A Duke for Miss Townsbridge (The Townsbridges, #4)

by Barnes, Sophie

  An immediate frown appeared on the viscount’s forehead. “I beg your pardon?”

  And so he should. Somehow, the statement, once spoken out loud, did not sound as complimentary as Matthew imagined it would. Rather, it portrayed him as some sort of lurking lecher with ulterior motives.

  He decided to try again. “Two years ago, when I began considering marriage, I started taking greater note of the available ladies. After much consideration and having dismissed almost every potential candidate, I concluded that your daughter, Miss Townsbridge, would make me the perfect wife and duchess.”

  “And you concluded this when, exactly?” Lord Roxley asked.

  “Earlier today.” When both parents gaped at him as if he were daft, he added, “When I realized I might lose my chance. Hence the hasty proposal.”

  “Of course,” Lady Roxley managed. She took another sip of her drink before handing the glass to her husband, who took several gulps. “That explains everything.”

  “I think so,” Matthew agreed. He’d surveyed his options and after extensive consideration, he’d picked the best one - a sensible woman who turned down sugary treats and liked to take long walks. Miss Townsbridge had an abundance of energy, which would be put to good use when it came to raising his children. Also, her looks were pleasing enough that bedding her wouldn’t prove any particular hardship. But most importantly, she was an introvert - the quiet sort who liked to be alone with her thoughts, which meant she would be content by herself, which also meant there would be no chance of their becoming attached to each other or, God forbid, falling in love. For that to occur, they would have to spend time together, enjoy common interests, forge an unbreakable bond.

  He’d gouge out his own damn eyes before he allowed that to happen.

  But since he doubted her parents would appreciate hearing about his plan to spend no more time with his wife than what was required in order to successfully procreate, he decided to spare them those details. Instead, he said, “As I understand it, most young ladies aspire to marry well. Indeed, I have been chased and harassed for years by women hoping to take my name and title. In marrying me, your daughter will be well looked after. My intention is to bestow a yearly allowance of one thousand pounds upon her, to do with as she pleases. Aside from this, she may choose to divide her time between any one of my four estates, renovating them to her heart’s desire, or simply enjoying the pleasure of hosting extravagant parties. In short, she’ll never want for anything.”

  Lady Roxley narrowed her gaze upon him then. “What about happiness?”

  “Happiness?” Matthew spoke the word as if it were poisoned. Christ. The emotion was so damn foreign to him, it felt like it belonged in a dream he’d once had as a child. Shuddering, he looked the viscountess squarely in the eye. “I’ll do my best.”

  She stared at him with unflinching scrutiny. “It won’t be enough. Whatever it is you have in mind for Sarah, it won’t be enough. Not without love.”

  And there it was. The one thing he couldn’t provide. “She will have children and security along with one of England’s most prestigious titles. The world will be at her feet. Just think of all the good she can do with her influence.”

  “We will certainly pass these points along to her,” Lord Roxley said, “but we have no intention of trying to push her into a marriage she does not want simply because you happen to be a duke. If that is all, I believe I’d like to have some luncheon before I depart for my club. Good day, Lord Brunswick.”

  Stunned, Matthew left the Roxleys and walked the short distance to his house next door. Once again, he’d been dismissed, this time by Miss Townsbridge’s parents. He entered his foyer and handed his hat and gloves to Friederichsen, his butler, before continuing into his study. There, he slumped into the chair he’d bought when he’d moved in. Staring into the emptiness around him, he made his decision. He would not let two years of careful deliberation go to waste. Tomorrow he’d buy a big expensive bouquet of flowers and do his utmost to make Miss Townsbridge see reason.

  SARAH WASN’T PRONE to anger, so feeling as though her head might explode was a rather distressing experience. Unsure what to do with her emotions, she paced her bedchamber floor while recounting each detail of the horrendous morning to her younger sister, Athena. “Naturally, none of the gentlemen had any interest in me after that,” she huffed.

