Greater Love Hath No Man

Chapter 1-1

Chapter 1

Father had always vowed I’d rue the day I married an American.

I met Barbara Kendall in 1948, during the height of the London Season, and I was so captivated by her dark hair and violet eyes that I spent the ensuing weeks endeavouring to persuade her to marry me.

When I finally succeeded, we eloped to Gretna Green, which she found exceptionally romantic, and then I brought her home to meet the family.

Pamela, my younger sister, was entranced. She no doubt saw our situation as the epitome of romance. I knew, although I was fairly certain that neither of our parents did, that she had a weakness for novels such as Don Q’s Love Story, which she’d found up in the attic at the bottom of an old trunk, or Lady Genevieve’s Gallant Heart, which she’d managed to take from the lending library without Mother’s knowledge.

However, Mother’s lips were in a tight line, and Father, it was apparent, was unimpressed. He seized my arm and drew me to the side. “You realise, don’t you, that her family most likely bought their silver.”

As opposed to having their silverware passed down through generations? I freed my arm and returned to my wife.

“But I love her, sir,” I asserted with all the passion in my eighteen-year-old heart. I held Barbara’s hand tightly in mine.

“Harrumph, young man! What does love have to do with it?” He glared fiercely at Barbara. “You are dazzled by the notion of becoming the next Lady Pennington, and you, James, are…” He bit back his words, although his gaze flickering to my groin clearly stated he thought my c**k was doing my thinking for me. “Did you…talk this young lady into marrying you?”

“No, sir!” I could feel my eyes widen in horror. I’d been warned never to—”Mother, please! Speak to Father!”

“I agree with him, James. I think you are making the biggest mistake of your life. Of both your lives.”

“But—”

“I can’t imagine what your chaperone was thinking, young lady, unless her intent was to secure you an advantageous marriage.”

“Mrs Parks was an excellent chaperone!”

“So excellent that her charge eloped to Gretna Green.”

“This is the twentieth century, not the nineteenth!”

“Marriage is still the best option for a woman, and who better to wed than the heir to a revered title.”

“Father!” I was appalled he could say something like that.

“You are both too young to know your own minds.” He glowered at us.

“We’re not too young, Lord Pennington!” Barbara stated fearlessly, and my heart swelled with pride. “I love him, too.”

“What do you intend to live on? For, I assure you, I will not support this idiocy!”

I swallowed. I hadn’t thought much beyond the sweet pleasure of having Barbara in my bed every night. “Uncle Chas left me some money in trust.”

“I am at a loss as to what your mother’s great-uncle was about doing something like that. Blithering i***t! The man should have included a stipulation that you could not touch it until you were twenty-five at the least!” He glared at Mother. “Although thirty-five would have been more the thing.”

“We will not go into that again, Oliver.” That was the closest I had ever seen them coming to a row.

“Very well, Glynnis.” But it took him a moment to rein in his obvious irritation. “You’ll rue this day, James. By the lord Harry, you’ll rue this day!”

Father turned on his heel and stalked out of the drawing room. Mother studied us pensively for a moment, and then followed him.