Max shook his head. ‘I have not,’ he replied. ‘Queen Charlotte seems to think her son is simply being sentimental.’
‘And you don’t?’ ventured Lindley.
Max shook his head. ‘There is more to this than I am currently at liberty to share I’m afraid, so I will not bore you further, gentlemen.’ He swallowed the rest of his brandy before finishing ruefully, ‘And I now have to prepare for an unexpected visit to Bath.’
Viscount Northwood grimaced. ‘I feel I should advise you that my wife’s family are currently residing in Bath. To be honest, I’m unsure whether I should simply warn you or commiserate with you in advance.’
Max raised his eyebrows. ‘Are they there to take the waters? I shall be interested to make their acquaintance.’
‘No, they are not,’ responded the Viscount emphatically. ‘They are matchmaking Guildford, so if I were you, I would give them an exceedingly wide berth.’
‘Is this another of the sisters then?’ queried the Marquess, intrigued despite himself. ‘Surely they must be singular indeed to have captured the hearts of a duke, an earl and a viscount.’
‘There is also a sea captain,’ was the dry response. ‘And the sister they are intent on marrying off is unique indeed, but not in a way that speaks of good wife material.’ He gave a low chuckle. ‘My advice is to stay well out of the Duchess and the Countess’s way as they are Patience’s patrons.’
‘Patience?’ Max repeated. ‘I take it she does not resemble her name.’
‘Not even the slightest,’ the Viscount laughed, then shook his head. ‘In actual fact, Patience is often hilarious, mostly because she does not mean to be. Her manners are appalling, and there is truly never a dull moment in her company - when she can be found. Mostly, she simply disappears without informing anyone where she is going.’
‘Certainly not wife material then,’ commented Max, raising his eyebrow in mock horror.
The Viscount shook his head. ‘In truth, I believe that any man who dares to take on one of the Shackleford sisters, is either extremely courageous or entirely foolhardy - mayhap a little of both. And I include myself in that assessment.’
Max laughed, then creased his brow in thought. ‘Shackleford,’ he mused. ‘Have I not heard that name spoken recently?’ His frown deepened, then cleared. ‘It may have been Queen Charlotte,’ he concluded. ‘Have the family had any dealings with her majesty?’
Viscount Northwood sighed. ‘The Queen attended my wedding to Hope,’ he grimaced. ‘Safe to say I would not bring the subject of duck ponds up to her majesty any time soon.’
Max quirked an eyebrow. ‘Duck ponds? Please don’t tell me the Queen ended up in one?’
‘You’ll have to ask her majesty,’ was all Northwood replied with a wince. ‘The story is not mine to share. But safe to say, there is a reason they have chosen to begin the preparations for Patience’s come out in Bath, and it may or may not have something to do with not being in London for the annual debutantes’ introduction to the Queen … ’
‘Now I am certain I must beg an introduction to such an interesting family.’
‘I’ve had the honour of conversing with the Duchess of Blackmore,’ interrupted Lindley, ‘and I have to say, Northwood, that I found her grace to be both cordial and exceedingly gracious.’
‘That’s because she’s had the longest practice,’ responded the Viscount with a dark chuckle. ‘Anyway, Guildford, don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you were going to be in London for longer, I would introduce you to my wife. Hope is generally considered the most amenable of the sisters, I believe, and would serve as a gentle introduction.’ He laughed again, and Max couldn’t help but notice the love in the Viscount’s eyes and the pride in his voice as he spoke of his wife. Would that he had the same luxury of choosing to wed for affection rather than duty.
‘On another occasion, perhaps,’ responded Max with true regret. Standing up finally, he gave a small bow. ‘Thank you for your companionship this evening gentlemen,’ he offered. ‘It has been most congenial and, though I didn't realise it, exactly what I needed.’ With that, he strode to the door, feeling more optimistic than he had in weeks. If Bamford was in possession ofSepidehand he was able to prove it, mayhap hewouldbe able to choose his eventual bride with the freedom he’d hoped for.
Chapter Five
‘The thing is, Percy, we’re going to have a devil of a time trying to put a stop to this fiasco before it goes any further. But I was thinking, mayhap it’s better we make a cake of ourselves than Patience. What are your thoughts?’
The curate naturally was not in favour of making even the smallest almond macaroon of himself. Frowning, he made a tentative suggestion. ‘Would it not be better, Sir, if we discussed the idea of putting a rub in the way of her ladyship’s plans with the actual person in question?’
The Reverend stared at Percy nonplussed for a second. ‘Who the deuce is her ladyship?’ he asked, before suddenly twigging, ‘Oh you mean Temperance?’ he chuckled. ‘It’s the most damnable thing Percy, I’m accustomed to Grace’s title – indeed, it seems to fit her, but Temperance - I just can’t seem to get my head around the idea thatanyman would actually choose to put up with her, let alone a deuced Earl.’ He shook his head in bemusement before snapping back to the matter at hand. ‘And now, here we are, in an even worse hobble.’ He paused and gave a slight shudder before regaining his composure and adding, ‘Though mayhap it would behove us to have a conversation with Patience seeing as she’s the one we’re trying to ruin.’
Percy sighed, realising the Reverend had only half listened to him as always. ‘That’s an excellent idea Sir,’ was all he said.
Reverend Shackleford nodded thoughtfully. ‘We’ll take her for tea,’ he decided at length, ‘somewhere demned unfashionable where we’re unlikely to be overheard by anyone of importance.’ The curate nodded and waited expectantly.
‘Well, what are you waiting for?’ the Reverend demanded after they stared at each other silently for a few seconds ‘A likely tea-house won’t find itself Percy.’
∞∞∞
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake Patience, please could you remain still for more than three seconds.’
Patience glared at her oldest sister reclining elegantly in lilac as she supervised her sister’s first appointment with the dressmaker. ‘You try and keep still with a thousand pins sticking in you,’ retorted Patience, adding a loud ‘Ouch,’ to emphasise her point.
