He sipped his punch while eyeing the dandies who stood a few feet away, laughing within a circle of young misses. Who was this Wrottesley Bitt spoke of? If he was related to the earl who lived near Windermar...no wonder Elizabeth did not like him. They were a slatternly bunch who were facing a mountain of debt, if he recalled correctly. Elizabeth’s happiness was important to Miles. He hoped her parents allowed her to choose her marital partner. She was kind and naive. He did not want to see her married for her inheritance. Her husband had to pass muster. A Season carried all sorts of disasters of which she knew nothing. Within that time frame, Elizabeth’s future could be decided forever. She wanted a marriage of love, she had said. Well, she deserved one, if there was such a thing. She deserved something like he’d had, once upon a time. A frown tugged at his lips.
