some suitable marital candidates. It sure as blazes was not supposed to be yourself. I was only jesting before when I ragged you about proposing to one of them.”
“I know you were. And at the time I had no intention of offering for Arabella.”
“So what in hell’s name happened?” Drew asked with grave seriousness. “We knew you were attracted to her, Marcus. But that doesn’t mean you should willingly hang yourself in a marriage noose.”
“Contain your enthusiasm for me, will you?”
Drew’s scoffing sound held impatience. “Come now, you know we can’t help but be alarmed and disappointed when you make such a momentous decision that will affect the rest of your life-and ours as well-without so much as a word to either of us.”
Marcus smiled faintly. “Perhaps I said nothing because I knew you wouldn’t approve.”
“You’re claiming you actually
“I’m afraid so. Don’t look so glum, my friend. I haven’t expired. It is only the avowed bachelor in me that has met his demise. It happens to the best of us sometimes.”
Drew’s gaze narrowed in a scowl. “I never expected it to happen to you-to any of us-for a long time to come.”
“Nor did I, believe me,” Marcus murmured. “It caught me entirely by surprise.”
Heath shook his head in similar perplexity. “It’s understandable you would be fascinated by Miss Loring’s beauty and spirit, especially if she refused your marriage offer. No other woman you know would dare reject you, so of course you are intrigued by the challenge of pursuing her-”
“It isn’t only the challenge,” Marcus interjected.
“Then what is it?”
“I finally found someone I could picture as my countess, one who could prove a good match for me.”
Drew frowned with deep skepticism, but Heath appeared thoughtful. “If that’s true,” he said slowly, “then I could almost envy you. I’ve never encountered any woman whom I considered my ideal match. I suppose you are to be congratulated.”
“I believe I am,” Marcus replied lightly.
It was no surprise that Heath was willing to regard a foray into matrimony as a potential positive rather than catastrophic development. Heath’s effortless charm made him a great favorite with women; he’d just never wanted to be tied down to only one of the adoring females who flocked to him in droves. Yet Heath was the most reckless and daring of the three, and the most open to new adventures, while Drew was the most guarded-and the most cynical.
Just now Drew ran a hand through his fair hair in a gesture of frustration. “You cannot have thought this through clearly.”
Yes, he had thought it through, Marcus reflected. But he was acting more on instinct than cold logic.
Arabella brought a much needed spark of fire into his life. She was warm and vibrantly alive…
Marcus smiled as he remembered the laughing gleam in her gray eyes last evening at the ball when she’d handed him the list of young ladies she wanted him to partner. And then later, the grateful emotion in her eyes when she thanked him for rescuing her pupil, her expression soft and giving.
He’d made up his mind then that he wouldn’t let her go. His decision, however, was difficult to explain to his closest friends, since they’d never felt such possessiveness toward any woman.
When he remained silent, Drew interrupted his thoughts with a sardonic drawl. “You cannot possibly fancy yourself in love, Marcus.”
He had never held out the hope, either, of finding intimacy and affection in marriage, but the prospect was highly appealing-and quite possible with Arabella as his wife.
At the very least, their marriage would be exhilarating. Far from the cold, dispassionate union his parents had known, or the bitterly antagonistic never-ending battle Arabella’s parents had reportedly perpetuated.
“No,” Marcus said slowly, “I cannot claim to be in love.”
“You relieve my mind,” Drew said, his caustic tone suggesting just the opposite.
Marcus gave the duke an assessing glance. Drew’s convictions would be difficult to sway, he knew. “You will be more relieved once you come to know Arabella, which is why I asked you both to join us at the theater tomorrow night. So you can meet her and judge for yourself. I am taking her to dine at the Clarendon beforehand, with her friend, Lady Freemantle, acting as chaperone.”
“Don’t tell me you require a chaperone to dine at a public hotel with your spinster ward.”
“Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be necessary, but with her reputation still under the cloud of her parents’ scandal, I think it advisable. I mean to reestablish Arabella and her sisters in society, so I’m prepared to do everything that is proper. I’ve invited Eleanor and Aunt Beatrix to share our box at Covent Garden, so they can also become acquainted with Arabella.”
Beatrix, Viscountess Beldon, was Marcus’s maternal aunt, and an amiable lady herself. All three men were fond of the elderly dame.
“Why not invite us all to dine at the Clarendon with you?” Heath asked.
“Because I am taking my courtship one step at a time,” Marcus explained. “A private dinner with family and friends would be too intimate at this point. I don’t want to push Arabella so much that she bolts.”
Heath shot the duke an amused glance. “Sounds as if her aversion to matrimony is as fierce as yours, Drew.”
“It is,” Marcus confirmed. “I had to coerce her just to get her to attend the theater tomorrow night.” He glanced between his two friends. “So you will come?”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Heath said at once.
“And you, Drew?”
“If I must,” he replied more reluctantly.
Marcus smiled. “Good. I expect you both to be on your best behavior. Arabella has a decided distaste for rakes, and all of us qualify to some extent. I want her to see that we do have a few estimable qualities.”
Heath raised an eyebrow. “You mean to say that she is a prude?”
Marcus laughed softly, recalling Arabella’s enthusiastic reception of his lovemaking. “Not in the least. But her father was a champion philanderer, so she wants nothing to do with men of his ilk.”
His friend nodded slowly. “I suppose that is understandable, but you had best take care not to let her turn you into a tame milksop.”
“I have little fear of that. Arabella has no fancy for milksops, either.”
“What about her two sisters?” Heath asked thoughtfully. “You say they are both beauties?”
“Yes, why?”
“If you find them half as intriguing as your eldest ward, I might like to meet them.”
He did indeed find them intriguing, Marcus mused. His second ward was the most exquisite of the three, although he preferred Arabella’s earthier appearance-red-gold tresses and flashing gray eyes-to Roslyn’s golden princess image. Lilian was as captivating but wholly different from either of her sisters; her bold dark eyes and vibrant chestnut hair gave her a vividness that brought Gypsies to mind.
“The middle sister, Roslyn is an extraordinary beauty,” Marcus said, “but a bit on the delicate side for your taste, Heath. The youngest, Lilian, is a true spitfire-more up your alley. Perhaps you might like me to introduce you.”
Heath responded with a grin. “I might at that. I have yet to meet the woman who could tame me enough to make me wish to settle down, but one can always hope.”
“If you would offer for her, I could be rid of the responsibility for her. What about you, Drew?” Marcus asked. “With her elegance and intelligence, Roslyn might kindle your interest.”
“Are you out of your skull?” Drew demanded with a look of mock horror. When Marcus chuckled, Drew skewered him with a glance. “Don’t press me, you sorry bleater. It’s enough that I am willing to withhold judgment of your new infatuation until I meet her. With any luck, the eldest Miss Loring will have the good sense to rebuff you permanently, so we can return to our normal peaceful existence.”
At that cynical comment, Marcus held his tongue, yet he had no desire to return to his normal existence. He was making slow but sure progress in his courtship of Arabella, and he had every intention of wedding her, despite
