The Earl's Wallflower Bride Page 8

  “Iris, you don’t mean that,” her father said.

  “Don’t tell me what I mean or don’t mean,” she replied, shooting him a pointed look. “I might not have any control over who I marry, but I will always control what I mean.”

  To that, both gentlemen grew silent and didn’t say anything else the rest of the way to her townhouse, something she was grateful for.

  Chapter Nine

  As much as Warren hated to bring up a personal topic at White’s, he was unable to find Anthony at his townhouse the next day, so he went to White’s to see if he was there. And as it turned out, he was talking to Corin St. George, the Earl of Durrant.

  Well, he supposed it was fitting the two were here together. That way he could get Corin’s opinion, too.

  On his way over to them, Mister Christopher Robinson jumped in front of him. He jerked back. “What is the meaning of this?” he asked Christopher. “I didn’t come here to see you.”

  “I just wanted you to know the gentlemen over there are not playing cards for money,” Christopher motioned to the other room where Christopher’s friends were gathered around the table, seeming to be more interested in sharing the latest gossip than in actually playing cards. “So there’s no need for you to go over there and demand we behave properly,” Christopher added.

  Warren would have taken the time to laugh since Christopher even cared about it, but he wasn’t in the mood today. “I don’t care what you and your silly friends are doing.”

  He made a move to step around him, but Christopher said, “That’s a surprise since all you ever do is go around here telling gentlemen what they should and shouldn’t do.”

  “Well, there’s a first time for everything,” he replied.

  He was finally able to bypass Christopher. Is that what Christopher and his friends thought? That just because he cared about the reputation of White’s, it meant he was overbearing? London was teeming with a wide assortment of immorality, and it seemed so few even cared. Christopher and his friends thought it was one big joke. But people were hurt by it, and Warren had to stand by and get ridiculed because so few took him seriously.

  Just as Iris felt like she wasn’t being taken seriously. He’d had no idea she’d felt left out at dinner parties. He’d apologize again if he thought she’d listen to him.

  When he made it to Anthony and Corin, he pulled up a chair and sat with them.

  “Warren, we were just talking about you,” Anthony said, turning to him. “You have to be one of the most fortunate gentlemen in all of London to have secured a marriage to the Duke of Hartwell’s daughter.”

  “Indeed,” Corin agreed. “I was impressed with him last evening. Tell me, when you were talking to the Duchess of Ashbourne about arranging a marriage for you, did you specify you wanted a lady with a father like His Grace?”

  “No,” Warren slowly replied, suddenly uncomfortable with the emphasis they were giving his upcoming marriage.

  A week ago, he would have enjoyed the way they envied him for getting into the obvious good graces of the duke, but having learned so much about Iris, he couldn’t bring himself to even smile about it.

  “I told her all I wanted was a lady who could have children,” Warren said.

  “Ah, the pursuit for an heir,” Anthony replied. “It’s the one thing that prevents us from a love match.”

  “Are you saying you don’t care for Miss Bachman?” Corin asked Anthony, his eyebrows raised in interest.

  Anthony shrugged. “She’s my sister’s friend. Celia wanted me to invite her to the dinner party, so I did.”

  “Will you be inviting her to another dinner party?” Corin asked.

  After a long moment, he said, “If I can’t find someone who actually piques my interest, I’ll have to.”

  “Speaking of the dinner party,” Warren began, “I was wondering about something.” Under ordinary circumstances, Warren would never have interrupted their conversation, but he was afraid if he didn’t do it now, the conversation would go off course and he’d be unable to get back to it.

  “Sure,” Anthony replied, gesturing for him to continue. “What is it?”

  Warren took a couple seconds to consider the proper way to phrase the question before he spoke. “I would like for you to be honest with me. Do your sister and Miss Bachman like Iris?”

  “I wouldn’t be concerned about Celia and Loretta,” Anthony replied. “They like whoever they want, and there’s nothing I can do to change their minds.”

