A Marquess Is Forever

by Bethany M. Sefchick

  The kind of man she might like to marry, if given the chance or the choice. Not that he would be likely to have her.

  He also made her weak in the knees, something no other man, not even Lord Hathaway, had managed. Diana still longed to taste him as well, and now her fingers itched to discover if his hair was just as soft as it appeared. All of which made her the silly, foolish young girl that Patience had accused her of being little more than an hour ago.

  Just then, Diana heard the rattle of the doorknob and looked up to see her friend Lady Eliza standing there with her glasses askew. "Thank goodness, Diana! I have been looking everywhere for you."

  "Is there a problem? I only came in here to rest for a few moments. The retiring room was rather crowded." Diana rose slowly, as if she had merely been resting and not conversing with the most handsome, dashing, charming man she had met in some time.

  It was clear that her friend did not completely believe the explanation but as Diana was alone, she let the moment pass un-remarked upon. "It is Sophia. She saw your sister-in-law dancing with Lord Selby." Belatedly, Eliza reached up to push the glasses - which no one was convinced Eliza needed in the first place - back onto the bridge of her nose. "I am afraid that she is overwrought and her brother is now furious."

  "Drat." As a rule, Diana did not swear. Ladies did not indulge in such low behavior. However, just this once, she felt she was justified. For many reasons, including one that she was not about to share with Eliza. "Let us see if we can undo the damage, shall we?" Then she followed her friend out the door, her earlier glow from her encounter with the marquess fading quickly. Drat it all anyway.

  Chapter Two

  At the moment, Lord Lachlan McKenna wished he was anywhere but where he was - which was caught in between a very angry duke and a second duke who was attempting to prevent the first from calling another man out for a duel. And since the second duke was Lachlan's host for the evening, there was no earthly way he could politely extricate himself from the whole nasty business. So he stayed exactly where he was and prayed that no one asked his opinion on the matter. He didn't know any of the parties involved well enough to have one. And Lachlan was one of the last people on earth to offer up opinions when he did not know all of the facts. That only led to one thing - trouble.

  "She is heartbroken," Lord Adam Reynolds, the Duke of Hathaway, snarled fiercely. For someone who had a reputation as a bit of a dullard, the man was certainly not living up to it this evening. "He should hang for that!"

  In Lachlan's opinion that punishment was a bit harsh. If every gentleman who broke a lady's heart was sentenced to hang, there would be precious little of the aristocracy - let alone England - left alive.

  "Lady Sophia will survive quite nicely, Adam. Give her time to calm down and allow her friends to speak with her, particularly Miss Saintwood. She is very good at that sort of thing, not to mention that she and your sister are good friends. I am also quite certain that Lady Diana realizes that her sister-in-law is ruthless when it comes to bedding men she desires. Oliver Saintwood's wife is a menace. Everyone is aware of this. God knows he should take her in hand, but we all know he will not. Much to his detriment." That came from Lord Benjamin Sinclair, the esteemed Duke of Radcliffe, and the host of the evening's ball.

  Lachlan actually thought this was a very good idea. Particularly if the lovely Lady Diana Saintwood was involved. He had only just met her, but already he was captivated - probably more than was wise. In fact, he had been returning to the main ballroom to say his farewells to his host so as not to be any more tempted by the lovely Diana when Hathaway had come storming up to Radcliffe, clearly spoiling for a fight.

  "Menace or not, Selby could have refused her!" It seemed that Hathaway would not be placated and Lachlan could not exactly blame the man. After all, Lachlan had four younger sisters back in Scotland. If anyone trifled with their affections, he did not think he would be able to keep a rational head on his shoulders either. Unfortunately, the day he had to face such issues was likely to be sooner than Lachlan wished. In that regard, Hathaway had his sympathies.

  "And he would have embarrassed them both," Radcliffe replied calmly although it was clear the other man was growing irritated as well. "You cannot deny that. And then what would you have? A man that society looks down upon as being ungentlemanly, one that your sister has clearly set her cap for. What would you have done then?"

