Your faith in me is astounding.
His mother went on, ignoring his sarcasm. The girl I am thinking of is perfect. Her fortune is huge, and her father is hot for the match. He fancies his daughter being a countess. You should have seen the way his eyes lit up when I started talking about Darkwater. It seems theres nothing he wants more than the chance to restore an old mansion.
Youre talking about a Cit? he asked, surprised.
No. An American.
What? He stared at her blankly. You want me to marry an American heiress?
It is a perfect situation. The fellow made a ludicrous amount of money in furs or some such thing, and he is willing to spend it on the estate. The man is enamored of a title. And because they dont live here, they dont know a thing about your reputation.
You astound me. You want me to tie myself to some fur trappers daughtersomeone who cannot speak proper English and probably doesnt even have any idea which fork to use, and who no doubt looks as if she just stepped out of the backwoods.
I have no idea how she looks or acts, Lady Ravenscar replied, but I am sure that Rachel and I can clean her up. If shes a complete embarrassmentwell, I am sure she will be happy living in Derbyshire with her father putting Darkwater in order. Honestly, Devin, dont you realize that everyone who is anyone in this country knows that you are steeped in sin? It pains me as a mother to have to say this, but no self-respecting Englishwoman would be willing to marry you.
Devin made no reply. He knew as well as his mother that her words were true. Since adulthood, he had led a life that had scandalized most of the people of his social class. There were several hostesses who would not receive him, and the majority of the others did so only because he was, after all, an earl. Fortunately, he had no desire to mingle with most of the peerage and their disapproval left him unmoved. He had also years ago accepted the fact that his mother shared Societys opinion of himand his father had considered him blacker of soul than everyone else did.
I dont know why you should worry about the Americans social blunders, anyway, his mother plowed on. I am the one whose standing could be ruined by a rustic daughter-in-law.
Let me remind you that I am the one who would be legally bound to her. I can see her nowtoo homely to catch a husband back home, even with all her money, wearing clothes ten years out of date, and not an interesting bit of conversation in her head.
Really, Devin, I am sure you are exaggerating.
Am I? Why, then, did they come to England for a husband? To find someone with a crumbling estate and a vanished fortune, desperate enough to marry anyone with money! Really, Mother, that is the outside of enough. I wont do it. Ill find some way to get along. I always have.
Gambling? his mother retorted. Pawning your watch and your grandfathers diamond studs? Oh, yes, I know how youve scraped by the last few months. You have sold everything that isnt encumbered and has any value. Weve laid off half the staff at Darkwater. You have lived a ruinous, licentious, extravagant lifestyle, Devin, and this is the consequence.
Devin turned toward his sister, who had held her silence through most of the conversation. Is this what you want for me, Rachel? To marry some chit Ive never laid eyes on? To have the same sort of happy marriage you do?
His sister stiffened, tears springing into her eyes. That is cruel and unfair! All I want is your happiness. But how happy are you going to be when you have to give up this house and live in some one-room flat? You know how much money you spend, Devin. I dare swear its far more than what Strong sends you from the estate, and that is only going to get smaller and smaller. You have to put some of that money back in to your lands if you want to keep them profitable, and neither you nor Father ever did that. I know that when Papa cut you off you scraped by on your card-playing skills and the money Michael and Richard gave you. But you wont want to do that the rest of your life.
He looked away from her, his silence an assent. Finally he said, I am sorry, Rachel. I shouldnt have said that. He glanced at her, and a faint smile warmed his face. I have a damnable headache, and it goads me into sarcasm. I know you sacrificed your happiness for the sake of the family.
What nonsense, Lady Ravenscar put in exasperatedly. Rachel is one of the most envied women in London. She has an exquisite house, a lovely wardrobe and a most generous allowance. A large number of women would be quite happy to have made that sort of sacrifice.
Devin and Rachel glanced at each other, and amusement glinted in their eyes. Happiness for Lady Ravenscar would indeed consist of just such things.
As for you, Devin, I am not asking you to offer for the girl. I merely ask that you consider the proposition. I am having a dinner tonight at my home, and I have invited her to come. The least you can do is come to dinner and meet her.
Devin let out a low groan. A dinner at his mothers house ranked almost as low on his list of preferred things as meeting an American heiress.
I will be there, too, Rachel put in encouragingly. Do say youll come, Dev.
Oh, all right, he said grudgingly. I will come tonight and meet the girl.
The girlmuch to Lord Ravenscars astonishment, if he had known itwas at that very moment engaged in a war of words with her family along the same lines.
Papa, Miranda Upshaw said firmly, I am not marrying a man Ive never even seen, no matter how eager you are to get your hands on a British estate. Its positively medieval.
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at her father implacably. Miranda was a pretty woman, with large, expressive gray eyes and a thick mane of chestnut hair. Her figure was small and compact, nicely curved beneath the high-waisted blue cambric gown she wore, but her force of personality was such that people often came away with the impression that Miranda was a tall woman.
Joseph Upshaw gazed back at his daughter, his arms and face set in a mirror image of hers. He was a barrel-chested man not much taller than his daughter, whose lithe build had obviously come to her from her mother. He was as used to having his way as his daughter was, and they had gone head-to-head with each other on more than one occasion.
Im not asking you to marry him tomorrow, he said now in a reasonable tone. All you have to do is go to his mothers house tonight and meet the man. After that, you can take all the time you want getting to know him.
I doubt I shall want to get to know him. He probably has spindly calves and squinty eyes andand thinning hair. Why else is his family so eager to marry him off? Even without money, an earl should be a good catch. Surely there are wealthy Englishmen who would be willing to sell their daughters for a title.
Are you saying Im selling you? her father retorted indignantly. Thats a fine thing to say about a man whos trying to give you one of the oldest and best names in this country. If theres any selling going on, Im the one buying him for you.
But I dont want him. Miranda knew as well as her father did that in reality he was wanting to buy a son-in-law for himself more than a husband for Miranda. Ever since Miranda could remember, Joseph had been an Anglophile, reading everything he could get his hands on about the English aristocracytheir rankings, their histories, their estates. He was fascinated with English castles and mansions, and wanted desperately to get his hands on one.