Page 47 of The Scarlet Lady's Duke of Desire
The thought that Miss Thornton might catch wind of his arrival, and avoid him even more than she already had, made his heart ache.
If Miss Thornton was around, he did not have the opportunity to see her. Perhaps that was a good thing as his desire to talk with her, to explain the situation with Lady Florence, might have distracted him from his most important task.
"Mr Thornton, I thank you for entertaining me on such short notice," James said the moment he was shown into the businessman's library.
The older gentleman was standing in the centre of the room, not far from a large, fine mahogany desk.
"Your Grace, I was most surprised at your arrival," Mr Thornton admitted, "Though I am always happy to entertain. Please, sit."
Mr Thornton smiled and gestured James to an armchair in front of him.
"I thank you, sir, though for what I have come to say I would prefer to stand," James stated with a dip of his head. He was more than a little relieved that as two men they need not suffer a chaperone. What he had to say was not for the ears of Mr Thornton's servants; those who would likely see his news as an opportunity of their own. He suspected that it was their lips where a great many scandals had begun over the years.
At his words, Mr Thornton raised one greying brow and placed a hand upon his portly stomach as though the anticipation had upset his constitution. "Please, Your Grace, I can sense that you are quite upset," Mr Thornton suggested, "Perhaps it would be best if you sat?"
James shook his head and bit the inside of his lip. "I suspect that you ought to be the one to sit."
The gentleman's hand seemed to press further into his gut. "Please, tell me what has brought you here in such a hurry that you could not send word ahead."
Neither man moved to take a seat.
James stared back at the gentleman, feeling a little guilty for having not sent word of his intent to visit. What did it matter anyway? He still hadn’t managed to see Miss Thornton even without giving her prior warning.
Upon arriving at the house in quite the tizz, the butler had practically raced him through the house to Mr Thornton’s private library where it appeared he did most of his business.
“Mr Thornton, might I ask what you know of this…Mr Colton?” James asked, hesitating for only a moment. He did not like the sensation in his gut that told him he was playing a dangerous game.
“The senior or the junior?” Mr Thornton asked, his head cocking slightly to one side as if with curiosity or suspicion. “I could tell you a great deal of both.”
James cringed. The fondness with which he filled his voice suggested that he was going to have a hard time convincing the man.
“I am aware that the senior is a business partner of yours,” James stated. He sucked in a breath, trying his hardest to prepare for what he was about to say. “But, sir, forgive me for asking but how well do you truly know this business partner of yours?”
“Colton Senior and I were students together at Oxford,” Mr Thornton admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. “What of it?”
“Mr Thornton, I am afraid to say that I believe your friend has fallen on hard times and as such, he and his son may well be trying to take you for a fool,” James admitted through gritted teeth, all too able to imagine how he must sound.
“I do beg your pardon!” Mr Thornton exclaimed. “What exactly is your meaning, Your Grace?”
“My meaning is that you may not know yourfriendas well as you might believe,” James said, trying to stop himself from saying anything more forceful. “Desperate men will do desperate things.”
“Where exactly is it that you come by this information, your grace?” Mr Thornton asked, though it was clear from the expression on his face that it was taking a great deal of strength for him not to get upset or even angry at such accusations.
“Mr Thornton, I am a Duke, I have a great many sources that can tell me all manner of things,” James explained. Standing before the gentleman, he held his breath straight and met the other man’s gaze as strongly as he was able.
Though he knew without a doubt that he had the measure of Mr Colton just right, he could not help but feel some guilt and a little doubt at what it was he was suggesting.
“And how exactly do you know that you can trust these sources?” Mr Thornton demanded. “What exactly is it that you are telling me?”
“I trust them all very well as I have always trusted my man not to be taken for a fool,” James said. He continued to hold Mr Thornton’s gaze even though his own determination was beginning to falter.
Why am I even here?He asked himself with a deep sigh. This truly was none of his business.
“Then what exactly is it thatyourman knows, Your Grace?” Mr Thornton demanded, and it was clear from the look on the man’s face that he already had no intention of believing what it was that the duke was saying.
“I,Mr Thornton, have been made aware that Mr Colton, the senior and the junior, are both at risk of finding themselves in debtors' prison,” James explained, his hands clasped behind his back and his chin held high, determined to remain utterly still and discreet.
“It seems that since the death of Mrs Colton several years ago, the senior has taken to drinking, gambling and whoring and it is clear that there is no money left within the family’s coffers.”
