Jonas did not experience an ounce of guilt for the subterfuge. Lady Viola was an heiress and Lord Pomeroy was an earl’s son in desperate need of money. Was there ever a more perfect matchcreated? Plus, Pomeroy would also have the winnings of that ill-conceived bet if Jonas failed to marry.
A winning situation all around.
The other three ladies, all beautiful and elegant, were now flicking their fans at him flirtatiously and laughing with a witty air when he asked, as any dutiful host would, whether they lacked any comforts for their stay.
It was just small talk, for he knew Mrs. Fitch was a wonder and would see they all had everything they needed supplied to their rooms.
But Hope Tenney gave it more meaning than intended and openly propositioned him, suggesting he might provide her comfort tonight. “I shall leave my door unlocked for you, Your Grace.”
The other two ladies were not at all appalled and merely giggled.
Lady Willa smacked her fan against his shoulder. “I shall give you the better sport, Your Grace. Come to me first.”
Egads.
He politely declined both offers. But he could see these young ladies would not be so easily thwarted. He would have to make up some excuse, a matter of his lumbago flaring, should the need arise. He was old enough that these little geese would believe he suffered from that ailment. Didn’t all old men suffer from inflammations of one sort or another? Or so these young ladies would be quick to believe.
As the minutes droned on, Jonas wondered what was taking Grimes so long to come and collect him.
Fortunately, Edward and his other friend, Lord Whitcomb, had swooped in to rescue him from the amorous advances of Lady Willa and Lady Hope. By this time, Faith Tenney had moved away to peer at the underside of the vases and decorativeplates in the drawing room, no doubt attempting to determine whether they were made by an artist of any importance.
He turned around to avoid her and almost knocked over the sister, Hope, who had left Edward and Whitcomb to silently come up behind him. “Do forgive me,” he said, catching her before she fell.
She propositioned him again.
Blessed saints.Would he have to barricade his door tonight?
The Tenney sisters were firmly ruled out as marriage prospects.
Lady Willa was also ruled out, and not only because she had propositioned Jonas within ten minutes of greeting him. She was another debutante he had escorted around London earlier in the year. He knew her to be just as petulant and spoiled as Lady Viola.
Why had his mother brought them along when she must have known he would dismiss all of them as marriage prospects? Did she think so little of him as to believe he would discount love altogether?
It saddened him that she might think so, especially since his parents had enjoyed a love match. But it seemed this was not to be for him, and he now had to protect himself from these little schemers until the blessed day of their departure.
In the meanwhile, he had a bit of work to do in making clear to the parents and their spoiled offspring that marriage was out of the question for him even if he were ever caught in a compromising position with one of these diamonds. No one was going to strong-arm him into doing the “honorable” thing.
Besides, how was it honorable for their daughters to steal into his bed and trap him into marriage?
No, their schemes were never going to work on him. Not to mention, where was the dishonor when none of these young ladies were virgins?
This made him ache for Ailis and the ridiculous fact that she was almost thirty and had never been kissed before him. The soft, giving way she had responded to his kisses, that sincere sense of wonder in her lovely eyes when she had looked up at him after each kiss… How could he not feel touched to the very core of his heart?
Lady Willa drew him out of his thoughts by calling him over.
“How may I be of help?” he asked, straining to maintain his polite façade.
“Lord Whitcomb is being quite beastly to me,” she said, pouting. “He insists on partnering me for cards tonight.”
Jonas arched an eyebrow. “And this is beastly how?”
“I was hoping to partner with you.” The girl batted her eyelashes at him, playing the coy dove. But he had seen Lady Willa stick her dainty foot out to purposely trip Lady Viola not two minutes earlier, a stupid ploy to make it appear as though Lady Viola was awkward.
How was he to survive the week?
And how could his own mother, usually an astute and discerning woman, not have noticed how impossiblywrongthese ladies were for him? As his lack of interest became apparent, he hoped they would all take the hint and depart early.
He almost fell to his knees in relief when Grimes finally approached. “Your Grace, the church lady is here to see you,” he intoned with impeccable lack of expression.
