Adele had doubts, but she smiled. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. But now I must go and you must finish packing, and then we will have the rest of our lives together. How does that sound?”
“It sounds wonderful.”
*
Hugh returned homeknowing he could postpone the inevitable no longer.
He sought out his mother and found her in one of the first floor sitting rooms, working on some elaborate needlepoint. “Mother, I need a word with you.”
“Of course, darling. Please have a seat.”
She smiled at him as he crossed the room and sat in the high-back chair across from her. She must have sensed his tone, and she set aside her needlework and turned her full attention on him.
He suddenly felt nervous. “I’ve made a decision,” he said.
“Yes?”
“I’m ready to marry,” he said.
The dowager sat up straighter. “You are? Oh, I can’t tell you how happy you’ve made me. I may yet see grandchildren before I go to my grave. Do you have a wife in mind?”
“I do.”
“Who is it? Not that Sackville girl. I regret pushing her toward you. She’s pretty, but she’s got a mouth on her and does not know when to keep it closed.”
“No, not Miss Sackville.” Hugh took a deep breath and with as much confidence as he could muster, he said, “I intend to marry Lady Adele.”
Hugh had expected some token resistance, but had assumed his mother would be so happy he was finally marrying that she’dbe relieved or happy for him. But instead, she stared at him, her mouth agape, for a long moment. Then she shook her head. “No, I forbid it.”
“You forbid it?”
“You have some sickbed infatuation with this woman that will pass. She is not a worthy Duchess of Swynford. She is too old, she is too plain, and her father is a laughingstock.”
“None of these things signify. They don’t speak to the quality of her character. And she isnottoo plain. I find her beautiful.”
“I will not have the Swynford name associated with that family.”
High rolled his eyes. “Welcome to the nineteenth century, Mother,” he said, remembering what Fletcher had told him. “Shouldn’t my happiness take precedence over some outdated notions about who is worthy in your eyes? And at the end of the day, she’s the daughter of an earl and she’ll be takingmyname.”
“It’s out of the question, Hugh.”
“Is it not my choice? Lady Adele is kind and caring and smart and beautiful. I think we suit each other quite well. And she and her father barely have a relationship, from what I can tell. Why should I not have her as my wife? She is who I choose.”
His mother’s eyebrows rose. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
She shook her head and stood up. “Absolutely not. She is not an acceptable wife.”
When she started to leave, Hugh said, “Where are you going?”
“I am so furious with you that I am leaving the room. This is ridiculous. There are a hundred more suitable women in London. If not the Sackville girl, then the Townsend daughter… or the Huntley girl… or—”
“You don’t even know their names. I know absolutely nothing about any of these women. They could be mean-spiritedgossips like Miss Sackville. They could be women who want only my title and fortune but care nothing for me. Would you really have me marry a stranger from a better family over someone I know and care about? I know Adele and I know she is a good person and I know she’s who I want to marry. Why can you not be more accommodating?”
“Because you are the Duke of Swynford. Because there are eleven previous Dukes of Swynford looking down on you to carry on the nobility of the name. Because my father was the Duke of Grafton. Because you are related to King George by marriage and descend from King Charles II on my side of the family. Because you, Hugh Baxter, the twelfth Duke of Swynford, are among the most wealthy, most powerful men in England, with the greatest pedigree, and I will not have you besmirching that name with the likes of Adele Paulson. I don’t care if you love her. Marriage is not about love.”
