“Then maybe he wanted to show himself about town with the unattainable spinster.” In fact, of course, Edwina knew thatwashis reason, for he had told her so himself. But she knew that hearing the nickname would upset her father. She had been trying to hold back from saying it and regretted having done so at once.
He frowned. “Edwina, please don’t refer to yourself that way.”
“I’m sorry, Father. I know how you feel about it.”
“Having failed to marry so far is not something you ought to take pride in.”
“I understand.” She didn’t agree, but she did understand how her father felt about it. “I won’t say it again.”
“So, you’ll consider a marriage to the Duke?”
“I didn’t saythat. Father, he hasn’t expressed any interest in continuing our relationship beyond the five dates he bid for.”
“Then you must try to be as alluring as possible so as to make him want to continue seeing you.”
“So, now you agree that he doesn’t want to marry me, and you want me to make him want to?”
“You make it sound so unreasonable. This is the way marriages are made, you know, and your refusal to play the game is the very reason why you haven’t found a husband.”
“And what of Lord Kentrow? That’s who Matthew currently wants me to marry, you know. Would you have me ignore that?”
“Lord Kentrow is a decent enough fellow, but he’s only a viscount. You have a chance to marry a duke. That’s the opportunity you should take. Look at how happy being a duchess has made your sister!”
“Father, Lavinia is happy because she’s in love with her husband, not because her husband is a duke.”
“I’m sure it’s both. And you may fall in love with the Duke of Harbeck, you know. Lavinia didn’t love her husband at first. It took her by surprise. The same may happen to you.”
“It certainly won’t,” Edwina said. “I know my own mind very well, Father. I’m not the sort to be taken by surprise in matters such as this.”
“I want you to give the gentleman a chance, Edwina. He’s the best possible match for you.”
“Everyone seems to have an opinion about who the best match for me would be,” Edwina said. “No one ever asks me for my opinion.”
“Of course, we do, Edwina. How many gentlemen have I invited to the house and sought your opinion on? And each and every time, you turn them away without giving them so much as a chance to win your favor. Now, you complain about not having your opinion sought, but it’s not as if I don’t already know what your opinion will be. If I ask you what you think about any gentleman at all, you’ll simply tell me that you don’t care for him and don’t want anything to do with him. Isn’t that what you would say about the Duke if I asked you?”
Edwina didn’t answer.
“Keep your silence, but you and I both know the answer to the question,” her father said. “That’s exactly what you would do, and frankly, I’ve had it. I’m not going to ask your opinion on every gentleman anymore. This is a good arrangement with the Duke. I want you to try your best to make it work. Tell me that you’ll do that.”
He gave her a stern look.
But there was something in that look that wasn’t quite the same as the father she had once known. He had been stern and strict with her all her life, but looking at him now, he seemed faded and lost. She could sense that he was tired, and for the first time, she truly realized how old her father was.
She remembered what Matthew had said. He was ill. He wasn’t himself anymore. That was why he had let her get away with the things he had for so long.
Edwina still didn’t want to marry. She still opposed the idea with every fiber of her being. But she didn’t want to argue with her father either. Doing so made her feel sad.
“I’ll do my best,” she told him.
It felt like a white lie. She couldn’t promise to truly do her best with the Duke because she genuinely didn’t want to marry him or anyone else. But as soon as she had said it, her father perked up and smiled at her.
“I knew you would see sense,” he said. “I knew you would come around in the end.”
“Yes, Father.” His happiness made her feel more guilty than she had already, because she knew she wasn’t being entirely honest. But it couldn’t possibly be better to upset him further by continuing to argue. She could placate him for now.
“Why don’t you change into that gown?” he suggested. “You don’t want to be late to meet the Duke—and I’m sure he’ll be excited to see you wearing it.”
“Yes, Father, of course.”