  “So is that a no?” Warren pressed.

  He let out a sigh and admitted, “No, they don’t care for Iris.”

  “Why didn’t you warn me before I invited her to your dinner party?”

  “Because my sister didn’t tell me anything until I’d already told you to bring her. After that, it was awkward to withdraw the invitation.”

  Warren supposed he couldn’t blame Anthony for his reasoning. He might have done the same thing in his situation.

  “Besides,” Anthony added, “my sister has a tendency to exaggerate. I thought her dislike for Iris couldn’t be that bad.”

  Corin glanced from one gentleman to the other. “Things seemed pleasant enough during dinner.”

  “Iris,” Warren began, “said it wasn’t pleasant for her. She said Celia and Loretta kept whispering between themselves and snickering at her.”

  “I don’t recall seeing that,” Anthony replied.

  “I don’t, either,” Corin agreed.

  “Neither did I,” Warren granted. “But I think we were too caught up in our conversation with Iris’ father to notice anything the ladies were doing.”

  “The Duke of Hartwell did have excellent advice,” Corin commented.

  “Yes, he did,” Anthony said. “From what I hear, he almost rivals Malcolm when it comes to business sense.”

  The mention of Malcolm brought a momentary flicker of regret for whatever he must have said or done to push Malcolm away from him. At least with Robert, he knew what he’d done wrong.

  Pushing aside the thought, Warren straightened in his seat. “Well, Iris is adamant that they were snickering at her during the meal. And when they went to the drawing room, things went from bad to worse. Do you have any idea what happened?”

  “Celia didn’t say anything about it,” Anthony said. “She only said she’d found the evening amusing. I thought that was a good thing.”

  “Iris was upset. She didn’t find the evening the least bit amusing,” Warren replied.

  Anthony shrugged. “I don’t see what we can do about it. If the ladies don’t get along, they don’t get along. I just won’t have Iris over to one of my dinner parties in the future. I can’t get out of inviting my sister.”

  Warren was about to argue he didn’t have to invite his sister at all, but then he remembered Anthony and Celia actually had a good relationship, unlike the ones he had with his half-brother and half-sister.

  “I understand,” Warren finally said. “I don’t want to get between you and your sister. Unfortunately, in light of the fact that I’m going to marry Iris, I can’t go to any more of your dinner parties.”

  “You care for Iris that much?” Corin asked.

  “I have a lot to learn about Iris,” Warren corrected. “But she’s going to be my wife, and I need to treat her with the respect due to her.”

  “It also wouldn’t be good to upset her father,” Anthony added.

  Well, yes, Warren supposed there was that angle, too, but her father would suggest Warren forget his feelings and focus on Iris’.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it,” Anthony told him. “Ladies have their squabbles all the time. Sometimes Celia can’t stand Loretta, and at other times, she’ll spend all day with her. Who can say why? Their moods are so erratic.”

  “They are,” Corin agreed. “I’m sure the ladies will resolve their differences soon enough.”

  Warren wished that was true, but he suspected that would never happen.

  “I have
an idea,” Anthony said, straightening in his seat. “Why don’t we visit Lord Haynes? He has friends in Parliament. It might be interesting to get an idea of what laws they’re discussing that might be meaningless.”

  Usually, Warren would enjoy poking fun at some of the laws Parliament passed, but today, his heart wasn’t in it. “As much as I’d like to, I have more pressing things to take care of. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, we don’t mind at all,” he assured him. “You have your bride to focus on.”

  “Thank you,” Warren said.

  And he meant it in every sense possible. After his falling out with Robert and the strained relationship with Malcolm, it was hard to know if he’d say or do something to somehow upset Anthony or Corin. Apparently, dealing with people wasn’t his strong point. If only he could figure out how to rectify that.

