Read Online A Debutante's Guide to Rebellion by Kathleen Kimmel - Free Book Online Page A

not read the title from this distance, but forced to guess, he would say it was a philosophical text. Lord Averdale was far more comfortable with the abstract than Ezekiel ever had been.
    â€œEzekiel,” Lord Averdale said, looking up. “I thought you were out with Sophie today.” His voice had a hint of a rumble about it, suiting his wide frame perfectly. He was not a fat man; only a large one. Ezekiel might have compared him to a bull, but for the gentleness of his demeanor.
    â€œOur errand has concluded,” Ezekiel said. This was it; the perfect opportunity to begin this undertaking in earnest. If he truly wished to be a friend to Eddie, he must say something now. “I wondered if you might have a moment to talk,” he said.
    â€œOf course,” Lord Averdale said, and indicated the other chair, angled slightly toward his own. Ezekiel crossed quickly to it and sat, tugging his coat down and clearing his throat. “What is it, Ezekiel?”
    â€œI wanted to discuss the subject of matrimony,” Ezekiel said. “It has recently been pointed out to me that it can be extremely advantageous. A wife provides a great many services to her husband. The social sphere and the private are better tended to in partnership than in isolation. There is also the question, of course, of children.” He paused. That was five sentences. “What do you think?” he asked.
    â€œI think you are absolutely correct. The right marriage can indeed be very advantageous,” Lord Averdale said. He had shut his book, but kept his finger between the pages to mark his spot. He pushed his spectacles up his nose. “However, you are still young to be worrying about such things.”
    â€œOh. I see I have been unclear,” Ezekiel said. He shifted. “I was not considering my own marriage. I was considering yours. It has been five years since your second wife died.” Five sentences, even if the first one was alarmingly short. Could one utilize the semicolon in the spoken word, he wondered, or would that be cheating? “Have you considered remarrying?”
    â€œI have considered it,” Lord Averdale said slowly. “Though only because of the question of inheritance.”
    Ezekiel nodded. “You’ll require a male heir; it’s obvious enough that I am unsuited to the role.” Hm. He’d count that as one. “I take no offense at that; it’s clear to anyone who has spent any time with me, and I have spent more time with myself than anyone.” Yes, this was much more convenient. “Given the average lifespan of a man of our social class, it would seem prudent to acquire a new wife without a great deal of delay. Hopefully you will have many more years, but there’s no sense in incurring more risk than necessary. And you will want to seek out a young wife, one more likely to be able to provide you with the requisite heir.” Five. Damn. “Have you considered any specific candidates?”
    Lord Averdale laughed. “Ezekiel, I would have no qualms about passing the title on to you. None at all. You would hardly be the most unusual earl England has seen, believe me. You remind me a great deal of your father, in fact, and at times I thought he would have made the better earl than myself, had he lived.”
    Ezekiel blinked. He spent so much time thinking about how
un
like his stepfather he was, he had never stopped to consider that he might bear some similarities to his natural father. He had never known the man, and his mother never spoke of him; not once.
    â€œI have considered taking another wife, but I have rejected it for the very reasons you state,” Lord Averdale continued. “I would need to take a young wife, if my end was producing an heir. And I cannot bring myself to do it. To saddle a young woman with an old man such as myself.”
    Ezekiel reflected that his uncle had used more than five sentences. Perhaps he should be