Page 7 of How Not to Marry a Duke

“Do not expect me to go along with whatever mad plan you have concocted.” She remained standing and didn’t offer refreshment. At least she felt some small advantage standing while he sat.

Edwin stretched his legs and crossed his booted feet at the ankles. “It’s not a mad plan, but one of necessity. My hands are tied.”

“Perhaps it’s best if you explain.”

His eyes darted over her dress. “I can wait until you dress properly.”

“I am dressed properly.” He may not like her Middle Eastern garb, but she wouldn’t change on his behalf.

“I should expect no less from you. Your mother was a camel-riding foreigner.”

Her temper rose by the second. She should be used to his insults of her and her mother by now, but the truth was, the barbs still stung.

She raised her chin a notch. She’d overheard him and his aristocratic friends speak in the study of her family home when they’d believed the ladies had been occupied elsewhere. They’d smoked their cigars, consumed whisky, and talked about women. The mixed bloods were worthy of mistresses, never wives, and their bigoted beliefs had tormented her with confusing emotions of shame and simmering anger.

She’d never believed a title made a gentleman. In fact, her experience with Edwin and his friends had pointed to the exact opposite. “Do not try to change the subject.”

“Fine,” he snapped. “The truth is that Father left the estate in debt.”

That admission seemed preposterous. Her fingers twisted in her pants. “Father wasn’t a gambler. You inherited all of the earldom’s estates and its wealth.”

She wasn’t aware of any financial hardships. Had Edwin gambled it away so soon? But that didn’t make sense either. For all his faults, her brother was not a gambler. At least not to her knowledge.

Edwin snorted. “I inherited a steep mortgage for the remodeling of the London home as well as merchant debt.”

When her mother was alive every luxury had been afforded them. Her father, the old earl, had spared no expense, and Adeline recalled his purchasing her mother jewels and fashionable gowns. She also recalled them hosting lavish parties and hiring master carpenters and decorators to remodel their London home in Berkeley Square. Growing up, Adeline had always thought the earldom’s coffers were plentiful.

Her father’s death a month prior had changed her life. Had the former earl sheltered her from any hardship? Other than Edwin, only Mary resided in the London home. “What about Mary?”

“I did my duty for my sister and funded her Season—gown, shoes, jewels—and I haven’t touched her dowry. Mary is unaware of the situation.”

She was grateful he’d looked after Mary. She shook her head. “Why not tell Mary everything?”

“Do not be obtuse. Gentlemen do not speak to ladies of their financial concerns.”

“You are speaking to me,” she blurted before realizing the truth. He didn’t consider her a lady, even if their father had married their mother and she was as legitimate as Mary. In his eyes, she was of mixed blood and a stain on the family name. It didn’t help that the old earl never loved Edwin’s mother, but had adored Adeline’s mother, the daughter of a Middle Eastern merchant. A commoner.

Even more damning, the old earl had married Adeline’s mother two weeks after his first wife’s death. It was a sin Edwin could never forget or forgive.

She was aware of Edwin watching her, waiting for her response. “I’m pleased you did right by Mary, but what’s this nonsense about me marrying?”

Edwin stood and went to the parlor window. Hasmik had removed the curtains to wash them, and they currently hung on a line drying in the spring breeze. As a result, Edwin had a clear view of the overgrown hedgerows and the makeshift pen that housed Henry, who was currently rolling in a patch of mud.

“Well?” Adeline prodded.

Edwin turned away from the window. “I seized an opportunity to improve things by investing in a shipping enterprise that promised to return with goods from China.”

Chinoiserie decor was all the rage with the ton, and Adeline knew such a venture had the potential to be quite lucrative. She recalled attending a ball where two ten-foot-tall statues of Chinese warriors flanked the ballroom entrance like silent sentinels. Even the ballroom walls had been decorated with wall coverings depicting images of pandas and bamboo. She’d thought the statutes ostentatious for a London ballroom, but the guests had marveled at the decor.

Edwin folded his hands behind his back. “I borrowed money from a moneylender for the investment. Mr. Slade’s interest on the loan was exorbitant, but the benefits outweighed the risks.”

“And did they?”

“The ship sank at sea.”

A soft gasp escaped her. “I assume Lloyd’s of London insured the cargo.”

He winced. “I didn’t see the need. Purchasing insurance was an extra expense.”