calls for it,” Amanda retorted drily. “Just last year I heard that he was seeing a woman in the north, the daughter of a duke with five thousand a year to her credit. There were whispers that they were to wed. But she found him in a compromising situation with one of the maids of the house only a few weeks before the announcement was to be made. It was a scandal indeed, and I’m sad to say that the scandal caught up the girl and her family even more than it did the gentleman.”
“Isn’t that the way it always is,” Margaret said, bitterly thinking of Molly.
“That is not all. He is a gambler in the extreme and is known for making terrible investments. I know that you look down on my gossip, Margaret, but I assure you that in this matter I am not relying on hearsay.” She nodded towards the elegant painting of her future husband that hung just behind them on the wall.
“My own dear George tells me that he has been in business meetings with that particular gentleman where Lord Waddington was trying to convince his friends to go in on some very rash investments. The gentleman doesn’t seem to know a good deal from a bad one, and is more than willing to ship his money overseas when the first adventurer comes to his aid. He is a hard man indeed to trust.” Amanda pursed her lips together. “You do not need someone like that, Margaret, not now when you have a little one to care for. He does not seem like the sort of man you could trust with your inheritance.”
Margaret took a deep breath. “This is worse than I thought,” she said. “But I shouldn’t worry about my inheritance, should I? He told my father that he was very wealthy, and his estates are vast.”
“He lied,” Amanda said simply, sympathy showing in her eyes. “George told me he is practically penniless, and his estate is mortgaged already due to his gambling debts. I heard from a woman in town that he is linked to an older woman across the sea. He never married her, but the connection exists through all his other romances. Apparently, there was some disagreement with the law in the country, and he cannot return. I don’t know the details, but it should tell you how systemic the problem is.”
“How did he avoid active service in the military if he was unable to purchase his safety?” Margaret asked, feeling a dull fear growing.
“I believe it was the same country that the woman was from. He lived overseas and avoided recognition by the government during that time.” Amanda leaned forward. “He will not change, Margaret. Men never do. Women always think that marriage will settle the wild sides of a man, but it doesn’t. I chose my George because I knew that though he was a bit older and simple and quiet, he was kind and would not use me poorly. A man cannot break his habits as easily as all that.”
“He is after me because of my inheritance,” Margaret said with a sigh. “Of course, it makes sense now. I wondered all this time what could possibly induce a man who hardly paid me any attention to suddenly propose marriage to my father. He likely realises that a delay in the arrangement will show my father the truth of his finances. He wishes things over as soon as possible.”
“He will only drag you down,” Amanda said. “You must tell your father the truth.”
Margaret sighed and looked at her hands. “It won’t do, Amanda. You know my father. He has always been very careful to hold himself aloof from all manner of gossip. I respect and trust you, but he would not. He would think it was merely whispered words at a woman’s tea and would put no credence in it.”
Amanda pursed her lips together in annoyance. “Honestly, I know more about what goes on in the House of Lords than my own husband does, sometimes. A woman’s tea is not a place to demean. It is a place where information is passed and real decisions are made.”
Margaret cocked her head to the side. “Perhaps. And though you and I are both certain of that, it doesn’t change my father’s views. He will not be convinced by a repetition from me of what you have told me today. He will hold me to the pact made between him and Lord Waddington.”