“Three?” Thomas echoed.
Lucy nodded. “One for Delilah, one for Lavinia, and one for Lady Emmaline, if we’re to get her out of our hair.”
“Excellent.” Delilah clapped her hands. “Let’s get started immediately.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Thomas slid into a chair at the Curious Goat Inn. He ordered a mug of ale for himself as well as one for his brother-in-law, Owen Monroe, the Earl of Moreland. Monroe hadn’t arrived yet, but Thomas expected him at any minute.
When the barmaid returned with the drinks, Thomas took a large quaff of his and leaned back in his seat. It had been two days since he’d learned of Delilah’s plans to wring an offer out of the Duke of Branville, and it still rankled him. Ladies could be downright… maddening. First, Lavinia had ordered him to find her a husband, a nearly impossible feat. Then Delilah had announced her intention to marry the Duke of Branville, of all bloody people. What had been a reasonably quiet Season, with only the production of a play to break up the monotony, had turned into a mess. One upon which he would have to get to work immediately to sort out. He took another large quaff from his mug.
Delilah. She was headstrong. She was willful. She was obstinate. Echoing her mother’s words, she called herself loud, but the way he saw it, she was exuberant and full of life. She was playful and happy (when she wasn’t around her mother). She was funny and fun, and he could always count on her to cheer him up and make him laugh. He’d known the day would come when the reality of their positions in life would catch up to them, and they’d both be expected to marry. But the years had passed in such a simple, easy rhythm. He’d been worried during her first Season that she’d immediately find a husband. But as soon as the Season began, it became clear that she enjoyed making matches for other people so much that she didn’t spare a thought to her own. And so it had gone for the lastfiveyears.
He couldn’t blame Delilah’s mother for wanting her daughter to marry. Lord knew he had plenty of other things to blame the woman for. For instance, he certainlycouldblame her for frightening her daughter so much that she’d been forced into naming the Duke of Branville as the man from whom she intended to secure an offer. Very well. Perhapsforcedwasn’t the correct word, exactly, but Delilah had always wanted her mother’s approval, and apparently she was willing to go to extreme lengths to finally get it. It made him sad for Delilah. It made him angry with her awful mother. And it made him apprehensive for himself.
“Afternoon, Huntley.”
Thomas glanced up to see Moreland grinning at him. The earl slid into the seat across from him and pulled his mug of ale close.
“Good to see you, Moreland,” Thomas replied.
“My apologies for being late. Alex asked me to deliver more decorations for the play to Claringdon’s house.She’s so upset that she cannot be in the performance due to her condition that she’s gone quite mad making as many of the decorations on Lucy’s list as possible.”
Thomas cracked a grin. “Tell her she should be glad she’s with child and unable to participate. Jane Upton is quite the taskmaster when it comes to rehearsals.”
Moreland’s bark of laughter shot across the room. “Yes, well, I managed to get out of acting in the play, but thanks to my wife, I’m quite heavily involved in carting the decorations all over London. Let it be a lesson to you, Huntley.” Moreland took a large draught of ale. “When you marry, you are obliged to do such things.”
“Ah, but you’re forgetting. I’ve been carrying decorations too, and I’m not married,” Thomas pointed out. “Not to mention, Delilah cast me as Demetrius.”
Moreland sighed and lifted his mug in a silent salute. “I suppose you’re right. That’s what you get for having a lady as a best friend.”
Thomas laughed aloud at that.
Moreland shook his head. “You fell into step with Delilah Montebank and Lucy Hunt at an early age. There’s no way to extract yourself now. Those two ladies are more domineering than all the others combined.”
Thomas nodded and laughed again. “Yes, well. I don’t know much different. I grew up with two older sisters. I suppose I’m used to domineering women.”
Moreland laughed and took another draught. “I wouldn’t say Alex is domineering. Lavinia certainly is, though, that’s for certain. As for Delilah and Lucy, you may be friends, but watch yourself. They are known for fancying themselves the best matchmakers in theton. How you’ve managed to escape their machinations with a dukedom, I’ll never know.”
Thomas thoughtfully stroked the handle of his mug.“I’ve been clear with them for several years now that I’m not yet interested in taking a bride,” Thomas said firmly. “I like to tell them I’d rather give up all the brandy in London than commit to one person for life.”
Moreland arched a brow. “And that does the trick?”
“So far. At the moment, they’re preoccupied with Delilah’s prospects. Seems the matchmaker has finally decided to make her own match.”
“God’s sake,” Moreland muttered. “I must warn my bachelor friends. With those two on the loose this Season, no eligible man is safe.”
Thomas took another draught of ale. “Not to worry. They’ve already picked the man.”
Moreland’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Who’s the lucky chap?”
Thomas took another drink. “The Duke of Branville.”
Moreland leaned back in his chair and contemplated the news for a moment. “Branville, eh? That’s a lofty goal, even for those two. I hear he’s got scores of mamas after him day and night.”
“No doubt that’s true. And it’s part of the reason why I asked you to meet me here.”
Moreland leaned forward again, his brow wrinkled. “Because of Branville?”
