Page 22 of The Duke Meets His Match

Chapter 6

George froze at the PrinceRegent’s words, and only decades of self-discipline kept his mouth from gaping.

“Princess Sophia Augusta of Schönberg-Nusse is the daughter of PrinceErnst Leopold of the Duchy of Schönberg-Nusse and his wife, Princess Eugenie Augusta. We met Prince Ernst several years ago—can’t remember the particulars ... seem to recall he was a likable enough fellow—and regrettably, we haven’t met his wife. But our advisors tell us we can be confident that this is a good match.Extremelywealthy, we’ve heard. Excellent blood lines. Most advantageous for you, attaching yourself to royalty—and highly beneficial to the Crown through your marriage, diplomaticallyandfinancially.

“Such connections as you helped Castlereagh achieve will be even smootherin the future when one is dealing with them as family members. And imaginewhat marriage to the princess can do for our treasury, Aylesham,” the prince continued.“Oursandyours—you will recoup your expenses in our country’s behalf andcome out much wealthier in the long run, we are assured. Oh, yes, theadvantages tobothyourselfandthe Crown are incalculable.”

Prince Ernst Leopold of the Duchy of Schönberg-Nusse—George recognized that name but couldn’t recall ... “Sir—”

The prince held up his hand to silence George. George noticed that Baron Lawton and Lord Frome and the other courtiers were watching him closely. Frome’s lip curled upward.

George hadneverliked Frome.

“Princess Sophia Augusta and her parents have agreed to the match, andthey and their retinue are expected to arrive in London within a fortnight;after which, formal arrangements for the wedding will be finalized. This will beanother crowning touch on the celebrations of victory we anticipate we shallhave this Season, what? ‘Crowning touch,’ eh?” The prince chuckled to himself. “A little play on words there.”

The arrangementswill be finalized? The prince had undertaken themwithoutGeorge’s knowledge?It was agiven, then, at least to the prince, that the marriage would take place. George fought the buzzing in his brain so his thoughts couldbe coherent. What was he to do? The prince, despite his general negligencewhen it came to governing his people, was, nonetheless, George’ssovereign. One didn’tsimply disobey one’s sovereign. But to marry in this unexpected, wholly unwantedway—

“And we shouldn’t worry too much about the Princess’s surname, now either,shall we?” the prince added. “Can’t be helped. Schönberg-Nusse. Sounds like ‘noose,’ what?” He chuckled again. So did all the courtiers. Frome's smirkturned into a grin.

George, on the other hand, was choking, desperate for air. He could feel thatparticular noose closing about his throat. He had demonstrated his allegianceto his country over the past year, butthis?Thiswas past his limit. After all these years of searching for the ideal wife, he wasn’t about to simply marry a woman—princess or no—in this manner.

And then he remembered.

Prince Ernst Leopold von Schönberg-Nusse had hosted Napoleon Bonaparte at his palace on more than one occasion during Bonaparte’s travels with his Grand Armée; he’d supported the French cause by doing so. Such actions meant Prince Ernst Leopold was an opportunist of the worst sort, if he was now willing to offer his daughter in marriage to Bonaparte’s sworn enemy. Whether the Prince Regent knew of this mattered not one whit, apparently, for it was obvious his objective here was to seize the opportunity to get out of debt without going to Parliament once again.

Georgewould notmarry into such a family. Nor would he allow himself to become his selfish monarch’s puppet, which this marriage would certainly assure.

But the Prince Regent was, nonetheless, his monarch, his sovereign.

Howwas he to go against the expressed will of his sovereign? It simply wasn’t done. It was unheard of. George’s heart pounded as he scrambled to think of a way to extricate himself from this utter nightmare.

The prince was waiting for his response.

“I am honored, Sir, truly,” George said, grateful his voice sounded almost normal. “And I thank you. But surely there is someone more ... deserving ... of such a bestowal of trust.”Think, man, think!His entire future depended on his ability to arrive at a viable solution, and quickly.

A tiny light went on in his head, and George sent a silent prayer skyward. The Prince Regent had several brothers, some who were still unmarried. Most of them had mistresses of long-standing, but other than the prince, who had an heir in Princess Charlotte, none of them had any legitimate children who couldascend to the throne. One would think the Crown would be more occupiedwith arranging marriages forthemthan one for George. “Consider that one of the unmarried royal princes deserves this honor more than I,” he said at last.

The Prince Regent straightened in his seat at George’s words, his regalpostureback in place, his demeanor turning serious. “The marital arrangementsof the royal princes are not within the scope of this discussion. As a reply toyour suggestion, we shall say only that the situation there is complicated. No, atpresent, we are discussingyou—an unmarried duke who has shown loyalty tohis country and is capable, through this marriage, of benefiting the Crownandyour sovereigngreatly, not to mention yourself. Surely you would not refuse sucha reward. Perhaps your misgivings are because you have not seen the princesswho is to be your bride. You really needn’t fear, if that is your problem; we are confident the princess is much fairer of face and disposition than our own Princess Caroline”—he grimaced—“and obviously there are ways to work around such an arrangement, if we may say so without being too indelicate.”

Being reminded that the prince completely loathed his wife, Princess Caroline, was the final straw. The prince and princess had hated each other on sightand had barely stayed together long enough to produce a royal heir in Princess Charlotte. It was not a marriage at all, in George’s opinion.

He swallowed and began to speak, still not entirely sure what he was going to say. “And yet, regrettably, I must respectfully decline.” His mind was spinning like a top.

“Leave us,” the prince ordered, waving his arm at his courtiers, clearly showing his impatience with George. “We wish to speak to Aylesham alone.”

The others stood and began to take their leave. Lord Frome, passing close by George, leaned toward him and said, “I’d do it in a heartbeat if I weren’t already leg-shackled. Same with the others. A royal title and money, to boot. You’re a fool, Aylesham. Wives bring land, wealth, heirs, and connections. The rest we leave to our mistresses.”

George pretended to ignore him and maintained eye contact with the prince.

The prince drummed his fingers on the arms of his chair and glared at George. When the two of them were finally alone, he spoke. “You say you must respectfully decline.Whywould that be?” he asked in a low voice.

“Because I ...” George was still frantically thinking. And then, miraculously, another glimmer of an idea sparked to life. “I am already due to be wed, Sir, and it would dishonor the lady to cry off.” He said it but was unwilling, for the moment, to consider what the consequences of those words might mean beyond avoiding the current marriage being arranged for him.

The prince was not convinced, if his arched eyebrow was anything to go by. “Whydid you not say so before, Aylesham?” he asked smoothly, his mouth barely moving. “We have not heard of any attachment between you and a lady. Nay, this comes as acompletesurprise. We daresay it would be to many others as well.” His Royal Highness was now getting angry, if the increased ruddiness of his face was any indication.

“My betrothed and I wished to be discreet,” George said, holding firm to his lie. Hewouldnotbecome a pawn to his greedy monarch.

“Discreet?” The prince guffawed. “If a gentleman chooses to bediscreet,he doesso with hismistress, what?Notwith his wife or wife-to-be. For some mysterious lady to have won the heart of our esteemed Duke of Aylesham, who has avoided marriage for so many years and, therefore, has been the catch of many a Season, it would be a coup she would wish to shout to the very ceilings of Almack’s and beyond.Why discreet?”

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