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He sighed into his ale and then took another long swig.
“Either pretend to be my valet or don’t,” Wyatt said behind him. “But your half measures have done nothing but pique Clara’s interest.”
“Tell her to mind it, then,” he muttered into his mug. He should have known this lecture was coming.
“She’s every right to wonder about my impertinent valet.”
He gave Wyatt his fiercest scowl. Most men would have trembled in fear but Wyatt knew him far too well to be the least bit frightened. “I’m many things, most of them bad, but a valet isn’t one of them.”
“On this trip, you are,” Wyatt growled, crossing his arms over his chest. “The new earl will not take kindly to impostors gracing his father’s funeral. For your own safety, be convincing.”
Fair point.
“And try to be nicer to Clara. Her brother and the earl are best friends. What’s more, Kinross and Clara—” Wyatt stopped speaking, his mouth twitching down into a frown.
But Ralph set down his mug, turning to look at Wyatt. If he was going to get this investigation over with as quickly as possible and start toward his future, he’d need a way to find out information about Kinross. “Kinross and Clara are what? Why did you hesitate?”
“Well, Clara hasn’t confirmed this, but it’s rumored that Kinross has laid a fair bit of favor on Clara. There’s been talk of the two being tied.”
Ralph’s jaw clenched. “You’re just telling me this now?”
Wyatt’s gaze narrowed in response. “I know an earldom hangs in the balance, but you’re not to put Clara in any—and I mean any—compromising situations. Is that clear?”
“Who said anything about compromising?” He tapped his thick finger on the bar, a plan beginning to form. Clara might be able to help him. If he could get this investigation wrapped up quickly, then he could start deciding what it meant to be part of the peerage. Was it even a position he wanted? His father hadn’t made it look all that appealing.
Not that his future had any clear path prior. Far from it. Beyond keeping Wyatt safe, he had no plan at all.
“Ralph…”
He scratched his chin. “You’re right. I should be nicer. I’m rather out of sorts since that meeting at the palace.”
“Really? You seem like your normal surly self to me.”
“Very funny.”
“I’m not jesting. You’re always this grumpy. What’s more, I’m not jesting about Clara, either. You’re not to involve her in any of your investigative attempts.”
Ralph turned back to his ale.
He didn’t outright disagree with Wyatt, but he didn’t agree, either. At the very least, Clara would make an excellent source of information that he’d begin collecting tomorrow.
