She put her hand to her throat, the tears thickening her voice. “Oh, it’s all such a mess. Still, I suppose we’ll have to move forward. We have no choice. Tomorrow we’ll begin packing for London.”
    “London?”
    “Of course. Now that your circumstances have changed, we must begin the search.” A fortifying breath lifted her shoulders.
    “The search?” He sounded like a parrot. “For what?”
    “Well, for a suitable bride for you. I made inquiries last Season, but I wasn’t aiming high enough, I suppose. I was looking for a baronet’s daughter, or a squire’s, but now I’ll have to start over.”
    The hawsers tightened around his chest. “I’m in no rush. After all, it’s only been a few months since our bereavement and barely an hour since it all became official.” A wife was the farthest thing from his mind right now. His life up to this point had been carefully ordered, everything divided, kept separate, and tidy. Work, society, family, God. Adding the responsibilities of a dukedom left little room for a wife.
    “You might not be in a rush. In fact, I’ve never known a time when you were, but I am. We’ve learned, much to our regret, how quickly circumstances can change. You must marry soon and set up your nursery. It’s your duty to this family and to the memory of those we’ve lost.” Her backbone stiffened, and for the first time in months a gleam entered her eyes. “I shall make a list and begin my inquiries … or …”
    “Or?” He was doing it again, mimicking her.
    “Or you could marry Cilla.”
    She said the words slowly, as if only now thinking of them, but he wondered. Had this been her plan for months now, should the infant be a female?
    “That would solve a multitude of issues. She’s in need of a husband. She’s of noble birth. And she’s obviously fertile.”
    A shudder racked down Marcus’s spine.
    Cilla was a nice woman, but she was also timid, sensitive, and if he was honest, boring. She had suited his staid, proper, and dutiful brother right down to the ground, but Marcus couldn’t imagine himself married to her. Of course, he couldn’t imagine himself married to anyone. At least not yet.