After so many years of watching her friends marry and have children, he knew she was becoming desperate, even if she didn’t put voice to her frustration. “A sultan chooses his heir, and it’s not always by the order of a son’s birth,” James added, hoping their conversation could move to the young men who might have waited until they were older to take a wife.
Surely there was a more mature young man who could overlook his daughter’s limp and occasional tart remarks, and grow to love her. Why, Lady Victoria, the Duke of Somerset’s daughter, had finally married even though she had a crushed foot. Although her husband, Thomas Grandby, didn’t have a title, his investments had made him rich, and these days, a fortune was probably more important than a title when it came to marriage.
“If they don’t take a wife, then why ever has his heir come to London?” Rose asked as she offered a cup of tea to her father.
“Lady Bostwick says he attended Cambridge University and wished to return to England for a time,” Helen explained, happy to finally say what she knew about the matter. “He’s apparently been involved in some sort of important construction projects for the empire and has earned some time off.”
“He was...working?” Rose asked in confusion, the last word said with a good deal of derision.
James chuckled. “What is it you think your brother has been doing these past few years?”
Rose opened her mouth to respond but turned her gaze on William. “Not working, surely,” she said with a grin. Her eyes rounded as a tufted pillow sailed past her head in a blur, the gold tassels surrounding the edges splaying out as the silk pillow spun in the air.
“Waverley!” their mother scolded, her eyes rounded in horror.
“Apologies, Mother,” the heir said as he dipped his head. His immediate attention had gone to his father, curious as to how he would respond to seeing such an immature act on his part. He was twenty-eight and far too old to be starting pillow fights in the parlor, despite his annoyance with his younger sibling. But the duke’s gaze was obviously on his mind’s eye, for his father didn’t react at all. “I should have known better than to take offense at hearing her opinion.”
Handing a cup of tea to her son, Helen furrowed her brows. Once all blonde, they were now silver gray, as was most of her own hair. The wig she wore now was closer in color to what her hair had been when William was a young boy, the ornate style much the same. “Your sister is unaware of what it takes to run a dukedom,” she stated. “An oversight in her education I shall be sure to correct on the morrow.”
“It’s all right, Mother,” William said. “She had no reason to know.”
“She does if she’s ever to become a titled man’s wife,” she whispered.
Willam almost repeated his mother’s last words. For years, it had been assumed Rose would marry a duke’s son. The son of a marquess at the very least. Now it sounded as if any aristocrat would do. “Understood,” he replied, not sure what else he could say.
“You needn’t speak about me in whispers,” Rose said. “I am well aware of my diminished appeal, and I have accepted my lot in life. If I’m to be a spinster, then so be it. But know this,brother,” she added with a fierce expression. “You had better start your nursery in the next year, for I have every intention of being an exceptionally doting aunt. The longer you wait to start your nursery, the more spoiled I’ll ensure your children are.”
With that, Rose took her leave of the parlor, managing to do so without limping. The three sets of eyes following her departure widened before William and Helen turned theirs to the duke.
His expression was impassive for a moment before he said, “Oh, Waverley. Now you’ve gone and done it,” he warned.
“Done what?” his son asked in alarm.
“Your babes are going to be the most spoiled rotten children in all of London. More so than your sister.” His impassive expression changed to one of mirth, and he laughed heartily for several seconds.
He glanced up at the mantel clock and took note of the time. In fifteen minutes, he would make his excuses and pay a visit to his daughter’s room. Having the experience of raising two older daughters gave him far more insight into the matter of dealing with Rose than his duchess possessed.
Something was wrong with Rose, and he wanted to discover what it was before dinner.
