Page 26 of The Earl That Got Away (Sirens in Silk #2)
Chapter Twenty-One
Now
England
W hy didn’t you marry for money?” Naila asked her new brother-in-law, the Duke of Strickland. “You were deep in debt, weren’t you?”
The duke chuckled. “Not the question I expected to be asked one week after my nuptials.” He sipped his sherry. “I see that my bride isn’t the only Darwish with a deep and abiding interest in money.”
“I’m not at all interested in money,” Naila informed him. “I am interested in what it can do.”
Raya sat at a nearby table looking over some ledgers. “Isn’t everyone?”
The three of them were in the upstairs sitting room at Strickland House, the duke’s lavish townhome three days after Naila’s arrival in London. Initial word from Briar Hall was that Hind was improving and Dr. Hughes remained optimistic about her recovery.
Naila paced over to the window, which overlooked one of the city’s many tree-lined, tidy squares. She spotted Nadine’s boys running and playing while Ghassan sat nearby keeping watch over them.
“These majestic homes that are being demolished are prime examples of period architecture.” Naila turned from the window. “History is being lost.”
“Times change,” Strick said. “That way of life is disappearing.”
“But you found a way to make it work,” Naila said.
“To be fair, it was your sister’s ideas that will take Castle Tremayne into the future.”
“Why can’t we do something like that for all of these treasures?”
Raya’s lips twitched. “I cannot marry every lord in the land.”
“You certainly cannot,” Strick grumbled.
“There are some American heiresses marrying destitute lords and saving their estates,” Naila said. “What if we facilitated more of that?”
Raya jotted something down in one of the ledgers. “In what way?”
Naila took a seat on the sofa across from the duke. “How are these matches made?”
“Word of mouth, I suppose,” Strick said. “There are a few matrons in town who are connected to society but have limited resources, who discreetly accept payment for helping American heiresses land a lord.”
Naila frowned. “That doesn’t seem very efficient. A few women matchmakers are hardly sufficient to save enough of these jewels from being razed to the ground.”
Raya closed a ledger. “It’s not as if there is some catalog where heiresses can shop for impoverished lords.”
Naila contemplated her sister’s words. “But what if there was?” Possibility kindled inside her. “What if that’s the solution?”
Raya exchanged a puzzled look with her husband. “What did I say?”
“What if there was such a guide? One that listed all the eligible lords in the land?” Naila warmed up to the idea as new elements of the plan came to her. “The catalog could contain information about each noble bachelor’s assets and income.”
Raya grinned at the duke. “And you accused me of being crass.”
But the duke had a considering look on his face. “ Debrett’s Peerage is a social guide that details who’s who in society,” he said slowly, thinking it out. “Your sister’s guide could be a useful accompaniment.”
Raya’s eyes widened. “You favor this idea?”
“What can I say?” he replied. “My business-minded bride has broadened my thinking.”
Raya stared at him. “I can’t believe you like the idea.”
“You don’t?” he returned.
“I don’t know.” Raya blinked. “I mean... I don’t disapprove.”
He sipped his sherry. “I do tire of seeing these once-grand homes fall into disrepair. If a guide like the one Naila envisions helps alleviate the problem, I don’t see the harm.”
Too excited to sit still, Naila got up and paced away from them. “I shall call it An American Heiress’s Guide to Landing a Lord .”
Strick chuckled. “Americans can never be accused of being subtle.”
“Why be coy?” Naila asked. “This title is direct. No one can be confused about its purpose.”
“That is for certain.” Raya reached for another ledger. “Are you really going to do this?”
Was she? “Yes, I think so.”
“You are definitely going to take London by storm,” her sister said. “I can’t wait.”
“The only question is,” Naila said with a frown, “how do I gather all the information that I will need for my book?”
“My sister is a leading society hostess.” The duke finished the last of his sherry. “I shall put you in touch with her. Claire is wed to the second son of a marquess. She knows everyone and can direct you to the proper sources.”
“That would be marvelous.” The more she thought about her plan, the more Naila believed it could actually work. “To do this properly, I think I need to learn more about English customs and how aristocratic society works.”
“Guy’s sister, Frances, would be able to assist you,” Raya said. “She was very helpful to me when I was trying to understand the role of a duchess.”
The duke nodded. “Frances’s manners are impeccable. She can teach Naila everything she desires to know about society and etiquette.”
