Aaron frowned. Judith had made a bit of a cake out of herself, but this judgment was harsh and hardly deserved.
“She is… unique. She knows what she wants, and she is rather independent.”
Henry chuckled. “She seemed rather bird-brained to me. Pray, who is this friend who has asked you to help her find a husband? Ah, wait. Judith Birks? Is her brother Oliver Birks, the new Marquess of Worcester? It all makes sense now. Lady Judith has a bit of a reputation for being picky.”
Aaron perked up at this and drew his eyebrows together. A chill whipped through the air, and he pulled his shoulders back. “Does she now?”
He’d heard that she was on the shelf from Oliver and that she wasn’t terribly interested in making a match, but now he was told she had a reputation for being picky? There was little worse than a lady with a poor reputation. For a man, even when one could be considered a rake, a reputation always added to the mystery and allure. For a woman, it made it almost impossible to find a husband.
“Indeed. She had a good match and was to be married but then ended it. Nobody has wanted to court her since, and she has not seemed terribly interested either. Pray, do you really think you can find her a husband?” Henry let out a snort as if this was the funniest thing he’d ever heard.
“I think I can, and I shall,” Aaron declared. “I think you have forgotten who I am. The Duke of Nottingham does not give in or give up, and he always gets what he wants.”
He realized that speaking about himself in the third person sounded arrogant, but he knew that with people like Henry, one had to display confidence.
“I do not envy you one bit,” Henry said. “Indeed, I think I will have to place a wager on the matter.”
Aaron narrowed his eyes, suddenly irritated by his friend. “Do not say such things, it is improper and unkind.”
“Improper and unkind?” Henry parroted. “Are you not the one who will place a wager on anything at a moment’s notice? Why not this? Or do you not have any confidence in yourself at all?”
Aaron pressed his lips together “I can find her a husband. I know I can. But I do not think it right to be a fool about it and place wagers. This is her life we are talking about.”
Why am I suddenly protective of her? It makes no sense…
“Come now, Aaron, do not play coy,” Henry scoffed just as Sir Marius joined them.
“What is this I hear about a wager?”
Henry turned to him with a bright grin. “I told Aaron here that I’d place a wager against his ability to find a husband for Lady Judith, but he seems ill-inclined. You see, she is the one. Thepickyone. Lord Worcester’s daughter.”
“Ah, I see,” Marius replied, as though he knew exactly what Henry was talking about. “A wager? I am for it,” he agreed at once. “I bet you ten Guineas that you won’t be able to find a man to take her off your hands by the time her brother returns.”
Henry nodded. “As do I.”
“You are both horrid,” Aaron huffed and crossed his arms, his eyes following the young woman as she continued on her way.She and her friend were now walking along the Serpentine, arm in arm.
“You only say that because you know you cannot win,” Marius jested. “For I dare say, while she is beautiful, she seems entirely ungraceful and incapable of having a meaningful conversation.”
“I agree,” Henry said. “Finding her a husband will be near impossible. Had I known she was so ill-spoken and slow, I’d have not agreed to let you introduce me to her.”
What had he been thinking, introducing Henry to Judith? Had his friend always been such a horrible man? Or was this just the way young men acted? Had he simply never noticed before? It was so odd that people would act in such ways. Aaron had never judged a woman for her appearance or her mannerisms—unless she was outright rude to him, which of course was the case with Judith. Still, she didn’t deserve such judgment.
Still, she had displayed a shocking lack of class and charm when speaking to his friends. He wasn’t sure what had happened exactly, other than the sudden introduction, but he could not help but worry that perhaps she was simply incapable of being charming. Not every beautiful woman had the skills needed to catch a good match.
No, he had to stop thinking like this. Judith might have all the grace of a milk maiden, but she had something most other unfortunate ladies did not. She had him. And if there was one thing Aaron knew, it was how to charm someone.
He’d find her a husband—and before Oliver returned.
With his nostrils flared, he looked at Henry and Marius. “I guarantee you that by the time Oliver returns in two months, she will not only be involved in a courtship but she will also be betrothed.”
His friends broke into whoops and hollers before shaking his hand, accepting his wager.
As he shook their hands, Aaron could not deny feeling a sense of foreboding and unease in his stomach. But it was too late now. He was committed, one way or the other.
“It was a disaster. I do not know how else I can say it,” Judith moaned later that day as she, Joanna, and Rosy sat in the drawing room, cups of tea growing cold in front of them. “The moment he introduced me to his friend, my entire mind went blank. I did not know what to say. I could not speak properly. I do not know what came over me. I am not such a bumbling fool.”
Joanna chewed on her bottom lip and leaned back. “Well, I think it is no wonder that you reacted as you did. Your brother has made you sound as though you do not know how to speak to a gentleman, and this Duke of Nottingham has not helped matters by teasing you and implying that you need his help. If people keep telling you that you lack skill, you will start believing it. But you know it isn’t true.”