  Lachlan saw Radcliffe's point easily and it was clear that Hathaway did as well - even though it was just as obvious that the other man did not like it one bit.

  "Well he could have done something." However there was much less heat in Hathaway's words now. "She had her bloody hands on his arse!"

  "And that was all the farther it went," Radcliffe reminded his friend gently, patting Hathaway's arm as if he was a small child needing to be placated. "He escorted her off the floor as quickly as he could, claming she had injured her ankle. In all, he handled the entire situation as best he could without damage to anyone's reputation."

  Hathaway grumbled at that, but did not protest further, for which Lachlan was glad. Given his position between the two men, he would have likely become involved in any fisticuffs or - Heaven forbid, a duel - that broke out. That was not why he was in London. He was attempting, however foolishly, to improve the McKenna name, not worsen it. Therefore, he knew he would be well served to avoid such things as duels at all costs.

  "I suppose," Hathaway finally admitted, albeit grudgingly, "but I still do not have to like it. Selby is merely toying with Sophia's affections and I'll not stand for it."

  "Just as you are toying with Lady Diana's?" At Radcliffe's words, Lachlan perked up a bit. Now the conversation was becoming interesting. He had known Benjamin Sinclair a very long time but he did not know the man to be the provoking sort. It seemed he had been holed up in Scotland and away from the drawing rooms of London for far too long. He would have to remedy that immediately. Starting now.

  For his part, Hathaway sniffed in disgust. "I am not toying with the lady's affections. She knows good and well that we will never marry. I am merely being polite, as is expected since I know her family well. I have never shown her any favoritism. Nor will I."

  "Nor have you or your mother disabused the lady or her mother of the notion of wedded bliss either." Radcliffe's voice was quiet now and Lachlan had to strain a bit to hear everything clearly. "You know that it is understood amongst our set that you will marry the chit eventually. It is why she cannot keep a suitor for more than a week, at least if a man is lucky enough to even get that far past her dragon of a mother."

  "It is not my fault they misunderstand," Hathaway shot back, clearly not liking the direction this conversation was headed. Then again, neither did Lachlan. Not that he had any business poking into Hathaway's affairs. Or Miss Saintwood's. Still...

  Radcliffe shook his head in disgust, a brief moment of anger flaring in his violet-hued eyes. "It is. In fact, it is entirely your fault. End this madness now, Adam, while the lady still has a chance to make a good match. It is the right thing to do and you well know it. Do not make Miss Saintwood suffer because you are feeling petulant. It is her future at stake."

  "It will make all of us involved look bad!" Hathaway was livid now, his color high and his nostrils flaring much like a bull's; it was not a pretty sight. Again, not that it was his concern, but Lachlan believed Hathaway was wrong in his assumptions. On the other hand, what did he know of London society these days? He was only in town a few times a year and until this season, out in society without a title. Until recently, few people paid him much mind.

  "Best I not say anything and the entire matter will pass. By next season, it will all long be forgotten." Hathaway punctuated his words with a sharp nod of his head, as if attempting to convince himself as much as the other two men. "She will find someone. Who knows? Perhaps even Candlewood will be willing to take her on now. Yes, that would be perfect for all involved, and it will leave me out of the entire bloody mess!" T
hen without waiting for Radcliffe to reply, Hathaway stalked off in a huff of anger.

  For a moment both Radcliffe and Lachlan watched him cut a wide swath through the crowd, as if the mass of assembled humanity parted solely because he wished it. When he was gone, disappearing through a set of pocket doors that led into the main refreshment room, the duke turned back to Lachlan.

  "My apologies, my friend. I invited you to my home so that you might meet some new people, especially those you will interact with in Parliament in the coming years. I had merely hoped to help you enjoy your stay in London. I did not mean for you to see that horrid display of pique." Radcliffe looked more than a little contrite even though he had nothing to do with Hathaway's childish tantrum.

