Page 74 of The Duelist for the Ton
“You understood what Eleanor said earlier?”
“The duchess has a rather odd turn of phrase, but rather than fill her sentences with bland niceties that most ladies are fond of, she speaks the absolute truth—even if that truth is not deemed acceptable.”
“Eleanor speaks literally, and takes what’s said to her in return literally also. She has no time for social niceties. She’s the most honest soul I know.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, smiling. “I’ll wager there’s another lady here today who displays a similar penchant for honesty. You’re not afraid to speak up, even if your brother disapproves—or even ifIdisapprove. I take it you find my desire for honesty officious?”
“A little. Is it not better to aspire to goodness?”
“Ah, but I consider honesty and goodness to walk hand in hand.”
“But is there not merit in considering the principle—thespirit, if you will—of goodness? Honesty and goodness are not mutually exclusive, but where the two come into conflict, then I can see justification for concealing the truth, even molding it a little, while not actively telling a falsehood.”
“But do you not understand that even the slightest deception opens the door to falsehood, which may never be closed again? Consider the wounded man who takes a little laudanum, and then a little more because he enjoys the feeling it elicits—andthen, after indulging in it over a long period, he finds himself unable to live without it.”
She let out a huff. “I know enough about laudanum addiction, colonel, to understand the risks of overdependence.”
“Perhaps enough about what Dr. McIver has told you, but I doubt you’ve seen the effects for yourself.”
“What do you think I do when I visit the hospital? Rearrange the flowers?”
At that moment, they entered a clearing and a target came into view, nestled among a holly bush, its concentric rings shining in the sunlight.
“Ah, Eleanor has made the final target easy for her guests,” Portia said. “I had wondered if she’d have the last one concealed in the lake.”
She reached for her final arrow, and he caught her hand, his long, lean fingers curled about her wrist. Her skin tightened at the sensation of the callouses on his fingers, so unlike the smooth skin of men such as her brother, who’d never known a day’s toil. She met his gaze, and her stomach fluttered at the intensity of in his eyes—the faint undertones of pain that still lingered and, no doubt, the guilt that plagued him for having survived the war while his comrades fell about him.
He gestured to the target. “Do you wish to go first?”
She shook her head. “You can.”
He took his final arrow, drew back the bow, and let it fly. The arrow sailed in a perfect arc, landing in the center.
“Excellent shot,” Portia said, and he flinched. She drew out her final arrow.
“Forgive me for my words earlier,” he said. “I’m not trying to impugn your skills or knowledge. I’m only trying to explain the danger of treading the wrong path, even though one might set upon that path with good intentions. If a man attempts to justifyhis dishonesty, then he clearly wishes to move further along that path.”
“Not necessarily,” she said, nocking the arrow.
“I disagree. I don’t believe anyone to be truly evil, but men do evil things. And the only way to prevent evil is to consider what caused the seed of evil to grow in the man. Even the most reprehensible of men will have, at some point, made a decision that they believed to be justified that set them on the path. Some may even be redeemable.”
“So you believe men such as Sir Heath Moss had the capacity for goodness at some point and can be redeemed?”
“Yes, even men such as him. Of course, some men are beyond redemption, whatever Lord Staines may say.”
“Lord Staines is a vicar—or at least he was before he inherited the title. It is a vicar’s duty to believe every lost soul is capable of redemption.”
“I’m sure most are, but some men are beyond it.”
“Such as?”
“That Farthing fellow.”
Her gut twisted with apprehension at the loathing in his tone, and she gritted her teeth to stem the tremors in her body.
“He’s not killed anyone,” she said.
He snapped his head around and stared at her, his eyes darkening.
