Chapter Thirty-Five

With effort, James assembled his muddled thoughts. Fear that the duke and lieutenant had come to skewer him for the frustratingly brief kiss he’d shared with Daphne dissipated with the realization that Father was making trouble. Again.

“I will move forward on the assumption that I find myself in a position of apologizing for my father’s behavior.”

“A good assumption,” Lieutenant Lancaster muttered.

“What has he done?” James knew without a doubt he wouldn’t like the answer.

“I refuse to gossip in the corridor,” the duke said. “To the book room.”

The Dangerous Duke and the young lieutenant made a very intimidating picture as they strode purposefully in the direction of the stairs. Watching them, James wondered how he’d managed to summon the fortitude to face the fearsome duo after his mistreatment of Daphne. They felt almost like allies now.

He turned toward Daphne and held out his hand.

“You wish for me to join you?” she asked.

If she doubted something as basic as his desire for her presence—his need for it—even after their tender moment of affection, then he had more work ahead of him than he realized. “I discovered quite early in our association that you are a godsend, Daphne. If you are willing to help me through yet another disaster of my family’s making, I would consider myself even further in your debt.”

She shook her head, color stealing across her face. She blushed adorably, though James knew better than to tell her so. She took the hand he held out to her. Progress had been made, certainly, but he still felt her hesitation. He needed only time and opportunity. She would eventually see that he could be trusted despite his less-than-stalwart history.

“What do you think your father has done?” she asked as they walked together down the corridor.

“I cannot even begin to guess.”

“Could he—” Her question ended as abruptly as it had begun. She pressed her lips together, her eyes darting away from him.

James had learned to recognize that expression. She was holding back. “You must never worry about telling me anything, Daphne.”

She studied him a moment, gauging his sincerity. He must have appeared at least momentarily trustworthy. “Do you suppose your father has decided upon another young lady to whom he will demand you pay your addresses?”

“He can demand until he’s blue in the face, for all the good it will do him,” James said.

Still, she looked unsure. “He might offer to return your income if you do.”

“There is not enough money in all the world,” he insisted.

“All the world? Are you certain? That seems like a great deal of money to me.” He heard the smile in her voice and, better yet, saw that her expression matched her tone.

They stepped into His Grace’s book room. The duke and the lieutenant occupied the precise positions they had upon James’s first encounter with the formidable gentlemen. The air, however, was not thick with the feeling of impending doom, nor were a full dozen weapons laid out for emphasis. Much had changed in a short couple of weeks.

He saw Daphne seated comfortably in a chair near the desk, though not the one he knew from experience to be ridiculously lower than the others.

“Your father has learned of your employment here,” the duke said without preamble.

“I haven’t exactly kept it a secret,” James said.

“I believe Techney rather wishes you had.” The duke leaned back casually in his chair. “Does the phrase ‘blot on the family name that is best forgotten’ sound familiar to you?”

“It is practically my second given name.”

“Signing contracts must leave you with muscle cramps,” Daphne said quietly.

James bit down a smile. To his surprise, the duke and lieutenant did the same.

“Your father waxed surprisingly eloquent at the club this afternoon about his worthless son and how desperately he wishes the young whelp didn’t continually give him reason to . . . What were the words he used, Linus? He painted such a precise picture.”

The lieutenant didn’t waste a single moment. “He bemoaned that he was burdened with a son who was a ne’er-do-well drunkard with a thirst for gambling so insatiable that he needs to seek employment simply to keep the sharks from tearing him to bits.”

That was drastic, even for Father. “What utter—”

His Grace held up a hand and cut off the rest of James’s protests. “Sadly, I was not done with my retelling.”

“There is more?” James asked. Though he should not have been surprised, he was.

“Apparently unconvinced he had maligned you thoroughly enough, your loving father told everyone who would listen that you are an unrepentant rake who continually pretends to court unsuspecting young ladies as a matter of sport.” What little humor had been in the duke’s tone disappeared entirely. “He has warned all who will listen that you have set a goal to run the gamut of innocent young ladies in London.”

