A Husband for Mary

Ellis waited till they were seated and underway before he shared his news. “You’ll hear soon enough I suppose, but there’s been a tragedy in the duke’s family.”

“Truly? Did one of your cousins die?”

“Both of them.” That was the whole problem. His life was forever changed because two fools couldn’t be bothered to learn to swim. “They drowned together because of a wager set to prove who could skull across the lake on his grace’s estate. Neither one reached the shoreline to claim a victory.”

Douglas Vine started to laugh. “That means you’ll be a duke one day.”

“Shh, keep your voice down. I’d rather no one knows for a while.”

“Good God man, why? If I were next in line to inherit a dukedom, I’d be shouting it out for all to hear.”

There were many good reasons for silence. Most pressing was Ellis’s desire not to feel like prey in the sights of husband-hunting women in want of a title. “It’s a lot to get used to. To be honest, I’m still in shock.”

“I feel for you.” Douglas looked anything but concerned. The man grinned. “You’ll make an excellent duke, and I’ll have the pleasure of saying I knew you when you were a skinny shanked boy with no friends. Imagine the parties you can host now, eh.”

He scowled at Douglas Vine, but the man only saw the benefits. Ellis’s life had changed for the worse yesterday. For now, he had only a modest income, and he did not aspire to be a duke or in debt or to have a string of new friends because he was titled and wealthy. “I haven’t the faintest idea how to be a duke,” he confessed candidly.

“You will learn. The right sort of wife, with the right connections, will make it easier.”

“Don’t remind me that I must marry.” Ellis slumped into his seat. “I have already endured one lecture from the duke via his solicitor. I am to wed with all possible haste and produce a dozen offspring posthaste. After me, there’s no one else left to inherit, and he says I must do my duty to the family and title immediately.”

Vine slapped his shoulder. “Then we’d better get you married off quick smart.”

“That is not what I want.”

“I’m sure every man has felt the pinch of obligation before,” Douglas said, completely missing Ellis’s dejection. “That does not mean your fun is over. Oh, no. Choose a wife for duty and your lovers will keep you happy elsewhere.”

Douglas Vine had no idea how clueless he was. Ellis wasn’t an innocent, but he certainly wasn’t a rake by anyone’s standards. He had encouraged the belief to avoid being teased as a young man, and the label had sadly stuck to him like glue. Even the duke had heard of it and recently lectured him on the merits of reforming his reputation. He wasn’t guilty of having done the things gossip suggested. Even with the gossip, however foolish the hope, he was still wished for a love match.

If he married for duty alone, he would never have the kind of marriage his parents had enjoyed. He remembered their happiness so well, sometimes he felt pain at their absence.

The carriage slowed. “We should celebrate your good fortune.”

“My second cousins died a tragic and avoidable death,” he reminded Douglas pointedly. “Celebrating it is the last thing I want to do. The eldest had a wife and three daughters. It would be an insult to them and to his memory to carry on about taking his place.”

“Well, perhaps a quiet celebration is in order.” Douglas pressed his hand to his heart. “I swear to be the soul of discretion. We’ll gather our friends, and some lovely ladies to keep us warm, and drink until the sun rises tomorrow or the next day. What do you say?”

“I’ve been summoned to the duke’s home tonight, unfortunately.” He thought a moment. “I assumed you were attending the Fenwick Masquerade despite what you told your sister?”

Vine snorted. “I’d rather die first. There’s never anyone worth having at Fenwick’s.”

He thought of Mary and then shoved the thought away. He’d find someone to marry who actually liked him. Him. And not the title and money coming to him eventually.

Tomorrow he’d do his duty to the family, but after he’d attended the duke’s home tonight, he wanted to forget that his future was no longer his to steer. The best place to mourn the loss of his freedom was at the Fenwick annual gathering. He already had his costume, and without Douglas Vine watching, he’d be sure to have the first choice of any lady that caught his eye. “I’m sure you’re right.”

Chapter 3

Mary whipped the cloak from her shoulders and handed it off to a footman with more bravery than she’d known she possessed when she’d set out that night. Ahead of her, the world Ellis Worth had insisted she should not want to know moved and swayed with wild abandon.

But the world did not crash down on her head like he’d suggested it would.

No one pointed and stared at the virgin invading their midst. She was certainly not ruined just by being here as he’d claimed. The other guests could not know who she was anyway.

Mary was covered head to toe in her mother’s old and very scandalous costume—a very long wrap bound around like a native Indian woman would wear. Her red hair was covered entirely by a dark veil of matching silk that secured across her face. To ensure her identity remained a secret, she’d carefully dabbed her pale brows with dark kohl to hide the shade. She was utterly unrecognizable, even to herself almost.

She was drawn into the nearest crowded room, fascinated by a side of life her family had shielded her from to the best of their ability. But she had known such revels existed. They were whispered of, overheard. Douglas and Ellis Worth were frequent participants.

There was an abundance of merriment, dancing, and loud laughter around her almost immediately. Farther in, she caught sight of a man nibbling at a woman’s throat, and she stopped, appalled that the lady allowed it and made no move to stop him doing it.