He waited for her to respond, but as was typical when Clara felt insecure, she said absolutely nothing. The book in her lap rose as a kind of defense, and she ducked her chin as if she were reading. Knowing her, she probably was.
“Clara,” he said, “we must talk about what must happen this Season.”
Clara let out a heavy sigh. “You’re going to lecture me about responsibilities.”
“We are adults, Clara. I’m an earl now and you—”
“About Lilah,” she interrupted. “What do you think of her?”
It was a clear distraction tactic. She didn’t want to talk about the coming Season, so she was changing the topic. Unfortunately, it worked. At the mere mention of Miss Rees’ name, his gut tightened, and words failed him. He felt lust, admiration, fascination, and so many more things in a complicated mass that clogged his throat and fogged his brain. He couldn’t admit that to anyone, much less his mercurial sister, so he said something noncommittal.
“I am pleased she is your friend. Now back to the Season. I will be confirmed in the House of Lords in a few weeks—”
“That’s not an answer!” Clara huffed. “I want to know what you really think of her.”
He straightened in his seat and put on his most stern look. He had made men quiver with this stare and he had used it to great effect on the floor of the House of Commons. “After the confirmation, we must throw a ball.”
“You walked her home, didn’t you? That’s a great deal of time for conversation. What do you think of her as a marriage prospect?”
His throat closed down. What he thought wasn’t for his sister’s ears because all he thought about were ways to bed Lilah. He wanted to possess her in the most carnal of ways.
He cleared his throat and used the time to focus his thoughts. “I know I have left the management of the staff to you,” he said. Actually, Clara had “given” that to him as a Christmas present every year, elegantly written in a letter under the tree.I will take care of your house.It made it impossible for him to hire someone competent without hurting her feelings. “But I think this might be too much for you.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ve already been thinking about throwing more parties.”
“A ball is an enormous undertaking.”
Clara nodded. “I think Lilah will make someone an excellent wife.”
“Maybe Lilah could help you plan the ball? I’m sure she’d have some excellent ideas.”
His sister stared at him. “Of course, she has excellent ideas. That’s why she’d be an excellent wife.”
“Will you let her help organize the ball? It’s too much for one person to handle.”
“I have much grander plans than that.”
He blinked. “Grander? Clara, I don’t need anything grand.”
“Not you, silly. Lilah. I’m going to make sure she gets married this year.”
He touched his sister’s hand. “She told me she did a full Season last year with Sayre’s help, but most hostesses won’t accept her. Last year—”
“I don’t mean theton! They’re much too blind to see her worth. I’m going to introduce her to barristers, tradesmen, and gentlemen of industry. Your ball is the perfect place to do that.”
His heart froze in horror. “No, Clara, you can’t. You can’t go about directing a person’s life like that. It’s interfering where you’ve no business—”
“Isn’t that whatyoudo every day? You play with tariffs to get people to buy our corn. You direct the canals and give money to hospitals and the like.”
“That’s the business of government!”
“And what is that but interfering in people’s lives?”
“It’s not trying to get them to marry a barrister!”
“Just restrict their choices in goods by making one more expensive than another.”
Damnation, when had she started paying attention to politics? “The Corn Laws are complicated.” And he didn’t support them anyway.