AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Rafe turned his head at the sound of the door opening and immediately scowled.
“Try not to look so happy to see me, Rafe.” Gerard entered the room and closed the door behind him. They had both inherited their father’s strong jaw and dark hair, but only Rafe got the impressive Davies height, which he lorded over Gerard every chance he got. “People might actually think we like each other.”
Rafe’s frown deepened in response. He hadn’t agreed to this. Just as he opened his mouth to say so, Gerard held up a hand. “I need to speak with you. In private.”
“Then this is your office, I take it?”
“Yes. Though I rarely work here.”
“It certainly looks that way.”
Gerard winced slightly but didn’t respond to the dig. “You’ve been ignoring my messages.”
“Because I have nothing to say to you.”
“Perhaps, but I have some things I’d like to say.”
Rafe crossed his arms and turned to face him fully. “All right. Where would you like to start, Gerard? Would you like to apologize for lying to me about this entire mission? For knowingly sending me into a trap? Or for risking my life to protect your precious reputation? Take your pick.”
The earl went paler with each accusation. “I never thought about it like that. I swear to you,” he insisted. “I only wanted to appease Wardale so that I could have more time. That’s all. I didn’t think for one moment that you’d uncover…well,everything.” He flapped his hands before him. Rafe had never seen Gerard this rattled before. If he wasn’t so damned angry, he might’ve enjoyed it.
Instead, he raised an eyebrow and cocked his head. “You do understand what spying involves, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Gerard said through gritted teeth. “I underestimated you. Obviously. It won’t happen again.”
No. It won’t.
Because Rafe didn’t intend to give him the chance.
“I know you’re furious with me. And you have every right to be, but there’s something else.” Gerard hesitated and shot him a sheepish look. “It has been decided that there won’t be a formal investigation.”
“What? That’s absurd!”
“Keep your voice down,” he hissed. “Come now, you knew this was a possibility. Luckily, we have been able to suppress knowledge of the sheer scale of the blackmail. Just imagine the scandal that would result if word got out. My God, the press alone…”
They would be merciless. But Rafe was unrepentant. “I fail to see the issue.”
“Well, unfortunately your approval isn’t required. Wardale confessed and took his own life. As far as the Crown is concerned, justice has been served.”
“He is hardly the only operative here. What of the officials he blackmailed and the people who were wronged by their actions? Will there be no justice for them?”
“This is as close to it as they will get.” Gerard sighed and passed a hand through his hair. Rafe hated himself for recognizing the movement as one of his own. “I know this isn’t what you wanted. And I sympathize.Believeme. But dragging this debacle out into the open will only create unrest. We can’t have people losing confidence in their government.”
“Then perhaps the lot of you shouldn’t have made yourselves such easy targets,” Rafe spat. “I suppose simplynotengaging in corruption was never an option?”
“That isn’t fair, Rafe. I can’t speak to Wardale’s other targets, but all I did was fall in love. That isn’t a crime.”
“No, but adultery is.”
God, he sounded like a pompous twat, but Rafe couldn’t let this go so easily.
“And how would you know anything about that?” Gerard snapped. “You’re a bachelor. Beholden to no one. Whereas I have spent my wholelifedoing my duty. This is the one time I’ve had something just to myself. Something that is entirely my own.”
“You don’t even see it, do you?” Rafe marveled. “How this makes you a bloody hypocrite.”
Gerard’s brow furrowed. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
His utter lack of self-awareness only made Rafe angrier. “You’ve treated me and my mother like pariahs for as long as I can remember. Yet you’ve gone and done nearly the same thing as our dear old papa. How can you not have realized that? Even Wardale knew.Like father, like son, he said.”
