“It is baroness now.” Though she didn’t smile, Anthony was pleased that she at least acknowledged her title.
“Is this true?” Darius looked from her nodding to Anthony.
He grinned. “Indeed it is. Since she was also at the house party, I was able to further pursue my interest, and we were married shortly afterward.”
“You married in Scotland?”
At the utter disbelief in Darius’s voice, he laughed. “Yes. That is what one does when one cannot possibly wait.”
His brother shook his head. “I should have guessed that you couldn’t even follow the traditional route to marriage.”
As Darius turned his back to walk around his desk, Anthony glanced at Lissa, who was trying hard not to laugh.
Darius took his seat, and Anthony returned to the arm of the chair, but at his brother’s stern look, he quickly slipped down onto the cushion. “So how can we repay you? As you can see, we are very grateful to have been at that particular house party, and it wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t obtained an invitation for me.”
“So then your goals were met.”
Anthony looked at Lissa before turning back to his brother. Hedidneed to tell him about Leighhall. “They were, but we became involved in a rather unfortunate discovery. We stumbled upon evidence that Lord Leighhall was a traitor, and I had to enlist Father’s help in bringing it to the regent’s attention.”
Darius’s eyes widened before his brows lowered and he shook his head. “Can you not even attend a house party without causing a fuss?”
Anthony coughed to hide a chuckle. He did so enjoy being the bane of his brother’s neatly ordered existence. “I hope it will appease you to know that the lord in question was arrested and sent to Australia, but he died before ever embarking. Dysentery, I believe it was.”
“I certainly hope my name is not associated with the man’s. Do not tell anyone that I obtained that invitation on your behalf.”
Anthony put his hand to his chest. “I promise to remain silent.”
“Good. Very good.” His brother relaxed back in his chair. “Now to my own goal, which you will help me with.”
Anthony didn’t care for Darius’s tone, but for Lissa, he was willing to pay his brother’s price. “Yes. We are anxious to show our appreciation.” He stifled a smile. Darius was clearly not happy that he was so cheerful about it. Usually, they all complained when having to repay the debt, but he genuinely wished to.
“I need a wife.”
The payment was so unexpected that he coughed to hide a chuckle. “Yes, well, you said so last time we were here.”
Darius leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands together, a habit he used often when scolding someone or setting down rules. “So I did. However, I wish a wife by Christmastide.”
“The Season starts in a fortnight. Unless you wish to make your own trip to Gretna Green, you’ll need at least three weeks for the posting of the banns. Of course, that’s if you reached a settlement by the end of the week.”
“I didn’t say by the Season. I’m not such a simpleton as that, nor desperate enough to marry a woman by whisking her off to Scotland.”
Lissa ignored the insult and leaned forward in her chair. “My lord, do you mean to marry a woman you’ve never met in the next month?”
“I do.”
“But why?”
It was exactly what Anthony wished to know, but if he asked, Darius wouldn’t tell him. Would he reveal his motives to Lissa?
Darius looked down at his hands for a long while as if choosing his words carefully. Finally, he focused on Lissa. “My lady, I am a widower with two children. I knew my late wife well, having courted her for the full Season. However, she was a mistake.” He held up his hand to avoid interruption. “It was not her fault. I simply chose unwisely. But now I need a mother for my children, and if she’s somewhat comely, I will be able to do my duty and beget a second son to ensure my legacy.”
Anthony couldn’t keep himself from asking, “Why so quickly?”
Darius sighed, clearly not happy with his own situation. “I am being bombarded with invitations, which is no great feat to ignore. However, I spent the Season avoiding well-intended mothers and faint-hearted young women. I need a woman of strength who will let me be when I need to be alone.”
For the first time, Anthony recognized true worry and even fear in his brother’s gray gaze. He wanted a woman who could handle his being absent for days at a time until his black mood passed. “I understand. It will be difficult on such a short timeline. But is there a reason for urgency?”
Darius looked at Lissa before returning his gaze to Anthony. “There is. I wish my children to have at least one parent about. You and I both know that a nanny is not enough.”
