“Oh?” he canted his head towards her. “But you have gathered such a fine cohort of eligible young women today. Surely they cannot all have taken leave of their senses.”
His voice was teasing as he gestured towards the various groups of women who were following him with their gaze. His grandmother snorted.
“No, for some of them had no sense to begin with. And the men are even more nonsensical.” She sniffed and made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “It is an indicator of how far the youth of today have fallen, that a wonderful woman like Lady Andrea feels she must settle for a match of convenience.”
“Lady Andrea? The one who won your games?” Frederick followed his grandmother’s jerk of her head.
His eyes found a pretty woman in a plain yellow dress. Her green eyes, dark blonde hair and fine features were rather pretty. They would have been more pretty if she had not been glaring at him.
He tipped an imaginary hat to her, his grin full of mischief as he winked.That almost always gets them to smile.To his surprise, her glare only intensified. His smile almost slipped from his face, but he caught it in time.Glowering back will do no good. Remember, light and breezy makes life easy.
“Frederick, have you listened to a word I have just said?” His grandmother’s voice broke through his staring contest with Lady Andrea.
He gave a start and turned to face her. She was looking at him, her lips pursed and eyes narrowed.
“Something about marriages and the moral failings of youth?” Frederick quirked a corner of his mouth into a half smile.
His grandmother gave him a sharp clip about the ear and he yelped. “Do not think you can charm your way out of everything, Frederick. Even you are not that sweet. I was saying that I miss the passion of love. It has been years since we had a good wedding in the family!”
“Cousin Cecil was married last week.” Frederick pointed out.
“I said a good wedding, Frederick. Your cousin is many things, but interesting is not one of them. Nor is his wife. I do not think I have ever been so unamused at a celebration.”
“It was a little slow.” Frederick was not about to admit that he had no idea how dull the celebration had been, because he had slipped away at the earliest opportunity.
“Besides, he is a third son of a minor lord. And I am far less invested in the future of his line than I am with the future of the Caverton line.” His grandmother fixed him with a narrowed look.
So, this is what she wanted.Frederick held in a sigh, forcing himself to smile instead. “There is plenty of time for our line to continue, grandmother.”
“Frederick, you are thirty! If you were a woman, they would call you a thornback.” His grandmother shook her head. “Besides, who knows how many years I have left? I want to hold the future of Caverton in my arms before I die!”
“You can hold me.” Frederick teased, which earned him another flick on the ear.
“You are not a baby. Though if you continue acting this way, I may be forced to treat you like one.” She looked him up and down.
“I have been called far worse than a baby.” Frederick laughed. “Besides, you would not treat me that way, it would be far too boring for you.”.
His grandmother gave him a wolfish grin. “I might. Do you wish to test me?”
He ran a hand through his hair, repressing a shudder that went through his spine. “No.”
“Good. So, when are you going to get married?” Her blue eyes seemed to pin him in place, as though he were a particularly interesting insect that she wished to display.
“I… It is as you said, too many people are looking for marriages of convenience. I am one of the richest men in the ton. I want a woman who loves me for me, not my money.” Frederick shrugged.
It was not entirely a lie. He loathed the idea of being married to one of the status hungry women of the ton. The thought of someone caring only for his money was unbearable.But I have no wish to be in love or to be loved.
He shifted from foot to foot, tugging at the collar of his shirt. He swallowed and ran a hand through his hair. His father’s face floated to the forefront of his mind, but he pushed it away violently.
“That is sensible. And you know I abhor such arrangements. They are so droll.” The Dowager Duchess sniffed, her disdain drawing him back into the conversation. “It is a pity you are so recognisable, though that is impossible to avoid when you have taken such pains to be so friendly with so many.”
His grandmother’s tone made her implication clear, and Frederick shifted from foot to foot. The woman was altogether more wily than any one person had a right to be.
“I thought you liked my sociability?” Frederick swept a lock of hair from his face. “Besides, surely it is no bad thing to be so well liked.”
“I did not say it was a bad thing. Simply that it is inconvenient. If you were not already the ton’s favourite bachelor, I would suggest you disguise yourself and win a woman’s heart as a nobody. Then you would know she loved you for you and not your money.” His grandmother patted his arm reassuringly.
“That sounds rather like the plot of one of Cousin Cecily’s novels.” Frederick narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