“I shall ask her then.” Naila’s mind raced. “And I need to make sure that the homes that are most threatened are featured prominently.”
“Kareem can help you with that,” Raya said. “Did he accompany you all to Town?”
Naila shook her head. “He has an aunt who lives in the village at Briar Hall. He is visiting with her for a few days.”
Raya opened the next ledger. “That’s unfortunate.”
“But I will write to him asking that he send me a list of the most endangered properties to make sure they are included in my guide.”
The duke set his glass down. “And I shall send a note to my sister telling her that we shall all be calling on her soon.”
“Thank you.” Naila crossed over to the door to immediately go and write to Kareem to tell him of her new venture. She paused. “Strickland, you never said why you didn’t marry for money in order to save Castle Tremayne.”
“My parents married for money and status. It was a very unhappy match. They were unsuited. I was determined not to repeat history.”
Naila frowned. She hadn’t thought of that. “I wouldn’t want the people I help match to be unhappy.”
Raya looked up from her work. “What if you added each eligible heir’s likes and dislikes? That might help couples assess if they would be well suited.”
Naila nodded. “That’s an excellent idea.” She paused, a moment of doubt. “Do you think people will use a guide like this?”
Raya laughed. “The American heiresses definitely will. It would be invaluable to have all of the information they need about landing a lord in one place.”
“I shall make it known to my fellow noblemen that I see this as a worthy endeavor,” the duke said.
“And that will make a difference?” Naila asked.
“Your brother-in-law is a duke,” Raya reminded her. “People will want to please him. It makes no sense but that is how things work in London.”
“And what about you?” the duke asked his wife. “Don’t you want to please me?”
Raya blushed and picked up her pen. “I have work to do.”
“Do you?” the duke asked in a way that reminded Naila that these two were still newlyweds.
“I must go and write to Kareem without delay.” She escaped just as the duke advanced on her sister.
As she closed the door behind her, a servant came down the corridor bearing a tray of sandwiches and desserts. “Excuse me, miss,” he said. “I’ve brought up tea for the duke and duchess.”
The duke’s deep murmur followed by Raya’s laughter sounded through the closed door.
“I think”—Naila tried to hide her smile—“that His Grace would prefer that you return later.”
Hawk and Nadine joined them in London a week after Hind’s fall.
“She is recovering,” Hawk informed the duke and duchess after he and Nadine were shown to the upstairs sitting room. “She is awake and talking for most of the day.”
“Thank goodness.” Raya breathed a sigh of relief. “We were worried.”
“I knew you would be eager for an update,” Hawk said.
Hawk had escorted Nadine to Town to be reunited with her husband and children. He’d brought her directly to Carey House after enduring her ceaseless chatter for the entirety of the journey to London. The woman’s husband was a saint.
“I was ready to come to London days ago.” Nadine pouted. “But the earl preferred to delay our departure from Briar Hall.”
Hawk suppressed a grimace. It was a marvel to him that Naila and Raya were Nadine’s sisters. They couldn’t be more different from her. “I came as soon as I was assured that Miss Hind was truly well. I wanted to be able to deliver a positive report.”
“I was happy to nurse Hind,” Nadine said with the air of a long-suffering martyr. “I missed the boys terribly. Being without them for even another hour was unbearable.”
“Have you seen the boys yet?” Raya asked.
“Hmm?” Nadine reached for another delicate tea sandwich. “Not yet. I’ll go and find them after I finish my tea. I missed them so much.”
“Thank you for bringing us good news,” Raya said to Hawk, “and for being kind enough to escort Nadine to London.”
“It was my pleasure.” Not that Nadine had given him much choice.
“Naila will be very happy to hear your news,” Raya said.
He wondered where Naila was. She remained out of sight for the next several days, missing all of the entertainments, whether it was a meal at Carey House or a party they all attended.
She also skipped excursions to see the sights in London.
By the start of the second week, Hawk began to suspect that Naila was avoiding him.
But he did not ask about her. He needed to put his thoughts elsewhere.
Hind was finally considered well enough to travel and arrived in London one week after Hawk and Nadine. Courtesy required that Hawk call on Carey House to check on the girl since she’d been injured on his watch. He expected to see Naila there.
“I hope you are fully recovered, Miss Hind,” he said after being shown to the sitting room, where the family had gathered. The two boys were at the round table playing cards, with their parents sitting nearby. Strick, Raya, and Auntie Majida sat in closer proximity to the patient.