  Lachlan quickly waved him off. In fact, he was a bit glad he had witnessed Hathaway's rather spectacular fit. It had been very informative if not more than a little childish. "No apology is necessary, my friend. Truly. I have sisters myself so I understand his anger where Lady Sophia's potential beau is concerned. I have not yet been introduced to the lady, but I suspect that she is probably quite lovely and therefore his concern is just."

  "It is," Radcliffe admitted as he scanned the crowd obviously looking for someone. "However, he is the one standing in the way of his sister's betrothal to Lord Selby. Adam has no one but himself to blame for that sorry state of affairs and the strain it is putting on his family. The two wish to wed but he simply will not allow it."

  "And Lady Diana Saintwood? How is she involved? Other than being a woman that Hathaway does not wish to wed? I was given to understand that she is quite enchanting as well." Lachlan knew he should not ask. It was none of his concern. However, Radcliffe did not seem at all hesitant about divulging the information.

  "Years ago, Adam's mother and Lady Diana's mother made a pact that their children would wed and unite the families, as the ladies were best friends. Adam was born first and then Diana, so it was a natural match. Since then Lady Ursula Saintwood, now the Viscountess Westfield, has informed anyone who would listen that her daughter is all but betrothed to Lord Hathaway, even though he has never formally asked for her hand. Unfortunately, to make matters worse, neither Adam nor his mother seem intent on adhering to the agreement, but neither of them will deny it either." Radcliffe shook his head and let out a long sigh.

  "That is most unfortunate," Lachlan replied because in his mind, it was. "And an appallingly bad bit of behavior on Hathaway's part, to be sure." To trifle with a lady's affections in such a way was reprehensible to Lachlan. Even at his worst, all of his lovers knew precisely where they stood with him. Even Fiona.

  "That is not the worst of it." Radcliffe shot a dark look at the doors where Hathaway had quit the room. "Because of that, no sane or respectable man even wants to attempt to court Lady Diana, even though she is considered a true diamond of the first water. Even if they were brave enough to risk Adam's imaginary wrath - should he even care one way or the other - a man would be unlikely to find favor with the viscountess. After all, she has plans for her daughter to become a duchess and will not hear of anything else."

  Lachlan considered that for a moment. Earlier, Lady Diana had intimated that there was no man who held her affection. At the time, he had believed her. Had he been wrong? Did she care for the rather boorish Lord Hathaway? "And how does Lady Diana feel about the situation?" he finally ventured with what he hoped was a clear lack of interest in his voice. "I cannot imagine that she does not have an opinion. In my experience, most young ladies do." In fact, he knew for certain she most likely did, even though the topic had not come up in their earlier conversation. "I know my sisters and if there was a duke involved, I doubt that any of them would give up the possibility of such a marriage just because the man was not interested."

  "Interested in the lady yourself, are you? That was fast, even for you." Radcliffe raised an eyebrow though he did not appear unhappy at the possibility that Lachlan might be intrigued by Diana. "And brave, might I add. I know you said that you were amenable to taking a wife this season if a lady caught your fancy, but I did not believe you were actively looking."

  "I'm not. Merely curious." The last thing Lachlan wanted was to be linked to Lady Diana Saintwood on one of his first nights in society, no matter how delectable she might be. "Remember that the last several years of my life, I have lived almost entirely in Scotland. While we have society, it is very different. I am merely attempting to learn how to navigate my way in London - especially where unwed young ladies are concerned, lest I find myself in front of a parson well before I am ready."

  Radcliffe laughed then and Lachlan felt the tension in his shoulders ease a bit. "Don't worry, my friend! I'm not attempting to marry you off. Merely wondering, as I do find it a shame that the lady has no prospects due to the sheer idiocy of others. And in any case, though it is not common knowledge, my wife Julia is friendly with Lady Diana. According to her, Diana is not so foolish of a lady and, at this point anyway, knows that she and the duke will not wed."