  “I’m sorry,” Athena said.

  “Can you imagine? The blasted man had the gall to assume I’d fall into his arms with a sigh of pleasure and a thousand thanks for honoring me with his oh-so-magnificent attention.” She made a gagging gesture, at which point her mother cleared her throat to announce her presence.

  Sarah turned and gave her a blank look. She would not apologize for making fun of a man who continued to prove how awful he was.

  “Luncheon will soon be served on the terrace,” Lady Roxley said, “but first, I’d like to have a word with you alone, Sarah. In private.”

  Athena hopped off the bed with a thank-you-for-saving-me look directed at their mother and was gone before Sarah could blink. Her mother closed the door and directed her full attention toward Sarah. “Your father and I had a long talk with Brunswick.”

  “Oh no.” Sarah took an instinctive step back. “Please don’t tell me you’ve promised him I’ll accompany him on some outing or entertain him for tea or–”

  “Of course not, but since he is a duke and he did propose, it would have been wrong of us not to hear him out. In the end we made it clear that we would support you in whatever decision you make for your future - that we’d never insist you marry a man you don’t like just because he happens to have a desirable title.”

  Sarah blinked. “You told him that?”

  “Actually, your father did. He may have phrased it differently but the duke got the message, I assure you.”

  Relief swept through Sarah. She sank down onto the edge of her bed. “So then that’s the end of it?”

  “Unless he decides to try his luck again, which I seriously doubt. Or unless you change your mind.”

  “Why on earth would I do that?”

  “Well, for one thing I’m not sure there will be an abundance of gentlemen willing to risk their pride after watching you turn down a duke with such ease. So if you wish to make a match, he might be your only option. For now,” she hastily added.

  “One more reason to hate him,” Sarah grumbled. “He ruined my chances.”

  “Only until this whole debacle has been forgotten,” her mother said as she took a seat on Sarah’s bed.

  Sarah sighed. She wasn’t sure that would happen any time soon, and in the meantime she wasn’t getting one day younger. With six Seasons already behind her – six – she had hoped to make a match sooner rather than later. “His presumptuousness grates on my every nerve.”

  “Yes. He’s horribly arrogant, I’ll grant you that.” Her mother nudged her shoulder. “Come, let’s have some lunch and forget this morning ever happened.”

  Sarah knew it wouldn’t be quite so simple. Her public refusal of Brunswick would be the subject of conversation in every Mayfair drawing room by tomorrow morning at the latest. She would be judged and labeled ungrateful, impossible to please, and possibly stupid. After all, what woman in her right mind – let alone a soon-to-be spinster – turned down a duke?

  Rising, Sarah then followed her mother from the room and down the stairs. “I doubt a man like that has many friends.”

  “I really wouldn’t know, Sarah, but you’re probably right.”

  “And his family must despise him.” Directing a few verbal stabs at the duke felt remarkably good.

  Her mother drew to an abrupt halt on the stairs and turned. “I don’t believe so.”

  Sarah tilted her head in question. “No?”

  “No.” Her mother pressed her lips together. “They’re mostly dead.”

  Dear heavens.

  Sympathy gripped Sarah’s heart with such force it started to ache. A distinct feeling o
f guilt over what she’d just said crept under her skin. “What happened?”

  Her mother resumed her descent. “I thought you weren’t interested.”

  “I’m not.” They reached the foyer and Sarah paused. “Well, all right. I might be a little interested.”

  “Hmm...” Her mother raised both eyebrows, but rather than start an argument over the wisdom of Sarah’s curiosity, she said, “I don’t know all the details. From what I gather there was a carriage accident when the duke was a child. He lost both of his parents and his siblings. A maternal aunt is, from what I gather, his only living relation.”

  “How awful,” Sarah murmured even though awful wasn’t enough to describe the suffering Brunswick must have endured when he was a boy. Perhaps she hadn’t imagined the haunted look in his eyes after all. Maybe the pain still lingered. It might even be to blame for his reserved aloofness.

