He listened as Julius argued with the tailor who was insisting he could not possibly have his wedding outfit ready by tomorrow afternoon.“My brother,” Julius said, referring to the Duke of Huntsford, “has authorized me to double your fee.You seem to think we are negotiating this arrangement, Mr.Chesney.There is no negotiation.Take the offer or we walk out and find another tailor who will do this for us.”
Since the Thorne brothers had been good customers of Chesney & Sons for many years, Alex expected the tailor would grumble some more and then agree because he did not want to lose their business.
“All right, double fee,” Chesney said, proving Alex’s expectation correct.“Come back tomorrow afternoon, but not before three o’clock.”
Julius smiled.“Done.”
“What if I have a meeting at that time?”Alex asked, just to be contrary as they finished with the tailor and walked out of the shop.
Julius shook his head.“I don’t care if you are scheduled to meet with Lord Liverpool or a member of the royal family.Beg out.This is more important.”
Alex groaned.“Gory really has you hopping to do her bidding.”
“No, she does not.Although, I will admit that I am getting you properly attired out of love for her and my friendship for you.And here’s another bit of advice…”
Alex stopped him before Julius could offer it.“Do you hear yourself?You are talking like an old married man.Yet, you and Gory are still newlyweds.”
“What can I say?I’m a fast learner.Plus Octavian,” he said, also referring to the middle Thorne brother who was of highest rank within the Admiralty, “taught me well.He happens to be married to Syd, a very strong-willed woman.”
“All the Thorne wives are strong-willed, especially yours,” Alex muttered, for he had dealt with Gory during his investigative work, and she was just as dogged as he was when on the trail of criminals.
“Well, yes.None of them will shirk from a confrontation.For this reason, my brothers and I thought there were oftentimes when marriage might be a battle.But what actually happened is that we rarely fight with our spouses.Loving one’s wife, as I love Gory, means that there is nothing worth fighting over that matters more than her.If she is asking for something important to her, then I’ll agree to it.But the same applies for her.She will agree to my wishes if they are important to me.It is never worth fighting or holding resentment over the little things.Never go to bed angry with each other.”
Alex took in the advice, but knew he and Tulip were not even close to achieving that level of commitment to each other.
“We’ve been fortunate, I suppose,” Julius continued as they climbed into Alex’s carriage to return to Bloomsbury where Julius had left his driver and carriage, “that we haven’t yet encountered anything big to tear us apart.I don’t think we ever will.”
“I’m glad you and Gory have such a strong marriage.It is too soon to know what will happen between me and Tulip.That Davenport dark cloud of doom is going to hang over our heads for a while, I fear.”
“I suppose it is her fear, too.This is why she avoided you all these months.”
Alex arched an eyebrow.“Ah, you noticed her constantly running away from me?”
“Hard to overlook.But fate stepped in and you are now betrothed to her.Heed my advice.Do not ruin your chances for a good marriage because you are too prideful to give in.”
When they returned to Bloomsbury, Alex noticed the same man who had been watching him at the Denby Arms was now seated at a pub across the street from his residence.“Bollocks.”
“What’s wrong?”Julius followed his gaze.“Who are you looking at?”
“That fellow in the green jacket has been following me around for much of the day.He was at the Denby Arms earlier.I thought he was eyeing Tulip but she seemed certain he was interested in me and not her.”
“Guess she was right,” Julius said as their carriage drew to a halt.“What are you going to do about him?”
“Buy him an ale and chat, I suppose,” Alex said.“I think he is a cousin of mine, Harold Havers.”
“What do you think he wants from you?”
Alex gave a mirthless laugh.“Money, of course.Our grandfather gave him and his brothers an allowance.The subsequent dukes did the same, I believe.That stopped when I inherited.I expect he wants me to restore it.”
“Will you?”
“Yes, Lady Withnall suggests that I do.”
Julius regarded him with some surprise.“That little termagant?How is it any of her business?”
“I stopped by to see her earlier today because I wanted to learn more about my family history.Who better than Lady Withnall to ask?Is there any secret or scandal she does not know about?”
Julius laughed.“She’s scary the way she noses out trouble, like a wild boar on the scent for truffles.She’ll dig through that dirt and find the secret no matter how deeply it is hidden.Are you sure you want to approach your cousin now?”
