A Fine Passion by Stephanie Laurens

Melton and a Viscount Emsworth, of which Clarice was initially unaware. The long and short of it was that Emsworth had title, estates, but insufficient wealth, and he was also ambitious, so he was looking for a well-dowered and also well-connected bride.”
    “Clarice fitted his bill, I take it.” Jack heard his grim tone, and wondered why he felt as he did, as if he’d willingly plant Emsworth a facer.
    “To a tee. Emsworth had written to Melton asking for Clarice’s hand. He presented his offer as a suitable-to-all-parties marriage of convenience. Moira was by then desperate to get Clarice married and off her hands—her own eldest daughter would be presented the following year. Of all his daughters, Clarice was Melton’s favorite, was the best dowered as she’d also inherited considerable funds through her mother, and she has a much more… commanding presence than her half sisters. Indeed, with her in the room, they fade into the wallpaper, so one can at least understand Moira’s attitude.”
    James paused as they turned to retrace their steps; Jack held his tongue and waited for him to continue.
    “Moira pressed Melton to accept Emsworth’s suit. Melton wished to consult Clarice, but Moira convinced him letting Emsworth woo Clarice in romantic fashion during the Season was more likely to sway Clarice—eventually, Melton gave way. However, he agreed to the match on the condition that Clarice agreed.
    “It transpired,” James said, his tone hardening, “that Moira and Emsworth had an agreement, too. Moira knew Clarice would never accept Emsworth—the man’s a priggish tyrant, I’ve heard—but Moira wasn’t going to allow Clarice’s capriciousness to stand in her and her daughter’s way, so…once Moira and Clarice were in town, and, despite Emsworth’s marked attentions, Clarice showed no signs of being swept off her feet, Moira and Emsworth took matters into their own hands.”
    “How so?” Jack’s words were clipped; foreboding rang in them.
    “Much as you’ve guessed. They arranged for Clarice and Emsworth to be discovered in a compromising situation by two of the more prominent hostesses. Scandal threatened, but Emsworth promptly stepped forward to do the honorable thing and offer the protection of his name.”
    “How neat.”
    To Jack’s surprise, James grinned at his cuttingly sarcastic remark. “Actually, no. Moira and Emsworth thought they had the whole sewn up tight, but they’d reckoned without Clarice.”
    Jack blinked. His experience of the ton wasn’t vast, but it was enough to appreciate the situation and the forces ranged against Clarice. “She refused?”
    James’s grin grew. “Categorically. She saw through the whole scheme in a blink and simply, unwaveringly, refused to, as she put it, be socially blackmailed into such a union.”
    Jack frowned. “But there was a scandal.” That had to be the reason why Clarice now lived there.
    “Oh, indeed!” James sighed. “The scandal to top all scandals, most of which can be laid at Moira’s door. She was determined to force Clarice into the marriage and stopped at nothing to increase the pressure. By the time Melton heard of it and arrived in town, the damage to Clarice’s reputation was done—or rather, her reputation was hanging above the abyss by a single thread. If she agreed to marry Emsworth, all would be forgiven—you know how these affairs are managed.”
    Jack said nothing, but he did, indeed, understand.
    “And that, unfortunately, was where Melton’s less-than-admirable side came to the fore. He was a stickler for keeping the family escutcheon pristine and unblemished. Despite understanding the whole, including how he himself had been manipulated, he nevertheless insisted that now things had come to such a pass, Clarice had to wed Emsworth to protect the family name.”
    Jack made a disgusted sound.
    James nodded. “Precisely. You can imagine the arguments, the rants and raving. Yet despite all the forces