Lark glanced at Fletcher, who shrugged. Lark had not the foggiest idea what this had to do with anything, and apparently Fletcher didn’t either.
Owen went on, “Lord Saxon got up and gave a speech about the abolition of slavery in the West Indies, to which George Baxter took great offense.” George Baxter was the Earl of Collingswood, Hugh’s cousin.
That did hook Lark’s attention. Collingswood and Hugh had some bad blood between them.
“Of course he did,” said Fletcher dismissively. “All of his money is from sugar picked by slaves on his plantation in Jamaica.”
“I heard a far more devastating rumor.”
When Owen did not speak more, Lark leaned forward and said, “What?”
“There was a story buried deep inTimesa few days ago about a series of slave rebellions in Jamaica. This resulted in a great deal of property damage and many slaves running away. Some think there is an organized independence movement, like in Haiti.”
“I hope there is,” said Fletcher. “Slavery is a vile institution.”
Owen nodded. “I agree. The rumor is that the Collingswood plantation was hit especially hard. Some structures burned down and about half the enslaved people escaped. Collingswood is out thousands upon thousands of dollars, or so the rumor goes. He is agitating for stricter laws in British territories.”
That nauseated Lark. “Collingswood is a swine. That is horrific.” But he was swiftly sorting through what little he knew of Collingswood. The hit to his estate could put him in dangerous territory financially. Would he sniff around his wealthy cousin to get the money he needed for repairs.
“It is just a rumor,” said Owen, clearly not drawing the same conclusion Lark was. “I do not know if it’s true, but either way, he opposes the abolition of slavery.”
“Slaveryshouldbe abolished,” said Fletcher. “It is barbaric.”
“You are not wrong. Abolition is gaining some traction in Parliament. Saxon made a moral argument about amassing fortunes on the backs of humans, which I found compelling. I think many other MPs did, too.”
“You do not own a plantation in Jamaica,” said Lark.
“That is true, but I do have an estate in Wales with tenants who farm my land. I’ve been working with my land steward on the sheep farm for ways we can maximize profits while still treating my tenants and employees fairly. Itispossible to turn a profit without relying on slave labor. However, that wouldrequire an ounce of cleverness, ingenuity, and organization that George Baxter does not possess.”
“True,” said Lark.
“I imagine Hugh would have more to say on the topic,” said Fletcher.
“Perhaps not at the moment,” said Lark. He shook his head. He’d known Collingswood since childhood and had never liked him. He definitely didn’t trust him not to harm Hugh if it came to that. He made a mental note to dig into that at a later date.
“What do you mean?” asked Fletcher.
Lark took a deep breath. “I will warn you, Hugh is not quite himself. He still seems rather confused.”
“His memory is missing, you said,” said Fletcher.
“Yes. Canbury’s daughter has been taking care of him, and she seems to have done a good job so far. She is quite protective of him, in fact. And I believe they may have grown fond of each other in his convalescence. Difficult to tell, but I thought I saw something in their dynamic when I visited yesterday.”
Fletcher pursed his lips. “Do you think that is something we should discourage?”
“Hard to say. I spent some time with her yesterday, and I was impressed by her intelligence. She is also quite pretty, although not in a showy way.”
“Why had I heard Canbury’s daughter was an ugly old spinster?” said Fletcher.
“She is a spinster, but she is not very old. I did not ask, but I’d wager she is five or six and twenty at most.”
“Still,” said Owen, “she is Canbury’s daughter. He’s a farce.”
“I wonder at times if someone is spreading false tales about him to discourage his pursuit of the Lord Chancellor position,” said Fletcher. “He has many political rivals.”
“Beresford says the rumors are not true.”
Both men turned to look at Lark.
