Chapter 3
Robert settled into the seat at his desk and used his letter opener to break the seal on the missive. He recognised his sister’s handwriting and smiled at the thought of its contents.
He usually acted morose and annoyed around her, but he loved the very bones of the clumsy, adorable chit. And now she was expecting a happy event soon, he was delighted. Her letters however did often contain too much information of a personal nature for Robert’s taste.
My dearest brother,
Gideon and I extend to you our warmest wishes and we look forward to your arrival in Town.
Honestly, I do wonder what can be keeping you in the country so long. The Parliamentary Season is in full swing. All the best debutantes shall be spoken for and you are not getting any younger. It is time to set up your nursery. The future of the earldom is at stake.
I heard from Mrs Stevenson that Mrs Agnes Butterworth died. I am very sorry to hear that. If you are in church this Sunday, please pass on my condolences to Baron and Miss Butterworth. I do not know what will become of those orphans now. I hope Miss Butterworth is able to maintain their education and a home for them. If not, I would be obliged if you could intervene.
This is why you need a wife, dear brother. I know you do not go to Aelton much, but a wife would keep up with all the village news and make sure you were doing your duty as the highest-ranking landowner in the area, especially now not even a Lord Rutherford is in residence.
I did not write this missive to lecture you, however. I just wished to beg for your attendance in Town, so I may dance with my brother at a ball or two before this baby makes it impossible to walk, never mind waltz with a gentleman.
Honestly, women and their meddling. He’d had a missive from his Great Aunt Gertrude just the other day saying he ought to hurry to London before the cream of the debutantes were snapped up by the eligible bachelors. She had wasted one piece of paper extolling the virtues of Lord Langley’s daughter and another reminding him of his duties to his title and that it was time he set up his nursery.
And if that was not enough, his best friend, Lord Jason Rose-Reid had also written to him, commending married life to him and promising that a leg-shackle to the right woman was not at all onerous. Honestly, the man had become a woman through matrimony.
Robert did not want to find a wife on the marriage mart though. The very idea left him chilled to the bone. All those hopeful mamas watching his every move. All the simpering young ladies wondering if she was the one who would ensnare the Earl of Whitsnow.
Why could he not just find a nice girl here in Cumberland. Someone with a vague title whom the ton would accept. He did not need love. His mother and father had been in love but that had been an aberration. The aristocracy did not do love. They matched purely to procreate and make more little earls and dukes and viscounts. The fact his sister and his best friend had found love, or so it seemed, was pure happenstance.
If he found someone he could tolerate, someone pretty that he wanted to bed, someone who did not repulse him, someone who kept him on his toes, someone like…
The noise of hoofs and some rattling old carriage wheels made Robert look up from the letter in his hand and cease his wool-gathering.
He placed the missive on his desk and craned his neck to see what the Devil was going on outside.
A pony and trap had drawn to a halt and a group of boys sat in the back talking and laughing. He recognised the woman who was struggling to climb down from the trap, despite her skirts wrapping around her ankles and getting in her way. Sitting on the top seat, quietly and without fuss, sat little Eleanor. He rushed out of the house in time to see Miss Butterworth stalk up the front steps and approach the butler.
“Please tell His Lordship that Miss Butterworth would like an audience with him,” she said to the butler with a haughtiness he doubted even Prinny could muster.
“His Lordship knows Miss Butterworth wants an audience thank you, Lang. His Lordship objects to his servants being ordered around like naughty school children, however, so you do not need to do anything, Lang.
“Yes, milord.”
“Do you think the cook may have something in the kitchen that these children might enjoy sampling?”
“I am sure she will, milord.”
“Take the children to the kitchen. Please take care with the little girl. She is deaf. Take her hand and guide her. Then bring tea to the drawing room.”
“Of course, milord.”
Miss Butterworth, to her credit, recovered well, ordering her charges from the trap and crouching to explain to Eleanor what was happening and that she was fine with the boys and Mr Lang. Eleanor gave her a beatific smile and took the butler’s hand despite it not being offered. Lang grunted, straightened, then seemed to be quite happy to have made a friend.
Robert guided Miss Butterworth to the drawing room and offered her a seat.
“I apologise, I had the butler take the children away before he could offer to take your pelisse. If you wish to remove it, I could have a maid take it. You will not get benefit of it once outside if you wear it now.”
“Thank you.”
