“You are scowling again.”
Jonathan turned his eyes towards his brother as the carriage made its way towards their solicitors. The streets were busy with the noise of London — the rattle of other carriages, the calls of street vendors, the distant bark of a dog somewhere in the alleys behind Cheapside. Morning light fell in patches through the carriage window, andJonathan watched the shadows pass across his brother’s face and thought, not for the first time, how much their positions had reversed. Last year, it had been Tunbridge in crisis, Tunbridge who had needed saving. Now it was Jonathan who felt the ground shifting beneath him. “You would be too if you had the same thoughts as I.”
“And what are they?”
With a grimace, Jonathan looked away. “I was thinking about the ball last evening. Lady Theresa was very forward indeed, and I had a somewhat unpleasant conversation with Lady Maude later in the evening.”
“Lady Maude?”
Jonathan glanced back at his brother. “The second daughter to the Duke of Somerset. She and I were introduced last Season but she did not seem to remember the acquaintance. Once she was reminded of it, she scowled very darkly indeed and suggested to me, in a quiet voice so no one else might overhear, that my attentions would be better served fixed to another.” Remembering that he had not shared with his brother anything about his own interest in Lady Susanna, Jonathan snorted. “I still cannot be certain what it was she was attempting to suggest to me, but I have to admit, both herself and Lady Theresa brought some unpleasantness to the evening.”
“And yet,” Lord Tunbridge replied, “that is not what is sitting heavily on your mind, I am sure of it.”
Jonathan dropped his gaze to the floor of the carriage, irritated that his brother had been able to ascertain such a thing. Then again, he thought, Tunbridge had always been able to know when Jonathan had been lying.
“You will need to tell me something, brother,” Lord Tunbridge said firmly. “We are on our way to the solicitors so that you can demand some answers fromthem over some matter or other – something you have not as yet shared with me which leaves me in a very great confusion. I am sure that you did struggle last evening with Lady Maude and Lady Theresa but I am also quite sure that they are not the reason for the frown on your face which you have been wearing ever since you stepped into the carriage.”
Casting his brother a sidelong glance, Jonathan looked out of the window again. He could not hide from this. “Very well.” His eyes jumped from one thing to the next. “The reason we are going to speak to the solicitor is that I have discovered that with one particular request, they gave me some false information instead of the truth.”
There came a breath of silence. “That is serious indeed.”
“Yes, it is.”
“And you do not trust them now?”
Jonathan hesitated, then looked back at his brother. “It is not that I cannot trust them. I want to understand where they gained their information from, for it is highly related to another situation, another circumstance where I found myself deeply involved with another. I then stepped back from that connection because of what they told me.”
“And if it is false, then you have done so for nothing.” Lord Tunbridge’s expression cleared. “Might I ask the name of the person you were connected to?”
Closing his eyes briefly, Jonathan let out a breath of frustration. “You will not relent, will you?”
“I simply cannot understand why you would not tell me the truth,” his brother responded. “It is not as though I am a dreadful gossip, nor that I intend to share whatever it is you tell me with the ton.”
“You have had enough to endure,” Jonathan responded, with another glance at his brother before tugging his gaze away again. “This is my own doing and my own fault.”
His brother’s only response was to fold his arms and lift an eyebrow.
Jonathan sighed loudly, but Tunbridge stayed silent.
“Very well!” he exclaimed, aware of the frustration in his voice. “Last Season, I was eager to court a young lady. However, there were some… concerns which –”
“You mean to say that your concerns were over my foolish endeavors,” Lord Tunbridge interjected. “I had lost a great deal of money, and my own estate was under threat, since I had been foolish enough to wager it.”
Recalling the moment his brother had confessed that truth to him, Jonathan winced visibly. “Yes, I recall.”
“It was only because of your actions on my behalf that Lord Moncrieff gave up his claim to my estate.”
“He cheated,” Jonathan stated, as his brother scowled. “If you recall, I played with him myself, without his awareness as to who I was. When it became clear to me that he was playing in an underhanded manner, that gave me all the leverage I required to pull back your debts. He dared not risk being exposed, given his title and standing.” His lips curved ruefully. “I am sure if he were here in London, he would not be in the least bit pleased at my being acquainted with his daughters.”
Surprise widened his brother’s eyes.
“You need not think of that at present, however.” Waving one hand, Jonathan drew the conversation back to himself. “As I was saying, I thought that once I was sure all was well and that Lord Moncrieff was not going to demand anything further, I would return to this young lady and make her an offer of courtship which I then intended to lead to engagement. However, I received a letter from Lord Blackwood, warning me that there were significant concerns regarding her father. There were debts he had not paid,investments which had been poorly made but also appeared to be linked to some nefarious things.”
“And you would trust Lord Blackwood’s word.”
“Indeed,” Jonathan replied, somewhat relieved that his brother understood. “I then went to my solicitors and asked them to make some discreet enquiries regarding this gentleman. They returned to me a short time later and confirmed that yes, there were significant debts and some investments were questionable.”
Lord Tunbridge frowned. “But now you say that you are going to speak with them about the false information they gave you. Does that mean that –”
