“He’d better not or when I see him I’ll employ the stealthy maneuver I described to you that I was planning to visit upon Lord Sprague.”

He snorted. “I should very much like to witness that, but you won’t be seeing Laxton. He’s decided to stay in the countryside. One of his estates is in dire need of repairs.”

“What did you do?” She regarded him suspiciously.

“I only had a little chat with him.”

“I thought you had some fresh bruises.”

“Violence was justified in this instance. You should have heard him talking about Belinda. It made my stomach turn.”

“Belinda is an impulsive young lady, and very infatuated with the idea of . . . well, the idea of the male sex in general. I do fear for her sometimes because she’s so very fond of flattery and the right man with a silver tongue could lead her astray.”

“Then you and their chaperones will have to be vigilant.”

“Belinda should be allowed to be carefree and to make mistakes and she should also know that she has someone to talk to, someone to confide in, and she shouldn’t be blinded, or blinkered, to the realities of this world. The innocent are led astray when they’re so ignorant they don’t even know what is happening. I would have your sisters make educated choices.”

“I agree.”

“Laxton’s not worthy of Blanche. I’ll do what I can to convince her of that.”

“I chose Lord Flanders as a suitor for her because of their childhood friendship.”

“I’m afraid she sees him more as an annoying little brother who used to plague her and call her names.”

“He’s only one year younger than she is. And I do believe that he has genuine affection for her. He’s a decent, sober fellow.”

“I’ll see if I can influence her. Though she’ll be very popular with her new dowry and her beauty. I don’t fear for her chances. I only hope her heart can relinquish its attachment to the unworthy Lord Laxton. I’ll try to hint, to make her see. If Lord Flanders wants Blanche to transfer her affections, he’ll have to work at it. He can’t just reach an agreement with you, her brother. He ought to court her.”

“Are you of the same mind as my fiancée? He should bring her one hundred red roses, compose sonnets, sing under her window—all flashy and showy methods of proclaiming he’s smitten. It’s a lot of bollocks, pardon me. But it is.”

“Courtship doesn’t have to be all about roses and sonnets. My dear friends have been courted in unconventional ways, to very effective ends. Mr. Ford Wright built my friend Lady Beatrice bookshelves and taught her how to use a sledgehammer to knock down walls.”

“Very enterprising of him.”