Free A Taste of Honey by Lindsay Kiernan Page A

any woman did not want to marry at some point.
    “Estelle and my other mistresses were only for fun, and they knew that.  I chose them because of how exciting they were, and for their unique talents.” Kent poured each of them a brandy.  When Garrett refused the drink he shrugged and drank both down quickly.  “They were hardly the type of woman that you would bring home to your parents.”
    “You don't have any parents,” Garrett reminded him, only to hear his friend chuckle loudly.  “You have never cared what anyone thought of you before.  Why should you care what people think about your wife?”
    “A man has to be pickier about a wife than he does about his mistress.  She is the woman who will bear him children and raise them.  You need a wife to teach the boys some manners and the girls all of the proper etiquettes.”
    Garrett couldn't help thinking how Kent's mother had failed infinitely at such tasks with her son.
    “I won't have a mistress trying to act like a mother, it would never work.  Besides you want a trophy to throw over your arm when you go out in public, not a pariah to be shunned by the other women.  I want someone that everyone else wanted but didn't get,” Kent added with a touch of humor.
    Garrett laughed at his friend's competitive nature showing through.  It was hardly a change in attitude from the gambling, drinking, depraved man that he had come to know so well.  A wife would just be a new type of prize for him to collect.  “When do you plan on starting your search for this woman?” Garrett asked, intrigued to find what kind of wife his friend would be with at the end of his little game.
    “I have already started looking.  I spent the last few hours at the Emerson's ball,” Kent admitted.  “I had feared that after the company that I've been keeping lately, the flock of husband-hunting virgins would seem distasteful, and like too much work.  But I must admit that some of the ladies this year are very tempting.”
    Garrett could not force away the image of a wolf being set into a roost full of unsuspecting hens who would try to protect the baby chicks.
    “So after the ball ended I went over to Estelle's and told her that we are finished.”  Kent drank down another brandy and sat back down in his chair.  “The day after tomorrow there is another event being held.  This one is at the Buckman's estate.  I will be there to decide which of the women I should marry.  So far I've narrowed it down to two.”
    “I don't think you've thought this through,” Garrett warned his friend.  “Finding a wife is not like finding a mistress.  It is far more difficult to court a lady, especially one that is in high demand.  You should remember your failure in courting Amelia.”
    “But I never really wanted her, I only wanted to make it a bit more interesting for you.  The fact is that all women are the same in what they want.  They choose the man who can offer them the most jewels and dresses, whether she is a chaste lady or an experienced mistress.”  He ignored the idea that women might have different motives or goals in choosing their future husbands.  “You just have to fight a little harder than everyone else and offer more than all of the other men in the room.”
    Only Kent could rationalize the intricate rituals of London's season into something as base and animalistic as that.  “Who are these two women that you have narrowed it down to?  Do they even seem interested in you yet?” Garrett already pitied the mothers and sponsors of any women that Kent would pursue.
    Kent kept his attention pinned to the fourth glass of bourbon that rested lightly in his fingers as he spoke.  “I haven't been able to approach them yet.  Their sponsor is a bit of an old hag,” he admitted.
    Garrett's spine stiffened.  He had rarely heard Kent use the term 'old hag'.  Reserving it for only the most prudish and bossy of women.  In fact he had only really heard it in