That requires some standard which your prospects must meet.”
She became uncomfortable. “My best friends are advising me.”
More surprise covered his handsome face. “Lady Waverly and…I cannot recall the brunette.”
“She is Lady Dagwood now. Felicia is newly wed.”
“And what do your lady friends advise you to do?”
Blanche stared, their gazes locked. And this time, she could not seem to look away. She felt warmth creep into her cheeks. She could not imagine telling him what Bess and Felicia advised.
He leaned forward. “They are aware, are they not, that of your two hundred and twenty-eight suitors, two hundred of them are fortune-hunting rascals?”
She wet her lips, for they were terribly dry. “I beg to differ. Of my two hundred and twenty-eight suitors, I am certain that two hundred and twenty-eight are fortune hunters.”
Relief covered his features. And he began to smile. “Thank God you are a sensible woman. So what do your friends advise and how will you choose from such a lot?”
“They hope I will choose someone young and handsome, and they do not care if he is interested only in my fortune.”
“Surely you will not heed those two!”
“I am not really interested in a buck years younger than myself and I do not care if my husband is handsome or not.” She stared at the blanket. Sir Rex was also handsome—sometimes she thought him excessively so.
He calmed. “I hope you will remain this sensible in the face of a charming rake who whispers his undying devotion in your ear—appearing to mean his every word, when every word is insincere.”
“I doubt I will be fooled, Sir Rex,” she said, their gazes once again meeting.
“I must warn you, Lady Harrington,” he finally said.
“Why?”
“Because in spite of what you may think, I am a gentleman.” He flushed. “You are a ripe mark for every scheming rogue. You do not need a husband who will waste your fortune instead of guarding it. And even if there is some amusement the first year or two, he will cause you years of grief afterward. The kind of rogue I am referring to, will spend every cent and penny and then wander when he wishes.”
She stared and he stared back. “I am aware of that scenario,” she finally said.
“Good.” He poured more wine for himself, appearing somewhat angry.
She was aware of how terrible a mismatch could be. “Do you care to offer your advice?”
He did not look away, his dark stare shockingly intense. “I advise you to cast your net outside the current pool,” he said instantly. “The kind of gentleman you are looking for will not step forward. He will consider himself beneath you—and he will consider stepping forward, considering your wealth and his lack thereof, beneath him.”
She had never received better advice, she thought. He was right. She must discard all 228 suitors and find new ones. And was this the reason Sir Rex hadn’t come forward?
Her heart hammered yet a third time, which she could not comprehend. Of course this was the reason—he was not a fortune hunter—and he would never put himself in the position of appearing to be one.
On the other hand, that didn’t mean, had she possessed more modest means, that he would step forward, either. And she hardly wished for him to court her! She had recovered from seeing him in such a private encounter, and she certainly admired a great many qualities he possessed, but he was far too manly for a woman like herself.
Blanche realized she was breathless. This was the crux of the matter. It was far more significant than her being a society hostess, and him being a country recluse. She hadn’t even been kissed and Sir Rex was clearly a man with huge appetites and vast experience. They would never get on.
“You haven’t eaten,” he said.
Blanche picked up her plate, aware that her hand trembled. She was careful to avoid Sir Rex’s regard now. “Thank you. I think I will follow your advice,” she said. “Or at least attempt to do so.”
SHE WAS NEVER going to sleep now.
Blanche stood at the window in her bedroom, the night sky sparkling with stars, the ocean gleaming black and silver. Because of the late luncheon, Sir Rex had taken a light repast in his study while he went over his paperwork, and she had taken a tray to her room. It was almost midnight, and she had been tossing and turning for at least an hour, entirely preoccupied with her host.
She must discard all of her current suitors; she had made up her mind because such advice was inherently right. But then what?
Should she consider Sir Rex as a prospective husband, after all?
And why, at his age, was he still unattached?
She listened to the ocean’s roar, but was not soothed. No amount of cold ocean air could cool her cheeks. So much had happened in the past day and a half, she felt as if she had been gone for a year. Her world felt entirely different now, as if she had been poised on a precipice, and one false step would lead to a vast fall. It was so unnerving.
But hadn’t she dreamed of a day when her heart would race, when she would feel something other than calm and peace?
She just hadn’t anticipated that day ever coming, and then being filled with so much confusion. Sir Rex had somehow tilted her world, making her feel uncertain and unsettled. But it was better than her world being so perfectly flat and even that she never missed a stride, wasn’t it?
If they had separate bedrooms, Sir Rex might be the right choice for a husband. He would honestly and meticulously manage her fortune and her estates. They seemed to enjoy one another and were becoming friends, and Blanche knew that the few successful marriages in town were based on a deep affection. Still, she had many reservations about him. His drinking worried her. That display of arms worried her even more. Whatever had happened in the war, it haunted him and was causing him great unhappiness. She would dismiss his reclusive nature; he could come and go in town as he pleased. The truth of the matter was that his virility caused her the most hesitation.
He obviously had extreme needs. She had none. He undoubtedly required a passionate partner, and Blanche knew that woman was not herself. Many couples had separate bedrooms. However, if they had separate bedrooms, he would wish for a mistress, and of course, she would have to look the other way, with absolute indifference. She would be indifferent, wouldn’t she? And what about children?
She was jumping ahead of herself. She was considering Sir Rex as a candidate, in spite of the reservations she had about him. And she still didn’t know why he remained a bachelor, and she certainly didn’t know if he might be persuaded to enter a union with her even if she decided to ask him for one.
And if she did tender a proposal, and he accepted, then what?
Anne had wept in pleasure in his arms. She had wept in ecstasy and it had been shocking. The rapture on Sir Rex’s face had been even more shocking.
Blanche turned from the
