Peter laughed softly. “I suppose now she’s almost family, I’d better do the pretty by her or risk being sent to my room without supper.”

  Winston scowled. “I’d prefer you offer no false affection to my future bride. She’s nearly your sister.”

  Peter’s smile dropped away. “I never asked for a sister.”

  Winston grimaced. Peter had never liked Elizabeth. The pair never warmed to each other despite all the years spent rubbing shoulders. They were neighbors and it had been impossible for them to avoid each other. “You’d have been burdened with a sister no matter whom I married,” he said quietly.

  “It could have been anyone but her,” Peter complained, bursting to his feet. “There’s still time to wriggle out of the obligation or even run from it. You don’t love her.”

  “Enough.” He squared his shoulders, angry that even now, Peter would still not accept the way things must be, tonight of all nights. “Go. Find something to amuse yourself rather than bothering me with your own doubts. But I don’t want to learn you spent more than your allowance before your birthday arrives. I told you, I won’t pay any debts beyond that sum no matter what.”

  “Tight fist,” Peter muttered under his breath and then offered a false smile. “I’ll make myself scarce and leave you to enjoy what little freedom you have left.”

  “I will be busy tomorrow,” Winston murmured. He intended to spend the morning with his future wife. “I’ll see you at dinner. I’ve a full schedule tomorrow. What will you do with your day?”

  “I’ve no idea. Something fun and energetic. Unplanned. Spontaneous. Do you remember what that was like? To do something completely unpredictable. To just go out alone because you could.”

  “Good night, brother,” he replied, ignoring the jibe that he’d become set in his ways. “Try not to start a riot before dawn.”

  Winston stood and pulled down his waistcoat and watched his brother go with a heavy heart. Peter always could say just the right thing to get under his skin, but Winston was definitely too old for chasing him through the house and turning him upside down, as he had when Peter was a child. Though he might do that with his own son one day soon.

  That thought cheered him momentarily.

  But nervousness filled him at the idea of bedding his bride. Marriage and women were the great unknown for him still.

  Winston strolled back out to the hall to where his friends remained drinking and smoking his cigars and joined in with the conversation.

  He had a good life. Even if it was not the grand unpredictable adventure Peter craved.

  Chapter Three

  Charlotte covered her mouth and screamed.

  She felt foolish, but her friends Aurora and Eugenia had assured her that venting her frustrations out loud would do her nerves a world of good. She collected herself when it was over and glanced around guiltily, hoping no one important had been nearby to hear her outburst.

  Society, she was resigned to see, moved on without the slightest interest in what she’d been doing.

  “Does that help at all, dearest?” Aurora Hillcrest asked, her face full of concern and hope.

  Charlotte lowered her hands from her mouth slowly. “Yes, and that was so unlike me, I may have to do it again someday soon.”

  Aurora laughed softly. “No one heard or noticed.”

  “You were not even terribly loud,” Mrs. Eugenia Berringer promised with a soft laugh of her own. “Now down to business.”

  Charlotte truly had the best friends. They had answered her panicked message last night, suggested meeting first thing so they could talk privately away from prying ears, and likely disapproval. Although they promised her all would be well if she expressed her pent-up panic to begin feeling calm, the anxiety remained.

  She was worried. “I need to take control of my own life and stop waiting for fate to deliver me the perfect husband. He does not exist.”

  Eugenia pulled a face. “There’s still hope you could marry for love though.”

  “I would like to believe that, but the facts are staring me in the face. My parents demand I marry or go with them. I have exactly three weeks to achieve that end. It’s time I stopped waiting for a handsome prince to save me. I’ll probably have to save myself, and him, too!”

  “With only three weeks for a courtship, you will most likely have to marry by special license.”

  Charlotte hadn’t the luxury of time to waste on a proper courtship. She needed a husband now. “I have my own funds to pay for a special license if my potential husband is hesitant to put up the blunt for it, but how is one arranged?”

  “Thaddeus would be happy to explain that, if and when you take him into your confidence,” Eugenia suggested. “He’s had first-hand experience with the process of applying for us when we married. We might see him this morning, too. He left early to go riding with the duke.”

  “Oh.” Charlotte spun about as horses thundered past on Rotten Row, peering at each rider in turn. She hadn’t planned on revealing her desperate situation beyond her closest friends. But Eugenia was married now, and she suspected she and Mr. Berringer kept few secrets from each other. She might as well confide in him, too, she supposed. He’d always been kind to her. “Right, I will speak to him about this, though later when I need to. And, so, all I need now is the name of potential spouses.”

  “Well, we’ve already ruled out Pinner and Brandestock and a few others. Why not Lord Sullivan? He’s still unwed,” Aurora noted as they strolled a little farther under the watchful eye of the ton.

  Charlotte twirled her parasol behind her head and considered the man mentioned. He was an earl and a gentleman. She could do worse but… “Lord Sullivan is nice enough, I suppose, but I don’t think I’m what he’s looking for in a wife. We’ve danced, but I’ve never noticed him looking at me with anything more than polite regard before.”

  “No one else seems to think they’re what he’s looking for either,” Aurora grumbled. “He’s worth considering anyway. At a pinch.”

