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‘As you would see, if you took the time to examine it, the seal remains intact.’
Robert tossed the letter in the air. Cawburn snatched it.
Cawburn turned the letter over, tested the seal and frowned. ‘What made you change your mind?’
‘Your cousin,’ Robert replied shortly. ‘Lady Thorndike convinced me that your intentions are honourable. I’m giving you the chance to prove it. Abide by Sophie’s wishes. Keep her in the bosom of her family.’
‘Good old Henrietta! I knew she wouldn’t let me down.’
‘You asked your cousin to intercede? To play matchmaker?’ Robert gave a silent laugh. Henri had succumbed. She had been unable to resist matchmaking, but she also had sought to hide the slip from him. Was it any wonder she wanted a truce?
Cawburn blanched slightly. ‘Entirely innocent, old man. Could I ever live it down if Henrietta arranged a match for me? Good God, man, I know what my cousin is like! She’d never let me forget it! I merely wanted to know if there was any chance for me…after what happened. To know Miss Ravel’s state of mind. And now, my angel has written.’
Robert’s shoulders relaxed slightly. Cawburn’s word tallied with Henri’s.
‘Your cousin suffered a mauled leg while carrying out your innocent errand. We are awaiting the doctor’s verdict to see how badly sprained her ankle is.’
‘Henrietta has a knack of looking after herself. She hates a fuss.’ Cawburn gave a little wave of his hand, dismissing Henri’s injury. ‘And I thank you for the letter. It is most unexpectedly decent of you. Not the sort of thing I’d have thought a Cit capable of.’
‘If you wish to court my ward, you pay court properly.’ Robert crossed his arms.
‘Properly?’ Cawburn picked at his cuff. Robert detected a slight fraying of the cuff and the stock. He knew that he had put pressure on Cawburn’s lenders, but had not seen any sign until now. The man was short of funds and saw Sophie as an easy mark. And it was his firm belief that any woman Cawburn married would be bled dry.
‘You apply for my permission first as I’m Sophie’s guardian. I am more than happy to give it to anyone, even you, if certain conditions are met. Otherwise you will have to wait until Miss Ravel obtains her majority. Are you prepared to wait that long for funds, Cawburn?’
‘Why should love be dependent on whether one’s friends and relations approve?’ Cawburn shook his head in mock despair. ‘It is not the way I do things, Montemorcy. I believe in liberty and freedom of expression. One cannot dictate where or when love will happen.’
Robert retained a leash on his temper. The only creed that Cawburn believed in was the pursuit of pleasure. He knew nothing about responsibility or living within his means. His estate was mortgaged to the hilt and he had recently lost heavily on the gaming table. Once he’d learnt of Cawburn’s interest in Sophie, Robert had made it his business to buy up some of the debts as they had potential for a bargaining chip.
‘Have you found a way around your debts? You have an estate that is entailed and mortgaged beyond prudence. You spent the money not on improvements, but on the games and women.’
‘Miss Ravel is well provided for. The extent of her dowry was much discussed in London.’ Cawburn gave a lazy smile. ‘There will be no problem in meeting my debts.’
‘And will you give up your mistresses?’ Robert asked. His entire body tensed. The man could no more give up his mistresses than stop breathing. But it would be a start, a statement of his intention towards Sophie.
‘There is no reason to get personal.’ The tips of Cawburn’s ears turned pink. ‘I never discuss the intimate details of any lady. Can I help it if some women are possessed of an overly generous nature?’
‘Precisely why I intend to protect Sophie from men like you,’ Robert ground out. ‘I was prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt, but your answers have decided me—until you sort out your debts, I refuse to give you permission to court my ward.’
‘Is that all you came to say? Keep away from Sophie or else? Sophie is a grown woman, she should be allowed to make her choice. It happens all the time.’ Cawburn curled his lip. ‘If that is your last word on the subject, then so be it. I won’t ask you again for permission, Montemorcy.’
Robert grabbed the lapels of Cawburn’s jacket. ‘And use another go-between. Keep your cousin out of this.’ He tried and failed to see something of Henri in Cawburn—her lively intelligence or her kindness or even her smile. Nothing. If it was war Cawburn wanted, Robert would give it to him. After all, he did know where more of Cawburn’s debts could be obtained.
