“Who says that I dislike him?”
“Your face. Your tone.” Her gaze flicked to his mouth. “That snarl.”
He scrunched his face to banish it. “I shall only tell you if you solemnly promise to keep it to yourself.” He slanted her a glance and she nodded in mock seriousness, holding up one palm as if swearing an oath. “My dislike is twofold. Firstly, as a magistrate, he is part of the local hang ’em and flog ’em brigade that still believes that ruling by fear is the best way to tackle the soaring problem our towns and cities now have with crime. And secondly…” Leo shrugged, somehow knowing that he could trust her with his honesty. “I find hischaracter utterly objectionable. He’s a lazy, entitled, self-absorbed, philandering, hedonistic, and odious snake whose principles jar completely with pretty much all of mine.”
“That is a damning assessment of the man indeed.”
“And what is your assessment of him, Miss Kendall? Because…” He twisted slightly to watch her reaction. “You must have an opinion of the man if you grew up on his doorstep. The village of Newton St. Loe where your mother lives is but a stone’s throw from Corston Park, is it not?”
She offered him a begrudging smile. “I might have one or two, your grace.”
He wanted to ask her to call him Leo—but that probably was as improper as Corston’s vile ogling when she was his employee.
His EMPLOYEE!
Something he struggled with when she leaned closer. “Sadly, my assessment of Lord Corston is just as damning as yours. He isn’t liked by those who are unfortunate enough to have to work for him. Or those who have to rent from him. Or even those who only have to coexist close to him. I am not the least bit surprised that he is as dire a magistrate as he is a person.”
Leo could not argue with that. “He is a dire magistrate. The direst in fact. I pity whichever poor soul comes up in front of him. Fortunately, he is not a very diligent magistrate, so we are spared his particular brand of justice for the majority of the sessions.”
“The local hang ’em and flog ’em brigade are not substantial here then?”
“There are twelve of us serving Bath and its environs and only four of us are disparagingly called liberals. Five more hover somewhere in between, although which way they will go often depends entirely on the wind. Which leaves the permanently outraged three who believe fervently in throwing the full weight of the book at whoever is in the dock. It makes my job all the more…” Leo sighed because this was a topic too depressing for this suddenly lovely evening.
“Important?”
“I was actually going to say tiresome, but I suppose you are right too. Not that it stops me from ruing the day that I agreed to take my father’s seat on the bench any less. Being a magistrate is a thankless task. One I would happily wash my hands of if I could find some other upstanding fool misguided enough to take the awful job on.”
“Hmm.” Her dark brows furrowed as she stared straight ahead, and he realized that she wasn’t impressed with that answer.
“Remember that you can always be forthright with me, Miss Kendall, so do feel free to say all that you are clearly holding back. What is it about what I just said that you take issue with?”
“Your own oblivious sense of entitlement, your grace.” A response that surprised him because he had never thought of himself as entitled. “You see your role as a magistrate as a chore—and while I do not doubt that it often is—you seem unaware of the phenomenal privilege that it is too.Youhave a say in what happens.” She punctuated that with a point. “Frankly, a disproportionate say too when you, as someone who owns more than forty shillings’ worth of land, are one of the rare few who are considered worthy enough to get the vote as well. Only three percent of the population are privileged enough to put a member of Parliament in the house to represent them.”
“That is quite a specific number, Miss Kendall.”
“It is quite a specific privilege, your grace. But aspeerof the realm, you do not only get the vote and a seat on the magistrates’ bench, but you also get a coveted seat in the House of Lords as well, which is where we all know the true power resides. So you technically have thrice the say of any less blue-blooded member of that select three percent. You, your grace, are one of the significantly less than one percent of this country’s population who hold all the cards. You are a unicorn.Theneedle in the haystack.Thepig that flies. Oh how I wish I had just a fraction of your power!” She finished her sermon with a good-natured glare. “But I daresay pigs will actually have to learn to fly before any of that three percent of entitled wealthy men ever consider giving womenthe vote—even if they are lucky enough to own forty shillings’ worth of land.”
“Well that well-argued lecture has put me firmly in my place.”
“Good,” she said with a smile. “Then my work here is done.” Then as an aside, she added, “You did instruct me to always be completely honest with you when you knew that I was prickly. But I am also curious—who else here do you loathe as much as Lord Corston?”
Chapter
TWELVE
Despite her unexpected collision with the horrid peer who had plunged her and her mother into poverty all those years ago, and despite the miserable first two hours of the ball, Portia had actually had a rather lovely evening by the end of it. And all thanks to a duke too! Because they had spent the last hour chatting, laughing, and (unbelievably) enjoying one another’s company. Which she never would have thought possible just a few short weeks ago when she had still been convinced that she despised all dukes purely on principle.
But the Duke of Debden was not like all dukes. In truth, she could not imagine him being like any other duke on the planet, so she was prepared to cut herself some slack for liking him so much.
She—Portia Kendall, cynic extraordinaire and passionate reformer—liked a duke!
And a great deal more than was prudent.
An irony that was not lost on her as she found herself smiling ever-so-slightly soppily at him as he helped her out of the carriage.
“Thank you for tonight.” His big hand enveloped hers as his sisters disappeared inside the house. “I am indebted to you.”
“You are very welcome, your grace.” He was still holding her hand, and it was playing havoc with her senses. Proof that she more than liked him—she was attracted to him too. Enough that her fleshwas heating and her pulse felt erratic. “But I can assure you, no debt is owed. You did save me from all those books, after all.”