  Then Radcliffe looked around the overcrowded ballroom once more. "That said, her time is running out, I am afraid. She is six and twenty, hardly a young thing any longer. If she does not wed this season, I am not certain she will. And that would truly be a pity. She is a magnificent woman and at one time, I toyed with the idea of courting her myself. She is intelligent, kind, and above all, without artifice, if you can imagine such a thing in a society lady. She would make some man a brilliant wife."

  Secretly, Lachlan agreed with that assessment but he was not about to admit as much to Radcliffe. Despite what the man said, he would not put it past the duke to marry him off to the chit as soon as possible. It was obvious he held her in great affection and wanted her to be happy. For some strange reason, Radcliffe also clearly felt that Lachlan perhaps might be the perfect man for Miss Saintwood. Nor was he being shy about informing Lachlan of that fact.

  "I am certain some gentleman will snap her up this season." Once it became common knowledge that she was not truly betrothed or even promised to Hathaway, Lachlan was certain of it. Any man who could resist the feminine charms of the lovely Diana Saintwood was an idiot in his opinion and he had only just met the woman.

  "Or a fortune hunter," Radcliffe muttered darkly, and Lachlan frowned at the thought of some ne'er do well taking advantage of her. "Not that it's any of your concern, of course." Then, as if they had not been speaking of the lady at all, the duke briskly changed the subject. "So. Any progress on setting your father's affairs to rights?"

  Leave it to the duke to be so direct, Lachlan thought. And so cagey at the same time. He had made his point regarding Miss Saintwood and was ready to move on to another topic of interest. The man was not one to belabor a point. Radcliffe was also one of the few friends Lachlan had in town and also one of the few privy to the secrets that haunted the McKenna family. Naturally, he was curious as to Lachlan's progress.

  "Not as of yet, but then I've only just arrived. I have a list of people that my father has wronged, and I plan to work through them one by one. His time grows short, I fear, and when he passes, I will inherit enough troubles, including the crumbling pile of rocks that is Tinsburg Castle. I do not want these outstanding debts to haunt me as well. I shall do my best to clear them up now before the creditors come knocking on our door. Using his funds, of course, and not those of Hallstone." As a point of honor, Lachlan would never do something so unseemly as to use funds from one title to pay off the debts of another. Some men might, but he was better than that. Or at least he was trying to be.

  "Then I wish you the best of luck. It is not easy to clean up the mess one's sire leaves behind, is it?" Years ago, a young Benjamin Radcliffe had killed his father to protect the life of an even younger Lady Julia Rosemont, the woman who was now Benjamin's wife. Along with Julia's brother Nicholas, the current Duke of Candlewood, Benjamin had covered up the crime and it had only been fairly recently that the truth of the matter had come to light. Even now, only a few trusted co
nfidantes knew precisely what had occurred that fateful day. Lachlan counted himself lucky to be among Benjamin's friends who did know the truth.

  "No, indeed it is not." And there was a potentially even bigger mess waiting for Lachlan back in Scotland if his father passed in the very near future. Given the old man's health when Lachlan had departed for London, he might well already be dead. Lachlan wouldn't put it past the miserable old man to die simply out of spite for his only son. "Still, I must try. If he dies with these outstanding debts..."

  "Then they become yours and Hallstone's, I know." In fact, the duke knew all too well. His own mentally ill father had left behind a string of lovers and gambling debts that the new young duke had not known how to deal with. It was only through the intervention of his father's man of affairs that Benjamin had been able to put everything to rights rather quickly and quietly. "And on that note, my friend, I do believe that my lovely wife is demanding my attention."

  With a quick glance across the room, Lachlan could see the lovely Lady Julia, her head held high and her soft gaze resting firmly on her husband. What he would not give for a woman to look at him in that fashion. But given his aversion to love, Lachlan also knew it was not possible. Best to seek a more biddable wife who wanted a partnership and nothing more. Still, if he had the capacity to love... No. Down that path lay danger. He knew it well. He would not start down it again.

  "Go on then," Lachlan said, giving the duke a nudge with his elbow. "I will be fine. I merely wanted to thank you for extending the invitation before Hathaway had his moment of insanity. It has been an entertaining evening, to say the least."