  Dazed by the tragedy of the situation as a whole, Sarah drifted onto the terrace where her father waited with Athena.

  “I was wondering if you’d like to get away for a bit what with everything that’s just happened,” Papa suggested once they’d been seated. “We could go up to the Lake District for a couple of weeks.”

  “Actually,” Sarah said, her mind reeling with possibilities and the potential disaster she might be about to set into motion, “I think I’d rather stay here.”

  “But he’s right next door.” Her father jutted his chin toward the brick wall separating the two properties.

  “Yes.” Sarah took a bite of salmon while everyone else stared at her in wonder. “But running away would not be very conducive.”

  “To what?” Athena carefully asked.

  “To helping him overcome the loss he has suffered.”

  “Good Lord,” Mama murmured, pressing her hand to her forehead.

  “What loss?” Athena asked.

  “His entire family died when he was child,” Sarah explained, “and I don’t believe he ever recovered.”

  “And what exactly, pray tell, has led you to this conclusion?” Papa inquired.

  “There was this—” Sarah waved her hand “—profound unhappiness about him. I dismissed it at first on account of his arrogance, but now that I know what happened to him, I would like to try and...and...”

  “Fix him?” Athena prompted.

  “Well, yes,” Sarah said with a smile.

  “Let me stop you right there,” Papa said. “The Duke of Brunswick is not an orphaned baby squirrel or a bird with a broken wing. He is a man – a duke – and you would do well not to interfere in his personal affairs. To do so can only lead to trouble.”

  Sarah held her father’s gaze for a moment while letting his words sink in. “To do nothing would be unkind.”

  “Sarah,” Papa warned.

  “I regret informing you of his past,” Mama murmured. “I should have known better.”

  “Yes,” Papa agreed. “You should have.”

  “Will you help me?” Sarah asked Athena. “You’ve been very good at bringing people together in the past, and a chance encounter with the duke would allow me to strike up a conversation without him realizing I’ve deliberately sought him out.”

  “No,” Papa said. “Enlisting your sister’s help is a terrible idea.”

  “On the contrary, it’s the perfect idea,” Sarah said. “And both of you need to stop haranguing poor Athena because she played a part in what turned out to be two excellent matches. Just imagine if she hadn’t. You’d be two grandchildren short.”

  Mama pressed her hand to her breast. “Good grief, Sarah.”

  “In any event,” Sarah went on, undaunted, “I can think of nothing else.”

  “I can,” Papa said. “Abandon this mad-cap notion. Set your mind to something else.”

  “I can’t,” Sarah said. “You know how I am. Once I get an idea in my head, it sticks until I have dealt with it in some way.”

  “In that case, you leave me no choice but to forbid you from speaking with Brunswick again,” Papa said. He took a sip of his wine and promptly returned his attention to his food.

  Sarah stared at him. He knew she’d heed his demand because in the end, he was acting out of love and concern, attempting to protect her from what he believed to be a terrible idea, and she was an obedient daughter. Somehow, she’d have to get around all of that.

  “What if,” she slowly began while pondering her options, “Brunswick approaches me?”

  Her father coughed, cleared his throat, and prepared to speak.

  “If that were to happen,” Mama said before her husband was able to get one word out, “we would naturally expect you to conduct yourself with decorum.”

  “Meaning?” Sarah pressed.

  “Well, it would be bad form of you to ignore him,” Mama said, then glanced at Papa. “Would you not agree?”

  Papa frowned. “Quite right. If the duke decides to instigate a conversation with you, then you must respond. But since he was turned away, first by you and then by myself, I very much doubt he’ll make any such attempt.”

  “You’re probably right,” Sarah said.

  “Finally, we’re in agreement,” Papa said with visible relief.

