He stared at his father’s deep blue eyes, wishing he were here to explain himself. The strange thing was that so much of his father’s estate had been managed properly. The late duke was meticulous with his reports from his tenants, and his man of business was a competent and organized man.
But it was the duke’s investments later in life that Colin could not fathom. After a lifetime of securing the estate, his father had seemed to become somewhat reckless. He had placed a great deal of money into several volatile shipping companies overseas. Even Colin could see that it was unwise, looking back at the sketchy reports he had found, and when he eventually discovered a substantial sum had been lost, he was hardly surprised.
Then there were the withdrawals. Sums of money had been removed from the estate’s accounts, and assets liquidated without correspondence with his solicitors. No return had ever been recorded. The amounts were not exorbitant, but Colin’s nervousness grew at every one he discovered. His father was not a rash man, but his dealings toward the end of his life had all the hallmarks of someone who had lost his way.
Colin turned back to the papers littering his desk. He would get to the bottom of it. He owed it to his father’s memory and the estate’s future—at least the late duke would support him in that.
***
Later that evening, Colin arrived at his club and spotted Lord Edward Hayesworth at their usual table. Edward’s dark blonde hair was swept back from his face, his spectacles perched on the end of his nose, and he was frowning at the newspaper as though it had personally insulted him.
Colin felt a loosening in his chest at the sight of his old friend and made his way toward him.
Edward glanced up as Colin reached him, and a broad grin spread across his face.
“Ludlow!” he said happily standing up and shaking Colin by the hand before indicating the chair in front of him. “You look like you need a drink.”
He turned and summoned a waiter, ordering them both a brandy. Edward made a performance of folding up the paper as Colin settled into the high-backed chair opposite and Edward eyed him with a knowing look.
“What news?” Hayesworth asked, “You look positively maudlin.”
“So do you,” Colin said, glancing at the paper. “Whatever were you reading?”
“Pray, what is it with the broadsheets, dear fellow? One cannot seem to escape this incessant drivel. It is but a great deal of folly being circulated regarding my brother, as is oft the case. You would think that a peer of the realm would command a modicum of respect.”
Colin huffed out a low laugh as Edward’s infectious grin returned. He was a man who was rarely melancholy. With five brothers, Colin often wondered how Edward kept track of their comings and goings. Yet, they were all fine men, well-liked in society. Edward, the youngest and his mother’s baby, was doted on from every quarter. Despite this, he remained humble and understated—a perfect antithesis to Colin’s rather severe countenance.
“What pursuits has Berty engaged in of late?” Colin asked.
“Oh, the type of thing my brother adores above everything else—making a nuisance of himself in the House of Lords. Even with a proxy vote, he has created enemies left, right, and centre this week.”
“Well, that should please him.”
“Quiet. He will be thrilled.”
Their drinks arrived shortly afterward, and both men settled back in their seats, the gentle rustling of papers and the murmur of voices settling Colin’s fractured nerves. The long room in which they sat was mostly empty, with the occasional gentleman wandering through or speaking to an acquaintance. The heavy drapes over the windows kept the smog out, allowing a hazy darkness to settle over the company.
“So, what has you so unhappy, my dear fellow? I declare each time I see you, the frown lines between your brows have deepened.”
Colin followed the groove of the cut glass in his hand with his thumbnail as he leaned it from side to side, watching the amber liquid roll pleasantly in the glass.
“Do you remember when we saw one another at the garden party in May, and I mentioned that strange loan my father had taken out?”
Edward’s face puckered slightly as he sipped his drink, and then he nodded.
“I do. You said you had some paperwork to look through. Surely you cannot still be working on it now; it’s almost July.”
“I fear it will take a great deal longer even than that.”
Edward’s gaze turned serious, and he leaned forward in his chair, his eyes darting behind them to ensure they were not overheard.
“Are you concerned?”
Colin’s fingers tightened on his glass. He trusted Edward implicitly, but uttering his fears aloud made them seem all the more real.
“I am afraid so—the search for one begets another. There have been several unusual withdrawals that have the same pattern. I cannot understand them without going deeper.”
Edward set down his glass and clasped his hands together.