  Eugenia sighed. “Few know the kind of spouse they need, really.”

  Charlotte grinned. “You made the right choice in Mr. Berringer, Eugenia. It’s easy to see you are both happily wed.”

  “I am,” Eugenia agreed. “But let’s not be distracted from our mission. Today, tomorrow, and for however many days hence, our focus is on finding you a good man to marry.”

  “Thank you.” Charlotte heaved a heavy sigh. If only her parents had ever had as much interest in her future as her friends did, she’d have been married long ago.

  Aurora grinned. “Tell us what sort of man you really dream of, Charlotte. And no half-truths, my dear.”

  Charlotte folded her parasol when they moved under a trees and used it as a walking stick, stabbing the point into the ground. She would never tell the truth to anyone but her closest of friends. But she would always have to keep her feelings for Lord Hurlston to herself. There was no point mentioning him now. “Tall, but not so tall that it’s awkward to kiss him.”

  “I’m glad to see you’ve thought of the essentials,” Eugenia murmured with a delighted grin.

  She laughed. “It’s your fault if you think that’s too brazen a consideration.”

  “Not brazen at all. This is a man you’re going to kiss for the rest of your life. Should you have a sore neck for the whole of it?”

  They all laughed together.

  “I’d rather not. I want to kiss my husband on occasion.”

  “Was your heart set on marrying a lord?”

  Her mind immediately turned to a certain unavailable earl. “No.”

  “What about someone less important but still prominent? A barrister or even a well-to-do banker would ensure a very comfortable life here in England.”

  “I am interested in anyone who will take me on at this point. I can hardly be particular, can I? I’m not seeking a love match. There’s no time to dither and hope love will magically appear before my parents’ departure date—”

  Eugenia stopped her. “Charlotte, it will be a colder alliance than what we’d hoped for you. Are you sure there’s no other way for you to stay?”

  “No. They were quite clear.” She steeled herself. “I’m sure I don’t want to spend six months in a leaky boat, only to face years of living rough with only the barest of civilization about me,” she replied firmly. “Marriage was always my first choice for my life. A home and family. Children playing at my feet during a long English winter and a kind husband eager to talk to me and kiss me. Companion or governess were second and third options, but my parents won’t hear of either.”

  Aurora hugged Charlotte tightly to her side. “I wouldn’t dream of letting you go for a governess if it can be avoided. Being a lady’s companion is not without difficulties, though either, I must warn you. You would likely face lecherous scoundrels without honorable intentions in that role. I did. A husband is what you must have indeed.”

  Eugenia bit her lip. “Marriage is forever. But making a bad match might be worse than Charlotte’s current future. The man she chooses to marry needs to be worthy of her, too, let’s not forget. She’ll have to live with him for the rest of her life. And don’t forget she must welcome him into her bed if there are to be children.”

  Charlotte’s cheeks warmed. She’d coped with crawling insects in her bed, snakes in her boots and leaking roofs for years at a time. Being afraid all the time was unpleasant. An English husband she hardly knew and didn’t love might just be far easier on her nerves, especially if he was kind and the settling-down sort.

  “Do you know I’ve spent three-quarters of my life living away from England? Every time we’ve returned, I have had to make new friends all over again because everyone I know had moved on with their lives while I was gone.” She sighed. “My lack of family and connections has never helped with my appeal. Certainly, my parents’ bookish tendencies do not. I cannot be choosy. Anyone at all would do for me at this point.”

  Aurora sighed. “Is it true that your parents once spent a night reading through the Duke of Exeter’s library instead of attending the dinner they were the guests of honor for?”

  “That is true. I was fourteen, excited to be home again, and they ruined it for me. His grace boasted that he had acquired a rare set of manuscripts before the first course was served,” she confessed and put her hand over her face momentarily at the remembered embarrassment. “They fairly sprinted from the dining table, leaving me to make their apologies. That was not even the most embarrassing night out with them.”

  “I’m sure he won’t make that mistake again,” Eugenia promised. “He told me the tale with great amusement though so he wasn’t offended.”

  “He might be the only one who isn’t. Anyone who claims to know my parents should also know their attention span for people and conversation, especially upon first returning to England, is ridiculously short to the point of rudeness. I can hardly get them to notice me, and I’m always with them.”

  “Why didn’t they leave you behind with family or put you in school since they seem rather disinterested in parenting you?”

  She shrugged. “I asked them that once and do you know what happened? They told me to count to five, because I had raised my voice to catch their attention. When I repeated my question in a calmer voice, they claimed they had wanted to show me the world and then immediately went back to their work again.”

  “Worldly experience is something many would envy you for.”

  “But they didn’t show me the world. They abandoned me to it, and to the care of indifferent servants. When I was older, I had to hire my own companions and they never cared to stay very long. I didn’t bother replacing the last.”

  Charlotte really didn’t know why her parents kept her around now she was older, other than the convenience of having someone to manage their household and see to it that their trunks were not lost on their journeys. Any paid servant could have done that for them. She was not special to them in any way, but familiar. Like a well-worn blanket or trusty parasol.

