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As she rounded the corner and approached the study, she could hear a loud argument underway. The door to the study was slightly ajar. The occupants were probably not aware of this.
On closer inspection, she realized that it was her father’s voice that was doing all the shouting.
She arrived at the door and stood to the side, placing her ears close enough to the gap to hear but not be discovered.
“The effrontery to even insinuate that I had something to do with this is preposterous,” her father objected.
“I didn’t mean to offend you by my insinuation, My Lord. But this is your main political rival, after all. It isn’t out of place for me to think some shady business has been done behind the scene,” the gentleman responded. “Especially since I read that draft and saw nothing wrong with that bill.”
Is someone accusing father of having a hand in Kenneth’s arrest?
“So what are you trying to say?” her father queried.
“I am not trying to say anything. I am only letting you know the thoughts making the rounds with some of the respected members of our political party.”
“So you all think I did this? You all think I had a hand in this?” her father challenged.
“With the influence you wield in parliament, we think that even if you didn’t do this, you might have still been aware of the plot and done nothing to stop it,” the gentleman offered.
She heard someone slam their hand into the table. It obviously had been her father. His temper was conspicuous even from where she stood.
“For God’s sake, the Marquess of Walsrock, even with all his shortcomings, remains the only son of my friend. Do you all really think that in the pursuit of my personal ambition, I will do something so drastic that would inadvertently harm my friend as well?”
For some reason, even though she herself had thought about the possibility of her father’s involvement, hearing him now had cleared her doubt. Her father was definitely not involved in Kenneth’s arrest. That was the only reason why he was this angry—because he was telling the truth.
“My Lord, like I said earlier, this isn’t an attempt to destroy your reputation. These are genuine and valid concerns that have been formed through observations. Someone is behind Lord Walsrock’s predicament and whether you would like to admit it or not, you are the one who stands to gain the most from his misfortune in parliament.”
Her father’s response didn’t come immediately. When it eventually did, his voice was low and reverberated through the room like the sound of a thunder clap during a rain storm.
“I have been involved in politics since before you ever stepped foot into parliament. In all that time, I have never lied, cheated, manipulated, or schemed in order to achieve my goal.”
“My Lord…” the gentleman tried to interject before her father cut him off mid-sentence.
“I’m not done talking. My methods have been honest and far removed from fraudulent activities and I will not start now. So believe what you want to believe. Just know that I played no part in Lord Walsrock’s arrest and I’ll be damned if I let anyone push such an explanation and tarnish my stellar reputation.”
“My Lord…” the gentleman tried yet again to interject.
“This conversation is over. Please see yourself out,” her father decreed.
Rose felt a swell of pride rise up within her. Not only had her father not been involved in the shady business behind Kenneth’s arrest, he’d also defended his name and integrity in such a manner that she could only feel pride at being his daughter.
She listened closer and still didn’t hear footsteps of the gentleman leaving. So she knocked and stepped in, pretending to have just arrived at the study.
“Oh, morning, Father. I didn’t know you had a guest. I could come back when you are less busy,” she lied.
“No need for that, Rose. He was just leaving,” her father responded, his glare concentrated on the mysterious man.
For a moment, it seemed the visitor wouldn’t move even after he’d been dismissed. The moment seemed to stretch into eternity as Rose watched on.
Eventually, the visitor smiled, excused himself and walked out.
“So, what can I do for you?” her father said, turning to face her. There was a softness in his voice that almost startled her, completely different from the thunder that had just quaked through the study.
“I just read the news,” she responded, bringing out the newspaper and showing him the headline. “I came here to find out how grave the situation is and if there is any solution?”
Her father exhaled and turned his gaze toward the window.
“The honest truth is I really do not know what we can do in this situation. To bring an end to this, we have to find a way to calm the raging commoners,” her father said.