  Willing to grant him his victory, Sarah resumed eating. The conversation turned to Sarah’s niece and her upcoming birthday – a light discussion that offered a mental reprieve from all the tension the day had offered thus far.

  Later, however, once Papa had left for his club and Mama had gone to call on a friend for afternoon tea, Sarah turned to Athena. “Are you still willing to help me?”

  Athena’s eyes widened. “You heard Papa.”

  “Indeed. He forbade me from approaching Brunswick but insisted I not ignore him if he approaches me.” Sarah held Athena’s gaze. “Surely there’s a way to make that happen.”

  Athena shook her head. “Your tenacity may prove foolhardy in this instance.”

  “I know, but considering my age and the fact that I’ve probably frightened away the last men who might have been interested in me, it’s not as though I have much to lose. On the other hand, there could be much to gain from helping him.”

  “Has it not occurred to you that he may not want your help?”

  Sarah crossed her arms. “Of course. But he also wants a wife. Me, as it turns out.”

  “Until this morning, when you turned him down.”

  “And,” Sarah said, deciding not to let her sister’s comment deter her, “if I am able to put him to rights, he could turn out to be a wonderful match.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Athena slowly nodded. “Very well then. I’ll get to work on a plan right away.”

  Contentment filled Sarah’s veins. She was happiest when she was working toward a concrete goal – preferably one involving a rescue of some sort. As projects went, Brunswick would be her biggest yet. She only hoped she was up to the challenge.

  Chapter Two

  “THE DUKE OF BRUSWICK would like to know if you’re in,” Simmons said the next morning when he located Sarah in the library an hour after breakfast.

  She stared at the butler a moment, then turned to her sister. “Is this your doing?”

  “No,” Athena said. “The best workable solution I’ve been able to come up with so far involves him coming to your rescue. Not exactly the sort of thing that can be arranged from one day to the next.”

  “Hmm...” Sarah murmured, not daring to ponder the peril her younger sister had thought of placing her in.

  “Should I tell him you’re out?” Simmons asked.

  “No. Please show His Grace into the parlor and tell him I’ll join him there shortly.” Sarah waited until Simmons was gone, then turned to Athena. “He’s back. I can scarcely believe it.”

  “Neither can I, but it does make this whole thing a great deal simpler.” Athena frowned. “The logistics involved in staging a robbery or a potential kidnapping would have been quite extensive.”

&nbs
p; “That is what you had in mind?”

  Athena gave her a what-did-you-expect sort of look. “You did task me with getting him to come to you. Not an easy thing, when walking up to a man I’ve not been introduced to would be completely improper.” She shrugged. “Seemed simpler to use a third party in order to create an incentive for him to rescue you.”

  “Perhaps you ought to take a break from those adventure novels you favor,” Sarah said. She forced herself not to mention how glad she was to no longer need Athena’s help since doing so would only hurt her feelings.

  “They’re generally more interesting than real life. Although I must confess, I’m quite intrigued by what’s going on in yours right now.”

  “Please don’t romanticize it.”

  “Why not? If all goes well, you will mend his heart and make him fall head over heels in love with you. Is that not the plan?”

  Sarah stared at her sister. “Only if he turns out to be the sort of man I can love in return.”

  “I have an abundance of faith in you, Sister. Just think of him as an injured puppy. You’ve experience with those.”

  Sarah groaned and went to find the man she might eventually choose to marry. Provided he ticked the right boxes on their wedding day. Which meant he would have to be kind to animals and humans alike. He would also have to be honest, patient, considerate, and get along well with her family. Additionally, she would insist on him telling her everything about his life so they could form a lasting partnership built on openness and trust.

  It was what she’d witnessed between her own parents growing up, so she saw no reason to want something less. But she wasn’t delusional. When it came to Brunswick, she was certain a long road waited without any guarantee of happiness, love, or marriage at the end.

  With this in mind, she entered the parlor where one very tall duke proceeded to stare down his nose at her while affecting the perfect look of arch superiority.