Lady Be Reckless (Duke's Daughters #2)(23)

“I am not going on a carriage ride,” Lady Ida said.

“I meant Pearl, not you. I know you won’t do anything that isn’t sticking your nose in a book.”

“Which means you could return here tomorrow,” Mr. Beechcroft said in a delighted tone. “I want to ask your opinion of some books I’ve been thinking of rebinding. Whether they are worth the expense.”

Lady Ida smiled a smile of genuine pleasure, and Edward felt his mouth start to gape at how it changed her. She was beautiful, although he wouldn’t want to be the one to tell her. No doubt she thought that type of frivolity was beneath her.

“I would love to.”

“Well, that is settled then,” Lady Olivia said in satisfaction. “We will all come over here, Ida can stay while you take us out in your carriage. You do have a carriage, don’t you?”

“Of course we do,” Edward’s father replied. “We might have a few of them, actually. So you can decide which would be best to go out in.”

“That will be wonderful, but I will leave the choosing of the carriage up to Mr. Wolcott.” Lady Olivia’s expression as she looked at Edward appeared to indicate she had done him a great favor in allowing him to choose which carriage to use.

She really was the most managing female he’d ever encountered. And yet, somehow, he found it oddly endearing.

“Good afternoon, sir, Mr. Wolcott,” Lady Olivia said as she marched toward the door, sweeping her sister up with her as she left the room.

Mr. Beechcroft walked after them, but not before turning around with a broad grin for Edward, accompanying his smile with a wink, just in case Edward wasn’t clear enough about what his father thought was actually happening.

But if the ruse would keep his father content for a bit, he would continue it. And he would get to spend more time with the thoroughly sure of herself Lady Olivia.



Mr. Beechcroft reentered the room, rubbing his hands together and looking exceptionally pleased.

“Well, my boy, you have already begun to indulge your father’s last wish.”

Edward winced at his father’s words, although the tone in which they were spoken was nearly giddy with glee.

“I have just met Lady Olivia.” He turned away from his father, not able to look him in the eye and prevaricate, much less lie to his face. He’d just have to . . . lie by omission. “Bennett introduced us”—in a manner of speaking, if you count being awkwardly in the room while the lady proposed to his friend an introduction—“and she donates her time to various causes”—including mine—“so I wanted to ask her what effort was in the most need.”

And the answer to that was me, and my effort to find a place in this world that isn’t tainted with disdain. Oh, and find a wife while I’m at it.

“Very clever, my lad.” Edward heard the chair groan as his father sat. “Ladies have soft hearts, and if they think that a gentleman shares their concern—well, that is a good way to get them interested in you.”

“Yes.” Edward wished his father wasn’t so optimistic about nearly everything—about Edward’s place in the world, how people viewed both of them, that young titled ladies would even wish to be married to a bastard. It would make it so much easier to explain the truth when it came time for the truth to be explained.

“Maybe I won’t die after all,” his father continued, still in that same gleeful tone. “I want to be around to see what your children look like. I wonder if they will get your dark hair? Or take after their mother?”

“You are getting ahead of yourself, Father.” Edward turned back around and sat in the chair opposite his father. This, at least, he could say without letting his father know all of his assumptions were false.

“The lady and I have just met, as I said, and you would not want me to take the first offer on the table, would you? It is not good business after all.”

His father grinned, then laughed aloud. “You are my son, that is for certain. Viewing things in such a business-like fashion, even though this is the business of the heart we are concerned with now.”

Business of the heart. If only it were just a business and Edward could select what item he wished to own and then pay a certain sum of money to make the transaction.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Instead, he’d have to go on carriage rides and speak with people who disliked him on principle and pretend that it wasn’t ripping him apart inside that his father was dying.

He and Mr. Beechcroft both turned at the sound of footsteps outside in the entryway. The door flung open, and Lady Olivia stepped inside, a few strands of hair coming out from under her bonnet, which was a ridiculous concoction that made Edward wonder if it was deliberate on the part of the hatmaker to have it look like that.

“I forgot to mention that you would be receiving an invitation to dine with us later this week. Lord Carson and the marquis are coming, and it will be a small gathering. And of course you too, Mr. Beechcroft,” she added, even though Edward was fairly certain his father would not have been invited if he hadn’t been in the room at the time.

“Excellent, we will happily accept, won’t we, Edward?” his father said, rubbing his hands together again in what Edward knew was delight.

“Of course,” he replied, bowing toward Lady Olivia.