She liked to dance with handsome men.
He headed down the stairs—but stopped on the landing in shock to see his father, once again standing in his home, eyeing him with obvious anger. “Where have you been?”
“Father,” he said, settling his trunk just out of sight before finishing his descent to the entrance hall. “What a pleasure to see you again.”
Father glared at him still. “I expected to see you at the Sorenson dinner last night.”
Drew shook his head. “Unfortunately, I sent my regrets last week.”
“And failed to inform me yet again,” Father snapped. “I have looked the fool for the last time, young man, chasing you all about Town. I expected to see you on the dance floor with a pretty lady on your arm. What do you think you are about, eschewing society for no good reason?”
“I have been busy.”
“Too busy to do your duty to your own father for weeks now, too. Young man, you cannot win unless you join the hunt! Well, I will have an explanation, Sullivan. What have you to say for yourself?”
Drew gritted his teeth and gestured to the adjoining room. “Brandy?”
“No.” But the duke strode into the room anyway and stopped only when he reached the fire. Northport turned and set his feet wide apart before the only remaining source of heat in the house, glowering and puffing out his chest. “I am waiting.”
Drew sighed and shut the doors to the room. “It’s not at all complicated.”
“I will be the judge of that.”
Drew thought it too early to share, but Northport would not leave until Drew accounted for his activities these past weeks. At least some of them. “You are aware that I have been wishing to invest in a London property for some time now.”
“Yes, I remember you saying something about it last year. I trust you’ve settled on a place by now. There’s a shortage of suitable investments in Mayfair. You should expect to pay a steep price for something worth your time and distinction.”
“That is true.” He settled on the arm of a sturdy chair, relaxing in the hope his father might do the same. “I have looked about and have had to conclude this part of Mayfair is far too expensive for my pocket.”
“You would have been better served spending your time in ladies drawing rooms. Choosing a bride is where you should have focused your attention, my son,” Father advised. “You already have a home here, and a thriving estate in Kent.”
“Both belong to someone else,” he said quietly. Kent was Father’s secondary country estate and part of the duchy’s entail. Drew could never buy it from him. Given its distance from his primary seat, Father had lent it to Drew to make something more of it. He’d done well, learned all he could about land and livestock. Taken Clare there upon their marriage and had the run of the place for years. But he’d not had the final say in anything, really. He’d always had to account for every penny he’d spent. “I want something that belongs to me.”
“Have I not given you a free hand at Kent? The profits you made there were exceptional in recent years, though you were never one to boast, were you?” Father looked about him and grimaced. “Have you spoken to the leaseholder about taking over this place permanently?”
“No. It does not suit,” Drew murmured.
Father’s eyes narrowed on him. “You are too particular, but that is what sets you apart from other young men. You will make a fine duke one day, and when you inherit after me, you will have more money than you can ever spend. I am confident the Northport estate will be in good hands with you. You are usually sensible and frugal to a fault.”
“Usually?”
“In other matters, we disagree. I think it is foolishness indeed to save yourself for a second marriage as if you were some simpering virgin. Go out there and demand the best bride. Chastity is ill-suited to a man of my lineage.”
Drew nearly laughed at that suggestion. Lineage had little to do with acting on desire. He was no longer saving himself for marriage, if he ever had. But he’d found the right woman for himself at last. It was the way Aurora made him feel. Comfortable in his own skin once again. “It was not an intentional abstinence. I simply never found someone I liked enough,” he promised.
Northport inhaled deeply and then let it out slowly, seemingly thinking about what he might say. Drew hoped he wouldn’t ask which tonnish event he would be attending next. He wouldn’t be happy with the answer, when it would be none.
“Well, I’m glad to find you in better spirits than last season. I always hoped eventually you’d see sense and throw yourself back into the fray of life again,” Father said, nodding. “A gentleman always requires female companionship no matter his age.”
Drew inclined his head. “Indeed, he does.”
Father narrowed his eyes on Drew, looking him up and down. Drew almost squirmed under such close inspection. “Well, well, well. Is it an investment or a woman who has diverted you from society? I shall forgive you any absence from the ballrooms if that is the case and cause for your ease today.” He pointed at Drew’s upper coat pocket. “Is that a gift for her? Let’s take a look then.”
Drew glanced down and saw the jewel box sticking out of his coat. Reluctantly, he dug in his pocket for the gift and revealed the gems to his father.
Northport nodded approvingly. “Not too miserly. Not too gauche. An excellent choice for a first lover.”
“First and only,” Drew said under his breath, but his father heard him anyway.