  ***

  Iris wiped the tears with her handkerchief in Bethany’s drawing room. She’d run to her friend’s townhouse as soon as she was sure Bethany was ready to receive visitors. And Bethany hadn’t been able to say more than a greeting before Iris broke into tears and explained the whole sordid story about her previous evening with Celia and Loretta.

  “And then they said the reason I had my father at the dinner party was because he’d make Warren talk to me,” Iris concluded, trying her hardest to stop this incessant crying. Truly, it wasn’t like her to cry so much.

  “Oh, you poor thing,” Bethany whispered, putting a comforting hand on her back. “I had no idea they were that mean.”

  “They’re wretched creatures. They take delight in hurting others.” Iris struggled to take a deep, calming breath, hoping this would enable her to stop crying so much. “I’ve been eating sweets all morning. It’s how I cope when bad things happen. If I’m not careful, I’m going to gain too much weight and not be able to fit in my good dresses anymore.”

  “Well, it certainly doesn’t help when you’ve been treated so horribly.”

  “The worst thing is that my father can’t imagine they were that rude. He thinks I misunderstood what they were saying.”

  “He’s probably just hoping it’s not as bad as you said.”

  “Probably. But it was. I hate Celia and Loretta. I wish they’d trip on their gowns and…and…that the gowns would rip right off, leaving them naked. Right in front of everyone at a ball. Maybe then they’d stop acting all high and mighty.”

  Bethany offered a comforting smile. “It would be a sight, for sure. I’m really sorry this happened to you. I wish I’d been there to stand with you.”

  “Maybe if you’d been there, someone would believe me, but as it is, my father and Warren think Celia and Loretta were pleasant through the whole evening.”

  “Yes, but Warren is oblivious to anything that doesn’t involve himself. You can’t be surprised there.”

  Iris wiped the last of her tears away, glad she’d finally gotten them out of her system. “You’re right. I can’t. He feigned interest, but everything he said was simply for my father’s benefit.” She shook her head and crossed her arms. “One thing Celia and Loretta did get right was the fact that Warren’s only interested in the marriage because of my father. I knew Warren asked me to his dinner parties because of his friendship with my father. I was never under the impression he asked me because he had any interest in me. But I had hoped he might get to know me and find me somewhat interesting.”

  What foolish dreams. She couldn’t believe she’d ever entertained such fantasies.

  “I wish I knew what to say to make things better,” Bethany said, her voice soft.

  Smiling, Iris clasped her friend’s hand. “Being here when I needed someone is enough.”

  “It doesn’t feel like it.”

  “I know, but it is. Besides, what else can you possibly do? You can’t get me out of this marriage any more than my mother can.”

  Her friend nodded, but Iris noted the sorrow in her eyes. What a rare friendship they had. Of all the people Iris had come across, Bethany was truly a godsend.

  The butler came into the room and waited until Bethany encouraged him to speak before saying, “Lord Dunnaby would like to visit you, Miss Carlisle.”

  “Oh,” Bethany glanced at Iris, “maybe I should have him come back later.”

  “No,” Iris protested. “See him now.” She smiled at her friend. “There’s no need to make him wait to see you. Besides, I’ve said all I can. I think I’ll go home and rest.” Between crying on her friend’s shoulder and having been unable to sleep the night before, she was exhausted. She rose to her feet. “I’m glad one of us can experience love.”

  Bethany stood up and hugged her. “I’m so sorry, Iris.”

  Iris returned the hug. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” When she pulled away from her, she said, “Promise me you’ll enjoy the rest of your day. Don’t let what happened to me spoil your visit with Robert.”

  “I wish things could be different. I wish both of us could have a love match.”

  “One of us will, and that’s good enough.” Of all the people who deserved good things in her life, Iris could think of none more deserving than her friend. “I’ll let you know what day my father and Warren will plan for the wedding. I want you there.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Bethany turned to the butler. “I’ll see Lord Dunnaby.”

  The butler nodded and left the room.

  “Let me know when he proposes,” Iris said.

