His Perfect Bride(17)

"Not as of yet. I find introductions are not as easily acquired as one would expect."

"Well, that is probably for the best." Brianna shook her head in mock  pity. "Did you know she abhors attention of any kind? The poor girl has  to endure being the focal point at her parents' urging. She puts up a  good façade, although she would prefer to be ignored."

"That is rather odd." He looked in Sarah's direction.

Brianna had noticed Sarah watching them, so she turned to gauge her  reaction. When Mr. Gregory made eye contact with Sarah and quickly  turned away, the confusion on Sarah's face was almost comical.

The remainder of the evening turned out to be amusing for Brianna. She  could not have been more pleased at how everything progressed. It was  obvious Sarah intrigued Mr. Gregory, and the comments Brianna  continuously made about her only seemed to increase his interest. He  worked hard at ignoring Sarah, and Brianna saw the steps Sarah made in  response to attempt to secure his regard.

When it was time to leave, Brianna actually felt disappointed. She had  always been impatient, and she had to stop herself from asking Sarah  what she thought about Mr. Gregory.



The next day, as she sat at her dressing table, Brianna still could not  contain her amusement at the events of the previous night. It would have  been a perfect morning if not for the sense of dread filling her at her  prospect of the upcoming meeting with the Marquis of Stonemede. She  knew after the introduction, her mother would use every opportunity to  push them together until the marquis completely devoted himself to her.  After that, there would be no escaping him, and her dream of freely  painting at her quiet house in the country would be obliterated.

Considering her mother's determination, there was only one possible way  of avoiding that fate, but it would not be easy. She would need to  become betrothed or unattainable in some way. Thoughts of Richard  assailed her, and she smiled at the idea of him as her husband. He  obviously had an interest in her, or he would not have gone along with  her unorthodox plan. The next time she saw him, she determined to obtain  more than a simple kiss from him. Perhaps with a little persistence,  she would find herself married before long.

As Brianna made her way to the schoolroom, she came up with many ideas  on how to proceed with Richard. Regardless of the means, she knew the  end result would be the same. With these pleasant thoughts, she entered  the room and was delighted to see Ashley there, no doubt prepared for  Brianna's fake lessons.

"Good morning, Brianna," Ashley greeted as Brianna sat down.

"Good morning." Brianna looked around, noticing her sister's absence.  "Where is Grace this morning? It's not her custom to be late to  lessons."

"Your mother has taken her to purchase a new hat," Ashley said  dismissively. "I was rather glad, for I had hoped to have an opportunity  to speak with you."



"What do you wish to speak about?"

"I would like to discuss your marriage prospects. I hope that, as a  friend, you will at least consider my opinions." Ashley paused and took a  deep breath. "Let us begin with Mr. Gregory Locke."

"Actually, I'm no longer considering him."

"Really? When did you come to that decision?"

"Last night I spoke to him for a time, and I realized I have no desire  to marry a gentleman who is solely interested in my dowry."

"I'm glad to hear that, for regardless of your reason, I never felt he  was worthy of you. Now, I believe Mr. Richard is still under  consideration."

"Yes," Brianna replied hesitantly, not anxious to hear that Ashley viewed him in a negative light.

"The more I think about him, I don't believe he is trustworthy. You  don't know much about him, including his family name. It all seems a  little suspicious to me."

"I do admit, that is strange, but so is the entire courtship. Nothing  has been traditional about our relationship, since I have never  officially been introduced to him."         

     



 

"Does that not concern you? He could be a notorious gambler, or worse, an infamous rake." Ashley shuddered.

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm positive he is neither of those.  From what I understand, he isn't in any financial trouble, so if he does  gamble, it's not to his detriment. As far as being a rake, he has  always been a perfect gentleman around me, and I have never feared for  my virtue."

"I'm not as confident as you. In the event you are wrong, I have asked  James to inquire about him. If Mr. Richard is hiding something, I expect  James to discover it in a matter of days."

"If that's what is necessary to convince you, then I give you my  approval, although I know James will be unable to discover anything  negative."



While thankful Ashley was concerned for her, Brianna didn't believe it  necessary. Richard may have secrets, but she believed he would willingly  tell her anything if she only asked. In the past, her mind had been too  filled with him to bother with an interrogation. However, since she  wanted him as her husband, she knew it was time to learn more about him,  starting with his name.

"I would like to speak to you about one more prospect-the Marquis of Stonemede."

"Ashley, you know how I feel about him."

"Please, at least allow me to share my opinion. In a few days, you will  finally meet him. Grace and I were visiting shops the other day and we  overheard some conversations about him. If the gossip is to be believed,  he is in his prime and quite attractive."

"I don't care what he looks like."

"I know, but it's more than that. As a marquis, he can offer you  anything you want, and think of how elated your mother would be."

"I understand your views, but you need to see mine as well. I have grown  up as the daughter of an earl, and I have personally seen what the life  of a countess is like."

"How bad can it be?"

"My mother has so many requirements placed upon her from my father as  well as the house. It seems as though he sees her as more of a servant  than anything else. She is unappreciated, overworked, and has no time to  live her life the way she wishes. I have no desire to end up that way."

"From what I can tell, your mother does not seem to mind. In addition,  the majority of your concerns are of your father's doing. You don't know  if the marquis will be the same way."

"He is a titled lord. I guarantee he will view his wife in the same  manner. Regardless, this whole conversation is pointless, as the marquis  may not fancy me at all," Brianna replied, sincerely hoping it would be  true.



"Then we shall speak of this again after the weekend."

"I look forward to it."

Richard leaned his elbows on his desk and rubbed his forehead. The  never-ending stack of papers piled in front of him was wearisome, and  his patience wore rather thin. The steward his father had hired was  either incompetent or simply had no desire to learn how to handle the  estate.

Richard had made the decision to return to Stonemede early in hopes to  resolve any outstanding problems, but after spending the previous day  sorting out the accounts, he had no desire to waste his morning in the  same manner. Today was his mother's tea, and he needed to keep his  frustration to a minimum in order to make it through the day.

His mind began to drift, and he once again found himself thinking of  Brianna Denton. He had purposefully avoided seeing her after their  meeting in the park, hoping to increase her anxiousness to see him. He  was not sure how effective his absence had been on her, but it certainly  affected him. When he left her in the park with a promise to kiss her  upon their next meeting, he had expected her to seek him out again to  claim her reward. Her lack of reaction was not encouraging.

He shook his head, as if doing so would clear thoughts of Brianna. He  needed an escape, and he needed it now. Pushing his chair back from the  desk, he stood up and headed for the stables. As a boy, he remembered  his father had frequently ridden out over the property to visit tenants.  It was about time Richard did the same thing.

Two hours later, Richard conversed with a few tenants and made  assurances that he would provide them with what his father had before  him. He had also helped some of the farmers with repairs to the mill. He  was hot, dirty, and exhausted, but above all he was pleased.

Approaching Stonemede reminded him of his purpose for returning home,  and he sighed. The day had only begun, and he sincerely hoped he would  not be required to spend the remainder of it entertaining his mother's  guests. Until he was once again presentable, he needed to avoid his  mother as well as any guests that had arrived ahead of schedule, so he  quickly hastened to the stairs.         

     



 



"Richard! What are you doing down here looking like that?" his mother exclaimed, catching him before he could escape.