She removed it and he called a maid in to take it and give it to the butler.
Once they were seated, he crossed his legs and studied her. She bit her lip as if nervous. She was beautiful and curved in all the right placed. His prick twitched.
“You wished to speak with me, Miss Butterworth. You have my full attention.”
“It is about the orphans in my care.”
“I had a feeling.” His tone was dry, and she frowned. He was used to sparring with his sister who never took offence. Or rather he had always assumed she did not take offence. That was until last summer when she arrived at the estate with the intention of marrying Lord Beattie in Gretna Green. He had found out that his words had been hurtful, and she was lacking in confidence as a result. Beattie gave him a verbal thrashing which he had deserved. Now looking at the indecision etched on Miss Butterworth’s features he regretted the way he had spoken. “Please, explain your business.”
“You may be aware that my great aunt, Mrs Agnes Butterworth died recently.”
“I am. My sister Emily wrote to me and asked me to pass on her condolences. I offer my own, of course, as well. I am very sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. You may also know that she and I looked after the orphans in our care together with her own money. She only had a modest sum which she left to me, but it was dwindling fast and would not have lasted much longer. Living rent-free in that lovely mansion did help enormously. However, my brother married recently and wants to come and live back in Cumberland. He has made it known that he and his new wife have no wish to share their home with orphans.”
“So, you need a home and money.”
“That is a good summary of the situation, I suppose, though I am not sure I would have stated it quite so baldly.”
“I am a plain speaker, Miss Butterworth.”
“I had noticed.”
So, she was willing to try and match him. He liked that. She reminded him of Lady Rutherford in that way. He had not felt a tendre for the blonde beauty who had been rescued from the snow by his best friend during a winter snow storm a few months back, which was just as well since Reid had fallen head over ears in love with her himself, but he had admired her courage and her willingness to stand up for herself.
“And do you expect me to supply these?”
“You are the most high-ranking landowner in the area, My Lord, and people look to you as a moral leader.”
“They look to the Church for moral guidance, not to the aristocracy.”
A footman brought in the tea at that point and Robert asked if she minded pouring. She assented to carrying out the task.
“The Church cannot provide a home. You do not pay the Vicar enough to house and feed seven orphans, My Lord.”
“And if I did?”
“I do not think Mrs Weatherby would be happy to raise seven extra children.”
“That is not very charitable of a Christian woman, is it?”
“Be that as it may, My Lord, that is the way it is.” She handed him his tea.”
“So, you expect me to give you a house and a yearly allowance to raise children that are not my own. Ma’am. Many in the aristocracy do not even make those arrangements for their own bastard children.”
Her cheeks turned a delightful shade of pink and she placed her tea cup on her lap.
“I am well aware, My Lord. Those children may be classed as orphans but a few of them are not true orphans. Their noble fathers chose not to acknowledge them.”
“They are bye blows?”
“Three of them are, yes.”
“Whose bye blows?”
“I am not at liberty to say. I shall not sully the names of their mothers.”
“Their mothers allowed themselves to be tumbled by nobility.”
“One was taken by force and the other two were caught up in the moment. It is not just men who have feelings of lust, My Lord. Pray tell, why, when two people are responsible for the act of procreation, is it just the woman who is in the wrong? Are you a virgin?”
Robert nearly choked on his tea. “What sort of question is that?”
“I merely mean to show up your hypocrisy, My Lord. Every act of fornication may lead to procreation. Unless you are a virgin then you have no right to judge these women.”
Damn, he liked her.
“Are you?”
“That is none of your business. I am not the one being a hypocrite.”
Her cheeks were scarlet now.
“We seem to have strayed from the point of the conversation.”
“I need money and a home for these children and you as…”
“Yes, yes.” He stood and walked over to the windows. He stared out over the parterre gardens, absent-mindedly watching two gardeners as he considered the problem. Really it was ridiculous for one man to live in such a huge house and grounds.
His mind went back to his sister’s letter and the words she had written about him doing his duty to the earldom.
He glanced back at the beautiful redhead staring into her teacup and she quietly twirled her teaspoon. His mind had been just straying to her and her bold nature when she turned up at his door. It seemed as if the fates were on his side. This might be the answer to both their problems. It was reckless and completely out of character. Perhaps he had lost his mind from being holed up in the country too long.
He stepped slightly away from the window so that the light was not directly behind him.
“Marry me and the orphans can come and live here.”