Page 14 of Her Honorable Viscount (Noble Pursuits #3)

CHAPTER 14

“ L ady Dot? You have a visitor who would like to speak with you privately.”

The day after their promises to one another, Dot was still basking in the glow of her marriage agreement with Edward.

What would it be like to see him every day? Wake up with him? Be… intimate with him?

She also still had to speak to Magda and inform the women in her care what would be happening, but she wanted to take a few days to be happy in her decision first.

A bit of sadness was to be expected. It was the trade-off for such a decision. Just look at Adelaide and what she was missing.

“Please show him to the front parlor,” she said, hurrying out of the drawing room before the butler could respond. Edward had not yet spoken with her brother, and she was sure he would arrive today.

She was smoothing back her hair in the mirror at the side of the room when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned with a smile of anticipation to find the butler in the doorway.

When he moved out of the way for her visitor, her breath caught.

It wasn’t Edward who appeared.

It was Lady Carroway.

Dot froze.

Why hadn’t she waited for the butler to tell her who was calling upon her?

Because she had been too eager to see Edward. That’s why. Now here she was, facing Lady Carroway alone when she could at least have brought one of her sisters or Eliza along with her.

She could do this, however. She had to.

“Lady Carroway,” she said, forcing her most polite smile. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“I told you I would be calling upon you, Lady Dot,” she said with a smile that Dot could only describe as evil. “Here I am. Do you have news for me, or should we ask your brother to join us?”

“There is no need to involve my brother.”

“Oh, but there is, Lady Dot.”

“Lady Carroway,” Dot said with a sigh. “I will be honest with you. I am not asking my brother to change his mind. How can I? My secret is not worth as much as the bill he has brought forward, which will affect the lives of thousands.”

Lady Carroway seemed thrown for a moment before her demure smile reappeared.

“Then what is it worth to you?”

“As it happens, I will no longer be a midwife, so it means nothing anymore.”

“You are leaving your little hobby?”

“My profession? Yes, I am.”

She didn’t want to tell her about her marriage yet. Not only would that mean that Lady Carroway might involve Edward in her devious plans, but some of Dot’s closest friends didn’t even know about her engagement yet. She wasn’t going to give that honor to Lady Carroway.

It seemed the woman was more intelligent than Dot realized, however, for suddenly, a smile began spreading across her face.

“I can think of something that would cause you to leave this little pastime of yours,” she said. “Marriage. And to who else but Lord Mandrake?”

Dot remained silent, not wanting to admit the truth to her but also knowing that the news would come out eventually.

“A man like Lord Mandrake is oh, so respectable,” Lady Carroway said, walking back and forth across the room, practically cackling with glee. She reminded Dot of a villain from a novel. “What would he do to keep such a secret? Perhaps if you cannot convince your brother to change his mind, Lord Mandrake can.”

Dot snorted. “Everyone knows that my brother and Lord Mandrake are of very different political minds. If his opinion meant anything to my brother, then he would have already tried to change his mind. You are getting nowhere with this, Lady Carroway, I assure you.”

“You might think so, Lady Dot,” she said with a sniff and a gleam in her eye, “but Lord Mandrake might think differently. You have given me much to think about. I will be in touch. Good day.”

She brushed by her in a whirl of such overwhelmingly strong floral perfume that Dot couldn’t help but cough.

When Edward arrived a short time later, Dot wondered if she should tell him of the visit. He would likely want to know, but he was here for happy purposes that Dot didn’t want to allow Lady Carroway to spoil.

“Dot, lovely to see you,” he said with a crinkle in his eye as he approached her, for the parlor had direct access to the front entrance.

“Lord Mandrake,” she murmured. “Have you come to see me?”

“Your brother, first,” he said before pausing and narrowing his eyes at her. “Are you well?”

“Of course,” she said, forcing a smile. “All is fine.”

He nodded, although he was still eyeing her carefully. “Would you care to join our conversation?”

Her eyebrows rose. It was not usual for the woman to be involved in such discussions, yet… she appreciated that he would consider including her in the conversation.

“I think it might be best that you and my brother have a chance to speak to one another without me,” she said. “But perhaps when you are nearly finished, I could join you?”

“That sounds perfect,” he said. “I shall talk to you soon.”

She smiled as she watched him go, even as her stomach swirled.

That man would soon be her husband. Anything that threatened her, they would face together.

Even Lady Carroway.

She knew Edward had offered to solve that particular problem, but Dot had gotten herself into this mess.

She needed to get herself out of it.

She just had to figure out how.

Edward was shown into Lord Fitzroy’s study, a place he had been before in less acrimonious circumstances. Usually, it was to argue an opinion of an entirely opposite viewpoint.

Today it was to discuss the future of a woman they both cared for in completely different ways.

“Lord Mandrake! I did not have a spirited debate on my calendar for today, but for you, I could fit it in as you never fail to disappoint me,” Lord Fitzroy said, standing from his desk and walking over with his hand outstretched. “But that is not why you are here, now, is it?” he added with a knowing smile.

“It is not.”

Edward shook his hand then took a seat in one of the chairs before the desk. For a man known for his trivial pursuits, over the past year, Lord Fitzroy had proven to be a worthy opponent and one of the more dedicated members of Parliament. Edward was impressed with him, even if he would never give the man the benefit of knowing so.

“You are here about my sister,” Lord Fitzroy noted in seriousness, walking to the door for a moment. Edward swore he could hear him say “shoo,” before returning to his place behind the desk.

“I am,” Edward said, steepling his fingers in front of him. Best to get right to the point. “I would like to ask for her hand in marriage.”

Lord Fitzroy sat back in his chair, crossing one knee over the other as he stared him down. “Dot has told us of her intentions to marry you.”

“Do you approve?”