James dropped into the low-lying chair across the table from the duke. Father was ripping him up before all of Society. “I am assuming that since you have not shipped my mangled remains to your Northumberland gibbet, you do not put a great deal of store by my father’s declarations.”

“As I have told you many times, Tilburn, your father is an idiot.”

James slumped lower. “An idiot working very hard to denounce me.”

“What are you willing to do to salvage your good name?” The duke pierced him with a challenging look.

James found he could not entirely rise to the occasion. “What can I possibly do?”

“You?” His Grace very nearly laughed. “You can do nothing. I, however, could do a great deal if I were so inclined.”

“Considering my history with your family, Your Grace, I do not in the least warrant your support.”

“No, you don’t.” The duke’s stern gaze remained fixed on James. “To contradict your father would be to stake my own reputation on your trustworthiness. Whether or not you are a man of honor has been a topic of very unfavorable debate in this household.”

James nodded. “Understandably so.”

“Well, Daphne.” The duke looked away from James for the first time. “What is your opinion on this matter? Does Lord Tilburn warrant my declaration of trust?”

James’s heart dropped to his boots. While he had promised mere moments earlier that he would work to regain her trust, he knew full well he did not yet have it. The duke and the lieutenant had turned their attention to her. Seeing for himself the denial on her face would be too much. He kept his gaze on the desk.

“I have seen the care he takes of his mother and brother. He works very hard to keep Techney House running smoothly. I cannot imagine he is any less responsible with his family’s Lancashire estate,” Daphne said, though with a hint of hesitation. “You know as well as I do that he has worked very hard as your secretary and without complaint. I am certain the Duke of Hartley would concur.”

It was, when one considered it, a very glowing evaluation of his work ethic. James had not expected that. Yet somehow, the compliments felt hollow.

“That is not what I asked, Daphne,” the duke said. “I want to know if you trust him.”

With that clarification, His Grace hit upon precisely what had been missing from Daphne’s response. Nothing in her recommendation had been in the least personal.

She studied her clasped hands a moment before lifting her eyes to her brother-in-law.

James held his breath.

“I would trust him with my own estate if I had one,” she said simply.

If ever a man had been humbled by an undeserved show of support, James was in that moment. She would trust him with her own land and home. He did not warrant Daphne’s support but somehow had it.

“Linus,” the duke said, “I believe that is endorsement enough to go through with our plan.”

They had already formulated a plan?

Lieutenant Lancaster stepped forward, his posture stern and unyielding. In a crisp, authoritative voice, he addressed James. “Let me preface this by saying in no uncertain terms that I make this offer because of my unwavering faith in my sister’s judgment, not because I have decided to fully trust you.”

James nodded his understanding.

“Your father will destroy you if he continues this campaign of his,” the lieutenant continued. “Even if his efforts were thwarted forthwith, some damage has already been done. There is just enough of a hint of truth to make people wonder. If your name is to be salvaged, all of his accusations must be addressed.”

It made sense but hardly seemed likely.

“Whilst I have been serving in the navy,” the lieutenant said, “the duke has overseen our family estate, allowing his man of business to undertake whatever efforts were necessary. My father is still living but not mentally capable of . . . well, of anything. Being of age and more able to see to my family’s affairs, I have all but taken over the helm now. Knowing I will be at sea once more, I had intended to hire an estate manager of my own.”

James nodded, though he wasn’t certain where this was headed.

“Here is our proposition for you, Lord Tilburn. Your father’s efforts have made it imperative that you not, in fact, earn your living lest Society see this as confirmation of his lies.”

“I have nothing to live on if I do not—”

The lieutenant cut him off with a look. “In the eyes of the ton, you must not be seen to be working for your keep. The actual truth of the matter could, in fact, be quite the opposite. In deference to my sister’s declaration of trust, I am offering you the position of estate manager on my family estate in Shropshire.”

James could only stare. Without references, without an interview, he had been given a position? An income?

