Lark shook his head. “Oh, just…he’s young and handsome and I assumed he’d enjoy the bachelor life for a few more years before committing to marriage. And you know I adore Louisa, but she’s practically a spinster.”
This was a comment on Louisa’s age. She was a few years younger than Fletcher, but she was old enough to be considered on the shelf. She didn’t really have that reputation, because she was charming and beautiful, and frankly it defied all logic and reason that she was still in the marriage market. It wasn’t a surprise that Rotherfield wanted her. Owen had known Louisa for years and genuinely liked her, so Rotherfield must have, too.
“She is receptive, I assume,” said Hugh.
“It’s a very smart match,” said Lark. “They’d be an attractive couple.”
“I should be happy for her,” said Fletcher. “But something about it bothers me.”
Owen just raised an eyebrow. But Lark said with a smirk, “Because he’s better-looking than you are?”
Fletcher rolled his eyes. “No, it’s merely that… Well, what do we know about Rotherfield? As a man, I mean. A pretty face does not signify he is of good character. What if, for example, he is a cruel husband or a disinterested father?”
Hugh nodded thoughtfully. “I will admit, I do not know Rotherfield well. He is younger than we are, correct? I believe he was at Eton, but several years behind us.”
“Yes,” Lark said.
“I’ve met him a few times,” Owen supplied. “He appears at Lords every now and again. I do not know much about his political leanings, but he has always been polite when we’ve spoken.”
“I’ve never heard anything bad about him,” Lark, the gossipmonger, replied.
“I just want her to be happy,” Fletcher said. “She says she is fond of him. But something about Rotherfield rubs me in the wrong way.”
“Jealousy,” Lark suggested.
Fletcher balked. “I’m not jealous of Rotherfield. I have no romantic designs on Louisa. She’s like a sister to me. I want her to have a good marriage and I want her to be happy, that is all. It seems odd to me that she would agree to court Rotherfield given that she barely knows him.”
Owen didn’t believe Fletcher, but he nodded. “Perhaps she would like to get to know him. Is that not the purpose of courtship?”
“I suppose,” Fletcher said reluctantly.
“And perhaps she is feeling some familial pressure to not be placed permanently on the shelf,” Owen added.
“I imagine so. And I recognize that there is no rational reason for me to be so bothered by this turn of events. Louisa is free to make her own choices, of course. I just do not understand why this is making me feel so bad.”
Owen glanced at Lark, who subtly shook his head.
“I’ll survive,” Fletcher said, shaking it off. “How are you gents doing?”
“Anthony is in Kent, attending to some family business,” said Lark. “So I am a bit at loose ends.”
It was said as a statement of fact, and Owen could not readilydetect how Lark felt about it. Was Lark relieved to be rid of Anthony’s constant presence for a bit, or was he lonely. Owen found he was often lonely without Grace in his bed, that sometimes, he even ached with it, but he didn’t want to imprint those feelings on Lark.
“My mother has been a persistent presence at our house, despite now having a house of her own,” Hugh said. “Adele is feeling frustrated.”
“Do Adele and your mother still not get along?” Owen asked.
“They normally tolerate each other. I believe Mother’s constant presence is driving us all mad, though. And I cannot figure out why she calls so incessantly. I just spent a lot of money building her a new house and yet, I feel like I see her more now than when she lived with us.”
“Have you asked why she calls so often?” said Lark.
