An English Lord's Love Affair

Chapter 16.2. A Family Conspiracy

   Lord Henry Brumidge gazed out the window as the rest of his family assembled in the private drawing room. He knew the reason he had been summoned, knew that he held the deciding vote on Charlotte's future. For once he wished that things could be as simple as they appeared on the surface.

   He wished he could believe that Charlotte had met a decent young man and that love appeared, as Damon believed, to be in the cards for his beautiful little sister.

   'Could it be that easy?' he wondered, his dark blue eyes cynical. Send the wayward young to the country for several weeks or so and, voilà, she meets the aristocrat of their dreams, and all her demons are subdued.

   Possible, but not likely. Not for a Brumidge, at least.

   His older brother Geordo, the Marquess of Scotney, took a seat on the blue tufted sofa, his leonine presence indicating the cabal was about to proceed. He had always reminded Henry of a medieval prince, blond, confident, eager for action. David and Damon, dark-haired and restless with abundant energy, preferred to stand at either side of the sofa, as if they might bolt at the first opportunity.

   Lizzie, the widowed Viscountess Cowper, sat alone by the fire in a high-backed tapestry chair, a notebook and pen in her lap. Henry worried about her future as much as he did Charlotte's. A fair young widow was easy prey for the wrong man.

   Lizzie glanced around the room. "Isn't your wife joining us, Geordo?" she asked in concern.

   Geordo grinned a little sheepishly. "She hasn't decided whether she could in good conscience join a family conspiracy behind Charlotte's back."

   David gave a deep appreciate laugh. "Joan being a victim of a similar conspiracy herself?"

   Geordo pretended to take offense. He and Joan had married not long ago, after a courtship that had been more a battle of wits than tender wooing. The lovely honey-haired marchioness was probably the only woman alive who could keep her husband in line. And have him love her for it. "Are you saying that marriage to me is something of a punishment?"

   "Being your brother is," Damon said feelingly. "At least at times."

   Lizzie cleared her throat. "May proceed with the matter at hand? You, Damon," she said, inclining her pen in his direction, "please tell us your opinion of Charlotte's young man."

   Damon hesitated, as if he felt that to share this information might be a betrayal of his younger sister. "I don't exactly know what Charlotte thinks of him—she wasn't quite herself when I last saw her. Perhaps that is a symptom of true of true love."

   "What is your opinion of him?" Henry asked.

   Damon shrugged. "I don't know him well at all. James and I met at a shoot a few summers ago. He seemed all right, didn't he, David?"

   David shook his head. "A bit spoiled, arrogant as I remember."

   "Are you discussing my husband?" a feminine voice teased from the door. "Or would this personage be any of his brothers?"

   Henry glanced up with a grin at his sister-in-law. "Do come in, Joan. You'll bring a fresh perspective to our debate."

   The Marchioness of Scotney entered the room, her gaze going straight to her husband, who, along with the other men present, had risen at the sound of her voice. "I daresay my opinion will not be welcome. I have never made a secret of the fact I disapproved of banishing Charlotte in the first place."

   "Very well," Henry said, guiding her by the elbow to a chair. "You shall be the single voice of dissent."

   David smiled. "The voice of reason."

   Joan came to a halt and laughed. "Then let me say from the start I shall not sanction any more of my husband's sneaky and heavy-handed tactics in regard to holy matrimony."

   "Heavy handed?" Henry said, barely suppressing a chuckle.

   "Sneaky?" Geordo looked genuinely affronted. "I prefer to think I proved the desperate lengths to which a man in love can driven." Everyone present knew he was referring to the fact that he had tricked Joan  into marrying him.

   "Which brings us back to the subject," Lizzie said. "Does this young man love Charlotte? Is he a match worth pursuing?"

   "More to the point," Joan said, arranging her rose-pink skirt around her ankles, "is whether this is a match worth of a clandestine marriage contract made at midnight in a parked carriage?"

   There was only a moment of silence as the family remembered how Geordo had turned the tables on his devious Joan during the turbulent days of their courtship.

   "Darling," Geordo said, his gaze openly adoring, "are you complaining?"

   She gave him an intimate smile.

   Lizzie shook her head in chagrin. "If I have any say in this, there will not be another cause for notoriety. Shall we introduce ourselves to this brave young man? David? Geordo?"

   Geordo's broad forehead creased in a frown. "There can't be many chances for misconduct in Chistlebury."

   "How does the old saying go?" Joan asked her husband. " 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop?' "

   Geordo laughed. "Why do you look at me when you quote that?"

   She smiled again. "Experience, my love."

   David glanced over at Damon. "Is it safe to wait to make a decision?"

   "This young man hasn't formally made a proposal," Lizzie pointed out. "I hope they haven't decided to elope."

   "I don't remember Charlotte flirting with anyone at Benedic's funeral," Geordo said thoughtfully.

   "Only because she wasn't there to flirt," Henry said. "She was unwell on that day as I remember. From what I understand, they have not found Ben's murderer yet. Sir Edward wrote me that he suspects a dishonored soldier or sailor. Strange. The whole thing is entirely strange and disturbing. I suppose I should offer to help Edward."

   "Flirting at the poor man's funeral," Lizzie said, incensed at the very notion. "I should hope not. What has happened to this family in my absence?"

   Geordo settled back against the sofa. "Aunt Penelope says that this Sinclair is the most eligible bachelor in the parish."

   "He's probably the only bachelor," Damon said. "The village must boast a population of twenty-five."

   "Perhaps I shall ride down to introduce myself," Geordo said.

   "Scare him off like a field mouse is more like," Joan murmured. "I do recall how you frightened off her poor cavalry officer with your shouting in the pavilion at that at that breakfast party."

   Henry looked over at David. "Whatever happened to that baron who kissed Charlotte behind the carriage?"

   "I believe he's been silent about the whole affair," David replied. "Considering the circumstances, he probably considers himself fortunate that Geordo did not kill him."

   "I say we should wait another fortnight to decide Charlotte's fate." Henry stroked his upper lip. "Something may change by then."

   Geordo shrugged. "That's reasonable."

   Lizzie nodded. "Waiting is often the wisest course—anything to avoid another wedding scandal. It would be the absolute end of us."

   Geordo stared across the room at his elegant green eyed wife. "I don't know about that, Lizzie. A wedding scandal was the start of a very happy life for me."