Alexander looked at Violet. His gaze felt like a caress. It made her shiver, the hairs on the back of her neck lifting. She bit her lower lip, remembering the many kisses. Then she composed herself and turned to her Uncle.
“Alexander and I have discovered a mutual attraction. And a mutual fondness.”
“And do you know this man at all!” George snapped.
“I know that he has fought his way to adulthood in the most horrific of conditions. That he is now seeking to repay the good fortune of his birth by helping those who still suffer in the same slavery that he did. That makes him as noble as a knight of Charlemagne as far as I’m concerned.”
George wordlessly exclaimed, throwing up his hands.
“You have not returned to your original question, Ravendel,” Alexander said in a voice tight with control. “Put your prejudice aside and wonder what had your niece so worried.”
“Oh, telling me how to behave in my own house now!” George exclaimed. “Godstone was correct in his assessment of your character, sir.”
“When Lillian left our luncheon, she said she was returning to the Duke’s house, just off the Knight’s Bridge road. She never arrived. And I do not see her anywhere here. Unless she is in her room?” Violet asked, archly.
George smiled, removing his pince-nez and placing them in a pocket of his waistcoat. He casually went to a sideboard and poured himself a brandy from a decanter there.
“No, she is not. But I have no cause for concern. She arrived here having met a gentleman on her way to the home of this gentleman here. That gentleman escorted her to his home and has offered to show her how the government of this great country operates. He occupies a pivotal role in that government, you see?”
Violet was surprised but had her suspicions. Alexander voiced those suspicions.
“That wouldn’t be Godstone, would it? Lord Ambrose Devereaux?”
“Yes, it would. A proper gentleman, you might say,” George stated.
“With the implication being that I am not,” Alexander replied.
“As a matter of fact, there are those that say that very thing,” George said with a pugnacious expression.
Violet was horrified. She had never known her Uncle to be openly rude to anyone. He was bold in his views and often boisterous in his expression of them, citing the habit as having been formed leading men on the battlefield. But, now he was walking a fine line between polite difference of opinion and just plain insulting.
Is this the influence of Ambrose? Can he really turn one’s head so completely, make them act so out of character? Perhaps that gentleman is more dangerous than a braggart and a bore. And what does he want with Lillian?
“Well, the mystery is solved. Lillian is quite safe, though I would not choose Godstone as a companion myself,” Alexander replied.
“Indeed,” Violet said faintly. “Though I am surprised at you Uncle George, letting a young woman be unaccompanied in the company of an unmarried man, particularly one so much older than she.”
“Stuff and nonsense, Violet. I trust Ambrose Devereaux with Lillian’s safety like no other.”
That struck Violet as odd. Uncle George had been greatly concerned at the prospect of her spending time in company with Alexander, yet he blithely dismissed the same concerns with Ambrose.
Ambrose is not a Scotsman brought up on the streets of Glasgow. He is an English noble, born to the purple as they say. But, I was not aware that Uncle George knew Ambrose Devereaux in any way other than as passing acquaintances. This level of trust seems misplaced.
“Then I will not trouble your Uncle with my presence in his house any longer,” Alexander said.
He turned on his heel and strode from the room, back stiff with anger. Violet followed him, casting a concerned look back over her shoulder at her Uncle as she went. When they were out of the library with the door closed, she picked up her skirts and ran to catch up with Alexander. She caught him in the hallway and caught his hand.
“I am sorry for my Uncle. Do not judge me by his behavior.”
Alexander lifted her hand to his lips and smiled. “I would not. Ever. But it seems I have lost your Uncle as a potential ally. I doubt he will give his blessing to my marrying you.”
“I do not need his blessing,” Violet said resolutely.
Alexander looked at her askance. “This is a man who has raised you from a babe in arms. You believed him your father for many years. I cannot believe you would not care if he refused to bless your marriage. I would not come between you and your family.”
Violet shook her head firmly. “He did raise me but since then he has deliberately caused me distress by refusing to tell me what he knows of my parentage. I fear I am coming to the end of the road with Uncle George. Now, I should like to find Lillian. Just to be sure.”
Alexander nodded grimly. “I have no reason to believe she is not as safe as can be in the company of Ambrose Devereaux. He’s the worst sassenach I’ve ever come across and I could see him far enough…” He stopped at a frown of confusion from Violet. “I mean to say that I would rather cross the street than walk the same pavement as he is on. But, he is a man of honor. He is a peer of this country and a member of the House of Lords.”