“It would not be presented as such, however,” the lieutenant said. “We would put it about that the estate needed greater supervision, and the Duke of Kielder, knowing you to be competent, has asked that you oversee it. He has much greater cachet in Society than I do. Were he seen to be showing trust in you, that would go a long way toward establishing your honorable nature. You would have use of the manor house, its upkeep being provided through the estate. In lieu of a specific income, you would receive a percentage of the estate’s profits. Such is an acceptable arrangement for a gentleman in the eyes of Society.”

“I do not know how to even begin thanking you.” Overwhelming gratitude rendered his words nearly unintelligible.

“You can thank me by not running the estate into the ground.” The smallest hint of humor entered the lieutenant’s tone. James had a feeling the naval man was not usually as stern as he had known him to be. Obviously he loved his sister a great deal and understandably struggled to forgive the man who had hurt her.

“I will run it with as much care as I would my own lands,” James said.

The lieutenant nodded, apparently satisfied.

His Grace once more took control of the discussion. “That should address the issue of your pennilessness and should do much to quiet the speculation about your gambling debts and general lack of responsibility. We still, however, must address your father’s comments about your treatment of innocent ladies.”

“You’ve done so much already, I could not possibly—”

“This family does nothing halfway,” His Grace insisted. “If Daphne has not tossed you out on your head yet, we are willing to stand by you.”

His shock only continued to grow. He had never in all his life experienced such a show of support, especially from a family to which he had no claim and whom he had wronged so entirely. “Again, I thank you.”

The duke leaned back in his chair, a contemplative expression on his face. “If your father were to receive an invitation to join us here at Falstone House, do you think he would be of a mind to accept?”

Father, turn down an invitation from Society’s elite? No chance of that. “He would accept without hesitation.”

“Perfect.” The duke smiled in unholy triumph, and James felt the slightest twinge of apprehension on Father’s behalf.

“What are you two planning?” Daphne sounded more intrigued than concerned.

“Let us just say,” the duke replied, “that this is one performance Harry will never forgive himself for missing.”

“Oh dear.” Daphne’s laugh brought a smile to James’s face.

“Now, out, both of you,” the duke ordered. “Linus and I have a few details to work out.”

In the face of such a pointed dismissal, there was nothing to do but leave. James stepped into the corridor behind Daphne and walked beside her as she moved away from the book room. He owed her such an enormous debt of gratitude that he felt entirely unable to express himself.

She spoke first. “I know the look I just saw on my brother-in-law’s face. It is precisely the expression he wears when his least favorite cousin comes to stay. Your father is to be woefully mistreated, it seems.”

“Would you think me a black-hearted villain if I said I hope that proves true?”

“Adam will not disappoint you on that score.” Lud, he loved her smile.

“I know full well that he would not be supporting me without your vote of confidence—a gesture on your part that I neither expected nor deserve. I cannot begin to tell you how humbled and indebted I am.”

She did not look at him, though he could see a bit of color touch her cheeks. “I certainly hope I am not so shortsighted as to refuse to acknowledge your virtues simply because you did not conveniently fall top-over-tail in love with me.”

Her attempt at an unaffected expression fell noticeably short of the mark. He could see the lingering pain in her eyes that his one-time disregard had caused.

“Daphne, I—”

“My family and I put every ounce of strength we had into our home during our years of poverty,” she rushed on, cutting across his words. “The land and tenants deserve to be cared for and cared about.”

“I promise to do my very best for them, but—”

“I am certain you will be given a great many tasks to prepare for your father’s arrival. I won’t keep you from it.” Daphne quickened her pace, throwing a glance back over her shoulder as she reached the stairs leading up to the family’s quarters. “Good day.”

He watched her disappear up the steps. “Good day,” he quietly replied.

Despite his awkward leave-taking and her conviction that he did not care for her, some progress had been made. She trusted him, at least a little. And somehow, he’d begrudgingly won the support of her brother and brother-in-law.

Beyond that, she had let him hold her, even kiss her. It had been brief, almost to the point of nonexistence, but it was, without question, reason enough to hope.