Rose watched him go, then sank into her chair and dropped her head down on her desk.Dear God, Rose, what have you done?
Chapter Six
“So you areusing her.”
“We are using each other. She’s well aware of what’s happening.”
“I do not like it.” Robert motioned into the hallway for the waiter to bring them another drink, then dropped heavily into the chair opposite Thomas. He stared into the fireplace that separated the two of them in the small private room of their club.
Thomas waited for his brother to sort through a few of the thoughts clearly troubling him. He had explained the deal he had struck with Lady Rose Timmons, thinking it would cheer Robert with the idea that the problems with their father could be rectified sooner. Instead, Robert had turned sullen and reluctant.
The liveried waiter delivered two glasses of fine brandy to the table between their chairs, and Thomas shut the door behind him before returning to his seat. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and watching Robert’s face as his gaze moved over the flames. It was Robert’s tell, one that he had to fight hard at any gambling table. His face could remain still, but his blue eyes danced in time with his thoughts, moving from one object to another without really seeing any of them.
“Robert?”
His brother straightened abruptly and leaned back, turning to Thomas. “I can see the logic of it, the reasons, and why she would agree. It still puts her at risk. If we slip up even a bit after she does this, it’ll destroy people’s faith in her. And she needs that. It’s pretty much all she has left.”
Thomas’s eyes narrowed. “Do you want to explain exactly why you know so much about Lady Rose Timmons? You have been hinting at this since the ball. Speak.”
Robert simply watched Thomas a few moments, then spoke softly. “Robbie Green is one of her primary informants.”
“Ah.” Thomas straightened. “But she doesn’t know who Robbie Green is.”
A shake of the head. “No. It’s all been through messages, never direct. Her network is massive. People adore this woman, they respect what she has created.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Except the men she’s brought down a notch or two, of course. A couple she’s actually destroyed. Deservedly so. Among them, the rumor is that she’s crazy. But the Society women she’s helped trust her implicitly, and on the underside of Society her word is golden. She does not share or use information she cannot prove. She’s also helped protect women who are not among the elite, maids and such who have had to fend off more than one employer’s randy son, and those women have brothers and fathers in her network. I’ve heard—but cannot prove—that she even knows about and supports a home up in Yorkshire that will take in young women who have been taken advantage of to the point of being with child. And you know what could happen ifthatinformation became known.” He straightened. “Thomas, if we muck this up, we will destroy everything she’s worked years to build. We could destroyher.”
Thomas slumped back in his chair, absorbing the weight of Robert’s words. “Then why would she agree to something that is so risky for her?”
Another shrug as Robert reached for his brandy. “My speculation?”
Thomas picked up his own drink and gestured for Robert to continue. “Please.”
Robert took a sip of the brandy, then swirled the amber liquid in the glass, watching the reflections from the fire. “It could be one of any number of reasons, or a combination thereof. But I think there are three main possibilities. My best guess is that she wants to go for one last big fish. Someone who has charmed and preyed on young women for years, but she’s been unable to act against him.”
“That could be anyone. Lots of us scoundrels and rogues out there.”
Robert chuckled. “It’s not as big a field as you might think. And remember that the rumors about us depict us as more rakish than we actually are. Same with more than a few others. When was the last time you deceived a virgin and left her destined for a rushed marriage or with child? Or both?”
“Bite your tongue.”
“See? Rose did not want you around her debutante sister, but she could not care less how many brothels you visit.”
“She certainly seemed to care that we might still be seeing our mistresses.”
Robert set down the brandy, shaking his head. “You’re missing the point. It’s not about us—the scoundrels. It’s aboutthem—the women. Sleep with as many lightskirts as you wish, but don’t bring that behavior intotheirlives. Don’t ruin a woman in order to force marriage. Don’t deflower a lady for the sake of doing it. Don’t woo a woman solely to get an heir, if you plan to humiliate her by keeping a mistress.”
“You do know how ridiculous it sounds? Men do that all the time. We marry for a dowry or a lineage, not for love. Surely she realizes marriage is primarily a business arrangement.”
“Oh she does. And she has no issue with that, as long as it’s above board and both parties are in agreement.”
Understanding settled over Thomas. “Ah. It’s about the deception.”
“And the manipulation. And ruination as a game, as if there were no long-term consequences for the lady.”
“She did not want me dancing with Cecily because she thought I still had a mistress and would continue to do so.”
Robert paused. “And because she knew the details about our father’s dictates.”
Thomas’s eyes widened. “What? How could she possibly—” He broke off. “The servants. She thought I was only after a dowry and an heir.” A deeper realization hit him as well. She’d known but had pushed him to tell her. A test. A test of trust.You clever girl.
