“That may be true, but I’ve always liked opera as an art. Fletcher—er, the Marquess of Greystone—used to accompany me just to indulge me, but then he grew to appreciate it, too, which is why we go so often together. I like to discuss the particulars of the production with him at intermission.”
“Yes. I’ve been trying to get to know Greystone, since he is a friend of yours. He mentioned the opera last time we spoke.”
“Oh?”
“We…it was awkward. We do not have much in common.”
“Well, tell me what interests you. Maybe I can find some bit of common ground between all of us that we can discuss should he, say, come to dinner.”
“Birds,” Daniel said. “As you know, I am an avid student of ornithology. For example, did you know that a flock of tawny owls has been spotted in Hyde Park. Well, not a flock. Officially, a group of owls is called a Parliament, which I think is quite astute.”
Oh, no. Bird talk was sure to bore Fletcher to tears. Louisa said, “Birds, yes, of course I know of your passion for birds. I don’t think Fletcher knows much about birds, though.”
“I like athletic pursuit. I did a bit of rowing at Cambridge, and I enjoy riding.”
Fletcher was strong and a decent horseback rider, but not so much athletically inclined, from what Louisa could tell. He’d gone to Oxford but had not pursued athletics there. If Louisaremembered correctly, he’d studied literature. “What else?” she asked.
“I’ve been reading about farming techniques of late. I’d like to implement some changes to my estate, try planting some different crops and moving the sheep to a better part of the property for grazing.”
Louisa was certain someone found farming techniques exciting, but she and Fletcher were not among them.
The concern Louisa had now, though, was not so much that Fletcher had little in common with Daniel, but thatshedidn’t. Had she been so blinded by his charm and good looks that she hadn’t looked far enough under the surface?
Well, yes.
She frowned. “Yours and Greystone’s interests may be incompatible. I know that he enjoys opera and art galleries and garden parties and reading novels, and you do not really care for any of those things. He knows a bit about horses, but perhaps more out of necessity than interest, although he’s mentioned he likes to watch races.”
“I lost a good bit of money on a race last year,” said Daniel with a chuckle.
It wasn’t encouraging that the only common ground she’d found so far between them was gambling.
Perhaps none of this mattered. Perhaps she and Daniel could get along just fine talking about their families or society gossip, and Louisa would focus on raising their children while Daniel focused on whatever married men did.
Then she thought of something Fletcher had said about how intimate conversations were meant for one’s spouse. Louisa was fairly certain that if she asked Daniel about sex, he’d demur.But she could ask an easier question. “Tell me, Your Grace, once we are married, how do you intend to spend your days?”
“I imagine not much will change from my current routine. Oh, you and I will spend more time together, of course. But I am considering a few investments, so I have been spending time with my man of business and at the bank to see that my money goes toward pursuits that will have a good return.”
“Such as?”
“A lot of my work has gone to rescuing businesses that are struggling and then seeing if I can help them turn a profit. For example, I bought a textile mill in Shropshire last year that was mostly lagging behind because it was using outdated equipment. So we replaced all the machinery, and it worked well enough that fewer workers were needed, and now the mill is turning a profit.”
“I read about the business with the Luddites last year.”
“Yes. That was a difficulty. Luckily, the rebellion did not come to my mill and the equipment remained intact.”
Louisa had attended a dinner party at the Caernarfons a few months before at which the Earl had discussed the Luddite Rebellion at length. His sympathies were more with the workers, who were losing their jobs as machinery improved and could run on things like steam instead of human power. Angry workers had destroyed some of those machines, and the government had sent troops to put the rebellion down. Caernarfon thought that the workers should be trained to do new jobs, instead of being left without employment now that they were no longer needed. Louisa thought that a more humane approach to the problem.
“That is interesting,” Louisa said now. “Will you keep the mill?”
“Undecided. It is turning a healthy profit now, but I’ve considered selling it and investing the money in something else. That is the current dilemma facing my colleagues. But are you sure you want to discuss all this? Women care not for talk of finance, do they?”
Louisa sighed and tried not to feel offended. “I will admit, I care not for the particulars of your business ventures. I was just curious if you had invested in a business that might make for an interesting conversation topic.”
“Textiles are interesting, are they not? We’ve been importing a great deal of silk from the East, but it would be nice if we could also manufacture fine fabric here that could be used to make the gowns you like so much. Silk is difficult to manufacture domestically, but muslin, linen, broadcloth can all be made here.”
Was it possible that Louisa’s future husband was boring? Was she making a terrible mistake?
“You look troubled, my dear,” he said after a few minutes of silence.
