‘I told your sister that I would see you alone, so that you might have your fill of abusing me for my conduct, and spare heryour wrath. She laughed at me. But please, begin whenever you wish. I shall not say a word in my defence, for I am not sure there is anything to say.’
‘What is the point, after all?’ said Lord Irlam, passing a hand wearily over his face. ‘You are a good two or three years older than me, Northriding, and my aunt has just been reading me a lecture on the dangers of hypocrisy. It’s not my place to jaw at you like a damned parson. I just wish it hadn’t been my sister… but Georgie always had a talent for getting into scrapes, without any help at all from you.’
‘So she tells me.’
‘And out of them, in fairness to her. The last fellow… well, she hit him with a poker. My wife and I rushed to rescue her, but there was no need. Knocked him down, stood there kicking him where it would do him most good.’
‘She did not tell methat,’ said the Duke gravely, though his eyes were twinkling. ‘I hope I never give her cause to do the same to me.’
‘So do I, if it comes to that. But I shall not be the man to stop her if you do. You must know that I would knock you down myself without a second’s hesitation if I thought you had hurt her.’ The younger man’s face was grim, his blue eyes oddly formidable, and his host could have no doubt that he meant exactly what he said.
‘I would not blame you. How could I? God knows I have no desire to hurt her, or to see her hurt. I’d marry her tomorrow if I could, and try my best to make her happy. But she has not accepted me, you know. Not explicitly. And she said you would not force her to take me, though I am well aware, as is she, that almost any other brother would insist we wed, after all that has passed between us.’
‘I probably should insist upon it. But then, if I was of that cast of mind, we would not be having this conversation, becauseshe’d be married to the other fellow, Hart, by now, and he’d be making her life miserable and doing his best to play ducks and drakes with her fortune into the bargain.’
The Duke’s mouth thinned, but he spoke lightly enough. ‘Well, I won’t do that. Waste her fortune, I mean. Her portion is a matter of complete indifference to me, I hope you are aware, and I will of course make generous settlements, though I doubt that is of any interest to you just now. I trust I shall not make her miserable, either. God knows it is far from being my intention, but I am not sure that is a promise anyone can make when embarking upon a life together, in sober truth.’
Hal regarded him curiously. He said, ‘What would you do, if I were the sort of fellow to come the stern paterfamilias and force Georgie to marry you?’
‘Take her, damn your eyes for it like a cursed hypocrite, and consider myself lucky to have her,’ he answered shortly. ‘Worry about everything else later.’
Like his sister on occasion, Hal found that at this moment he could not read his host’s face. ‘And if, since we have established that I am not the man to force her, she cannot be persuaded, what will you do then?’
‘I do not know. It is enough to drive a man mad; it is driving me mad. Irlam, understand me – I do not have the luxury of infinite time at my disposal. Unlike you, I had one younger brother only, and one cousin to inherit Northriding if we both died without male heirs. But they both took mortal injuries at Waterloo – my cousin had in fact joined up in an excess of patriotic fervour without my knowledge, the young idiot. The heirs beyond them – well, it does not bear thinking of. I have a grave responsibility to others than myself; I must marry, and soon. I have already allowed a year to pass when I should not have done, when my duty was clear. But we have had some otherfamily troubles, which I need not burden you with. And now this.’
‘I had not realised. You are in the devil of a coil, are you not?’ Hal had not thought to find himself feeling sympathy for Northriding, notorious rake and seducer of sisters, but he did now. He was all too familiar with the crushing weight of family responsibilities, having endured plenty himself in the last eight years. And he was exceptionally lucky, he knew, that he did not lack for heirs, but rather the reverse.
‘I am, but I cannot – I will not – use the facts of my cursed predicament to put pressure on Georgiana. I have already told her too much of them, and I regret it bitterly. I find I am not always… clever where she is concerned, and say things I would wish to take back the moment the words have left my mouth.’
I remember that feeling, thought Hal. Well do I remember it. Perhaps Louisa is right after all…
He said only, ‘I think I will take that glass of wine now, Northriding, if I may.’
‘So will I,’ said his host. ‘More than one, I believe, if you will join me. There are other things I need to tell you, and they will go more easily with a glass of wine.’
27
Lord Irlam did not go to see his sister that night, but upon parting from the Duke in perfect amity made his weary way up to the bedchamber that had been prepared for him, and slept like a log for eight hours. When he arose, he found upon enquiry that the ladies of his family were taking breakfast in their private sitting room, and made his way there.
Miss Spry greeted him in a friendly fashion, and tactfully absented herself just as soon as she could do so without an appearance of discourtesy, leaving the three Pendleburys alone. Georgiana was looking tired, her brother observed, with dark circles under her bright blue eyes and a pinched look about her mouth.
‘I’m sorry you were dragged away from Cassandra, Hal, and for such a reason,’ she said quietly. ‘I know talking pays no toll, but honestly I am.’
‘I feel we’ve been here before, Georgie. I do not mean to ring a peal over you. There’s no point, is there? And I’m damnably tired of it, to be brutally plain with you. But I think we have gone past the point where I can rescue you. I see no alternative but marriage, and swiftly.’
Her eyes leapt up to his in pained surprise. ‘I did not think you would force me, Hal!’
‘But I should not have to. You surely realise the gravity of what you have done. Setting everything else aside – and you have Louisa to thank for the fact that I am prepared to do that – you know that Northriding must marry. That was the whole point of the nightmarish house party he was obliged to host. If you jilt him now, he will find it devilish hard to do so – or at least, I suppose he could go into the common street and find all manner of bold hussies who would be delighted to take him on tomorrow, but not one of them would be the sort of woman he could or should make his Duchess. Unlike you.’
Louisa said, ‘I don’t think that’s quite fair to Georgie…’ She fell silent when her nephew shot her such a look as she had never received from him before.
‘No, Louisa, I’m afraid it is perfectly fair. I know you’re right, Hal,’ said Georgiana, looking down, her face pale and drawn. ‘Believe me, I do. I said as much to him yesterday, and told him how sorry I was that I had overset all his plans. I did not mean to.’
‘You’re always sorry, Georgie. Unlike the twins or Fred, you never mean to do it. But it’s not enough this time. You can’t run away – you have to put it right.’
Her voice was a little cracked, and wobbled as she answered him. ‘I do not even know if I can give him the heir he needs so desperately. And then what will I have done to him in all my thoughtlessness?’
‘Nobody knows that,’ said Louisa. ‘It’s impossible. He doesn’t know if he can either, for that matter, as far as I am aware. You can’t worry about that now. You have quite enough to think about without tormenting yourself over things no one can ever give guarantees on.’
