Page 54 of Earl, Enemy, Husband?

A glance at Graydon said that, despite the grumpy sound he had made, he was pleased.

George tipped his hat. ‘I must say, Florence, judging by what I saw so far, you will be accounted a notable whip among the ladies. Don’t let me keep you from your drive.’

At their goodbyes he was off.

‘“A notable whip”?’ she asked.

‘Wait until they see your new carriage. That will really turn heads.’

The idea seemed to afford her husband a great deal of satisfaction. ‘Do you want people to take notice?’

‘They need to recognise that the house of Blackdown is a force to be reckoned with.’

So that was the reason for the gift of diamonds and the fancy carriage. She was part of his demonstration of wealth and power.

She wasn’t sure she liked the idea of being used in that way.

Graydon looked up from the emerald necklace he had attempted to place around his wife’s neck. ‘Why don’t you want to wear them?’

His wife, who barely came up to his chin, was glaring back. ‘Because they do not go with this gown.’

‘The gown is green.’

‘Exactly.’ Why would green not go with green?

‘It looks too contrived.’ She sighed, looking harassed. ‘The diamonds would look better.’

‘You wore the diamonds to Almack’s. It will look as if you have but one necklace.’ It would look as if he could not afford more than one necklace and that would not suit him at all. ‘Then change into something else.’

Her eyes widened. ‘What is the matter with you? Why should it matter how many necklaces I have.’

‘Because it does. Everyone knows my father sold off the family jewels. These will establish that the Blackdown fortunes have reversed. That the name is a force to be reckoned with.’

‘And you need them to recognise that because…?’

Because it would restore the family honour. And because he wanted Eloise to eat her words. Florence wearing the same jewels twice in a row would give her the opportunity to look down her nose, and that was how gossip started.

Because Eloise was shallow, unlike Florence, who didn’t seem to care about jewellery or popularity.

The thought startled him. That wasn’t the point.

‘Under my father, the Blackdown family name lost all credibility. My mother received the cut direct from the Devonshire set.’ And he’d been humiliated by the Ralsteads, Eloise’s family.

For his mother’s sake, he intended to prove them all wrong. And, if it put Eloise in her place along the way, all to the good.

Florence looked thoughtful. She stepped away from him and went to the mirror. The gown was the perfect colour for her—not quite emerald, more of a leafy colour. He could quite see why she had chosen it. It brought out the green in her eyes. Why he had picked out emeralds in the first place.

‘Pearls,’ she said. ‘This gown needs pearls.’

‘I cannot buy pearls at this time of night. Rundell and Bridge and every other decent jeweller of note is closed. And I am not going to a cent per center.’

She blinked. ‘A what?’

‘A pawn broker.’

‘Oh. I haven’t heard them called that before.’

‘Well, don’t go saying it to anyone. It’s not language for polite company.’