It was those who were greedy enough to grasp at any man with money whom he wished to avoid. It was those who would embarrass him and tarnish the family reputation whom he needed to stay away from. It was those who wouldn’t live up to the expectations and requirements of Lady Basset he could not marry.

He wouldn’t claim to be completely indifferent to certain aspects of his choice of prospective bride. He would prefer a beauty, if for no other reason than it would benefit the title and family name. A plain woman might be respected, but she would have to work harder to have an equal influence.

But if the woman were too much of a beauty and did not have a certain amount of humility or graciousness in her nature, she might distract from the position of honor and respect she would gain by marrying him. This would make her the topic of gossip and conversation, and not in a way that he would like to encourage.

He had spent the last several months analyzing every detail of what he saw as his perfect candidate, isolating everything that was a requirement and anything that was only a preference. He’d procured a list of potential ladies meeting his requirements and began discreetly making inquiries as to their reputation and standing in Society. Anything that could be given to him, he got.

For several weeks, he had pored over the information, and now he had finalized every detail, giving his solicitors even more work than they anticipated in preparing the marriage contracts. Everything was perfectly tidy, and both parties were getting precisely what they wanted from the arrangement.

Well, her father was, at any rate.

The lady could surely only wish for a good match with property, fortune, and influence.And a husband that wouldn’t cause a scandal.

Harrison might not have been able to promise a great deal as far as husbands went, but he could promise that much.

On paper, his prospective bride was absolute perfection. By reputation, his prospective bride was ideal. According to everyone he had spoken with, his prospective bride could not have been surpassed.

Yet Harrison was not convinced. Utter perfection did not exist.

It was too late now, he supposed, given he had signed all of the necessary papers. He would be marrying this woman in four weeks, barring some disaster or objection that should arise. None of his trusted advisors in business or Society had tried to dissuade him from her, and her father had been eager to accept the proposal between their families.

Three meetings between the men had been all that was necessary to settle things.