When the Marquess Met His Match by Laura Lee Guhrke - An American Heiress in London 01 - When the Marquess Met His Match Read Free Book Online Page A

leather dispatch case beside his chair and pulled out a newspaper.
    Nicholas glanced at the masthead and gave a snort of contempt. “ Talk of the Town ? I had no idea you read the scandal sheets, old boy. I am often discussed in them, I admit, but I fail to see how one more sordid, exaggerated story about me has any bearing on my credit.”
    “This one might.” He folded the newspaper back to a particular page, leaned across the table, and placed the paper in front of Nicholas so that he could read the headline.
    DUKE OF LANDSDOWNE CUTS OFF SON’S TRUST FUND!
    DESTITUTE MARQUESS NOW DESPERATE
    TO MARRY AN HEIRESS FOR MONEY
    Nicholas stared at the article, and his apprehension gave way to something much stronger—a feeling akin to being kicked in the teeth. How had Talk of the Town tumbled to his straightened circumstances so quickly? Landsdowne? He knew from lifelong experience that the duke was ruthless enough to do just about anything to get his way, but not this, surely? Before he could come to any conclusions on the matter, Mr. Freebody spoke again, returning his attention to the material point.
    “This story has caused your situation to be made public. Your bankers surely know of it, and it is doubtful they will offer you any additional credit, for you have no way to secure the loan’s repayment.”
    Freebody was right, of course. Given this story, they’d want collateral. He had none. He took a deep breath and shifted his ground. “I can borrow against my expectations. As the press has already informed the world, I am in London to find a wife. Although I fear she won’t come up to snuff in Landsdowne’s opinion, I expect she’ll bring a dowry satisfactory enough for my bankers and my pocketbook.”
    “To borrow against your expectations, there would need to be a wealthy fiancée waiting in the wings. Is there?” When Nicholas didn’t answer, he went on, “You see? You may find your search for a suitable bride quite difficult.”
    Difficult? Nicholas thought of Lady Featherstone’s refusal to help him and her vow to do all she could to stand in his way, and he rubbed his forehead with an irritable sigh. Damned near impossible was quickly becoming a more apt description of his quest. He lifted his head, forcing aside his misgivings. “It won’t be easy, I’m sure,” he said, and took a sip of coffee. “But I shall fight the good fight, as they say.”
    The lawyer gave him a vinegary smile. “Forgive me for being blunt, but your blackened reputation—”
    “And who was responsible for that?” he shot back, tired of having that wretched business thrown in his face, first by Lady Featherstone and now by Landsdowne’s lawyer. “Did you know the duke had his fingers in that little pie? I doubt it, for you’re a far straighter arrow than your employer.”
    A flicker of what might have been uncertainty flitted across the little lawyer’s face, but it was gone before he could be sure. “Does it really matter how the incident came about? Your refusal to marry Lady Elizabeth nine years ago after the pair of you were caught in a compromising situation ruined both your reputations and will prove a serious impediment in your current search for a wife, particularly as you have made no efforts since then to regain society’s good opinion.”
    He knew all that, but there wasn’t much he could do about the past. He simply had to do his best to repair the damage now, if he could.
    “Your father could be of great assistance to you,” Freebody murmured as if reading his mind. “If Lady Harriet does not suit you, no matter. With his support behind you, no suitable woman would dare refuse you.”
    With those words, Nicholas could feel the same terrible sense of helplessness and rage he’d always felt as a boy growing up under Landsdowne’s thumb. He thought he’d buried those feelings deep enough that they would never resurface, but he’d been wrong. Now, as they came welling back up inside him, he also