ONE
Leicestershire, England
“There it is, my good man, the very estate that will either bring you happiness – or bring ruination to your good name.”
Lord William Adrian Dorsey, the second son of a nobleman, pulled his horse to a stop and shifted on the saddle, giving his cousin a quizzical look. Trey Worthington had always been the humorous sort, and since the man married, his sense of humor had only grown. At this moment, Adrian didn’t know whether he should take the man seriously or not.
“What the devil are you talking about, Worthington?” He yanked his leather gloves tighter on each hand. “Ruin my good name... Really. Why, the idea is preposterous.”
Trey tilted back his head and laughed heartily, which nearly caused his hat to fall from his head. The breeze stirred his light-brown hair. Snapping upright, Trey grasped his hat to keep it from tumbling to the ground. He gestured toward the grand estate that had been purchased by Adrian’s father. Two separate wings adjoined the main house, and the land went on for miles. Indeed, there was enough room for three different families to reside at Hanover Hall, but for the time being only Adrian and his older brother would live there.
“Dear cousin,” Trey said, “you are now away from the eagle-eyes of your father. You and your brother will either find some comely country girls to marry, raise babies, and live together in harmony... or one of you will kill the other in a fit of anger and cause the greatest scandal England has ever known.”
Adrian rolled his eyes. He and Collin didn’t disagreethatmuch. Besides, there was enough space in this estate that each brother could take a wing and not have to see each other for at least a fortnight. However, living here for the rest of his life was out of the question. Adrian wanted more.
“I can assure you,” Adrian nodded to his cousin, “Collin and I are more dignified and mature than what you remembered as a boy.”
“I should hope so. Some of the memories I have of you two still give me nightmares.”
Adrian chuckled. “As always, Worthington, you are being over dramatic. Besides, my brother has just returned from traveling the world. I can assure you, he’s now ready to settle down and live a normal life.”
Trey grinned. “Normal? Who wants that kind of life?”
Adrian laughed and urged the horse forward in a slow trot. He’d promised to give his cousin a tour of their bountiful lands, and he wouldn’t allow anything to distract him. “I don’t plan on staying here for more than a few years. Although Collin may want to live off our family’s wealth, I prefer to make my own money.”
“Doing what, may I ask?” Trey’s horse rode side-by-side with Adrian’s.
“Your friend, Dominic Lawrence, knows a lot of places where I can invest my money.”
Trey barked with laughter. “Hawthorne? Oh, my dear cousin, you had better watch yourself. He is a very cunning man.”
“He’s also a very wealthy man,” Adrian quickly added.
“Yes, I suppose if you were to listen to anyone’s advice, it would be to Hawthorne’s. He is wise beyond his years. However, he’s the biggest jokester I know.”
Adrian halted his horse to wipe the moisture from his brow. England’s mid-summer weather already had plans to cook him this morning. If the temperature was this warm already, he wasn’t looking forward to what it would be later today, especially with a house full of guests who had never met the Dorsey family. He prayed they would not know about their wealth, either. However, all they had to do was look at the grand estate to deduce how much each brother was worth.
Inwardly, Adrian grumbled. This meant that every single woman in attendance – whether young or old – would be daydreaming about becoming the wife of one of the brothers. Adrian absolutely loathed fortune-hunting women. Most of the women he’d courted when he’d lived in Yorkshire were only after his money. None of them cared a whit about Adrian. They didn’t take the time to find out that he enjoyed taking long walks, had started a collection of rare books, and that he’d wanted to find his own piece of land and breed horses. There was definitely profit in doing that.
The one woman he’dthoughthad been different turned out to be just as unscrupulous as the others. He’d met her while visiting a school chum in North Devon. She was a very lovely woman, and at first he thought she had the kindest heart. She’d led him to believe she didn’t know who his family was, so he allowed himself to fall in love with her. He was ready to make an offer of marriage but didn’t want to propose until he fetched the heirloom ring from his grandmother. That’s when he’d discovered she hadn’t been honest with him. While he was away on business, she’d told everyone that she was going to be the next Lady Dorsey – the sister-in-law to a wealthy earl.
Needless to say, Adrian had hardened his heart toward women who were only after snagging a rich husband.
Adrian mentally shook the memory out of his head and focused on his cousin. “Are you and your wife planning to attend tonight’s party?”
“Judith and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Trey smiled. “I’ll be the one standing against the wall with a drink in my hand, watching you and Collin fight off all the maidens, and collecting bets to see who wins.”
Groaning, Adrian rubbed his forehead. “I’m not looking forward to fighting off maidens. In fact, I don’t want to attend the party at all for that reason alone.”
“You’re not looking for a wife?”
“Hardly. Father feels I need to settle down, but I’m not yet ready. Besides,” he flipped his hand toward the estate, “Collin is the oldest. Let him find a wife first. Why should I be required to find one when my brother is still unattached?”
Trey sat forward on his saddle, giving Adrian a stealthy stare. “Perhaps you need to let your guests know right away that you’re not in the marriage market. In fact,” Trey grinned, “if I have your permission, I shall walk amongst your guests holding a sign that reads – Lord William Dorsey is not for sale.”
Adrian laughed out loud. “And you, my dear cousin, would be the man who could pull it off. However, walking around with a sign might make me an outcast with our neighbors. If word ever got back to Father, he’d have heart palpitations and disown me.”
Trey shrugged. “It was just a suggestion.
