Page 46 of The Scarlet Lady's Duke of Desire
Until then, all she had to do was persevere upon the path she found herself on, hoping she would not stumble and fall.
Chapter 25
James, having spent many days going over the ledgers in his office, had taken to spending much of his time out in the gardens. Though it did little to help calm his mind, it at least tired his body enough to help him get some sleep at night.
And one morning, just as he was beginning to feel a little more at ease and hoping his thoughts of Miss Thornton might finally be starting to subside, he heard the hurried clattering of footsteps upon the shingle path behind him.
"Your Grace! Your Grace, forgive me for interrupting your peace but I have news." Dennis, his manservant came hurrying up, out of breath, as James turned to meet him on the path. The man skidded to a halt and practically doubled over with the need to breathe.
"What is it, Dennis?" James demanded. Already his stomach was clenched and his skin crawling. Whatever it was, it had caused his manservant's face to grow entirely too pale for his liking. He was certain there was only one topic that his man would disturb his peace for. And so, when Dennis did not answer immediately, he asked, "What have you learned of Mr Colton?"
Dennis finally straightened up. Sucking in one final breath, he announced, "The man appears to be a fortune hunter, your grace."
The blood turned to ice in James' veins. "Pardon me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, uncertain as to whether he had heard the man correctly. He had to have been wrong. "I was told he was the son of a respectable businessman."
"He is, Your Grace, at least on the surface," Dennis explained, his face growing even paler. It was clear from his expression that he feared speaking out of turn.
"Speak freely, Dennis, explain," James urged him. He did not have the time or the patience for anything else.
"Your Grace, Mr Colton Senior, though outwardly a respectable man, has fallen upon hard times."
James already did not like what he was hearing. The simple fact that he had sent his man out for news on the junior suggested that his even mentioning the senior was something awful.
"They say that the father has squandered the family's great wealth in the gambling dens and brothels on thedarkerside of the city," Dennis said with his head bowed as though he could not bring himself to look James in the eye. "They say that the man is drinking and whoring himself into an early grave and his son is looking for a way to dig himself out of the hole before he is taken down with him."
Bile rose in the back of James' throat. It was abundantly clear to him thewaythat Mr Colton was seeking to dig himself out of said hole.
"How bad is it?" James asked through clenched teeth. He had to be sure that he was right. Every man had a tendency to let himself go from time to time. It need not be bad enough for one's son to look to marry a wealthy woman on the outskirts of society in order to save himself.
"There is talk of debtor's prison, your grace," Dennis hissed under his breath. "The hounds are at the door."
James' heart clenched. It was entirely as he had feared. He ought to have known that no respectable man would seek to marry a woman like Miss Thornton, especially not the son of a common businessman who had dragged himself up in society in order to share a seat at the table with noblemen like Mr Colton Senior had once done.
"What do you believe to be the cause of all this, Dennis?" James asked, holding onto what little self-control he had left. He needed all the facts.
"Your Grace?" Dennis lifted his gaze and raised an eyebrow with curiosity and confusion.
"What is suggested as the cause of Colton Senior's sudden downfall?"
James placed his hands discreetly behind his back, clasping them tightly together until he could manage to control himself just a little while longer.
Already, he was feeling the urge to run right to the Thorntons' London townhouse and demand to speak with the gentleman himself. To reveal the kind of man he was offering his daughter to—a man who would submit her to a life of poverty.
The son is not the father,he told himself that deep down he knew it need not matter. It was rarely possible for one to remove himself from the shadow of the other. And James had not heard of anything in society save for the fact that the both of them were well respected and wealthy men, even if they were not really of any true note to society.
He could not risk Miss Thornton to any such man who would seek to hide such things as the threat of debtor's prison.
She shall end up right there with him, should his father pass and leave all his debts to the son,James thought, sickened by the idea of seeing such a beautiful flower wither and die within the dark, dank walls of such a place.
"Those closest to the gentleman suggested it all began when his wife passed several years ago, your grace," Dennis explained. "They say it has been going on for so long they are surprised he has not ended up in prison long before now. Some close friends have loaned him money but even they grow weary of trying to reclaim it."
The more James heard, the less he truly wanted to know. "Have my carriage sent for."
Dennis dipped his head. "May I ask the destination, your grace?"
"The house of Mr Thornton. I must speak with him immediately."
Dennis dipped his head and moved to go. He only paused when James added, "Do not send word ahead."
