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It was Henry’s idea, really. Or at least Benedict credited Henry with the idea. They’d never finitely spoken about it.
He always felt at home with Henry and his wife; it was a relief to know he wasn’t alone. Before he’d met Stephen, he’d wondered… but he had met Stephen.
While he could have Stephen pose as his valet, that wouldn’t really serve a man of his station. Besides, who wanted to be a kept man?
And their lack of wives would draw attention eventually, particularly if they weren’t sleeping their way through London.
No, they’d have to marry. Both of them.
For their safety.
But it wouldn’t have to be a miserable thing.
He brought the topic up to Stephen, who was surprisingly amenable to the idea. “I’d wanted to suggest the same thing.”
The question was which woman would he marry? If he’d been posed this question a few years ago, he’d have proposed marriage to Marina Thompson immediately. She’d had no need of a love match.
But then, he supposed, neither did half of the young ladies of the ton.
It was difficult to find a lady with similar… inclinations to himself, at least of his own station. And while he did find women attractive, generally, it was Stephen who had his heart, and Benedict wasn’t about to stray.
This made things a bit of a challenge. Benedict wasn’t Anthony; he didn’t relish in a challenge.
“What if I marry your sister?” Stephen asked. “Eloise?”
“Do you think Eloise would be amenable to such a match?”
“I don’t see why not. She has no use for men.”
“She also vehemently does not want a husband. Something to do with legal rights. You’re welcome to ask her, though. My mother would be delighted to see her married off.”
Stephen laughed. God, Benedict loved the sound of Stephen’s laugh.
He’d had arrangements before, but none of it had felt like this. He sometimes thought he would marry Stephen if such a thing were possible.
“You could marry Posy,” Stephen suggested.
“Posy?” he repeated. He hadn’t really spared Stephen’s stepsister a second glance, if he were honest.
“Why not? She’s gentry, even if she’s not nobility. You’re a second son; you can afford to marry down.”
“Doesn’t she want to marry for love?”
Stephen huffed out a laugh. “She’s a lesbian. She can’t marry for love.”
“Very well,” Benedict said, “I’ll propose to her in the morning. For now… I think you and I have some unfinished business.”
Stephen grinned and came in to kiss him.