Nate’s head jerked up, his eyes wide. “What the devil! You will do no such thing. Miss Weston would make you miserable. She’s so, so…”
“Arrogant, self-absorbed, spiteful, fickle, and faithless? Yes, I know.”
“You would never know if the children she birthed are yours.”
That was far more candid than Algenon had expected. He’d worried about the same thing. Miss Weston came with a certain reputation, one not as spotless as she tried to portray. That Society had simply overlooked her indiscretions was a testament to the power her father held. Close familial connection to a duke and an earl had probably helped.
Which again made him wonder, why him?
“I have no other choice, Nate.”
“Yes, you do. None of us are blind, even if we pretend to be for your sake. Swallow your pride and beg Javenia to marry you. Your father can’t force your hand if you are already married.”
Algenon let out a mirthless laugh. “And if I do, I’ll lose my income. Remember, Lord Roberts is nothing if not thorough.”
“You have the cottage in Essex and Javenia’s dowry.”
“Ah yes, she’d absolutely love having a fortune hunter for a husband. I can just see it now. ‘Hey, Javenia, why not make a match of it, but you will have to have coin for the bills.’ Do you think she would esteem me after such a request?”
“Yes.” Nate held his gaze, not blinking.
The intensity of his stare made Algenon’s resolve quiver. Nate had known Javenia as long as he had. Did he really think her feelings ran that deep?
Algenon adjusted in the saddle, breaking the unsettling contact. He dropped his chin, staring at the ground moving beneath him. “Even if she would, there are other”—he clearedhis throat, choosing his words carefully—“impediments to a union between us.”
“Like what?”
This was the conversation Algenon did not want to have. It was the whole reason he’d avoided any discussion on the topic for years. Better not to wander into forbidden subjects than to dance around them until he slipped up.
Now what?
He’d sworn to never utter a word of that terrible day over seven years ago, one promise he’d never break. Searching his mind, he tried to come up with a reasonable answer that would appease Nate’s curiosity.
“We’d probably be at each other’s throats every day. You know how hard it is for us to stay amicable. Besides, her father is a Whig and mine a Tory.”
Nate snorted. “You say that last one as if it were truly an issue. You may hide it from the rest of London, but we all know where your loyalties are in politics.”
Thankfully, they were nearing the stables because Algenon struggled to find a rebuttal. Nate was right. Once the barony fell to him, he’d be parting with tradition.
“Concerning your other objection,” Nate continued. “You would not find yourself in Javenia’s black books as much if her heart wasn’t being broken every time you chased after a pretty face.”
Algenon puffed out his chest. “I do not chase after them. They chase after me.”
“So you say, but perhaps they’d leave you alone if you didn’t pet their vanity with syrupy flattery.” A smirk pulled at Nate’s lips, his head held high, probably in triumph at the jab.
Algenon chose not to fight it. Let Nate make assumptions. Maybe if they all believed him the villain, he’d not have to explain why he could never cross his father.
“I’ll not have any woman believe herself less than the goddess she is.”
Nate’s nose scrunched as if he smelled something rancid. “And that, my friend, is the sweet rot we’ve all come to expect, and exactly why Javenia—”
A crunching sound filled the air as Lord Falcross’s conveyance exited the carriage house. His driver expertly maneuvered the coach and four out onto the gravel drive and to the front of the house. Their appearance must have stunned Nate into silence.
Algenon could understand. How much had the viscount spent to find four bay horses of the same height and build with no white markings? The reddish sheen of their coats glistened in the sun. The bright yellow traveling coach with the Falcross crest prominently displayed on the doors completed the extravagant picture.
The large oak doors of Blackthorn opened and Algenon knew he’d taken too long on his ride. His father would expect him to see their guests off.
“Come on then,” he said to Nate as he urged his mount into a trot.
