Page 52 of Seduced By a Scoundrel

“True,” Burville said, “but I have been given to understand that things truly are approaching their end.”

Jeremy could only reply with a sympathetic sound. His heart squeezed within his chest. Had things approached the end between him and Derrek? They could not have. Jeremy had left too many things unsaid. He’d never truly told Derrek how much he meant to him.

“Princess Victoria’s eighteenth birthday is less than a week away,” Burville went on. “I myself believe that the king will live past that blessed day, thus saving us all the strain of the Duchess attempting to declare another regency. Mind you, I do not believe that claim would be successful, even though many do, but the fuss that would be caused and the struggle for control would be horrific. Though being ruled over by a young girl has its own pitfalls. I suppose Victoria will be surrounded by the finest and sharpest advisors once she ascends the throne, but she will also be surrounded by sharks and vultures.”

Jeremy nodded, mostly because Burville’s tone had reached a point where that felt like the correct response. He was too despondent and missed Derrek too much to truly engage in the conversation.

Burville sensed as much. “Forgive me for prying,” he said in a suddenly kinder tone, “but is there anything I might assist you with?”

When Jeremy glanced up at the man, he was both surprised and calmed by the kind and knowing expression the duke wore.

“I have always felt as though this shop is a place where I can speak freely about things that must be hidden otherwise,” Burville continued, stepping down from the block as Jeremy finished his pinning. “As a man who has dealt with romantic angst in the not terribly distant past, I know the distracted look you wear.”

Jeremy was glad he’d stepped behind Burville to remove the pinned jacket. His face flushed hot, and he was certain he wore every one of his emotions on his sleeve. “I am not certain what to say about my situation,” he told the duke vaguely as he moved the jacket to the worktable at the other side of the room. “I am in a position that I have never found myself in before, and I fear I have made too many miscalculations.”

Burville hummed knowingly as he donned his own jacket before Jeremy could rush to assist him. “I believe I understand,” he said. “And though my opinion was not asked, I will tell you from my own experience, it is better to say something sooner and bring matters as these out into the open than it is to go for years simply pining and eating one’s heart out.”

Jeremy heated even more. A duke was giving him romantic advice, all while knowing the subject of his affection was another man. The world had truly turned upside down.

“Thank you, Your Grace,” Jeremy said with a nod. “I am not certain my particular situation leaves me at liberty to say anything. I am not entirely certain what I feel, to be honest.”

Burville smiled at him as he fetched his hat and coat to leave. “All will be well,” he said. “I am certain of it. You are a kind and honorable man, and you are an affable one at that. I know that Talboys will come around.” He added a wink to show how much he understood.

Jeremy wanted to sink into the floor in mortification. There were a great many advantages to belonging to The Brotherhood, as he had recently discovered, but it also meant that a great many others knew his personal business. That he could do without.

“I will send word when your jacket is finished,” Jeremy said, walking Burville to the door. He went so far as to accompany the man out to the street, if only so that he could breathe the fresh air for a moment. “It should not take particularly long, as?—”

Jeremy stopped with his mouth open as he glanced down Jermyn Street and saw the one person who he had been longing for without even realizing it since returning to London.

“Clary!” he called out, stepping away from Burville and nearly running to his friend as she walked closer, carrying a large and seemingly heavy valise. “Clary, you’re in London!”

“Jeremy!” Clary called out in return, picking up her pace and running with one hand on her hat to keep it in place. “There you are!”

They met with wordless exclamations of happiness. Clary dropped her bag, and the two of them embraced like long-lost siblings. Jeremy was so overcome with relief at the unexpected reunion with the very person he needed more than anyone right then that he let out a small sob and lifted Clary off her feet to spin her in a circle. If there were people watching the two of them in shock or horror at the display, he did not know and neither did he care.

“Let me assist you with this,” Burville said, quietly stepping up to take Clary’s bag and moving it inside the shop.

Jeremy gave the man a distracted thank you before whisking Clary inside the shop.

“What are you doing here?” he asked after bidding Burville goodbye. He rushed to Clary and grabbed both of her hands, wanting nothing more than to embrace her again and burst into tears in her arms.

“You said that if I was ever in London I should come to see you,” Clary said, her face as bright as the moon as the two of them drank in the sight of each other.

“I did not expect you to come so soon,” Jeremy said.

“And I did not expect to miss you so much or to find country life so dull after you left,” she said. “I had very little to do, so I decided to hand that small shop over to my cousin so that I might find my fortune here in London with you.”

It was incredibly bold of Clary to leave everything behind for an uncertain future, but Jeremy admired her immensely for it.

“You are welcome to anything and everything I can offer you,” Jeremy said, feeling as though he had found a safe harbor in a storm. “As you can see, this is my shop. Allow me to show you around and explain my business.”

“I would like nothing more,” Clary said.

They spent the next half hour touring the shop while Jeremy explained everything. All other heartaches and troubles were forgotten as he introduced Clary to the lads and explained the scope of his business. As expected, Clary was deeply impressed with everything. She was particularly interested when Jeremy briefly showed her the small garden behind his building which connected it to the opposite one.

“You once said something about creating two businesses that share a workshop between them,” Clary said with a mischievous look. “I can see now what you mean.”

A spark of hope lit Jeremy from the inside out as he remembered that idea. He was uncertain whether the owner of the opposing business was at all inclined to sell or whether the other building could be rented, but now he wanted to find out.

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