Chapter Nine
Before he left the premises of the school after Lady Blaise had been untied and sent off to rest before dinner, the Baron sealed his bargain with Hawthorne. She would represent his suit most enthusiastically to Lord Fortescu, including a discreet mention of a ten thousand pound expression of Trevor’s seriousness in the matter. This was likely to be quite persuasive, as it was quite the reverse of the custom in their circles at that time, which was for the bride’s parents to pay often substantial sums towards the upkeep of their offspring. In fact, Mistress Hawthorne had it on reliable report that paying four such dowries had virtually bankrupted Lady Blaise’s rather irresponsible father. An infusion of this amount of cash would pay off his debts and leave the at-long-last emp
