Page 95 of Impeccable
“It’s always a shame when sons don’t live up to their potential.” Evesham’s gaze had gone back to Lucien. “Like this one here. Why would you hire your former paramour to do anything other than clean your chamber pots, let alone be a patroness at your questionable club?”
Gregory had to clamp his jaws together to keep from calling the duke out. How dare he insult Evie like that?
Lucien lifted a shoulder, appearing calm, but Gregory noted the tic in his jaw. “If my club is questionable, I should think a courtesan is surely the right person to cast in a leadership role.”
The duke let out a low growl. “Don’t be clever. Have you no shame at all?”
“You’re standing there judging me about a woman—who is brilliant, by the way—in front of Lord Gregory, and I’m the one without shame? If you know she was a patroness and my former mistress, then you also know Gregory was having an affair with her.”
Gregory ought to go, but he couldn’t leave, not while they were discussing this.
The duke glanced at Gregory. “Having an affair with a courtesan is perfectly acceptable. Why anyone thought that was newsworthy is beyond me.”
Gregory despised the manner in which the duke was speaking of the woman he loved. “My brother thought it should be made public, but then he likes to be nasty and doesn’t care whom he hurts. I trust you are not in the same vein,” Gregory said coolly. “I should note that I am also deeply in love with Mrs. Renshaw, and if she would accept my proposal of marriage, which she will not, I would be happy for the rest of my days.”
The duke turned his hooded gaze on Gregory, his tone frigid. “Your father would not approve.”
“He would if he met her.” Gregory knew it in his bones. Just as he knew his father wouldn’t be disappointed that Gregory had decided to forgo a religious path. His father had raised him to make good, sound choices. He was not his brother, who allowed malice and whim to lead him, and he never would be. “My father loved me, and I am confident he would have loved her too if given the chance. I’m sorry he isn’t here to meet her.”
Lucien took a sip of whisky and gently smacked his lips, likely to annoy his father. “I wonder if you would think differently about Mrs. Renshaw if you knew she was the daughter of a chevalier. She fled here during the Terror with her mother and sister.”
The duke’s nostrils flared as his eyes narrowed. “What is her family name?”
“Avenses, but they used her mother’s maid’s name, Renault, when they arrived in London.”
“A pity, but no, I do not think differently.” The duke sniffed. “Everyone has choices, and she chose to become a courtesan.”
Lucien slammed his glass down on a table near his chair. Shooting to his feet, he pinned a fiery glare on his father. “Not everyone’s choices are the same, particularly if you are an orphan in a foreign country with nothing but a maid to care for you and your sister. She should have grown up with love and comfort. Instead, she struggled to eat and lived in near squalor. If you had a chance to better your prospects, even if it meant doing something you would not have chosen, what wouldyoudo, Father?”
“You have always been too softhearted,” the duke said, his voice like a knife’s edge. “You can’t change the world.”
“I do what I can. What I don’t understand is why you do not.”
The duke straightened, his features smoothing. “Your club is going to fail, Lucien. I didn’t hope for that, but I am not surprised.”
“Why did you come here?” Lucien asked, his lip curling.
“Because regardless of what you think, I have always cared what happens to you, and I always will.” The duke glanced toward Gregory. “Lord Gregory.” Then he departed.
Lucien expressed several colorful phrases before retaking his seat. He swilled the rest of his whisky and smacked the empty glass back on the table. “I’m sorry you had to witness that.”
Gregory was too, but he would support Lucien however he could—now more than before. “Families can be disappointing. I had to cut ties with my brother.”
“I would have done the same. Still, I’m sorry it came to such an extreme.”
“It’s for the best.” Gregory sipped his whisky, grateful for its smooth heat. “Have you tried to sever your relationship with your father?”
“Not entirely, but we generally keep our distance. He’s always been nonplussed by me, and when I opened the Phoenix Club, he was particularly disappointed. He said it would fail and that I couldn’t come to him asking for money when I was inevitably insolvent.”
“That’s awful.”
Lucien shrugged. “It is what I expected.”
“Will the club really fail?” Gregory hoped not.
“It’s hard to say. I expect I’ll receive at least a few resignations today due to what’s in the newspapers. Time will tell if people stop coming. They may decide to keep their distance for a while.”
“I can’t think that will be good.”
