She knew very well how Nicholas felt about marriage.However, before he could reply to his aunt, she had stalked across the room and sat down firmly on the chaise.
She flicked a hand at them, and they both dutifully sat opposite her. She was an exceedingly dapper woman, even in her dotage, and Nicholas could not help but admire how poised she was. The dark red gown she wore perfectly complimented her hair. Despite having exceedingly dark brown hair that often looked almost black, she was still without the grey streaks that her peers were sporting.
“My dear aunt, you know how I feel about settling down.”
Her shoulders remained stiff, her back straight as she eyed him carefully. “I have known of that for many years, my boy, and you have done nothing to persuade me otherwise. However, you are the next Earl of Bernewood. Do you intend to remain unmarried forever?”
If only I could, he thought bitterly.
“I do not wish to displease you, but I have greatly enjoyed my travels. I am in England for two weeks only, and I shall continue to manage things from Europe as I have been.”
“There have been delays throughout the last two years, and many matters of the estate need your attention.”
“I shall endeavour to see to them while I am here, aunt,” he said, flashing a smile. It usually could charm anyone, but his aunt’s face was deeply unimpressed.
It was almost worse when she sighed, her shoulders drooping as she stared at the carpet beneath her feet. He did not wish to evoke such a reaction in anyone, let alone a woman whose opinion he valued so highly.
“Nicholas,” Eleanor began with forced patience. “You are a wonderful man, with excellent prospects. I do not understand why you are so against the idea of matrimony. Would you not like a companion with whom you can share your fortune? Would you not wish to raise children of your own someday?”
Nicholas’s throat tightened at her words. They were so ordinary, yet they invoked a tremor of anxiety in his heart.
Yes, that is precisely what most men in my station would wish for. And I had it. I believed I had everything I wished for in the world in the palm of my hand, only to have it cruelly snatched away.
“Perhaps, one day,” he managed, “but, as it is, I enjoy my freedom. The estate would tie me to one place for too long, and I cannot think of anyone in society whom I admire enough to marry. I would wish for nothing more than to make you happy, Aunt Eleanor, you know that. But I cannot rush into these things.” He raised a hand as she opened her mouth. “I know you feel I have already taken too long about it, but I believe there is much I can learn on my travels to make me a better husband in the long run.”
Her eyes softened, and the familiar affection reappeared on her face. She sighed.
“Very well, then,” she shifted in her seat. “Do not take me for a fool. I know very well of your charm, Nicholas, and you will not unleash it upon me.”
Nicholas chuckled. “I would not dream of it,” he answered, breaking out his most ravishing smile to emphasize the point.
Eleanor closed her eyes as though praying for patience. “I expect you to be on your best behaviour for my Christmas house party,” she continued sternly. “I shall expect the Earl to be present, not my troublesome nephew.”
“Are they perhaps not one and the same?” he asked as she fixed him with a knowing glare.
“Best behaviour.”
“Of course, Aunt. I would never disgrace you,” he insisted merrily.
Finally, she chuckled, relaxing a little in her seat. Rosemary quickly asked her who she had invited to the party, and theconversation turned to the exclusive guest list.
Nicholas knew his sister was attempting to save him from more questions and accusations, and he was grateful to her for that.
However, despite his attempts to listen to what they were discussing, his mind lingered on the past. His aunt's insistence upon him finding a bride always led to memories of Victoria. The same pain stuttered through his chest as he remembered her beautiful face and the dark depths into which he had fallen because of it.
He glanced at the window, surprised to see that the snow was falling again. He had always loved their country seat, but the house did bear unhappy memories. His eyes strayed to the portrait above the fireplace, his father’s steady gaze looking back at him.
Memories flooded to the front of his mind once again, as he recalled the fateful night he had come to the Bernewood Estate after receiving the doctor’s urgent missive.
It had been mere hours after his arrival that he had lost his beloved father. The shock had been immense.
At five and twenty, Nicholas was thrown into the whirlwind of duties that came with the title of Earl of Bernewood. He had been in no way ready for the responsibilities that suddenly weighed upon his shoulders. Society's expectations were crushing enough, but the sheer number of decisions and choices he had had to make in the intervening weeks and months had almost overwhelmed him.
It had been a terrible time, and the bright, shining light that had emerged from the darkness had been Victoria.
He had believed her to be perfect for him in every way. A tall, willowy woman with striking red hair, who captured his heart almost immediately from across the floor. They had danced together in every ballroom that season. She was intelligent,witty, startlingly direct, and exactly what he thought he needed in a wife.
Then, an innocent wrong turn at the final ball of the season had him walking in upon her in a compromising position with another man. Nicholas had stood frozen in the doorway in utter disbelief as Victoria had slowly lowered her leg from the man’s groping fingers and turned to him in surprise.
