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“Don’t be so coy.You know why I’m here.”
“I must confess, I do not.When a satisfied client returns, I assume it is to tell me glad tidings.How happy you are!What a perfect match I made.”
“Pardon my saying, but your contribution was minor,” Rose shot back.
“Hmm.”Alice smiled slyly.“What can I do for you, Mrs.Hardy?”
“What was your agreement with him?With my husband?Why did you recommend him to me?It wasn’t a normal agreement, was it?”
“Why would you say such a thing?”
“He was never in debt to you.That seemed to be one of your rules, or am I mistaken?Finding the perfect man by tricking him into debt then presenting him on silver tray.At the time, I thought you were a miracle worker.I am not so sure now.”
“Hmm, I never said he was in debt to me.”Alice strolled toward her convenient sideboard and poured a drink.“May I offer you something to whet your palate?”
“No.My wits seem to be in short supply as it is.”
Alice braced one hand against the sideboard.“Not every man is indebted by money, though.”
“You had some private information about him?Was it blackmail?Did you force his hand in some way?”She must have some great secret she had used to force his hand.She must!Why do it otherwise?And Rose mustn’t be so careless as to reveal any of Matthew’s private secrets—that would be unforgivable.
“The agreement was strictly between me and Mr.Hardy.If he hasn’t told you the exact circumstances, then I am not free to share that information with you either.”
“You deceived me.Both you and Mr.Hardy.”
“Have I?A man who can keep me in the style to which I am accustomed.I believe that was your exact request.You are married to a man who has more wealth and property than Sandhurst.You are married to a man that every woman older than sixteen and younger than seventy would welcome into their bed.You are married to a man who possess intelligence, humor and patience.You are hosting a gala that will rival the most important grand dame in London.I fail to see the problem.”
“You haven’t come close to answering my question.”
“Ask your husband.If you misunderstood something in our agreement, perhaps you were blinded by your rush to resolve your dilemma.”
“There is another possibility, Madame DuPuis, which paints you in a very poor light.”
“Oh?”
“He paid you to arrange a marriage for him.And he had a very specific request, too.A woman of nobility.A duchess, if possible.And I was the convenient dupe.”
“You’ve not convinced me that you were somehow defrauded.Everything you needed was presented openly.An eager, virile man.Dripping with money.Frankly, I was rather jealous of the match.If only I were younger.”
“Just answer one question: did he pay you to arrange a marriage for him?”
“I seem to recall that he asked you to marry him.And you had the opportunity to decline.There is nothing more I can add,” Alice said.
“You must have smiled when such an unsuspecting fool, such as me, walked into your gaming hell.”
“Your Grace,” she said, with just a touch of sarcasm.“I have fools walk into my gaming hell on the hour.Do not confuse your decision to secure your future with the clods who walk into my establishment believing Fortuna is real and will sit in their lap.”
“Because no one beats the house?”Rose asked.
“Not at Dante’s Hell.”
Rose barely spoke to Matthew over the next week, and he seemed content, believing he had won an argument that had been boiling for thirty years.It was as if they were strangers passing in the street.The disclosure revealed so much and yet much more remained hidden.
He’d said nothing when she asked if Sandhurst had been disinvited and he’d said nothing when she informed him that Welliver had been invited.He turned on his heel and walked away.
But it was a horrible burden to carry when she was placing the final touches for the gala tomorrow night.Nearly all the extra servants had arrived during the day and Raleigh was in charge of them.
Coop and his four ruffians were to take charge of the carriages and line them along the lane so that neither the king’s arrival, the panorama nor the fireworks would be impeded.They were also in charge of the incoming wagons with purchased goods.When Rose had last peeked out a back window, they were unloading cheeses from Paxton and Whitfield.
