Page 110 of A Match Made On Duchess Square

Jordan was already eyeing the mistletoe, no doubt fashioning his strategy because that boy was going to steal as many kisses as he could from the unattached young ladies in attendance. Of course, they would be years older than the little cad. But this was not going to stop him from stealing a kiss or two.

Robert, thank goodness, was still too young for rakish thoughts. He was going to follow Gwendolyn around like a little pup because he was so happy to have her as the mother figure in his life. She was genuinely nurturing, had a good sense of humor—a necessity around his boys and their antics—and gently challenged and inspired them.

James was quite pleased with how married life with Gwen was working out. If any two hearts were meant to be together, it was surely his and Gwen’s.

She felt it, too. They were like wanton youths who could not keep their hands off each other.

“Oh, gad. Gwen, you invited Miss Pouty Mouth?” he muttered as their guests began to arrive.

“Yes, and kindly remember her name is Eudora Blake,” she said with an impudent tip of her chin. “You never had your summer house party, so I thought to make a few matches here tonight. I have invited Lord Farley and Lord Hemming, too.”

“Who?”

She sighed. “The two bachelors from Brighton that Fiona recommended be invited to the summer party you did not have. They happened to be in London for the yuletide holidays, so I invited them here tonight. Wouldn’t it be lovely if they met their future wives here?”

“I thought your matchmaking days were over.”

Her eyes widened. “Heavens, no. James, I am inundated with requests ever since our marriage. Then Andrew married Millicent Hanford…and don’t you dare refer to her as Miss Pointy Nose.”

He grinned. “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Well,” she said with a grunt of satisfaction, “I am now in high demand.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Is every bachelor and spinster here now hoping for a match made on Duchess Square?”

“Yes, I certainly hope so.”

He kissed her lightly on the cheek. “They could not be in better hands.”

Her eyes shone as bright as twinkling stars. “Thank you, James. Nothing would please me more than to encourage young love. I hope they will all find their perfect match and be as happy as we are.”

“Is it only to be young love? Or can a few old goats be included, too? There is much to be said for old love,” he muttered. “Just look at us.”

She gasped and playfully swatted his shoulder. “Oh, really? So I am old?”

“Not you, Gwen. You look like an angel. I am the old goat who never expected someone as beautiful and perfect as you to come into his life.”

“Oh, I think I have made a good bargain for myself, too. You’ll not find me complaining. The gray at your temples rather suits you. And your body is quite masculine and divine. You are easily the handsomest man attending this party tonight.”

He laughed heartily. “You are clearly in need of spectacles. But who am I to argue with you?”

They took their places on an informal reception line, warmly greeting their neighbors, who were among the first to arrive. Gwen hugged her Duchess Square friends, Berry and Miranda, and her cousin, Suzanna.

Those three were bristling with news about Lord and Lady Fullerton’s home on Duchess Square. It had been sold to the Duke of Ramsdale’s brother, Edward Langford.

“That rake?” another of their friends, Maude Harcourt, intoned upon joining them. “His scandal with Viscount Tenney’s daughters, Faith and Hope, is all over the gossip rags. The Fullertons ought to have given the house to their granddaughter instead of selling it to that rogue. They’ve shockingly left her with nothing.”

“They are not dead yet,” Gwendolyn remarked. “Surely they will provide for her when the time comes.”

“I’m not so certain about that. The granddaughter is the product of their daughter’s marriage to a man of whom they did not approve. The daughter and her husband are now dead, leaving the poor girl on her own.”

“Oh, that is awful,” Gwendolyn said, putting a hand to her throat in dismay.

Maude nodded. “The Fullertons still refuse to reconcile with her because their daughter never apologized to them. She remained blissfully happy with her husband until the bitter end. Never a regret, or so the gossips say.”

“So they sought to punish their granddaughter for the choice her parents made?”

“Yes,” Maude said, obviously enjoying that all the ladies were listening to her with rapt attention. “Is it not shameful?”