Page 28 of Baron in Check
Not close enough.
“You don’t mean they still do that?” Hermy asked as realization dawned on her.
“They never stopped.”
“This is going to be my new life, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean? What’s wrong with my friends? Arnold agreed to be your guardian.”
“You’d fall on your sword for any of them, Greg. You’re not the black sheep for the Jews but their knight in shining armor.”
His mien fell as if she’d hurt him, even though she tried to do the opposite. “You mean I’m not good enough for yourfamily’s Earldom because I have Jewish blood and friends?” Disappointment colored his voice.
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“What did you mean? That it’s only temporary until I die, when the title passes to your son and your ancestry is cured of my Jewish heritage?”
“If I had a son, you’d have one, too.”
“Would you tell me if I did?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You left five years ago, and there might have been … you know!”
“I do know! There wasn’t! And I’ve been locked up.”
He harrumphed.
“Why didn’t you seek me out?” she asked the lowest hanging question, heavy with the stench of reproach.
“Your brother said he’d kill me if I fathered a bastard with Jewish blood for his line.” Greg walked to the window. “I didn’t return because he made it clear I wasn’t good enough. He didn’t want me to drag the line down with me.”
Hermy closed the distance and stood behind him, both facing the window.
“I wasn’t good enough for you, Hermy. I’m still not.”
“That’s not true.”
“Oh, but it is. I understand the value of a pure bloodline. It’s a matter of honor, pride in your heritage, and respect for your ancestors, for the Jews as much as for aristocrats like you. I don’t even blame you for not liking my friends.”
“I like them.” She grimaced and flinched.
“I love them all, Hermy. They are the closest I ever had to family. I grew up with Fave and Arnold; I traveled to America with Caleb and India with Ben. I’ve been there for their weddings, the births of their children, even when they stood before the entire English aristocracy and admitted to beingJewish. They are the Crown Jewelers, Hermy. Do you know how hard they worked to get the respect they have?”
“You speak as though they have done more than you.”
“They have! I’m only a bridge between two layers. The Jews are trying to earn their place”—he held out his right palm—“and the aristocrats who hold close what’s been theirs for generations.” He held up his left hand.
“And as Earl, you could tip the scale toward the Jews?” She shook her head. “Is that why you stepped into the line of a discovered attack facing David?”
Greg looked at her, confused. “No, of course not.”
“But it is convenient to rise in rank at my expense, isn’t it? After all, I’m a safe bet; you’ve tupped me already, and I long to return to my hole in Kent. Hermy the hermit.”
“What?”
“I’m useful, Baron Stone. I see your strategy. The Black Knight has nothing on me; you were never able to see as many steps as I did.” Her eyes burned with tears of rage, and her voice quivered. “But mark my words, Gregory, the Black Knight’s heart can crumble just as much as black marble. It’s a question of the blow you’ll suffer.”
