Three
Colin remained standingwhen Danby’s footman invited him to have a seat to await the duke. He would meet his neighbor on equal footing, eye-to-eye. Colin had witnessed Danby subtly assert his dominance over other men within the House of Lords enough times over the previous session to realize it was best to stand one’s ground when dealing with the duke.
He studied the colossal painting above the fireplace. Red-jacketed men seated on horseback were forever frozen in mid-flight as their hunters sailed over a rock wall. The door creaked, alerting him to the duke’s arrival, and he turned to greet the other man.
Danby paused in the arched doorway as if Colin had caught him unaware. “Did my man offer you a drink?”
Colin nodded curtly. “I declined.”
“Very good.” The duke’s grey eyebrows lifted slightly. With an enigmatic smile, he closed the door behind him and crossed to his desk, moving with dignified grace. “Have a seat, Lord Blackwood.”
Colin set his jaw, waiting until the other man lowered into the chair behind his desk before claiming one of the wingback chairs opposite him.
Leaning against the seat back, Danby made a steeple with his fingers and regarded Colin with his head marginally cocked to one side. “I thought I might need to send a second summons. It has been two days since the first was delivered to your door.” The duke’s tone held a note of accusation.
“Pressing matters have required my attention. I apologize for the delay.” In truth, Colin would have ignored his neighbor’s summons indefinitely, but it was necessary to set aside his prejudice toward the duke for the good of Blackwood Castle.
“I am aware of your troubles,” Danby said.
“Oh?” Colin’s spine stiffened. Suspecting the duke was privy to the state of Blackwood’s flock hadn’t bothered him nearly as much as knowing it was fact. The man likely had spies everywhere.
“I like to keep abreast of my neighbors’ situations,” the duke said, “so I might offer my assistance when needed. Love thy neighbor as thyself. Isn’t that what we are charged to do, Blackwood?”
“I believe that is the saying.” Colin was careful to maintain a neutral expression. There had never been any love between the Danbys and MacBrides, but allowing a decades’ old feud to interfere with reaching an agreement with the duke would be foolhardy. Colin had a family to feed now.
“May I ask what rumors have reached you about Blackwood Castle?”
“I put no stock in gossip.” Danby flicked his hand as if shooing a fly. “But if there is any truth to your flock being unwell and your fields poor, perhaps we can help one another.”
Colin issued a humorless chuckle. The duke’s assistance would come at a steep price, of course.
“Your Grace, you may not believe everything the gossipmongers say, but you seem to lend them your ear.”
“It would be unwise to refuse to listen, Lord Blackwood. A kernel of truth often is buried within the retelling of salacious tales.” The duke’s eyes gleamed with mirth. “I also read the newssheet.”
Colin didn’t understand the connection, but he wasn’t interested in drawing out the meeting by asking the duke to explain. “I am afraid you heard correctly about the condition of Blackwood’s flock and fields, and I have come prepared to offer a proposition. The pastureland bordering our estates is unused. I would like your permission to winter the flock on the land in exchange for a portion of the profits when the sheep are sheared in the spring.”
“Interesting,” Danby said. “I had another arrangement in mind, but I like the sound of this. Please continue.”
Colin suppressed a victorious smirk. James had called him a fool for approaching Danby, and he would relish crowing about his success when he returned to the castle.
“I am willing to offer you twenty percent of the profit,” Colin said. “Once the sheep are sheared and the wool has gone to market, you may count on receiving your due.”
“I am a wealthy, old man, Lord Blackwood. What am I to do with more coin?”
“What about your heirs? Fortifying the coffers will only benefit them.”
“You are family-minded. I admire that quality in a man.” Danby smiled like a fat barn cat toying with a mouse and folded his arms on the desktop. “You have presented your terms, and now it is my turn.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Negotiations are not one-sided, young man. I have my own demands before we finalize an agreement.”
“Demands?” Colin eased back against the seat cushion, a cold wariness seeping into his bones. James’s words rang in his ears.Danby always wants something more.“And what would those demands be, Your Grace?”
“Nothing you are unable to deliver.”
Colin suspected he knew exactly what the duke would demand, but Colin wanted to hear the words before he refused Danby’s terms. Taking on a wife to support for years to come was not a fair trade for limited use of the land. Danby had to know he would be overreaching.