  They started walking again. Aurora linked their arms and pulled Charlotte close to her side, likely in an attempt to cheer her up. Charlotte was usually better at hiding her resentment toward her parents, but every now and then it just came gushing out in a torrent. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of that to you.”

  “Nonsense. You can tell us anything and it’s good to know how you really feel about things.” Aurora suddenly laughed. “Our great adventure was the journey to London, and it must seem very minor compared to your wider travels. Our next adventure will be a visit to Lord Wharton’s country estate.”

  “Yes, not long now,” Eugenia murmured.

  “I would gladly carry your luggage,” Charlotte offered. “I so wanted to see Lord Wharton’s estate. I’ve heard so much about it over the last months.”

  “I wish we could offer to go with you,” Eugenia murmured. “It would break the duke’s heart if Thaddeus left the country.”

  “I wouldn’t offer to go with you,” Aurora admitted, then suddenly waved wildly to a horse and rider that thundered past. “There is just too much to my taste right here in London.”

  Even though the rider had been traveling at speed past them, Charlotte could easily tell the rider noticed Aurora’s interest. That sort of masculine understanding had never happened for Charlotte and likely never would. She wasn’t bitter about being overlooked by bachelors and scoundrels. Well, maybe just a little.

  She wasn’t hideous. Just shorter and rounder than most of her friends.

  Charlotte turned to look around at Hyde Park’s panorama and sighed heavily. “I will grieve for the loss of these views if I am forced to leave.”

  “Then we will do all in our power to help you stay in London with us, even if we have to take you in and hide you in the attics,” Eugenia decided.

  “No, I never want to be a burden to my friends.” She lowered her gaze to the ground, cheeks burning with embarrassment at how tempting being hidden in an attic suddenly sounded. “But thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means a lot that you would offer.”

  Eugenia hugged her briefly. “I was afraid you’d say that. It will always be an option though. There’s a ball to be held tonight. I’ll speak to the Duchess of Exeter about adding you to our party. We’ll pick you up after nine on the way there.”

  “I truly appreciate any help you can give. I can’t expect any assistance from my parents.”

  Charlotte lifted her hand to brush the back of her neck and then swiftly looked around for a source of danger. The last time she’d felt such a sense of foreboding was in the presence of a hungry tiger.

  She moved her gaze to the green lawns where others strolled, looking for any source of danger from that quarter. All she could see was a pair of horses being ridden across the green lawns at speed, weaving between couples and causing chaos and outcry from members of society.

  Charlotte narrowed her eyes on them, attempting unsuccessfully to identify who they might be. “Aren’t riders supposed to stick to the row and not the green lawns?” she asked her companions.

  “They are.”

  She pointed the tip of her parasol toward the oncoming riders. “Those men are rather rude then. I do hope they stay away from us.”

  “I expect they’ll be chased off before they injure someone,” Aurora said, raising her hand to watch them a moment, too.

  “Ho, wife of mine!”

  They all spun about as Thaddeus Berringer swung down from his sweating horse and led it from the track in a rush to meet them. He didn’t hesitate to kiss his wife passionately right then and there in front of everyone.

  Aurora took the reins of his mount and fussed over the great beast.

  Charlotte turned her back as well to keep track of those horsemen riding recklessly, giving the newly married couple privacy.

  To her great surprise, the riders were much closer now. “What are they doing?”

  Suddenly the horsemen stopped, seemed to consult each other, then pointed, it seemed, directly at Charlotte and her party. Her eyes widened as they took off directly toward their shaded spot.

  Between Charlotte and the riders, however, a gentleman and an older lady strolled arm in arm.

  And they were unaware of the danger headed toward their backs.

  She gasped as she recognized Lord Hurlston, his aged mother by his side. She cried out a warning to them, but Hurlston misunderstood and merely waved back at her.

  “No!” she cried, as the horsemen bore down on the pair.

  They were almost to them when Charlotte reacted with an instinct honed from her travels in dangerous places. She unfurled her parasol and thrust it ahead of her as she ran directly toward the earl and danger. Once past them, she twirled the parasol, hoping the swirling pattern might frighten off an easily startled animal like a horse.

  Lord Hurlston and his mother cried out as the horsemen thundered past. So close, Charlotte could smell the sweat of the horses and feel the wind of their passage drag at her long skirts.

  And then they were gone. Flying away across the green and out of Hyde Park entirely, without looking back even once or shouting an apology.

  Charlotte snapped her parasol shut and worked to slow her breathing to normal, keeping close watch in case the horsemen returned. But the thrill of danger narrowly averted remained with her, and then worry soon settled in. She glanced behind her to make sure everyone was safe and that there were no other horses charging their way even now. “I think they are gone.”

  Suddenly, Charlotte was turned around by a pair of strong male hands on her shoulders. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  She blinked up at Lord Hurlston, who seemed to be in a towering rage. “What was I thinking?”

  His frown deepened, and he shook her once, gently. “Have you no sense? You could have been trampled!”

  “At least it was only horses this time and not an unhappy elephant like the last time.” She joked with a shrug and a nervous laugh.