“I asked around about her first,” he raged as he paced up and down the kitchen. “And I learned that she has a reputation for being standoffish and rude. Her sister too. She is married to Lord Jones and is known for treating others with contempt.”
“You do not know that yourself,” Iris tried to rationalise. “You have only heard that from others. You know as well as I do how quickly rumours spread around London.”
“Yes, well, I tried to think that. I wanted to believe that. I thought that maybe she was just shy, but it is all true. She is rude and not someone that I will ever marry.”
Iris nodded slowly, and her brain raced as she tried to work out what might have happened. “Did she do something in particular to make you feel like she was rude?”
“She rolled her eyes at me when I was talking about business.”
Iris found herself stifling a laugh. She did not want to be rude to her son, but she knew better than anyone how long-winded and dull his tales of work could be. He was very proud of his achievements, and rightfully so, but for someone who was not involved in the business world, it was very hard to listen to.
“What did her chaperone say?” she asked tactfully.
“He was very interested in what I had to say.” Edmund shook his head in dismay. He could not understand Mary’s reaction to him. Even now. “He was not rude to me at all.”
Iris took Edmund’s hand and stared deeply into his eyes. “Listen, Son, I know this might not be easy to accept, but for some Ladies, the idea of getting married is a hard one to digest, especially if it is to someone they have had chosen for them. Their father’s telling them that this is the right man for them is really hard to come to terms with. She is only just eighteen years old, is she not?”
“Yes.” Edmund shrugged. He did not understand where his mother was going with this. “So?”
“She is young. She does not even have her father around to argue with him about this. She is probably more distressed than you think. Maybe she is acting out, that is all. I am sure that it has nothing to do with you.”
Edmund pondered this for a moment. His mother certainly knew more about women than he did, but was she right with this one? Maybe Mary had been acting out as a form of rebellion, but that was not what he wanted either. He did not want a wife who was troublesome just for the sake of it. Especially if he did not feel any sort of love for her.
“Maybe that is the case, Mother, but I still do not wish to marry her.”
“Not even for your old mentor?”
Edmund shook his head. He did not like the idea of letting William Roberts down, but what else could he do? Maybe if he were around, he would be able to speak to him and find out the truth about his daughter, but that was not an option, unfortunately.
“I do not think so.”
“If that is the case, then you need to start getting yourself out there,” Iris pushed. “You are getting older now; it is time you find a wife and start having children. I know that you are holding out for the perfect woman, but you will not find her sitting around in the house like this.”
“What are you trying to say to me, Mother?”
“It is the season; there are many events happening. Men are out there at these events finding their wives, and you are doing nothing. I believe that it is time for you to start doing the same. If you do not find someone at these events, then maybe you should reconsider Mary.”
Edmund’s expression tightened. “I will not reconsider Mary. If I need to go to these events to get you off my back, then I shall.”
“It does not have to be like that,” Iris tried. “It might be something that you really enjoy.”
“Mother, you know I only attend the opera and other such events to keep my face known in society. That is all for business reasons. Going to something with the sole intent of meeting a woman will feel very uncomfortable to me. I do not wish things to be so forced.”
“I do not want to make you ...” Iris held back just a little bit. She did not want her son to feel pressured when all she really wanted was to help him.
“No, I shall. But only because my meeting with Mary was just that bad.”
As he spat those words out again, it was with much less conviction. Now that he had spoken about it to his mother a little, he felt less strongly about everything. Maybe she was right about the way that Mary had acted; perhaps he was making it a much bigger thing in his mind. Maybe he had not acted perfectly himself.
But he could not back down. He had said far too much about it.
“I will see what I can sort for you. I am sure it is supposed to be your father doing that but since he is not here ...” Iris stopped herself and smiled. “Anyway, it does not matter. I will ensure that you are invited to the best events. I will help you to find a wife.”
“Oh, yes, I look forward to it.” Edmund gave his own eye roll without really thinking about his actions. “Thank you very much, Mother.”
Iris stood up and walked towards the door with almost a skip in her step. Helping her son to find the perfect woman for him gave her a purpose that she had not felt in a very long time. Edmund might not see it now, but this was exactly what he needed. A good woman in his life would make him very happy.
“You do not need to be sarcastic, Edmund. You will soon see. Love does not always come as an initial moment of excitement anyway; sometimes, you need to be prepared for it to grow slowly. It might be a good idea for you to plan to see a woman more than once before you make up your mind about her ...”
“Yes, maybe if there is something that I might learn to like about her, not when it is instant dislike.”
“Oh, Edmund,” Iris shook her head at him. “Sometimes I think you can be so na?ve.”
Edmund rolled his eyes and stormed out of the room, past his mother after that nasty comment towards his study. If anything, his mother’s words had made him even angrier than before. Why did she feel the need to interfere with everything? Why could she not just let him be? He was only four and twenty years old; he knew men that got married much older than him. It was very silly to think that there was any rush.
I will marry a woman that I love, and no one can tell me otherwise.
Determination flowed through him; he felt even stronger about his convictions now. He would find love somehow or another. And it certainly would not be with Mary Roberts. Even if his mother was right about him, he felt utterly certain that she was not the one for him.
***
As Iris handed Edmund a stack of invitations to events that had come through the mail for him, he had to admit that he was impressed. He had pushed the idea firmly to the back of his mind as he got on with his business and everyday life; he had not thought much about it, but it seemed that Iris had not done the same.
“Oh, I did not realise that this was something you were still doing,” he said as he took them from her. “Have we not moved past this?”