Page 24 of A Deal with the Rebellious Marquess
‘For the past year, I’ve not questioned the original report’s verdict that this was a comedy of errors, all conspiring to create the circumstances of the accident. But you’ve shown me it could be different, that one man could be at fault. Now that I know that’s a possibility, I can’t ignore it. If I did ignore it at this point, I’d be guilty, too. I could not live with my conscience. Although, I hope it doesn’t come to that. It’s a damnably awkward position to be in to choose what is right—protecting one’s family or protecting the truth.’
She nodded. She felt for him, she really did. His stance on the issue was admirable in the extreme. Not all people would face such a dilemma head on with such integrity. She found that integrity appealing. Adam had been such a man, always standing up for what was right, standing up in print for those who couldn’t stand up for themselves even when it was unpopular with those who funded newspapers.
There was no doubting the sincerity of Jasper’s confession or her response to it. She wanted to believe him, wanted to join forces with him. His argument was persuasive. It made sense that they work together. Too much sense. She should not accept it at face value.
When an answer sounded too good to be true, it probably deserved more consideration. Was working together simply the ‘easy’ answer? The answer that allowed them to pursue not only the truth of Orion’s involvement, but also the chance to explore the truth of their personal attraction? More time together meant they could continue what they’d started in Harefield’s garden.
That posed its own delight and its own danger. To continue their affair would personalise the context of their interaction—there was the risk of emotions and growing attachment forming, emotions that could potentially colour their quest. She could get hurt if that was the case. Jasper was a hard man not to like with his integrity, sincerity and tousled good looks.
Was he counting on that? The woman in her who fully understood how the world worked was wide awake now. Did he think to use her emotions against her if Lord Orion was as guilty as she thought he was? Did he think she would give up her quest for him?
‘I want to be clear. I will print what I find, feelings for you notwithstanding.’ Best to air that right now before things went further even if it meant ‘things’ didn’t go further. After all, a man who manipulated a woman with sex was a man for whom integrity was merely a façade.Thatwas not the man for her. That was not her idea of working together. It still stung that Adam had not told her about the debt. That had been a betrayal of their partnership. She would not set herself up for another betrayal.
Anger flickered in Jasper’s eyes. She’d attacked the bastion of his honour. But she had to know. ‘Do you think that is the sort of man I am? To use a woman for sex? To manipulate a person’s feelings for personal gain?’ There was no denying that he’d been honestly engaged in Harefield’s garden, present in their pleasure body and mind as far it went, while she had not. She didn’t like the idea that she’d dealt him some hurt that evening, even if unintentional.
‘Can you blame me for thinking it when you’ve offered to buy the northern newspapers? If you were looking to protect your brother, it’s not a bad strategy. Buying them ensures stories of your brother’s perfidy won’t be printed. The populace may never hear of it. Then, seducing the head of theLondon Tribunecould be a means by which to silence the printing of her findings in the largest city in England. Out of devotion to you, perhaps you think she’d forgo the story,’ Fleur described the scheme bluntly.
‘You do know how to wound a man, Fleur. It’s a plausible plan except for one thing: the head of theLondon Tribunewould never allow herself to be swayed by such sentiment.’ He favoured her with a smile that warmed and complimented. ‘I am as sure of that as I am of the sun rising in the east tomorrow. I know such a strategy would never work with you. Integrity will be the saving of us, both yours and mine.’
‘And trust,’ Fleur added. ‘We’re trusting each other to know our boundaries, to know the cost of the kind of relationship we want to pursue, to accept limitations, and most of all, to keep our promises when circumstances might tempt us to rethink them.’ There was no might about it. Circumstances would evolve that would put that temptation right in front of them. ‘So, I ask you again. If not to protect your brother, why did you offer to buy the northern newspapers?’ There was no time like the present to test their promises of integrity and trust. This partnership might be over before it began.
Chapter Thirteen
Fleur wanted to stop time. She didn’t want to hear his answer. Earlier he’d said he was frightened of the truth and what it might force him to face. He was not alone. She was scared of the truth, too. She didn’t want to believe this tawny-eyed man, who could heat her blood with a touch, was guilty of deliberate censorship, that he would seek to buy out her newspapers in order to protect his brother. She sat on the edge of her chair, braced to face one more betrayal.
