Fool of a man.
“I take it your meeting with Lord Haverward did not go well then?” Frederick’s smile faded.
“Hardly. The fool prattled on and on, making excuse after excuse until I finally forced his hand and he told me that he could not do business with a man like me.” Thomas flicked his fingers in irritation.
“What does that mean?” Frederick frowned.
“Like the rest of theton, the simpleton thinks I am cursed. After all, it can only be a curse that would make my father and grandfather die so young and not a coincidence.” He gestured to himself. “Do I look like a man who is about to drop dead?”
His cousin looked him up and down. “No.”
“Exactly! But the man was convinced that I was a risky investment.” Thomas threw his hands up in the air in frustration, making a disgusted noise as he did. “I am the picture of health and vitality, yet he fears that I am a dead man walking.”
“Well, you did have the physician round last week,” Frederick pointed out. “That is not usually the sort of thing a healthy man does.”
“No, it is not, but given the visit was not for me, his presence seems immaterial.” Thomas ran a hand through his hair, sawhis cousin’s dubious expression, and sighed. “One of the maids had been hiding the fact that she was with child for months and delivered the infant partway through dinner.”
“And why would you need a physician for such a thing and not a midwife?” Frederick’s brow furrowed.
“We did not know that this was what was wrong with her. I thought it was some sort of stomach trouble and sent for the physician. By the time we realized that we needed the midwife, it was too late, and the child was already with us.” Thomas bit into a biscuit, his eyes narrowing. “But of course, that would be far too fantastical for thetonto believe.”
“It is a rather tall story, Elington.” Frederick poured himself another cup of coffee. “You are one of the most observant people I know.”
“Yet I am not omnipotent. And her condition escaped even my housekeeper, Mrs. Bird’s notice.” He pictured his red-haired housekeeper wringing her hands, the picture of mingled shame and embarrassment. “The maid was on the heavier side of things, and she took great care to hide her condition. She feared I would sack her if I discovered the truth.”
“Most men would.” Frederick leaned back in his chair. “The scandal of an unmarried pregnant servant is not something many would want attached to their name.”
“I am not most men.” Thomas’s voice was cool, and he forced his shoulders to relax. “Besides, she is not unmarried. Her husbandis in the army, and this child is the result of his last period of shore leave.”
“Ah. And she thought she might never see him again?”
“Precisely.” Thomas nodded. “Of course, she cannot continue her duties now that the child has been born, and she has had no word from her husband in months. I have used some of my connections to look into his whereabouts, but in the meantime, I have arranged alternate provision for her and the babe.”
Frederick’s eyes widened. “You realize thetonwill probably claim that the child is yours, do you not?”
Thomas gave his cousin a bitter smile. “I would rather that than them believe this curse nonsense. People seem far more unbothered by a child born out of wedlock than the thought that I might depart this Earth at any moment.”
“You and I both know that is not true. You are many things, but you pride yourself on being honorable.” Frederick arched an eyebrow at him.
“A pity that honor seems to matter to the men of thetonless than legacy and title,” Thomas sighed and drummed his fingertips on the arm of his chair. “It is galling that men shirk from doing business with me because they believe in some silly curse but are happy to enter a deal with a man who has fathered half a dozen children with three different women.”
“Such is the hypocrisy of our time. A man with a wife can be trusted, even if he cares little for the sanctity of his union. A wife means heirs, security, longevity.”
“That she does.” Thomas stroked his chin and nodded. “Even if their union never bears fruit, the fact that it could assuages most fears.”
He felt something click into place in his mind. There was a simple solution to his problems, one which would not require him to produce an heir. All he had to do was make thetonthinkhe could.
“Not least of which is the worry that a young unmarried man might tempt their wives away from the marital bed,” Frederick added.
Thomas nodded. “Then it seems there is little else for me to do.”
“What do you mean? It is not like you to give in to defeat so easily.”
“I am not giving in. If thetonneeds to think that I might sire an heir to do business with me, so be it.” Thomas stood and downed his coffee. “I will give Grandmama and thetonexactly what they want: it is time for me to find myself a wife.
Chapter Three
“Ineed some air; please excuse me.” Vivian forced herself not to sprint away from the conversation.
