Page 21 of Defying the Duke
“I understand Nomansland has found the new clerk.”
“We’ve agreed on one candidate, and decided to hire a second man. We’ll change the way money is handled.”
“And you didn’t think to ask my opinion about the changes?”
“You weren’t here,” Dainsfield said succinctly. “We were sure you’d agree that changes were needed.”
Jack couldn’t argue about the need for a different routine, and he was sure Nomansland would have laid out an intelligent scheme. “Excellent. I’ve also resolved my problem with Greenborough, so there’s nothing to distract me from returning to work.”
“You’ve convinced the old man you won’t marry his daughter?”
“I have. I’m engaged to Miss Westfall.”
Dainsfield simply watched him as if waiting for a punchline.
“I plan to marry by special license since we’ve no reason to wait for banns to be read. My solicitor can draw up her dower.”
Still, his friend said nothing.
“You don’t wish to congratulate me?”
“For what?” Dainsfield asked. “She’s not a Diamond or an heiress you had to battle twenty men to engage. You’ve never spoken of her outside the business of your brother’s thefts, so you haven’t won the heart of your life-long inamorata. You apparently proposed to a woman who’d be foolish to turn you down, and she wisely said yes.”
Leave it to his friend to wipe clean any of the romance in the situation. “Yes, it’s fast, but I do care for her, and I believe she does for me.”
“You care for her. I’m delighted for you.”
“Care for who?” Nomansland asked from the doorway.
“Jack is engaged to Miss Westfall,” Dainsfield explained.
“I thought there might be something between the two of you,” Nomansland said, offering to shake his hand, “but wasn’t certain. Congratulations.”
Jack gripped his hand firmly. “Thank you. Our partner fails to see the reasons I should be happy.”
“I have no objections if you decide to be happy that your eggs are cooked right, smile where you wish. But marriage is a serious matter, especially in our situations. It’s a business. We owe it to our heirs to make sound decisions.” Dainsfield looked from one man to the other for agreement.
“Somehow, I don’t think we’ll ever hear Dainsfield use the word love,” Nomansland said. “Now, let me tell you of the two men we’ve hired for the clerk positions.”
That afternoon, at the popular time to be seen in Hyde Park, Jack arrived in a curricle to take Dinah for a drive. She was stunned, to say the least, but agreed to go with him. “I hope you’ll avoid the busiest places.”
“That would defeat the purpose of driving with you in Hyde Park,” he said.
She ducked her head, and the wide brim of her bonnet kept him from seeing her expression. “I’m not dressed for Hyde Park,” she said.
“You’re perfect just as you are.”
“My bonnet is too dull, my gown too plain. I should have puffs, or embroideries, or delicate lace trim. At least we’re not walking, so no one will notice my plain hem.”
Jack frowned. “Do women truly notice these things?”
“Notice them, then talk about them to anyone who’ll listen.”
“Make an appointment with a modiste, then. For your grandmother and sister, too. Have them rush a gown for the wedding. We’ll marry as soon as it’s ready.”
For the first time since he’d arrived, she really smiled. She was going to marry Jack.
“If I’d known a new wardrobe would please you so, I’d have offered one long ago.”