Page 17 of The Jilted Duchess
"Quite so!" Hector said with a laugh, crossing the room to shake hands with Theodore. "Thank ye for having me back, sir. Tis nice to see now both of me friends are gangin' up against me now that we are all brethren."
"As your brother," Cedric said, rising to his feet and shaking both their hands himself. "Let me be the first to congratulate you, as Theodore has not managed it yet. You look happy and well."
"I saw no need to bring it up as though it were a surprise," Theodore drawled, stalking to the drinks cabinet and pulling out three glasses. "Alexandra is a delightful girl. I never had doubts that Murray would be happy indeed with her as his bride."
"Indeed, she is, wonderful lass -" Hector stopped and grinned a little to himself, thinking over the way her face went a little red whenever he called her that. "Wonderful lady she is too. Very practical and uncommonly good with the estate."
"Louisa, my wife," Cedric said with that smile of unconscious pride he always had when he spoke those words as though they were likely to have forgotten about his bride after over a yearof being wed. "Has told me often enough that Alexandra is her most practical sister, very good at managing things and keeping business on track."
"That she is, bringin' me into the social era whether I like it or nay," Hector said cheerfully. "What is the talk about us, for I know well enough that there will be some and nae all of it will be kind or good. How many are saying the bastard Duke went and stole his brother's lady wife on the day of their weddin'?"
"None in my hearing," Theodore said icily, handing Hector a glass of whiskey and nodding to him seriously. "And should any do so I would put them straight immediately and as forcefully as I needed to. You saved that young woman that day, and I shall not have anyone say anything to the contrary."
"I have heard a few of thetonspeaking about a poor young girl trapped with the beastly duke," Cedric said, sitting back in his chair with a languid air that Hector knew covered his fierce mind and temper. "I expect they will not speak of it again where I can hear of them."
"Not many still call you that, Murray," Theodore added. "You were recognized as the rightful Duke, and that has been enough to bring the weight of ducal power behind you."
"Ach, I know they're still thinkin' it behind their smiles and bows," Hector said with a small smile. "It's nay matter, me friends. As long as they keep it behind their teeth, I cannae stop them."
"It will stay behind their teeth if any of us has something to do with it," Cedric said stoutly. "Dunmore as well. If Gordon wasn't still off at war, he would be the same. We are with you."
"Thank ye," Hector said earnestly. The English typically despised earnestness, but it was warming to his heart to know that his friends would stand against public opinion on his side. "Now, St. Vincent, what was it that you wanted to speak about - some business venture?"
"Ah, yes, come and look over this expedition. My lawyer was approached by one of the founders and thinks it should be quite an interesting prospect," Cedric placed a sheaf of papers on the desk and Hector drew up his chair to look it over.
It was a range of papers about a recently put-together proposal on an Arctic expedition. Hector grimaced at it, page after page of flowery text and wild extravagant promises and nothing of substance.
"Nay, St. Vincent, none of this one," he said firmly, pushing it back.
"But my lawyer -"
"Yer lawyer is a fine man and I'm sure he's very good with the law, me friend," Hector said firmly. "However, he might nae know that Mr. Poulting has nay experience in the field and is being funded by his grandfaither's estate to do whatever he wishes on the sea. The captain has a bad series of wrecks behind him, the crew doesnae speak a word of English because nay manfrom this isle would sign on to the expedition and the ship is a braw thing but untried. Altogether, it's a disaster waiting to happen. I have heard from nae more than three shipwrights and two sea captains about it already."
Cedric stared at him a moment before grinning. "I'm glad to see that marriage hasn't dulled your business senses. Very well. I shall tell my man not to invest. I hope they make it to whatever lies out there, but they shall not be doing it on my dime."
"Good man," Hector said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Thornfield, what about you?"
They had met in business, some years back, before he had been assigned 'Your Grace' and a signet and an estate and all the other trappings. It had been freer back then, even if he had been more inclined to mind his own manners around the powerful men who had befriended him. Despite little changing in their attitudes to him since his ascension, it was hard to forget that there wereexpectationsof him now, even amongst his friends.
Still, it was a pleasure to still be involved in advising them on business matters, a small break from the duties and demands of his other, newer role.
"Your Grace," a skinny young man peeked in the door. "Lord Harkworth and Mr. Darnington have arrived for their meeting."
"Show them in, Denis," Hector said, glancing up from some of the plans he was already showing Theodore and Cedric. The gentlemen were later than was strictly polite, which often happened when the ton were involved in business with him.
Oh, they were willing to trade or to invest or to be invited to business meetings with the Duke of Murray, businessman and factory owner, but they did not trust him to beone of them. Because, of course, he was not. He could tell from the way that they looked at him from the corners of their eyes, the ladies murmuring behind fans, and the gentlemen offering the barest possible bows or handshakes as though hisbackgroundwas an infectious disease they might catch.
It was something he had always told himself he could live with. People would think what they wanted, after all. They would make their assumptions, like they would about a young fatherless lad whose mother had just died or a single woman raising a lad on her own. Their thoughts were none of his to worry about.
But when he was in the trappings of his new role, with a Duke and an Earl behind him, and he saw how differently they still treated him, how not even the gentleman's clothing, the ducal signet, or the noble title could bring their respect, it stuck in his craw.
He took a sharp breath and let it out. He was still the king when it came to business. No matter what they felt about him elsewhere, here he ruled.
The two gentlemen swept in, bowing politely to the room in general and greeting Theodore and Cedric with honest respect before turning to him with a wariness he was getting quite used to.
"Your Grace," Mr. Darnington said with chill politeness. "It's good of you to see us."
"Indeed," his companion added. "Quite delighted to have the chance to work with you, Your Grace. What was it about the new bridge that you had to show?"
