“Emrys is a man of family values. He probably allowed me an audience because I am a Duke and denying too many times would be improper. But to actually go into business with me would be out of the question.”
“Why not? You are wealthy and relentless when it comes to business. What does your being a bachelor have to do with the matter?”
Gerald leaned, his elbows on his knees, glass in hand, his eyes on the fires dancing.
“A bachelor has nothing to lose,” he explained to Morgan. “A bachelor gambles and is out every night.”
“Big deal. Most of the men in our club who gamble are respected married ones.”
“A bachelor can take up and leave the Continent, fight, and insult the wrong people. He could be caught up in a scandal, or he could tangle himself in a fight. A bachelor, in Emrys‘s eyes, is reckless, his decisions affecting only himself, so he makes them thoughtlessly.”
“And Emrys values stability.”
“He didn’t build his fortune on skill alone. He is a strict strategist. A bachelor is a man with little at stake, and Emrys needs his partners anchored.”
“You need a wife to prove to him you are reliable. That you have something to lose.”
Gerald raised his eyebrow and drank from his whiskey.
“Just to keep my conscience clear that I helped Miss Marriott avoid such an unfortunate match, I need to ask. Why would you need Emrys? You have money and influence enough.”
Gerald looked down at his glass and eyed his friend. He really hated how people judged others on stupid, short-sighted criteria, but he wasn’t ready to accept his fate without a fight.
“Emrys has managed to secure a strong influence in the Americas. He has some control at the Boston port, and virtually nothing moves through Charleston that he doesn’t know about.”
Morgan took a step back and looked at Gerald as if he were seeing him for the first time in their long friendship.
“You can’t possibly be that morally corrupted that you will marry some girl just to close a business deal? I will not say that marrying for anything other than that stupid notion of love is not common among the ton, but just to expand your business in the colonies? There are moments, Gerald, when I scarcely recognize you. Even for you, that is calculative and merciless.”
Gerald looked over the head of his friend. No, it was not only the need to present a married front for Emrys and his snobby wife. That thought rose a wave of irritation inside him.
He looked like an animal trapped. Gerald didn’t appreciate being cornered, and he was really cornered to make a decision he had no intention of making. But circumstances changed, and Gerald needed to adapt accordingly.
He got up, realizing that this night there would be no relaxing as he had hoped. His hands sought an envelope strategically placed near the fireplace, propped on the mantel, ready to be thrown into the fire or propped like an important piece in the household. He gave it to Morgan.
“What is this?”
“See for yourself.”
He opened the ivory envelope and procured an invitation. Gerald sipped on his drink as he watched his friend read the invitation and the letter enclosed.
“I see,” Morgan huffed. “You could always decline.”
Gerald chuckled cruelly.
“That would just go over well in the rumor mill.”
“Do you think that they will try-?”
“I don’t have to think. I am sure they will.”
Rage took over his soul, but he reined it in. As much as he would love to resolve the situation in any other way, he would have to do it within the confines of civilized society.
“That,” Gerald pointed at the envelope, “is the main reason I need to get married. And quick.”
Gerald looked out the window into the darkness of the night. All he had to do was go and tell the Viscount of Lambourne that he would marry his younger daughter, and most of his problems would just go away. He would be back in control.
CHAPTER 2
