“Well, you do have something of a reputation, Tristan,” Alistair said.
“And quite unjust it is too!” Tristan scoffed. He drained his glass, then waved to a passing waiter and motioned for more drinks. “They all say that I am a rake, and it is true that I enjoy the company of the fairer sex, and perhaps I like to make the more prim and proper ones blush from time to time, but I would never do anything truly outrageous.”
“I do wonder sometimes,” Alistair said. ”Perhaps you push things a little too far, my friend.”
“Nonsense!” Tristan protested. He waited a moment while the waiter set another decanter of whiskey on the table between them and poured two glasses out, then took his own glass, almost indecently quickly, and downed half of it in one go.
“Steady on!” Alistair warned.
“Can I not have a little fun?” Tristan demanded, finishing the drink with a flourish and pouring another. “I know that you have to behave yourself now that you are an old married man, but I still have my freedom, thank heavens.”
Alistair shook his head with a wry smile. “It is not like that at all, as well you know it. Your sister is a bit feisty, there is no doubt about that, but I do not feel as if my freedom has been curtailed.”
“I do not know how it is, not really,” Tristan said. He dropped his voice a little. Alistair was right, of course; he was being a little over the top, and he did not want to get them in trouble at the club. “Is it very pleasant to be married? Even to my sister?”
Alistair smiled again, more warmly this time. “I must say, Tristan, that I do highly recommend the state of matrimony. Since I met Cecilia, I have been the happiest of men. Yes, she is bold and outspoken, but I like that. In fact, I much prefer it to meekness. We have been lucky, perhaps, that we were a genuine love match, and I think we are thankful to be together after all that trouble.”
“It must be pleasant,” Alistair mused, lifting his glass and moving it so that the amber liquid swirled about inside, like a golden whirlpool.
“You seem to be thinking rather deeply about matrimony,” Alistair observed, taking a small sip of his own drink. “Do you think you are finally ready to settle down?”
Tristan laughed softly. “I do not think I will ever be ready,” he replied. “But I know my duty. All this talk of love, though, it’s not for me. I am glad that you and Cecilia are so happy together, and I pray that it might continue this way for you until you are old and grey, but I will never fall in love.”
“You never know, Tristan!” Alistair said with a grin. “Who knows what could be waiting around the corner for you.”
Tristan shook his head. “It is no use, Alistair. You cannot persuade me that falling in love is a realistic option for me.” He paused for a moment and looked at his friend. Yes, he seemed happy, but for how long? Something would happen, he thought. And if you truly allowed yourself to love someone, then their loss was even worse. It was not worth the pain, and he would never put himself through it.
“But you said that you know your duty,” Alistair probed. “So you will marry without love?” He sipped his drink thoughtfully. “You will notice that I will not press you on the love issue. You know your own mind, I am sure. I will not be the one to change your mind, I know that, but I think that the day will come when a young lady appears in your life who does change your mind.”
Tristan rolled his eyes. “You can think what you like, Alistair, but it will never happen. Trust me on that! I am delighted that you and Cecilia have found such happiness, but such a match does not lie in my future, I am sure of it.”
“Well, what do you see in your future?”
Tristan thought for a moment of his parents, and how happy they had been together. Their house had always been full of love. But everything had been snatched away from them when they had died suddenly in a carriage accident. Tristan knew he would never find a love like theirs. But he knew what was expected of him.
“I know my duty,” he repeated. “I am an earl and with that comes responsibility. Responsibility to marry and to sire and heir, and a spare too no doubt. So, I will get on with it. Get the whole thing over and done with.”
Alistair scoffed. “That is not a very romantic way of looking at it.”
“And that, my friend, is entirely the point,” Tristan replied. “It is a business transaction, nothing more, nothing less.”
“And you think that you will be able to find a young lady who is happy to agree to such a prosaic arrangement?” Alistair asked. “I fear you will have a difficult time of it. Most young ladies want to feel loved, and to imagine themselves in a fairy tale.”
“Well, I can play along with all that if I need to,” Tristan conceded “But the reality is, I think, is that many young women of our class recognize the reality of it all just as I do. Any young lady who marries me will have wealth and status, an elevated position in society, and a comfortable home. She will be a countess.”
“Indeed,” Alistair nodded, “but I do think that you will find that many young ladies are looking for something more than simply a marriage of convenience.”
Tristan shook his head. “Not the sensible ones. And the bare minimum that I am hoping for is a sensible wife! The whole thing is rather a tiresome necessity to me, but at least I can hope to share my life with someone rational and practical.”
Alistair laughed. “Well, you have set the bar rather low, in that case!”
“Not at all,” Tristan said, shaking his head. “I have found a young lady who fits the bill perfectly.”
“Oh, indeed?” Alistair said. “Well, I never thought that I would hear you say those words! And are you going to tell me who the lucky lady is? And does she even know yet?”
“Well, I went to call on her yesterday, so I suspect she has a reasonable idea of my intentions,” Tristan replied. “It was rather annoying, though, to see that a great many suitors had been there before me. The drawing room was filled with flowers and gifts!”
“Perhaps you will have to work a little harder, then, if there is competition!” Alistair chuckled.
