Page 47 of The Ruin of a Rake
Well, well. “Right before you stole my bag and all the money in it, in fact.”
Turner only shrugged vaguely, neither confirming nor denying the accusation. “I came to London to meet with you regarding the lease of your house.”
Courtenay tried to cast his mind back over the past forty-eight hours. “But I only visited my estate yesterday.”
“Mr. Medlock wrote last week. But I thought I’d speak to you directly.”
Courtenay remembered what Julian had said about recognizing Turner as a confidence artist. “I’ll bet you did,” he said.
Turner examined his nails, as if Courtenay’s insinuations failed to hold his interest. “I visited it this morning. It will suit.”
“Oh will it?” Courtenay didn’t know whether to be amused or affronted that a confidence artist and thief considered Courtenay’s own property a suitable residence for his eccentric employer. “How gratifying.”
“It’s near enough to Harrow that we’ll be able to visit Simon when he’s at school, and there seem to be several outbuildings nobody would mind sacrificing to Lord Radnor’s scientific achievements, so yes, it will suit. And the amount Mr. Medlock proposed is likewise satisfactory.”
The rent Medlock proposed had been enough to keep Courtenay in reasonable funds for the duration of the lease. Courtenay had thought it preposterous, but Medlock had insisted it was low enough to buy Radnor’s goodwill. Which just went to show that Courtenay would never understand money.
Courtenay’s thoughts were interrupted by a trill of high-pitched laughter and he was forcibly reminded of his surroundings. “How did you hunt me down at a whorehouse?”
Turner looked at him as if he were an imbecile. “I asked around. You’re not exactly inconspicuous. People do recognize you.”
Another reason to get on the first ship leaving Southampton, then. Suddenly he was angry. “But why bother following me tonight? Why not wait until tomorrow? Your employer has already made up his mind that my moral turpitude renders me unfit company for a child. You hardly need more evidence.” Radnor had already made up his mind about Courtenay, and now was twisting the knife in the wound. “Let me tell you, my good man, I’m quite out of patience with people acting as if my character is so egregious it puts me in a different class from the rest of the world. I’m no different from most any other man, except that I don’t make a secret of my vices. I hardly gamble anymore, it’s been months since I had anything to drink, and I’m not going to apologize for taking my pleasure in the beds of willing partners.”
Courtenay didn’t lose his patience often, and certainly not with a roomful of lookers-on, but he was furious. He had enough shame and guilt without the rest of the rest of the world compounding it. If he wanted to castigate himself, he’d bloody well do it, but he didn’t need Medlock or Radnor or anybody else to make it even worse.
“Good night,” he said, and headed for the door.
He was already on the street when he heard his name being called. He assumed it was a footman bringing him the hat he had left behind in his haste. But it was Turner.
“I don’t have time for this, Turner. Leave me in peace. I’ll sail for Calais on the next tide, and I’ll be sure not to burden Radnor or my nephew with any correspondence.” Damn his voice for cracking onnephew.
“If you’ll listen to me for half a minute, please,” Turner said, not bothering to conceal his irritation at having to run his quarry down. “My employer has been entertaining the idea that despite your personal failings it might do Simon some good to see you, considering how close you were during his time on the Continent. I was simply making sure that you weren’t engaged in round-the-clock orgies. I believe Lord Radnor will be satisfied. I’ll be in London for three days, and I brought Simon with me so he could visit Astley’s again. I thought you might want to come with us.”
Courtenay thought he might weep with relief. “Yes,” he managed. “Yes.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Why didn’t you tell me you had been invited to the Preston ball?” Eleanor asked, looking up from the letter she was reading at the breakfast table.
Courtenay was in an agreeable mood, having spent the past two days taking Simon about London. It had felt like old times, but more than that it was the promise of a future that wasn’t totally devoid of joy. “There’s no point, thank God. Radnor saw reason, and now I can go back to behaving normally,” he said.
“But I’m going,” Eleanor argued. “It would be lovely to see you at one of these dos for once.”
“Ihave to go,” Standish said, appearing in the open door of the breakfast room. “I don’t see why I ought to be the only one suffering.”
At some point while Courtenay had been distracted by Simon’s presence, Standish and Eleanor had reached a slight detente. Standish now leaned against the doorframe, his hands jammed in his pockets and a smile on his lips. His words were addressed to Courtenay but his eyes were on Eleanor.
Eleanor, who was blushing.Veryinteresting.
“Julian did go to all that trouble to get you invited.” Eleanor said, blissfully oblivious to the fact that Courtenay and Julian hadn’t spoken in days. “It seems a waste if you don’t go.”
Standish made a strangled noise and Courtenay shot him a reassuring look. Courtenay would hold his tongue. If Eleanor knew that Standish had told Courtenay about Julian’s novel, she’d be upset with her husband for violating her confidence, and it might undo some of the progress they had made in reconciling. Courtenay, however, was unspeakably grateful to Standish for telling him the truth before Courtenay had fallen even more dangerously in love with Julian.
Besides, it would be damned hard to explain why Standish had felt it necessary to tell Courtenay Julian’s secret without revealing their affair. Courtenay wasn’t entirely sure if Eleanor knew that her brother’s tastes ran to men, let alone whether he had been intimate with Courtenay. And as disappointed as Courtenay was with Julian, and with himself for having been stupid enough to fall for a man who held him in such low regard, he wasn’t exposing the man’s secrets.
“Perhaps I’ll go,” he said, wanting to be agreeable.
“Eleanor said it will be very crowded.” Standish spoke with an offhand air, but Courtenay understood him to be reassuring Courtenay that he wouldn’t need to see Julian if he didn’t want to.
