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“ Y our Grace, do come in. Sit down. I’ll have tea brought in for the two of us,” Lord Highgate said.

“Thank you. That’s much appreciated.” William allowed himself to be directed into the sitting room and perched awkwardly on one of the available chairs.

It was apparent to him how much his wife’s family had been struggling financially—he’d noticed this when he had come to ask for her hand in marriage.

It was impossible to imagine that the spare furnishings in this room were all it had ever contained.

There must have been more, but the items had been sold over the years.

What remained was threadbare and uncomfortable.

He knew Lord Highgate was a baron, a man of relatively low status, but even so, there was a level of dignity you expected any member of the ton to be able to maintain, and it was barely being kept here.

Lord Highgate came in with a tray of tea, another sign of how badly things must be going for him—William would have expected a servant to do this.

He accepted the tea the Baron passed him without comment. “I thought you would like to know that Arabella is settling in well,” he said. “I expect she’ll adjust very quickly to the life of a duchess.”

“If you have any trouble with her, you can come to me, and I’ll set her straight,” the Baron said. “We’re all so grateful to you for doing what needed to be done, for marrying her. We know perfectly well that you didn’t have to do it.”

“Well, I was happy to,” William said, not particularly wishing to revisit this with the Baron. “And I’m not really here to discuss Arabella—I just thought you would like to know how she was doing.”

“Of course. And thank you. But then, if I might ask, what does bring you here, Your Grace?”

“The agreement I made with my wife to provide for your family financially. I’m here to discuss the terms of that arrangement.”

“Oh.” Lord Highgate hung his head. “To tell you the truth, Your Grace, my daughter did not speak for me when she set that condition. You were generous in sending my family some money, and I thank you, but I don’t think we can accept anything more from you.”

“It isn’t any trouble,” William told him, surprised at his refusal. “I know it’s important to Arabella that this be done, and I don’t wish to disappoint her.”

“My daughter doesn’t set conditions for this family, even if she does wish to do so within the bounds of her marriage,” her father said. “I cannot accept. I have my pride.”

His pride ? William looked around the room. Didn’t Lord Highgate realize how obvious it was that things here were falling apart? Did he really think there was any pride left to him?

“My Lord,” he began slowly, knowing that he needed to speak with care if he was to make the point that was on his mind. “I hesitate to remind you of what happened at the ball—the reason for my marriage to your daughter.”

Lord Highgate stiffened. “What about it?”

“As I’m sure you know, she was driven into the library by the fact that her gown was falling apart.

That was why she and I found ourselves in a scandalous situation to begin with.

And you have two more daughters—daughters who will need new gowns to wear to society events if they are to find husbands.

I’m sure that’s what Arabella is most concerned about—ensuring that her sisters’ futures are provided for.

I know that you have your pride, and it’s not my intention to take that away from you.

But surely some things are more important than our pride. ”

“Do you mean to suggest that I can’t provide for my family?” Lord Highgate asked, a glower coming across his face.

William stared. Had this man heard nothing he had just said?

Did he not understand that his own daughter’s brush with disgrace had come because he had failed to provide for his family’s needs?

William had been determined not to judge Lord Highgate for his financial circumstances the way the rest of the ton seemed to.

He had wanted to allow the man a chance to win his favor.

People couldn’t always help the hand life dealt them.

But could his pride really mean so much to him that he would be willing to allow his family to suffer?

It reminded William unpleasantly of his own father, who had set so much store by appearances, who had always worried more about doing things properly than about his family’s happiness.

William’s father had never asked him if he wished to marry or start a family.

He had simply told him what was expected, over and over, until William had thought he might lose his mind if he had to hear it one more time.

And that was exactly what was happening here.

It was just another example of pride taking precedence over care for one’s children.

William decided he did not like Lord Highgate.

If circumstances had been different, he would have abandoned the stubborn man to the life he was so determined to claim for himself. Let him be prideful and poor if that was what he wanted.

But he couldn’t bring himself to simply walk away. This was what Arabella had asked of him, and she hadn’t made many requests. And it had been such a reasonable one and exactly what he would have asked for himself had he been in her shoes. Of course, she wanted him to provide for her family.

He could hardly go back home and tell her that it hadn’t been done, that her father had refused. If nothing else, his own pride wouldn’t allow that.

He folded his arms across his chest. “We’re going to have to figure something out here,” he told Lord Highgate. “I’m determined to do my part for your family.”

