Prologue
Miss Debenham’s Finishing School
Graduating Ball
1837
Marissa Rotherhild waited until the laughter and chatter faded. Olivia Monteith had stunned them all with her plan to marry Wicked Nic Lacey, and although she was excited for her friend, Marissa had her own news to share.
The five members of the Husband Hunters Club settled. All of them were from respectable and wealthy families—well, almost all—and all were expected to marry to please those families. The Husband Hunters Club had been formed because the five members found their fate disagreeable; they wanted more from life and marriage and they were determined to get it.
“I have decided on the husband I want for myself,” Marissa announced, when all eyes were upon her. “The Honorable George Kent.”
There was an awkward pause, not exactly the sort of response Marissa hoped for. Olivia reached to clasp her hand and her voice was earnest. “I know George Kent is very handsome, and I am aware of several girls who have a tender for him, but Marissa, you are the cleverest person of my acquaintance and the Honorable George does not have the reputation of a learned man. Won’t you grow bored with him?”
“Olivia is right,” Tina Smythe spoke forthrightly. “George Kent is a social animal, hardly an intellectual. And he’s a flirt, isn’t he? Do you really want to marry a flirt, Marissa?”
“Of course not. You don’t understand. So what if he is a little forward? There’s no harm in it. He is fun, good company, and he makes me laugh.” Marissa’s lovely face grew earnest. “His being different from me is the point, don’t you see? I grew up in an atmosphere where laughter was rare and discussions at the dining table revolved around mosses in Scotland and lichens in Wales and the latest insect-eating plants to be discovered in the…the Amazon!”
She took a deep breath. “My parents are not here at the graduating ball tonight. Do you know why?”
The girls glanced at each other and shook their heads.
“They are on an expedition to the Continent, to investigate a rare fern which has been seen growing in the crevices of the Pyrenees.”
Marissa blinked back sudden tears and shook her head. “I understand their passion, really, I do. I could be the same, if I let myself. But I want to be different, don’t you see? I want a husband who will make me laugh rather than impress me with his knowledge of botany. I want a husband who will bring the sunlight into my life. And I believe with all my heart that George Kent is the man to do that.”
Lady Averil nodded in agreement, but Eugenie wasn’t so certain. “You are a bluestocking, Marissa, we all know that, and although I agree that sometimes opposites can attract, they do not always end happily ever after.”
“Yes, yes,” Marissa said, impatiently tossing back an ebony curl. Her dark eyes glowed. “If this was a whim I would agree with your concerns, but I have met George several times.” She blushed under their sudden scrutiny. “Lately he has been attending my parents’ botanical evenings and he always singles me out. He appears to enjoy my company as much as I enjoy his. Indeed, sometimes he makes me quite giddy,” she added, with a secret smile.
“George Kent attending botanical evenings?” Olivia repeated, raising her eyebrows in wonder.
“His brother, Lord Kent, is an authority on roses,” Marissa explained, “although I have never met him. He keeps to himself and spends every moment studying his chosen field. George more or less brought himself up after his parents died and he was left in his bro
ther’s care. So you see, in many ways, we have a great deal in common.”
Olivia smiled. “And I see you have considered your choice very thoroughly, dear Marissa. I’m sorry for doubting you. I suppose the next question is how do you intend to hunt and capture George Kent?”
“Well,” Marissa met their curious eyes, “I have been invited to his house in Surrey next month for a weekend party, so I should think there will be plenty of time for hunting while I am there. The only problem is that my grandmamma will be chaperoning me, and she tends to be a little…overwhelming. I don’t want her to frighten George off before I can marry him.”
The girls exchanged glances. They’d all met Marissa’s grandmother. Lady Bethany came from an era when life was far more liberal and unfortunately she wasn’t reticent about describing her Bohemian escapades, most of which today’s more moral society considered very improper. Marissa, who loved her grandmother dearly, knew how confronting she could be to those who had never met her.
“Perhaps I can lock her in her room,” she murmured to herself, and then blushed when she realized she’d spoken aloud.
“George will just have to get used to Lady Bethany if he becomes part of your family,” Eugenie said firmly.
“I’m sure George won’t mind,” Marissa replied quickly. “It is his brother who may decide to take offense. Lord Kent, from what George says, is old and very stuffy.”
Olivia raised her glass. “I want to make a toast. To the Honorable George Kent, and may Marissa find her heart’s desire and marry him!”
“To Marissa and George!”
Solemnly the toast was drank, and another member of the Husband Hunters Club was set upon the path to her future.
Or so she thought….
Chapter 1
Abbey Thorne Manor,
Surrey, England
The first Lord Valentine Kent knew he had guests was when his butler, Morris, told him so. Not that Valentine even knew Morris was hovering behind him until the butler loudly cleared his throat, a signal that he had been waiting for some time to be noticed. Valentine frowned, the magnifying glass in one hand, the specimen of rosa foetida on the table in front of him. The single yellow flower had arrived this morning from one of his contacts, carefully packed, but the sea journey had caused some damage—salt water stained a corner of the box and the inside was damp. He’d recognized the flower immediately and with the familiar pang of disappointment.