So many of his compatriots would relish this life. Money to burn with no responsibilities except for the getting of an heir. Max, however, found himself itching to make more of himself. Growing up, he hadn’t just fantasized about being a pirate. He’d adored tales of King Arthur and had fancied himself a chivalrous knight. He wanted to punish evil, proclaim right over might, and rescue the princess. He still did. Only now, all he did wasrestrain Prinny from the worst of his excesses and tried to make restitution to Yihui.
That was not his job. He had not wronged her. And yet, he was in a position to help her. And so he would serve as her protector even if it meant defying his own father as he sought a solution. It also gave a purpose for this desire he felt for her. He had spent half the night in thought, and half the night in fantasy.
Even with broken feet, she was beautiful to him. The curve of her eyes, the shape of her face. Exotic, yes, and so very exciting. Her spirit enflamed him, her defiance against her captors made her into a warrior goddess. What man wouldn’t want to claim that for his own? The two desires to protect her and claim her brought him to defy everyone around him.
“She is an innocent,” he said. “I will not add to her pain.”
His father didn’t answer except to stand, choosing to tower over his son while tapping the newspaper against his thigh. It wasn’t a hard whack, of course, but the sound was loud in the quiet house.
Slap, slap, slap.
Like the ticking of a clock or the drip of blood from a small wound.
“End this, Max,” his father finally said. “Get the girl out of the house and our name out of the papers. If you need help with Prinny—”
“He hates you, Father.”
“I was going to suggest you go to Lord Benedict for aid. You’re right that Prinny and I will never see eye to eye on anything.” He peered down at his son. “I rather thought that was what drew you two together.”
“Not really, Father.” He had chosen to entertain Prinny rather than openly defy his father’s politics in the House of Commons. It helped that he agreed with some of Prinny’s liberal ideas. The man was a great defender of the arts and could beextraordinarily generous to his people. He could also be flighty, selfish, and completely blind to deeper issues.
His father sighed. “Prinny’s a prancing fool, not an idiot. He knows a duke cannot marry a merchant girl from China.”
That was certainly true. “I’ll have to speak with Christopher. He was with Prinny last night to tell the tale.”
“Wonderful,” his father drawled, heavy with sarcasm. “Trust Christopher to take an ember and make it into a conflagration. With him in Prinny’s ear, we won’t escape the tale for months.”
“You’ve always been too hard on Chris.”
“And you’ve always had a soft spot for broken creatures. Christopher is case in point with his disastrous father. They’re sad things, to be sure. They’re God’s way of making us appreciate what we have. But that doesn’t mean you need to marry them.”
“I’m not going to marry her!”
“Then go to bed, Max. Get a decent night’s sleep and some hearty food in your belly. Stop drinking all hours of the night and take a good look at your life. You’re two and thirty now. It’s time to take up your responsibilities.”
Max lifted his chin to stare at his father. “And what responsibilities would those be? You won’t allow me a hand in the running of the estate—”
“You spend too freely, Max—”
“I’m more likely to vote against your measures if you put me in the House of Commons.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you thought about the consequences of what those idiot Whigs are spouting on about.”
“I cannot marry Lady Kimberly while commanded to wed Yihui.”
“Is that her name? Sounds like a wheezing dog.”
Max pushed to his feet to meet his father eye to eye. Or rather eye to forehead, as he topped his father’s height by three inches. “It is her name,” he repeated firmly.
“Fine, fine.” His father stepped far enough back that he could look down his nose at Max. “I truly don’t care.”
“But you want me to take up my responsibilities. I ask again, what responsibilities are those? What meaningful use of my time would you like me to adopt?”
“I cannot pick your amusements, Max. Take up writing or the sciences. You were always good at mathematics.”
“Why don’t I take Yihui back to China? I could be England’s special envoy—”
His father threw up his hands in disgust. “And now you are back to nonsense. England has people in China already. You’re not just the heir to a dukedom, Max. You’re theonlyheir. You’re not going anywhere until you sire a few more. If you’d done your duty by Lady Kimberly, you wouldn’t be in this mess now. So get rid of the broken Chinese creature and get on with your responsibilities as a man.”
