Married By Morning (The Hathaways #4)(12)

“But the good news, Leo,” Beatrix said brightly, “is that it’s been four years since you became Lord Ramsay. If you can stay alive for just one more year, the family curse will be broken.”

“And furthermore,” Amelia added, “you have to marry and sire a son as soon as possible.”

Leo stared at them all blankly in the expectant silence. A disbelieving laugh escaped him. “You’re all mad if you think I’m going to be forced into a loveless marriage just so the family can continue living at Ramsay House.”

Coming forward with a placating smile, Win handed him a piece of paper. “Of course we would never want to force you into a loveless marriage, dear. But we have put together a list of prospective brides, all of them lovely girls. Won’t you take a glance and see if any of them appeals to you?”

Deciding to humor her, Leo looked down at the list. “Marietta Newbury?”

“Yes,” Amelia said. “What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t like her teeth.”

“What about Isabella Charrington?”

“I don’t like her mother.”

“Lady Blossom Tremaine?”

“I don’t like her name.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Leo, that’s not her fault.”

“I don’t care. I can’t have a wife named Blossom. Every night I would feel as if I were calling in one of the cows.” Leo lifted his gaze heavenward. “I might as well marry the first woman off the street. Why, I’d be better off with Marks.”

Everyone was silent.

Still tucked in the corner of the room, Catherine Marks looked up slowly as she realized that she was the focus of the Hathaways’ collective gaze. Her eyes turned huge behind the spectacles, and a tide of pink rushed over her face. “That is not amusing,” she said sharply.

“It’s the perfect solution,” Leo said, taking perverse satisfaction in annoying her. “We argue all the time. We can’t stand each other. It’s like we’re already married.”

Catherine sprang to her feet, staring at him in outrage. “I would never consent to marry you.”

“Good, because I wasn’t asking. I was only making a point.”

“Do not use me to make a point!” She fled the room, while Leo stared after her.

“You know,” Win said thoughtfully, “we should have a ball.”

“A ball?” Merripen asked blankly.

“Yes, and invite all the eligible young women we can think of. It’s possible one of them will strike Leo’s fancy, and then he could court her.”

“I’m not going to court anyone,” Leo said.

They all ignored him.

“I like that idea,” Amelia said. “A bride-hunting ball.”

“It would be more accurate,” Cam pointed out dryly, “to call it a groom-hunting ball. Since Leo will be the item of prey.”

“It’s just like Cinderella,” Beatrix exclaimed. “Only without the charming prince.”

Deciding to calm the brewing squabble, Cam lifted his hand in a staying gesture. “Easy, all of you. If it happens that we lose Ramsay House—God forbid—we can build another one on the freehold portion of the estate.”

“That would take forever, and the cost would be enormous,” Amelia protested. “And it wouldn’t be the same. We’ve spent too much time restoring this place, and putting our hearts into it.”

“Especially Merripen,” Win added quietly.

Merripen gave her a slight shake of his head. “It’s only a house.”

But they all knew it was more than a structure of brick and mortar … it was their home. Cam and Amelia’s son had been born there. Win and Merripen had been married there. With all its haphazard charm, Ramsay House was a perfect expression of the Hathaway family itself.

And no one understood that better than Leo. As an architect, he knew well that some buildings had an inherent character that was far more than the sum of their parts. Ramsay House had been damaged and restored … it had gone from a neglected shell to a thriving, happy home, all because one family had cared. It was a crime that the Hathaways would be displaced by a pair of women who had invested nothing in it, through what amounted to nothing more than a legal sleight of hand.

Swearing beneath his breath, Leo dragged his hand through his hair. “I want to have a look at the ruins of the old manor home,” he said. “Merripen, what’s the best way to reach it?”

“I’m not certain,” Merripen admitted. “I rarely go out that far.”

“I know,” Beatrix volunteered. “Miss Marks and I have ridden there to sketch the ruins. They’re very picturesque.”

“Would you like to ride there with me?” Leo asked.

“I’d love to,” she said.

Amelia frowned. “Why do you want to visit the ruins, Leo?”

He smiled in a way he knew would annoy her. “Why, to measure for curtains, of course.”

Chapter Six

“Thunderbolts,” Beatrix exclaimed, entering the library where Leo had been waiting, “I can’t go with you to the ruins after all. I’ve just checked on Lucky, and she’s about to have her babies. I can’t leave her at such a time.”