This irked him, but he was not surprised she could see into his mind.After all, she was a master at this game.“There’s a reason these Farthingale girls marry well, you know.”
“What is the reason?”he asked, genuinely curious because it was quite a feat for a commoner to marry a man of rank.Yet, so many of these Farthingale females had accomplished this very thing.
Not only married well, but these were love matches that had grown into happy marriages over the years.
“Take Tulip, for example,” Lady Withnall said.“What do you see when you look at her?”
Alex was not one to talk about his personal feelings, but he did not hold back with Lady Withnall.She probably knew all the answers already and was asking for his benefit and not hers.“I see a beautiful young lady who is also intelligent, honest, and compassionate,” he said after giving it a moment’s thought.
“Go on.”
Did he have to say more?
He sighed and continued.“She values character over an impressive title.If she ever tells me that she loves me, I will know it is the truth because she is no liar.She is perhaps a little too honest.For this reason, she feels her mistakes deeply, especially if she believes she might have hurt someone because of her actions.”
“Are we speaking of Caruthers now?”
“Yes, she places too much blame on herself for leading him on.She is kind to everyone, even that oaf who did not deserve it.She sincerely cares about others and wants to be good to them.I know she will be warm and loving to our children, should we have any.In time, I hope she will grow to love me, too.”
Lady Withnall now cast him a doting smile.“I knew you were an admirable fellow.After all, you are descended from a once noble family.The Davenport dukes were among the most valiant warriors who defended our medieval kings.That valor was lost for several generations, until you.”
He shook his head in dismissal.“I don’t know about that.How does one retrieve a nobility that was lost probably over a century ago?”
“It is in you, Davenport.But you are worried that being drawn back into the Davenport fold will somehow corrupt you and bring out your vices.”Lady Withnall had read his mind again and now wagged a finger at him.“No, you are nothing like them.Your mother was very brave in pulling you away from your father and grandfather’s influence, and this has saved you.”
He hoped so, for Tulip’s sake.
“Since you have come to me not only for knowledge but for advice, let me give you a piece of it now.You will need to take care of Harold, Neddy, and Barton in order to protect yourself.”
“How do you mean?”She wasn’t suggesting more ‘accidental’ deaths, was she?
“Those three will destroy whatever is left of the Davenport dukedom if they ever get their hands on it.But you are the current title holder and must hold onto it fiercely.”
“Easily done, so long as I remain alive,” he muttered.
“Well, you must try your best to stay that way.Think about Tulip and your offspring.Your cousins are lazy and slothful, probably too lazy to devise a scheme to be rid of you.But even they can be pushed to desperation.”
“And become murderers?”
“Anyone can be pushed too far.They might be tempted to contrive an accident for you because they have no source of income other than the allowance the last several dukes in the line gave them.That stream of revenue stopped when the last Davenport duke died a few months ago and you inherited the dukedom.”
“Are you suggesting I continue to support those lazy louts?”
Of course, this is what Lady Withnall meant when she suggested he ‘take care’ of them.Not kill them.Just give them enough of a monthly allowance to keep them from getting off their lazy arses and plotting something sinister against him.
“Yes.As infuriating as it may be, you need to keep them under control.They will happily be bribed to remain as they are.”The snowy-white curls on either side of her head bobbed as she shook her head to emphasize her point.“Your grandfather survived his long reign by paying off his four sons and all of his grandsons except for you.His surviving sons did the same.Although, I’m not sure whether your two cousins who inherited the title just before you kept up that practice.I expect they did.You ought to look into that as you study the Davenport ledgers.”
“I also intend to read the coroner reports again to make certain I have overlooked nothing,” Alex muttered.“Ordering them sent to me was one of the first things I did upon becoming duke.”
“You are ever sensible,” Lady Withnall said with a nod of approval.“Do you think there is something in them that you are missing?I will admit, I was also skeptical about those deaths, but I have heard nothing to contradict those reports.”
“Nor have I.As soon as I received them, I pored over every detail but saw nothing that stood out as suspicious.Still, it sticks in my craw.Perhaps it is merely my investigative instincts that leave me unsettled.I have no proof of wrongdoing, but I will look deeper into the matter once I get my hands on the Thornwycke ledgers and see which family members were given an allowance and how much.I’ll also look for anyone outside of the family receiving payments.”
“Yes, it is always a good idea to follow the money,” Lady Withnall observed with the arch of an eyebrow.“Perhaps those last three deaths would not have been ruled accidental had you been the one investigating.All the more reason to have a care and not rile those Havers cousins to action just yet.”
Alex frowned, for Harold was only one death away– Alex’s death– from inheriting the dukedom and that could be an overwhelming temptation.“So be it, at least for now.I’ll hold my nose and maintain their allowance because nothing matters more to me than keeping Tulip safe.”
“She will be.This is the right course, as distasteful as it is.You cannot have them plotting against you, especially while you are still new to the title and vulnerable.Do not underestimate your enemy.”
