Page 34 of No Match for Love (Regency Love Stories)

Lucas looked out the window of the carriage later that night.

His hands itched to be put to work, to fight an opponent or, at the very least, get back to his tracking down of the men they’d helped—particularly those still in the city.

Instead, his hands were folded tightly into his arms, and the only action they would see that night would be in the form of handling cards or holding a glass of punch.

Social events were the truest form of torture.

“I have decided what to do about Charlie’s predicament,” Mother said from her side of the carriage. She looked to Lucas’s father. “We intend to be unofficial sponsors of a sort for Miss Faraday.”

“I knew you would come up with a brilliant plan, Mother,” Charlie interjected with more enthusiasm than was warranted. Likely, he was just glad to be free of any excessive thinking on the topic.

Mother’s responding look was dryly amused. “I appreciate your excitement, Charles, and assume that means you were unable to think up any option.”

Charlie’s overt enthusiasm dimmed into chagrin.

“What exactly do you intend?” Lucas asked. And what would it mean for him and his barely concealed affection for the woman? He’d warred between relief and fear that he may not see her again.

“Miss Faraday clearly has all she is in need of from her guardian, but for a handful of weeks, we intend to help elevate her in Society, to reverse any ill effects of Charles’s.

.. unofficial courting. We will see that she is invited to several of the best events, introduce her to the highest connections, and the like.

I think it would be best if the two of you were to keep your distance, though, and allow your father and I to do the interacting.

That way, the gossip surrounding you can fade, and we can simply present the picture of putting our stamp of approval on Miss Faraday. ”

So he would have to see her but not interact with her? That might be even worse than not seeing her at all.

But safer. Much safer. He would cling to that, and.

.. and perhaps it was time to put more effort into Father’s request to seek a wife.

The thought left a bad taste in his mouth, but he’d have to do it one way or the other.

He’d attempted to create an unofficial list of possible marriage candidates the night before.

It was a short list. Very well, it was empty.

But he’d gotten the paper out and looked at it for a while.

“Your mother has seen to it that an invitation was sent to her tonight for the Stafford card party. Lord Tarrington would be a fool not to accept an invite from the duke. I imagine we will see them this evening,” Father said.

Lucas’s chest tightened at the thought of seeing Miss Faraday again so soon, but he forced it to relax.

They arrived at the party, and Lucas could not keep from searching the room.

Miss Faraday was not there. Nor did she or Lord Tarrington arrive at all throughout the night—though Lucas took care not to appear to be looking for her.

His mother commented on the strangeness of their absence but planned to procure an invitation for them to a dinner party in two evenings nevertheless.

Lucas made no headway in his matrimonial search that evening either, but he could hardly be blamed.

He had attempted conversation with one of the ladies there only to find her incapable of commenting on anything other than the weather, and with how distracted he had been throughout the night, he’d decided that was enough searching and he would give it another go at the next event.

Of course, the next event was the dinner party his mother had mentioned, and Lucas had experienced a similar amount of distraction that might have had something to do with a tendency to watch the doors for Miss Faraday and her guardian.

But again, they did not come.

“I admit,” Mother said as their carriage rumbled its way home that evening, “I am surprised. Miss Faraday does not seem the sort to ignore an invitation, and her guardian has made it clear that he wishes her married.”

“Do you think we ought to reach out and see that all is well?” What if Tarrington had already found Miss Faraday a husband? Could that be possible?

Mother nodded. “Yes. That is a good idea. But not we— I will send another invitation to Miss Faraday and Lord Tarrington tomorrow, and if they do not accept, I will pay her a visit.”

Lucas nodded, though he rather wished to knock on Tarrington’s door that very night. If Miss Faraday was being forced into marriage, they needed to intervene quickly.

But one day should not make much of a difference. He hoped.

Father had nodded off during the conversation, and Lucas, though similarly tired, envied him his lack of concern. If only he could be so uninvested in how Miss Faraday spent her time and whom she met.