Page 30 of Masquerading with the Duke
‘Since you have taken a sudden and unexpected interest in Anglo-French relations, perhaps you’d care to tell me the precise nature of the secrets you appear to think have been leaked.’
‘Something to do with forging links outside of Europe that exclude the French.’ He waved a hand. ‘I don’t know the particulars, only what I’ve overheard.’
Jared shrugged, projecting a casualness he didn’t feel. ‘Not a very well-kept secret then, if it’s being talked about openly.’
‘Well, that’s how rumours start, I suppose.’
‘What do you really want, Arthur?’ Jared expelled a long sigh. ‘You and I both know that my loyalty is beyond question; as does Lord Romsey.’
‘I’m concerned about protecting the family name, that’s all.’
Jared sent him a scathing look. ‘Excuse me if I don’t believe you. I am no longer working for the diplomatic service anyway, so it hardly matters.’
‘Of course it damned well matters.’ Arthur spoke with a convincing degree of venom in his tone. ‘Everyone is saying that you were forced out because your loyalties were in question, and that it was better to quietly retire you rather than risk a scandal.’
Jared raised one negligent brow. ‘Everyone?’
‘I need temporary help,’ Arthur blurted out abruptly, looking everywhere other than at Jared.
‘When don’t you? But how will my helping you do anything to repair my supposedly tarnished reputation? And more to the point, where are these rumours coming from? With whom have you been consorting? These matters are highly confidential and anyone in the know would never talk openly about them in places where they could be overheard. Your attempts to cajole me into funding your debauched lifestyle have backfired badly, Arthur.’ Jared sighed, bored with the conversation yet worried about it too. Arthur could only be here at Redrow’s behest. Redrow, the scoundrel who tried to comprise an innocent girl who’d already been through so much. Rage threatened to engulf Jared but he swallowed it down. Angry men seldom behaved rationally. ‘It grieves me to discover that you have fallen so low. Grieves yet somehow fails to surprise, Arthur. Go back to whoever put you up to this and tell them that their clumsy efforts to divert attention from their own misdeeds have misfired.’
‘Look, Jared, I’m head of our family and I have a duty of care.’ Jared snorted. ‘I know you don’t like me–’
‘On the contrary, for a long time, before I reached the age of discretion, I looked up to you. It was you who had no time for me. Then I realised that you and our father were one and the same and I was glad to distance myself from you. I had little choice, I seem to recall, since none of your inheritance was passed down to me and my help when offered was rudely refused. I asked for nothing from you but now that our roles have been reversed, you have no qualms about trying to coerce me into generosity.’
‘I’m sure I don’t have any idea what you are referring to.’
‘And I am equally sure that you know perfectly well. Elliott is desperate to marry his daughter off, and his pockets are deep. I’m willing to wager that he promised you a handsome payday if you managed to persuade me into the marriage.’
‘Nonsense!’ Arthur sat a little straighter and affected an injured dignity that failed to impress. ‘The Elliotts are a decent family and it would have been a good match for you. Besides, it was our mother who suggested it, not I.’
‘How convenient to blame someone who is not here to defend herself, although I’m inclined to agree with you, at least insofar as Mother’s determination to form an alliance with the Elliotts goes. She and old man Elliott were somewhat more than friendly in their earlier years, I seem to recall.’
‘How dare you cast aspersions over our mother’s moral conduct!’ Arthur spluttered, red wine spilling from his lips and staining his neckcloth. His own fault for helping himself to a refill, Jared thought, shaking his head.
‘Stop posturing, Arthur, for God’s sake. It becomes tiresome. Mother is no more a paragon of virtue than you are. She wasn’t even particularly discreet about her liaisons, which is one of the reasons why I gave the lot of you a wide berth the moment I was in a position to look after myself.’
‘I don’t want to fight with you, Jared,’ Arthur said, subsiding into his chair with a heavy sigh. ‘I came here with the best of intentions.’
‘You came here with the sole intention of blackmailing me into bailing you out of trouble,’ Jared replied mildly. ‘When you and Mother failed to bend me to your will during my recent visit to London, you came up with a rather desperate scheme to cast doubts upon my loyalties. It’s a subject upon which I am understandably known to be sensitive, given our father’s behaviour, so you must have felt fairly confident of success.’ He fixed Arthur with a probing look, deciding against indicating that he knew of his collusion with Redrow. ‘What is less clear to me is how you intended to remove the shadow of doubt which you insist hangs over my name if I open my purse strings.’ Jared spread the hand that was not holding his wineglass. ‘I mean, you have no political contacts that I am aware of.’
‘There are other ways. Speaking out, using my influence to silence your critics.’
Jared pretended to take an interest. ‘Who are these critics precisely?’
‘Honestly, Jared, I came here in the spirit of brotherly goodwill and all you can do is question everything I say.’
‘No, Arthur, let’s be clear. You came here in the hope of frightening me into helping you out. You tried and you have failed. You will not be welcome here again and you have no one to blame but yourself for that.’ Jared stood. ‘Please leave.’
Arthur stumbled to his feet, red in the face and gesticulating wildly. ‘You ungrateful little turd! You will regret this, you’ll see.’
‘Stop making wild threats you are not in a position to carry out, Arthur. I am already one step ahead of you. Besides, any rumours you conspire to spread regarding my loyalty will only reflect upon you and Camilla.’ Arthur paled at the mention of his formidable wife’s name. ‘You really haven’t thought this through at all, have you? An enemy of mine has latched onto you, probably paying you to do his dirty work in the hope of using you to make me a scapegoat, and you are too stupid to realise it. Just go home and leave me to worry about myself.’
‘I don’t want to be on bad terms with you, Jared. Think what you like of me, I haven’t always made the right decisions, but I do have your best interests at heart. Anyway, I need to beg a bed for the night. I have business in Winchester in the morning.’
Jared didn’t want his brother under his roof for another minute. ‘I am busy tonight, Arthur. You’ll just have to find an inn for yourself. Now get out.’
‘I would do so but for the fact that the sun has turned the roads to rock, lamed my best horse and broken a carriage spring. Maybe you would lend me yours—along with your fine new horse,’ Arthur suggested, looking through the picture windows at Jared’s imposing carriage.
