“I wanted you to start to look at men as more than fops and wastrels. By putting pressure on you to find a husband you would have to consider the merits of matrimony, and make a decision one way or another.”
“But you told me that were going to accept the offer you received for me,” Ursula cried. “What would you have done if I had just accepted somebody’s offer at random, and he turned out to be exactly the kind of fop or wastrel I have been avoiding all of these years?”
“I wouldn’t have allowed you to marry him,” Jeremiah reported flatly. “I would have done everything within my power to stop the wedding from taking place.”
Trenton’s brows lifted when he realised Jeremiah was staring straight at him. Ursula looked from Trenton, to Jeremiah and then back to Trenton.
“I know you asked Trenton to look after me,” she said.
“I was happy to do so,” Trenton countered.
Jeremiah looked approvingly for him. “I asked Trenton to keep an eye on you while you were in London because he is a man of sterling character. I had hoped he would be able to steer you toward equally affable gentlemen. His father and I had hoped that once Trenton realised how charming and beautiful you are he would not be able to resist you himself.”
Ursula gasped and felt her cheeks blush guiltily. “What are you smiling at?” she asked Trenton when she saw him smiling toward the room at large.
His grin widened. “They were right. I have not been able to resist you myself. You are charming and beautiful. A man would have to be blind not to see it.”
All of her worry suddenly vanished at the look of adoration he levelled at her, and she found herself smiling softly at him as her heart swelled with joy.
“I wanted to make sure that you chose a husband because of his qualities, and vice versa. As an extremely beautiful young woman, who has considerable wealth, you would be sought after. However, you would also attract the attention of scoundrels, and people just after your wealth,” Jeremiah explained.
“Scoundrels like Brampton,” Ursula mused with a sigh.
“Who?” Jeremiah looked baffled.
“Roger Brampton is the worst kind of scoundrel,” Trenton reported ruefully. He explained to Adelaide what Alfred had said about the scheme Brampton and Barbarella had concocted.
“Well, we shall cut their endeavours short, I can assure you,” Adelaide snorted. “That scheming minx needs to be put in her place now before she does anyone too much damage.”
“Well, anyway,” Jeremiah coughed when he realised nobody was going to explain who Barbarella and Brampton were. “I wanted to make sure that the man who romanced you wasn’t just after your wealth. Nor did I want you shunning marriage because you had money in your pocket.”
“He is right to do so,” Adelaide informed her briskly. “Whilst the ton has many respectable members of the aristocracy within it, it is also home to many a scoundrel. You only have to look at that Roger Brampton to know what I am talking about. If he knew you were due to inherit such a fortune, he would marry you just to get his hands on the money. You would be then left to your own devices at home while he went out spending your fortune and cavorting with the likes of Barbarella.”
Ursula nodded. Having witnessed first-hand the callous scheming of Brampton, and the Sinnertons, she could only be extremely grateful that Trenton had remained true to his word and kept an eye on her as thoroughly as he had.
“Also, within the ton there is more chance of you marrying a man who had wealth of his own. A good man would allow you to retain your own fortune once you were married; if only to use it as pin money. It was something I was going to insist upon should I receive any offers you were amenable to,” Jeremiah declared.
“What about the offer you said you had received before I left? You told me you were going to accept it if I didn’t find a husband within a month.”
Jeremiah had the good grace to look a little sheepish. “I lied.” He coughed uncomfortably.
“There were no offers?” Ursula asked, not sure whether to be angry or not.
This time, Trenton looked a little sheepish. “Your father did tell me that you were going to London to find a husband. I mentioned to him that if you didn’t succeed, you would just have to marry me.”
“You did what?” She stared at Trenton in shock.
This, the man whom she had spent her entire life worshiping from afar, had actually suggested to her father that he should be the one to marry her?
Trenton shrugged. “I have loved you all my life. I just needed to get to know the woman you are now to assure myself that you are indeed the woman I thought you were. I just never thought you would look twice at me.”
“Why on earth not?” She stared at him as though she had never seen him before.
“Well, whenever we met you always seemed so vague and distant. I just though you considered me one of the fops you always discredited so vociferously at the soc
ial engagements you attended at Agglethorpe.”
“I have loved you for so long that I was never able to consider marrying anyone else,” she whispered with tears in her eyes.