To Bed a Beaty

so.”

“Why?” Her tone was curious. “Were your parents as horribly antagonistic as mine? Did they despise each other?”

“No. They rarely showed any emotion toward each other at all. They considered it ill-bred to exhibit any feelings.”

“And they raised you that way?”

Her perceptiveness cut too close for comfort. He’d had a cold upbringing. A childhood barren of affection or familial feeling. “Somewhat,” was all Drew could bring himself to say.

“So your parents married for convenience.”

“And to perpetuate their illustrious bloodlines. They both could trace their ancestry back to William the Conqueror.”

“I suppose you mean to do the same?”

Again Drew shrugged. “I don’t particularly care. But other than carrying on the line, there are few benefits to marriage.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes. In fact, there are many disadvantages.”

“Such as?”

“For one thing, most couples who wed for convenience have little in common, so there is little enjoyment to be found in each other’s company.”

“Perhaps,” she conceded.

“And marriage can be a prime opportunity for boredom. If you’re shackled to one wife, you can’t easily be rid of her. At least a mistress can be exchanged if you grow tired of her.”

Her blue eyes danced with laughter. “That is an advantage indeed. I hadn’t considered it.”

Drew leaned back in his seat, beginning to enjoy himself. “Marriage can be a breeding ground for hostilities, as your own parents proved.”

“That is one point we can agree on, at least,” Roslyn said with a shudder. “What else?”

“A bachelor has no family to tie him down, as a married man does. A bachelor can do precisely as he pleases.”

“Yes, it would undoubtedly be frustrating to have to consider another person’s feelings. It is much easier to be selfish and never put anyone else’s happiness before your own.”

Drew appreciated her humor, but he pressed on. “A wife may turn out to be a nag,” he pointed out. “Or fall into jealous rages if her husband spends his days at his club and his nights in bed with his mistress.”

“Could you blame her?”

“Yes. A marriage of convenience is just that-a legal union with no promises of love or fidelity.”

“Which is precisely why I would never consider wedding for mere convenience,” Roslyn said, leaning forward earnestly. “But there are advantages to be found in a good marriage that I’m certain you have never considered.”

“Name one.”

“I can name several. The best is that you will always have a companion. Someone to talk to and listen to. To wake up to each morning, and share meals and congenial pursuits with. You are rarely lonely.”

Drew relaxed against the sofa back. “Assuming the couple is compatible, which is rarely the case in a convenient marriage.”

“In a good marriage, they are compatible in most respects and have many shared interests. Moreover, they can have children, a family,” Roslyn continued.

“You can have that in any marriage.”

“True, you can beget children. But it will hardly be a loving family. And keep in mind the most important advantage: A husband will have a hostess for his balls, and his wife will have an escort to various entertainments.” She gave a light laugh. “You must admit that Haviland wouldn’t be in his current predicament if he were married to me.”

“I cannot argue with that,” Drew admitted, amused.

“No, seriously…a good marriage is based on friendship and affection and perhaps love-even though you don’t believe in it.”

Drew mentally shook his head. He couldn’t imagine his own parents ever having loved each other or even being friends. If his mother had a heart of ice, his father hadn’t been much warmer. The late Duke of Arden had been rigid, reserved, aloof-a strict disciplinarian who never showed any signs of affection for a living soul, not even his only son and heir. Drew hadn’t grieved terribly when he lost his father eight years ago, for they barely knew each other.

He’d been shipped off to Eton when he was six, where he was fortunate to meet his cherished boyhood friends. Except for Marcus and Heath, he might have turned out very much like his austere sire. Thank God they had saved him from becoming such a self-important stuffed shirt.

Drew summoned a smile. “Not even those possible advantages could tempt me into marriage. I am quite content to remain single.”

“Are you truly?” She cocked her head. “A loving marriage can give you satisfaction and fulfillment. Can you say your mistresses give you fulfillment other than the carnal kind?”

No, he couldn’t claim that. He’d had a number of mistresses in the past, but those liaisons, while fulfilling sexually, had been only superficial. He had wanted it exactly that way, with no attachment, no bonding, no passion beyond the physical.

“The carnal kind is all that interests me,” he answered evenly.

Her expression turned impish. “I sincerely hope Lord Haviland doesn’t share your opinion.”

“You will have to convince him otherwise-which means you need to work harder at seducing him.”

“I intend to,” she said sweetly. “Why do you think I have spent so much time learning your techniques? I have every intention of seducing him into loving me.”

When she smiled serenely, Drew’s gaze was drawn to her mouth. Not only did he feel the fierce urge to kiss her, but he found himself increasingly captivated by the enchanting Roslyn Loring.

Yet she clearly had no such feelings for him.

Her disinterest in him not only irked him but was beginning to be a challenge, Drew realized. It roused the primal urge in him to prove that she wasn’t nearly as indifferent to him as she pretended.

Comprehending the danger in succumbing to his urges, however, he consulted the mantel clock. “Enough about matrimony. I suggest we move on to your lesson, for I need to be in London by noon.”

He rose and moved to shut the library door. “So we won’t be disturbed,” he explained before returning to lounge on the sofa. “Tell me about the rest of Fanny’s letter. What did she advise you about clothing?”

Roslyn had been pondering the duke’s remarks about marriage when he abruptly changed the subject, so it took her a moment to shift her thoughts.

Even then she hesitated, reluctant to repeat Fanny’s suggestions, since they entailed making an effort to show off her physical charms. “She merely said I should adopt a more inviting style.”

“She’s right. That gown you’re wearing is attractive enough”-his gaze skimmed down her peach-colored muslin morning dress that was part of her new wardrobe-“but it is a trifle too modest for your purpose. The neckline should be lower to show more bosom, and the waist tighter to emphasize your figure. Your curves are ample enough, I know firsthand. But with your height and slenderness, you need to highlight the lushness of your breasts.”

Unable to stop her blush, Roslyn sent the duke a reproachful look, certain he was enjoying discomfiting her. In return he gave her a smile that was wickedly charming-one that had a deplorable effect on her pulse rate.

“Your hair is another problem,” he said, his assessment moving upward from her body to her face.

Instinctively Roslyn raised a hand to her coiffure. She had pinned it into a sedate knot at her nape, a simple style that didn’t require a maid’s help to achieve. For years the Loring sisters had been too poor to afford servants of their own, and their step-uncle had been too miserly to provide them any. “What is wrong with my hair?”

“It’s too severe. You should wear it in a more careless style. Let a few curls frame your face. Better yet, let some tresses hang down over your shoulder. It’s most appealing if you look like you’ve just risen from your bed. That gives a man notions about taking you back there.”