Page 9 of To Tempt a Scandalous Lord
“It would be if you weren’t constantly worried about offending everyone in Commons,” Alicia murmured.
The marquess swung his head to look at her, his brows pulled low over his eyes. “What do you mean, my lady?”
She swallowed, anxiety dancing upon her nerves, before she offered, “You’re so concerned with compromise, you forget that sometimes you need to go for the jugular.”
“How bloodthirsty,” Charlotte said, an amused smile curving her mouth.
Inverray’s glare would surely turn her to stone. “Are you advising me to play games with my political future?”
Alicia dropped her gaze as she sat back in her chair, something she had been actively avoiding all night. It seemed like a ceding of ground, and she hated to appear weak.
But her study of the candidates for party leader revealed that while Inverray was adept at delivering a carefully worded response to suit the moment, his facial expressions usually gave away his true feelings. Or so it seemed to her. And his current expression made it clear she was at risk of offending his pride.
“Not play games, my lord. I’m advocating you grasp the power you’ve earned and put it to good use.”
Inverray raised his glass of port to his lips to take a sip, his gaze heavy upon her. “And grasping it means I should force a vote on a proposal I know won’t get the proper support?”
“His lordship has indicated you have the support.” She cocked her head as she returned his stare.
“From party members, perhaps, but I would like bipartisan support.”
“But why?” she pushed.
He set his glass down with a loudclank, and leaned toward her. “Because any child labor law we pass will change the entire country. It will affect how business is conducted throughout the empire. Families who rely upon every member of the household to bring home a wage, no matter their tender age, will now send their little workers from factory floors into schoolrooms. There will be backlash, and I want the full support of Commons behind such legislation, not just the members of one party.”
Alicia had not expected that answer, and she raised her wineglass to her lips to hide her surprise. While she had been narrowly focused on seeing legislation written, Inverray had been considering the larger picture. Her respect for him grew.
Mayhap there was a way she could help…
“I understand what you’re trying to do, Inverray, but you know it will be an uphill battle. Especially with the tracts cutting you off at the legs,” Firthwell said.
Alicia went still, every part of her on alert.
The expressions of the other three occupants at the table darkened, and she fought not to fidget at the tense shift in the atmosphere of the room.
“Have you given any more thought to determining who the author is?” Firthwell leaned forward, his gaze firm. “Are you simply going to roll over and let this nameless, faceless coward define your legacy for you?”
With her pulse galloping like an out-of-control racehorse, Alicia gulped down a burning mouthful of wine.
“I appreciate your fierce support, Firthwell, but your complete willingness to overlook the very real truths of the author’s claims astounds me.”
Darting her gaze to the viscount, she found Firthwell staring at Inverray with a scowl. “What truth could the author have written?”
The marquess propped his ankle on the opposite knee, and his casual confidence sparked a fire in the depths of her belly, and Alicia forced herself to look away. She knew what happened to the moth that drifted too close to the flame.
Inverray spread his hands. “The author claimed I’m shortsighted. More concerned with immediate victories than long-term successes. He’s not wrong.”
“Come now, Niall, that’s unfair.” Firthwell scoffed. “Sometimes small victories are needed to rally the troops. Give them encouragement. Motivate them to keep working toward the end goal. That’s what you have told me again and again.”
Alicia stared down at her hands, knotted in her lap. She had long bemoaned Inverray’s apparent indifference to ushering more important, more meaningful, bills to Westminster. Yet now…now she felt foolish.Of course. Of course each inconsequential bill was a morale boost, whilst he worked backstage on more substantial pieces of legislation.
“Must we discuss those infernal chapbooks any longer?” Inverray rose to his feet, and headed to the sideboard. He removed a stopper from a bottle, raised it to his nose, and nodded approvingly. After taking a sip from his freshly poured glass, he raised a sharp brow. “Nothing we say here is going to erase what has already been written, and I’ve spent enough time thinking on those blasted tracts.”
Alicia raised her glass of wine to her mouth for a sip. A man who was capable of self-reflection was a rarity in her limited experience, and she didn’t know what to think of it.
“I quite agree that a change of subject is in order,” Charlotte murmured, “especially because we’ve not yet discussed the rumor that Lord Medlinger was caughtin flagrante delictowith Lady Rasmussen.”
The group discussed at length whether the rumor could be true, and the men debated if Inverray should take advantage of such information. Alicia was surprised when the marquess swiped his hand through the air.
