I remember what it was like when you lost your last husband. I remember that heartbreak. I remember what love did to my own mother.
He forced his thoughts back to the present and sighed. “I have no wish to argue, Grandmother, but I will not be moved on this. I am marrying Vi—Lady Vivian and I intend for it to remain an arrangement of practicality and nothing more.”
“Truly, youth is wasted on the young.” His grandmother let out a theatrical sigh. “I can tell by the set of your jaw that you are in one of your stubborn moods. Very well, marry for convenience, but you will at the very least do it properly.”
“I would dream of nothing less. Besides, I know how much you love a good wedding.” He smiled at her.
“I love a party, dear boy. But yes, I am rather partial to a wedding. So long as you do not hire the same orchestra that played at your cousin Bernard’s birthday party. Honestly, deaf monkeys would have played better.” His grandmother shuddered, and Thomas laughed.
“I had thought to leave the arrangement of musicians to you. Given that we are to be wed by special license, there is very little time to plan it all, and you, Grandmama, know the best musicians in the country.” He knew that his grandmother understood it was a peace offering, but he still appreciated it when she accepted it.
She nodded. “True. And the wedding ball will be at your London estate, I assume? That house always had the most wonderful acoustics.”
“The breakfast and the ball, yes, but we will get married in a church.” He continued speaking, sensing what his grandmother’s next words would be. “And yes, grandmama, I plan on getting her an engagement ring from Moseley’s. It won’t be easy to get it in time; perhaps I will have Cecily, Charlotte, or Andrea help me choose. Or I will get her something temporary, and we shall visit Moseley’s after the wedding. I would rather she had some symbol of my commitment sooner than later.”
His grandmother took another sip of her drink. “A rather thoughtful gesture from a man who claims that this is purely a practical match.”
“She has already been jilted once, and I will not have thetonthink that I would do the same to her.” Thomas flexed his fingers. “Besides, part of the agreement is that we are to make her ex-fiancé regret his life decisions. Credibility for me, revenge for her.”
“She was engaged to the Viscount of Brixten, was she not? Well, the girl has moved up in the world. The Viscount could not rub two thoughts together to form a spark, and his new wife… pretty, but very little else.” His grandmother tapped her lips thoughtfully, eyes going distant. “And I do love to watch men like that squirm.”
Thomas smiled. “You see? This arrangement is already bringing you joy.”
“It would bring me considerably more if I thought it would bring you love,” she replied acerbically and then shook her head. “Butfor now, I will settle for revenge. At the very least, it will make the next whist club more interesting.”
“It certainly will,” Thomas agreed.
“I still wish to meet this girl. Whether you plan to fall in love with her or not, she is joining our family.” His grandmother pushed herself to her feet. “I shall need to know where to seat the pair of you at family events. If she is a drip, then you will find yourself relegated to a table with your cousin Bertrand and his dullard of a wife.”
“I am sure that will not be necessary.” Thomas gave his grandmother a gentle hug.
“I hope so, for your sake,” his grandmother agreed. “Now, I am off to visit my great-granddaughters and my granddaughter-in-law. Clearly, you have no intention of growing the family.”
“More than enough people are doing that without me,” Thomas replied.
His grandmother let out a disapproving noise and swept out of the room. He had expected her to put up more of a fight, but he was relieved that she hadn’t.
His eyes drifted to the portrait of his father and mother. He shared his black hair and piercing blue eyes with his father. He had inherited his sharp features from his mother. He reachedout a hand toward the painting and then curled his fingers into his palm.
“You understand why I have no wish for this to turn into a love match,” he muttered. “You two know how destructive love can be.”
He could hear his mother’s keening cries in his mind. He could remember holding her in his arms, even as he tried to understand what was happening. He had been so small, barely more than six, and his mother…
“This cannot turn into a love match. I will not let it.” Thomas shook his head. “And it is mad that grandmother would want that for me. When her last husband died, she was heartbroken. Her voice shook for weeks.”
Even if he did not believe in the curse, he had no wish to open himself to the kind of weakness love brought with it. It was far better, far safer, to keep his distance. They would be friends and nothing more.
“It is better this way.” He swallowed the rest of his brandy. “Besides, she is far too innocent for someone like me.”
And he had no wish to take advantage of such a thing.
Chapter Seven
“Yes, my lady, that is just the sort of thing that will make a man’s blood run hot.” The modiste rubbed her hands together as she gestured at the sketches in Vivian’s hands. “If you catch my meaning.”
Vivian had no idea what the woman was talking about, but from the woman’s expression, she suspected that admitting it would be more embarrassing than simply not knowing.
It had been nearly a week since she had last seen Thomas, and with only a few days until her wedding, she was starting to suspect she would not see him until the ceremony. She had hoped they would have more time together before the wedding, but with the special license and the speed of everything, there had been none.