  Her friend’s face turned bright red, but Iris caught the expectant spark in her eye. “He hasn’t mentioned marriage.”

  “Yet,” Iris replied.

  Robert came into the room and bowed. “Miss Carlisle. Lady Iris.”

  Iris joined Bethany in offering a curtsey before she said, “I was just leaving.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to leave because I’m here,” he replied.

  “We were done talking,” Iris assured him. “I have to return home. There are wedding plans to tend to.” Unfortunately. “I hope you two have a good visit,” she added, glancing between her friend and Robert. There was no doubt about it. The two were very much in love.

  “For what it’s worth,” Robert began as she turned to leave, “I think you’re a fine lady and deserving of the very best.”

  Iris smiled her thanks then left the room. If only Warren felt the same way.

  Chapter Ten

  Warren tapped the edge of the chair in the Duke of Hartwell’s drawing room. After making small talk with the duke, who insisted he refer to him as Harrison, he was left alone to wait for Iris. Harrison had assured him she would be back within the hour, and that had been a half hour ago.

  He would have taken Harrison’s offer up to visit with him while he was waiting for her, but he was afraid if he did, then Iris would assume he’d been there to see her father instead of her. And he wasn’t. Not today. Today his sole intent was to see her. If that took longer than another half hour, then he’d continue to wait. After all he’d done to upset her, it was the least he could do.

  His mind unwittingly went back to the time he came to take Iris to his townhouse for one of his dinner parties. Back then, he’d come here in order to talk to her father in hopes of getting into his good graces. The ploy had worked. Even now, despite the way he’d erred with Iris, her father was quite welcoming. In fact, Harrison had told him he was looking forward to having him for a son-in-law.

  He could only hope that, in time, Iris would come around to being happy with him. Maybe today would be a start in the right direction. He had come here with what he hoped was going to be good news.

  The front door opened, and he rose to his feet.

  “Lady Iris, you have a visitor in the drawing room,” he heard the footman say.

  Warren hurried to the doorway of the drawing room, making sure she couldn’t see him. No doubt, she wouldn’t be happy about this once she knew the visitor was him. He’d specifically asked the footman not to tell her who her visitor was for that reas
on.

  As he hoped, it worked. She came into the drawing room. The moment their eyes met, she gasped and turned to leave. He, however, had anticipated this, so he darted in front of her and prevented her from leaving.

  “I only ask you give me ten minutes of your time,” he said.

  “And if I don’t want to talk to you?” she asked.

  “You don’t have to say anything. I’d like a chance to talk to you, that’s all.”

  He held his breath and waited to see if she would allow him the time he asked for.

  After a long, anxious moment, she said, “Five minutes.” Then she went to a chair and sat down, crossing her arms and staring at nothing in particular.

  He thought he’d been limited with only ten minutes, but five was a lot harder to condense everything in. Well, beggars couldn’t be choosers. He had five minutes, and he’d make do with it. He quickly thought through his carefully rehearsed speech and threw out the unnecessary parts.

  “First, I want to apologize again for the way I’ve treated you in the past,” he said as he sat across from her.

  Not that he thought sitting in front of her would compel her to look at him. Indeed, she only shifted so she was looking away from him. But he still thought it’d make it harder for her to disregard what he told her if he was close by.

  “I know there’s no excusing the way I ignored you,” he continued. “My behavior was abhorrent, and you have every right to hate me. I should have taken more care to listen to you when you participated in the conversation during the dinners. I don’t expect you to believe me, at least not right away. It’s going to take time to earn your trust. But, I promise you that I fully intend to make things right.”

  She still didn’t look at him, but he noticed her gaze going to the clock. Three minutes left.

  Clearing his throat, he said, “I believe you about last night. Today I talked to Lord Worsley and Lord Durrant, and I told them we won’t be going to any more dinner parties if Lord Worsley’s sister and her friend are there. I won’t put you in another situation where you feel uncomfortable again.”