“My lady, you are most formidable,” he said. “But I was only able to best you by the grace of God. I should not like to test Him with another game and could not stand the shame if I lost, so mayhap it is best if we do not play again.”
“Nonsense,” Isabel said, slamming her empty cup to the table. “Youwillplay with me again. You have a keen mind, and I admire that.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
She eyed him, sitting back in her chair as she dragged her gaze over him from top to bottom. “You are also a fine form of a man,” he said. “Has anyone ever told you that?”
He couldn’t help it then. His grin broke through. “You should see my brother, Myles,” he said. “He is the one all of the women find attractive. Westley isn’t so bad, either.”
Isabel snorted. “So you are from a family of beautiful men,” she said, seeing a servant with a pitcher and waving them over. “My family was never so fortunate. All of the men looked like old trees with the bark peeling off. My brother was so ugly he looked as if he’d been struck by lightning.”
Douglas broke down into silent laughter, watching Eric do the same thing. Isabel’s cup was full once more, and she took a big swallow before her attention turned to Jerome and his son at the end of the table.
“Raymond was always a fine-looking lad,” she said to Jerome. “You only have one son?”
Jerome was fairly drunk, too, on the very strong wine. “One is enough,” he said. “He is my only child. My wife, God rest her soul, could only manage one. But he is a proud son and I am content.”
“I see,” Isabel said, her gaze lingering on Raymond. “No marriage for him yet?”
Raymond shook his head but before he could answer, Jerome spoke. “We are very selective,” he said. “The lady must come with a good dowry and property. There have been a few prospects, but there are better ones out there. Money and position are key.”
“What about her character?” Douglas said. He’d been listening carefully. “It seems to me that a lady without good character is not worth the money and property she brings to a marriage.”
Jerome looked at him. “What do you mean, Sir Douglas?”
“I mean simply that I would rather have a wife of good character, one I was compatible with, rather than a fool who simply brought money and property to a marriage,” he said. “The last thing you want is a wife who shames you or reflects badly on the family. You want a wife to be proud of.”
“True,” Jerome said. “That is very true. But marriage is more about strengthening a family.”
“I would rather be with someone I liked. Even loved.”
Jerome snorted. “Marriage is not about love,” he said. “That is a fool’s dream.”
“My parents love one another and my father is most certainly not a fool.”
“Who is your father, then?”
“Don’t you know?” Isabel spoke up. She was incredulous. “You mean to tell me you do not know who Douglas’ father is? My God, man, the standards of the Earl of Hereford and Worcester are flying all over Axminster. Did you not see them?”
Jerome suspected he should have, but he honestly couldn’t remember. “I do not suppose I was looking at any standards,” he said. “I do apologize if I have said something offensive.”
Isabel shook her head at the man’s propensity for ignorance before lifting the cup to her lips and drinking. It was Douglas who answered.
“You’ve not said anything offensive,” he said. “My father is Christopher de Lohr, the Earl of Hereford and Worcester. He is not a fool.”
Jerome’s eyes widened. “Good God, he is not,” he said. “I did not know, Sir Douglas. Forgive me.”
Douglas waved him off. “No need,” he said. “I suppose we all have our different philosophies on marriage and women.”
“I think women need to be tamed,” Raymond said. He, too, was feeling his wine because it had been a long day and he was exhausted. “There isn’t one woman out there who knows what she wants or what she needs. It is up to men to teach them.”
Isabel eyed the man from across the table. “You think so, do you?” she said, a hint of hazard in her tone. “I think men are in for a lesson themselves if they think that.”
Douglas banged his cup on the table a couple of times softly in agreement. “I think men could learn a thing or two from women,” he said. “My mother is a great teacher. I do not think my brothers and I would be the men we are today without her. That being said, she had to learn such a skill because my father was already a very important man when they married. He told me that all they did was fight the first few months of their marriage. I think they both had to learn a thing or two before they settled down and fell in love. In any case, they have set a good example for my siblings and me.”
“Then what you are looking for in a marriage is love, Sir Douglas?” Jerome said. “It would seem to me that the son of an earl would look for something more.”
Douglas shrugged. “I want to be happy,” he said. “I think that is a fair statement for all of us. We all want to be happy in a marriage. But we must each decide what that happiness is.”