“You have no part,” Lord Highgate said evenly. “What happens in my home has nothing to do with you, Your Grace.”

“Well, that isn’t true,” William argued.

“Because your family is my family now. Your daughter is my wife, and that makes her sisters my sisters. I can’t step back and pretend that these things don’t matter to me when they do.

And aside from that, I have given Arabella my promise that I’ll do something for her family.

Now, I know you have your pride. But do you want your daughter to be married to someone who doesn’t keep his promises to her?

” He raised his eyebrows. Surely that would have to reach this stubborn man.

But if it did, he gave no particular sign that he had been moved. All he did was sigh. “You aren’t going to leave until you get your way, are you?”

“No, I’m not planning to,” William agreed.

“Well, I suppose we might be able to work something out. But I’m not simply going to take your money, Your Grace. You can’t ask me to do that.”

He’s impossible . “Perhaps we can discuss some sort of business arrangement. Would that make you feel better?”

The point seemed academic to William, but Lord Highgate brightened at once.

“I think that’s a much better idea,” he said.

“You could invest in my imports business. I would be willing to accept that. It would help me to grow the business, and in exchange I would be able to provide you some return on your investment, so it would feel more like a fair exchange.”

“Very well,” William agreed. If this was the only way he would get Lord Highgate to accept anything from him, it was what they would have to do, even though he had no interest in becoming an investor. “Do you have the details of the project available so that I can look them over?”

“I can prepare that for you and have them delivered to your estate.” For the first time, Lord Highgate looked rather excited about the whole thing. “This is a very elegant solution, Your Grace, and I’m grateful to you for having thought of it.”

“And what is it you import, exactly?” Nothing illegal, I hope .

“Oh, this and that. I’m still struggling to figure out what my niche should be. But having an investor will allow me a lot more freedom to do that.”

Which means there’s a chance my money will be thrown away. “As a part of my investment, I’ll want input on certain decisions,” he told Lord Highgate. “I think that’s only fair and standard.”

“Oh, yes, we can negotiate that,” Lord Highgate agreed.

William nodded. “In that case, I’ll take my leave, and I’ll wait to hear from you regarding details. But you will have to accept a small sum from me today, because I promised Arabella I would be leaving you with money.”

“That wasn’t the agreement,” Lord Highgate insisted.

“Lord Highgate, I think I have been very accommodating of the way you want this to go, all things considered,” William said firmly.

“In this, you will need to accommodate me—for your daughter’s sake, if nothing else.

I am not going to return home and tell her that I failed to accomplish something very simple that I promised her I was going to do.

If you won’t cooperate, I will seek out your wife and give the money to her.

Failing that, I will give it to one of your daughters.

Now tell me, does your pride prevent you from accepting my money under those circumstances?

Because I am sure one of those ladies will be more than willing. ”

“All right, all right.” Lord Highgate sounded deeply annoyed. “I’ll accept.”

“I thought you would.” William reached into his pocket and removed the sum he had brought along with him for today’s visit. “We’ll discuss the rest the next time I see you, then.”

He expected that Lord Highgate would ask him to wait, that he would request more news about Arabella’s well-being, and he was prepared to give it. But to his surprise, the baron made no such request. He simply allowed William to leave.

William found himself liking the man that much less. How could he not even want to ask about his own daughter’s well-being?

He must not be a very good father . And to think, Arabella’s sole request before agreeing to their marriage had been to ensure that her family was provided for.

Well, that and flowers. He smiled to himself.

He would arrange for her to meet with the gardeners so that she could get started on planting the flowers she had hoped for.

And he would be able to let her know that the money he’d promised to deliver to her father today had been passed along. She would like that, he thought. It would give them something pleasant to discuss over dinner.

He felt a twinge of unease at the thought of the meal he had agreed to share with her.

He wondered why. He would just be having his dinner at his own home, as he had done countless times before, so there was nothing to feel uneasy about.

She was the one who had cause to feel anxious, since it would all be new for her.

He wondered how she was feeling—how her day was going.

He hadn’t expected that she would take up so much space in his thoughts so quickly.

He had thought that once they were married, his life would more or less return to normal.

But now he was forced to confront the fact that he had been unable to stop thinking about her since the moment they’d said their vows.

And though it was the last thing he had anticipated, he found he was genuinely looking forward to dinner.