‘I wanted to help you.’ She’d not expected that. For a moment she was speechless in his presence, yet again. When she said nothing, he gave an elegant shrug of his shoulders. ‘You were selling the papers anyway. I thought a quick sale would be helpful to you, to show the board of directors the papers had value.’
She nodded. She’d initially thought the same thing. ‘But you if owned the papers, you could also choose to not print any news about the investigation.’ She voiced the concern with a certain amount of tentativeness. Here was another answer she didn’t want to hear.
He answered slowly, thoughtfully. ‘I could and, to be honest, I would probably not print any stories that continued to make my brother appear to be the lone villain until the links were ironclad. I know you would find that disappointing. However, if he were indeed guilty of taking money and not making the repairs, I would not stop the story from running. In my mind,thatwould be undue and intentional censorship.’ She felt she could breathe again. It might not be the way she would do things, but it was a tenable compromise, one that was honest and fair.
‘Thank you. I appreciate your candour. But I must offer some candour of my own. I do not know how open the board of directors will be to an offer from Meltham, given the...um...circumstances with your brother.’ Perhaps that had been another guiding reason for him offering as Wincastle. Now that she had time to think, it was possible that choice hadn’t been all about tricking her. He’d been trying to help her as best he could.
‘Well, I tried.’ He gave a wry smile before sobering. ‘He’s gone, you know. Orion left a note saying town was too hot for him at the moment.’
That was news. Not that it mattered if he was in town or not. The stories could run with or without him. But she could see his brother’s absence bothered Jasper. ‘I suppose you blame me for that.’
He gave a short nod. ‘I do. The stories in theTribunehave called him out as a prime suspect in the “new” investigation theTribuneis single-handedly running. It’s called enough attention to him that he feels it is difficult to go about in society.’ He shook his head. ‘He can’t go home to Meltham because the story has run in your regional papers up there and it’s called him out in front of our people. I don’t know where he’s gone. I hope he’ll resurface. He left before I could talk with him.’
Fleur slipped her hand from his grasp. ‘I’m sorry.’ She sincerely was. Sorry that he was hurting. Sorry that his brother was gone. Sorry that she was part of it. Through her choices, she’d hurt him, this man she cared for.
He fixed her with a firm stare. ‘I did not tell you so that you’d be sorry. I told you so that you would be aware. Your quest has real, concrete consequences, not just for a single individual, or for yourself, but consequences that will spread like ripples on a pond. When you act, you are not choosing those consequences just for yourself, but also for others.’
There was much left unsaid there—that she would be choosing for him. Choosing for his mother. Choosing for Lord Orion. Choosing for all the families affected by the accident. Lord Orion Bexley’s leaving was a tangible consequence, no doubt, the first of many that she would be responsible for.
She gave him a solemn nod. ‘This quest is indeed dangerous for both of our reputations. I admit that I’ve printed a story that has caused your brother to flee the town to escape social persecution. But you must also admit that fleeing certainly lends itself to believing he has something to hide, that he is indeed guilty.’
She was silent for a while, letting them both digest that. Neither side of that coin was particularly pleasant for either of them to contemplate.
‘You may have the right of it. With so much at stake, this is best undertaken together.’ At least for as long as an alliance could last. She did not delude herself in thinking that it would be an indefinite association. If his brother was guilty, Jasper’s loyalty would be sorely tested no matter what he said tonight. How would he truly feel when that moment came? Would his integrity and trust withstand that test? It was an enormous leap of faith for her.
‘I think to undertake our investigation, we must leave the city,’ Jasper said.
She gave him a questioning look. ‘What are you suggesting?’
‘I am suggesting we go back to the scene of the accident. What we really need to find, we’ll find there or not at all. My family seat is not far from Holmfirth. Tomorrow, we leave for Meltham.’
Another woman would have baulked at such a speedy departure for what might appear to be a spontaneous trip to the country in the midst of the Season. But not Fleur. She spent the night packing, writing out instructions for the paper, rescheduling meetings and sending notes of regret cancelling her attendance at a few upcoming events. This trip pre-empted all else because it decided all else. This trip was not as much a spontaneous occurrence as it was an inevitable one. The events of the past year had been leading up to this. This was the way forward.
