“Then let’s get down to brass tacks. What can I do for you?”
“The matter is delicate,” James began, leaning forward slightly. “It involves Lord Redfield.”
“Redfield!” Kettledown’s expression darkened. “A weasel of a man. Investing in his shipping business was one of the worstmistakes of my life. If I hadn’t put all that money into that business, I might have been able to save the mine…”
“Well, it’s done now,” James said. “And it worked out for you in the end.”
“Indeed.”
“What I need,” James continued, his voice growing lower and softer, “is to access Redfield’s financial records for his investment in Mr. Farrell’s dogfighting and smuggling ventures. And to do that, I need you.”
Kettledown stroked his beard. “And why do you think I would be able to help you get that information?”
“Don’t play coy with me,” James said, his voice still soft but edged with a hint of warning now. “I know that you both work with the same solicitor, even after you stopped investing in his company.”
“But the records are sealed at the solicitor’s office!” Kettledown exclaimed.
“I also know that the solicitor is a member of your family,” James continued, and Kettledown’s eyes went wide. “And I doubt that he would think twice about helping out the patriarch of his family, especially if it meant the Earl might owehima favor in the future.”
“H-how do you know that?” Kettledown spluttered. “Mr. Condran and I are… very distantly related. And only through marriage! He is in trade!”
“You forget who I am,” James said, and he enjoyed watching the color drain from Kettledown’s face. “It is my job to know things.”
In fact, it was one of his favorite things about his reputation, although he would never admit it.
“Anyway, I don’t care about your having a commoner for a relative,” James continued impatiently. “What I care about is how you can bend him to your will—or rather, my will.”
“But…” Kettledown still looked uncertain. “He could lose his license if someone finds out!”
“This is of the utmost importance,” James said. “Farrell must be brought down, and without the financial records of his illegal dealings with Redfield, we may lose our chance. And you owe me, Kettledown. Wouldn’t you like that debt to be cleared up?”
Slowly, Kettledown nodded. “I suppose that my second cousin would be amenable to having the Earl in his debt,” he relented, at last. “And he would certainly be flattered by an invitation to Kettledown House… that might be enough to sway him.”
“Very good.” James stood up and extended his hand. Kettledown scrambled to his feet and shook it. “We have a deal.”
As he turned to leave the office, James experienced exactly what he had been hoping for—a feeling of such pure satisfaction that he had actually stopped thinking about his wife.
But of course, it didn’t last long.
Chapter Nineteen
“Ireally am grateful for this distance between myself and the Duke,” Violet said as she and Rosalie drifted along the edge of the dance floor while couples swirled all around them. “It has given me time to think about what I would like to do as a duchess.”
“That’s good,” Rosalie muttered, but she was clearly not listening to her. Her eyes were fixed on the dancing couples, and there was a dreamy quality to her voice.
“Are you off in one of your fantasy worlds?” Violet asked, peering at her sister.
“What? No, I’m not a child anymore,” Rosalie said, frowning. “I’m merely imagining what it would be like to dance at a ball like this with a handsome gentleman.”
“You don’t have to imagine it,” Violet said. “We’re here, at the ball. You can certainly find a partner who will dance with you.”
“I don’t know…” Rosalie fingered her dance card nervously. “I’m not officially out, and no one here knows me.”
Violet bit her lip. She wished she could have asked her husband to introduce them to some young gentlemen who might be suitable for Rosalie to dance with. But her husband wasn’t in attendance—he didn’t even come to help Violet chaperone her sister at her first ball. He was too busy with business.
Truthfully, Violet had been reluctant to let Rosalie attend the ball.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that Society can be overwhelming,” she’d explained the day before. “And you are sensitive.”
