By now the widow’s eyes were shooting daggers, but she seemed to realize she had met her equal in Lady Katharine Wilde.
When Lady Dalton spun angrily and strode off, Katharine’s gaze followed her retreating figure. “She is fortunate she failed to land Quinn. He would have murdered her before the honeymoon was over. Luckily he saw her true colors….”
Breaking off her muttering, Katharine turned to Venetia and offered her a conspiratorial smile. “I have longed to tell that woman off for ages. Her scheming makes me livid—” Abruptly Katharine gave a charming laugh. “Oh, I know, I scheme and plot as well. But my intentions are entirely virtuous. My aim is to find true love for my siblings and cousins. Julia, on the other hand, has always been a witch, and she seems set on causing you trouble. She is green with jealousy because you married Quinn. She thinks you captured his heart.”
Venetia winced. “I am sure you know that is not true.”
“Pah, even if Quinn hasn’t fallen in love with you yet, he very well could. It is only a matter of time.”
“A month ago he was courting my sister,” she pointed out dryly.
“But not because he wished to. It is my fault he ever became involved with Ophelia.”
“What do you mean?”
“I plagued him to pursue your sister.” Katharine sent her a sheepish smile. “I have a confession to make, Venetia. When I was a young girl, I became obsessed with the notion of finding true love as so many of my Wilde ancestors have done.”
She paused while Venetia nodded kindly.
“In that vein, I began looking for possible matches based on legendary lovers throughout history. You know of the Greek myth of Pygmalion? Well, I thought Quinn could mold your sister into the bride he wanted. But I see now that he was absolutely right. They would not suit at all. Ophelia is a dear sweet girl, but you are a much better fit for him. Quinn can be stubborn and infuriating, and he needs someone who is his equal, who can stand up to him.”
She was indeed better-suited, Venetia agreed. Quinn would have eaten her sister alive—or at least crushed her tender heart.
“You might even be his ideal match,” Katharine added. “We Wildes often marry our soulmates.”
Venetia’s eyebrow lifted. “Quinn very clearly does not want a soulmate. And I cannot see him as mine.”
Katharine studied her face. “His past affairs have colored your perception, perhaps for good reason.”
Venetia couldn’t help a twisted smile. “For very good reason, I would say. His affairs are legion.”
“If you are worried he will betray his marriage vows, you shouldn’t be. Quinn is a man of honor. If he gave his word to you, he will keep it.”
He hadn’t actually promised fidelity, although he had intimated at such. He was not the libertine Venetia had thought him, however, and she was willing to admit she might have misjudged him on other counts as well.
At her silence, Katharine pressed on. “The thing is, women like us think with our hearts, but Quinn thinks with his head. He sees love as a cruel game, where he is the prize and the intended victim.”
Katharine hesitated, as if debating how much more to reveal. Then she lowered her voice. “He was taught to be so cynical. Shortly after his parents died, while Quinn was attending university, a fortune hunter sank her claws into him. That tale is not common knowledge, by the way. I was barely thirteen at the time and my uncle Cornelius was his legal guardian. Quinn asked for an advance of his fortune and the Traherne jewels to give to his inamorata. It was only years later that I happened to learn the story. I had asked Uncle Cornelius why Quinn was so resistant to my legendary lovers theory, and he let it slip that Quinn had once been in love. I wouldn’t rest till I learned the whole of it.”
Katharine paused again. “It seems to me that trust will be a chief barrier for you both. Quinn will have to trust you completely before he will ever risk his heart.”
Venetia pursed her lips thoughtfully. She had never really considered his perspective. Trust was such an enormous issue for her, yet she hadn’t realized it might be just as significant for him.
“But I promise he will be worth the effort, Venetia,” Katharine said earnestly. “I have it on good authority that reformed rakes make excellent husbands. My own brother Ash is a prime example. Love makes all the difference in the world. I suspect that is the secret to inspiring a man to embrace fidelity—making him fall deeply in love with you.”
“So how do you make a man fall in love, deeply or otherwise?” Venetia asked, intensely curious.
“I wish I knew,” Katharine said with a self-deprecating laugh. “I am supposed to be this grand matchmaker, but I’ve failed spectacularly for myself. I have never found anyone to love me in return. There was one man years ago….” The wistfulness on her face suggested a painful history before she gave a graceful shrug. “In the end, it didn’t matter. He was an American who left England when war broke out between our countries. After that, there was no hope. He owned a fleet of sailing ships and fought against Britain as a privateer, which essentially made us enemies.”
Katharine cut herself short. “How I am rambling! I have never told that tale to anyone but Skye. Certainly not my brother Ash.”
“I won’t betray your confidence, Katharine.”
“Thank you.” She sighed. “But enough about me,” Katharine said amiably. “My point is simply that I am still holding out for true love—although at four-and-twenty I am considered almost a spinster.”
Venetia herself was close to being considered a spinster, she reflected before realizing Katharine was still musing aloud.
“So how do you make a rake fall deeply in love? I think you start by first making him want you. Love may very well follow desire, I’ve always believed. But whatever you do, you cannot be overt about your pursuit. I learned that lesson the hard way. I could not persuade Br…my gentleman to want me, even when I offered myself. My attempt was disastrous, the most lowering experience of my life.” Katharine gave a mock shudder at the memory before continuing. “And Quinn has more bitter experiences at being pursued than most. He has escaped too many lures of debutantes and determined mamas not to be on his guard. He cannot realize you are chasing him or you will drive him away.”