Chapter One
Marriage.
For most of the young men with whom James Townsbridge was acquainted, this was the most dreaded word in the English language. For James himself, however, the word was synonymous with comfort and joy, loyalty and love. After all, his parents were happily married and so was his older brother, Charles. He and Bethany, his wife of two years, made no secret about the fact they adored each other. So James always found it strange when his friends spoke of eventually ‘doing their duty’ with dread in their eyes and as if they were waiting for some terrifying fate to befall them.
Granted, James could appreciate the fact that marriages of convenience existed, that they could result in mismatched husbands and wives, and that he would be able to avoid such a dreadful catastrophe with greater ease than some of the other bachelors London had to offer. After all, he wasn’t the heir to anything, and as such, he could be more liberal when choosing his bride.
The most important thing, in his estimation, was to pick wisely. And since he was now six and twenty, the same age Charles had been when he married Bethany, James had decided it was time to start looking for the right woman with whom to spend the rest of his life.
With this in mind, he maintained a constant awareness of all the young ladies arriving in the Pratchard ballroom while trying to ignore the crippling headache he’d had all day. As a result, his attention to the conversation going on around him was limited, making his sister Athena’s comment about a diamond-encrusted wig and butterfly wings sound completely nonsensical.
“It’s a bit predictable, isn’t it?” inquired James’s younger brother, William.
“What about a dress entwined by ivy?” James's other sister, Sarah, suggested. “You'd look like an ancient ruin, which I believe would be far more original.”
Athena clapped her hands together. “Oh yes.” She beamed as though she'd just discovered Atlantis, and for a moment, James managed to ignore the fact that his brain felt as though it were being run over by a carriage.
Honestly, he ought to have stayed home in bed. Better yet, he should have refrained from getting foxed last night. But he'd been out, celebrating the final moments of Mr. Hugh Ravenough's freedom.And as Hugh’s longtime friend,he didn’t want to miss the celebration.
“With a bird perched on my head.”
James blinked. “What?” He stared at Athena in stupefied wonder. Clearly, he had missed something, or perhaps she'd finally taken that extra step required to enter pure insanity. Or maybe his blasted headache made it impossible for him to understand basic conversation.
He eyed William to gauge his reaction and saw that he was grinning. And then he said,“I could bring shears.”
James sighed while Sarah, Athena, and William laughed like a mob of mad pixies.
Oh, if only he'd been paying attention.And if only his head didn't ache as if it were being beaten by spiky clubs wielded by an army of angry trolls.
“I don’t believe I’ve met her before,” Sarah was now saying in a lower voice.
“Who?” James forced himself to ask so he could follow this new subject of conversation. But rather than answer, Sarah glanced toward the left. James shifted his gaze and instinctively straightened his back. Approaching were the Marquess and Marchioness of Foxborough. They appeared to be accompanying a young lady whom he'd never seen before.
James considered her as he had so many others. She wasn't exactly beautiful – at least not in the classical sense – but she wasn't plain either. Her hair was neither blonde nor brown, and while he initially found her face to be too round, he decided it suited her and that he rather liked her features. In fact,upon further consideration,he had to acknowledge that he would be hard pressed to find a better mouth than hers. It was just right: softly curved at the top and full on the bottom.
What James did not like, however, was the hint of displeasure in the young lady's eyes and the stiffness with which she carried herself. Everything about her seemed to say, “I'd rather be anywhere else but here.”