“Is my approval necessary?”

Edward didn’t take long to consider that. “Yes, it is. When we marry, Dot and I will bring together two families. For both of us, it would be a much happier marriage with your blessing. We have difficulties enough.”

Lord Fitzroy arched an eyebrow. “Are you referring to my sister’s activities as a midwife?”

“That is part of it, yes.”

“There is more?” Fitz rubbed his brow. “Do I even want to know?”

So Dot hadn’t told her brother about Lady Carroway’s threats. Interesting. He knew she hadn’t wanted to cause her brother to consider the blackmail, but it also meant that she trusted Edward to see this through with her.

“Nothing that is of particular concern,” Edward said. If Dot hadn’t seen fit to tell her brother, he wouldn’t either. Although, he winced, he should probably mention his family’s potential scandal.

“I should tell you about my brother,” he began, but Lord Fitzroy lifted a hand to stop him.

“I am well aware. Everyone is.”

“He intends to marry Miss Smith.”

“I wish him the happiest of marriages,” Lord Fitzroy said, “but honestly, I am not concerned. If you have accepted it, who am I to say anything about it?”

“You trust my opinion, do you then, Lord Fitzroy?”

“Call me Fitz, please,” he said. “Not because you have become special but because everyone does. I can hardly stand to hear the formalness of your tone.”

His words were abrupt, but his tone was friendly. Despite his words, Edward sensed that there was something rather special about the ask. He would accept it.

“Very well, Fitz.”

It felt strange.

“Well,” Fitz said, lacing his hands over his stomach, “I had told Dot that if she wanted you to court her, I wouldn’t stand in the way. I wasn’t surprised to learn that her occupation would prevent marriage between you, although I was taken aback when she agreed to give it up. I never thought she would do so for a man. I assumed that she would rather remain unmarried than leave behind what she worked so hard for.”

“My wish is that her own children will fulfil her,” Edward said. His children.

“Well, let’s hope so,” Fitz said. “Dot is not your typical woman. None of my sisters are, to be honest. What would make other ladies happy is not necessarily the case for them. But if you are what she has chosen, then so be it. Promise me one thing, Mandrake. Make sure she is happy. Treat her right and give her some autonomy over her life. She doesn’t like to be told what to do.” He laughed. “Neither does my wife, of course. I learned that the hard way.”

“I appreciate Lady Eliza’s support.”

“We want Dot to be happy.” Fitz lost all his mirth as he leaned forward and fixed him with a glare. “Make her happy.”

“I can promise I will do everything in my power to make her so,” Edward said.

“Very well,” Fitz said. “Let’s talk dowry.”

It was a fairly straightforward conversation. Edward did not need much, nor did he have much to ask for besides Dot herself. Fitz seemed relieved. Edward could imagine saving for seven dowries would be worrying.

“I asked Dot if she would join us after our conversation, but she suggested we speak first,” Edward said. “I want to ensure that any animosity we have had between one another remains in the past. I see you as a worthy adversary and colleague, Lord Fitzroy—Fitz. Now, we will be joined as family, but I hope our working relationship can remain as it ever was. That we continue to respect one another while adhering to our viewpoints.”

“I would like nothing more.” Lord Fitzroy grinned. “There is no one I take greater joy in besting in a verbal joust.”

“Same to you, Fitz. And just think – now we will see one another even more, this time socially.”

“I never thought of that,” Lord Fitzroy said, grimacing, and Edward turned around before snorting his amusement and walking out the door.

Into a waiting horde of women.

“Lord Mandrake!” Lady Henrietta jumped back from where Dot’s six sisters stood, half of them looking around as though they weren’t sure how they had gotten there, the other half looking at the floor, unable to meet his eye. “What a surprise,” Henrietta continued, her smile appearing genuine as she didn’t appear flustered in the least. “Are you here to see Dot?”

“I would like to see her now, yes,” he said. “If all of you are here, then just where is she?”

“Oh, she strictly forbade us from listening in,” said the smallest one, whose name he didn’t know. He supposed he had better learn quickly.

“So you listened anyway?” Fitz said from behind him. He was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. He shook his head and sighed. “I have no idea what I will do with the lot of you. I suppose continue to try to marry you off. Have you any other friends looking for a wife, Mandrake?”

Edward knew he was jesting, but he couldn’t help but answer in seriousness. “You know, Lord Fitzroy, I just might.”

He saw some of the young ladies’ eyes widen, and they quickly stammered their excuses and hurried away, practically running past Dot, who was walking toward them.

“Listening in, were they?” she asked with an arched eyebrow as she approached. Today, she was dressed in a soft pale yellow gown that accentuated the gold highlighting her hair.

“You know they were,” Fitz said, only she wasn’t looking at him.

She was looking at Edward with such warmth in her gaze that it seemed to penetrate his skin and go right to his heart.

“Have the two of you come to an agreement?”

“We have,” Edward said.

“And do you promise you will get along, for my sake, if not for your own?”

“We have come to an agreement on that as well, Dot,” Fitz said, walking past Edward and placing a kiss on the top of Dot’s head. “Now, I am going to find my wife. Why don’t you and Lord Mandrake spend some time together?”

“Without a chaperone?” she said, looking up at her brother with a smirk.

Fitz rolled his eyes. “You are going to be married anyway. What does it matter?”

“Were you and Eliza ever alone together without a chaperone?” Dot asked innocently, and Lord Fitzroy pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You know what, on second thought?—”

“We shall see you soon, Fitz!” Dot said with a wave of her hand as she looped her arm through Edward’s and tugged him forward.

Only then did he realize she had her bonnet in hand.

It seemed they were going for a walk, then.

Strolling down Mayfair with his future bride on his arm?

A good day.

Perhaps things were finally looking up for him.

All it had taken was Dot.