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Chapter Twenty-Three
Kenneth paced in his study, mumbling to himself and pausing intermittently to address an unseen audience.
He was practicing his speech as today was the presentation day.
It had been a week since he had made his hurried escape from Lord Rockgonie’s manor on account of the Lord’s father’s arrival. It had also been a week since he’d last seen Rose.
All was well, though, as they had taken a step back down to exchanging letters. Also, the deadline of four weeks given to him by the leaders of the uprising was only three weeks away, and it seemed he was about to get his bill through parliament.
Through the influences of Lord Calbrook and Lord Rockgonie, his bill had gotten another day in the House, only this time there could be no other outcome but success. England’s peace depended on that.
In the one week that had passed, he had completely revised the bill with Leonard’s assistance. Words that had irked the opposition before had been tempered down. Clauses that had created a backlash before had been restructured to take the sting out of them.
The whole bill looked different from last time, but only careful observers would have realized that it was the same bill that was wearing different attire. The truth was, he had eventually admitted to himself that even though this was a bill that would benefit the poor, it still had to be signed in by the rich.
There was no way the rich were going to sign in anything if they felt it threatened the perch on which their entitled feet rested. As a result, it was all about word play, charm, and charisma, which he was bringing to bear in this second outing.
Make the bill appeal to them.
He continued to pace and practice his speech, taking into account any and all eventualities he could fathom that would hinder the success of the reading today.
“I beg your pardon, Lord Somerholm. That clause simply tries to hold the rich accountable for the livelihood of the servants under their employ. It is not a strategy to burden the rich with the needs of the poor,” he retorted to an invisible opponent.
“Wonderful of you to ask, Lord Calbrook. Even the Good Book says, ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and that, ‘The worker is worthy of his wages.’ Creating better working conditions for our servants will only help to improve their efficiency in serving us better. It’s a win for everyone,” he retorted to another personality, this time an ally in his invisible audience.
“I see. So improving working conditions also improves their efficiency in serving us? Where do I register my consent?”
He spun on his heels to see his mother standing in the doorway, a smile on her face.
“Mother!” he exclaimed as he walked over to kiss her hand. “Did you rest well?” he inquired.
Before she could respond, he cut her off as he noticed what she was wearing.
“Forget rest, where are you off to looking like a peerless paramour?” he teased.
“Don’t patronize me, Son.” His mother blushed. Her age and experience at being charmed made her reaction the classiest thing he’d seen in a while.
“Such effortless humility while you are out here looking like expensive jewelry. If I didn’t know better and saw you from afar, I definitely would have wondered who it was that approached,” he continued his teasing compliments.
His mother laughed this time and swatted his shoulder affectionately.
“I see your charms and wiles have in no way reduced, Son,” his mother responded. “Come, tell me now. Are you ready for a second presentation in the House today?”
“How did you know?” he wondered, even though he already expected her exact response to his question.
“How many times must I tell you, Son? I am the mistress of this manor. Nothing escapes my attention,” she responded alluringly, as he had anticipated.
“Well, is one ever completely ready? I can only prepare my hardest and expect things to go according to plan,” he responded truthfully.
“That’s the spirit. Not everything is within your control. Knowing which ones are and working on them while accepting the ones that aren’t, is a true mark of a wise gentleman.”
“Spoken like one filled with wisdom,” he commented, causing her to smile again.
She linked her hands with his and stared into his eyes.
“Success is yours. Go forth and seize it. Your father and I are proud of you,” she said in all sincerity.
“Father?” He snickered in response.
