“The ladies sent this to relieve your boredom. If you find it equally tedious, I won’t tell.”
Ethan took the small volume from the earl and glanced at the title. “‘Pride and Prejudice, By the Author of Sense and Sensibility,’” he read. “I haven’t heard of either book.”
“Published only last year and already in a second edition,” the earl replied. “The ladies dote on it, but I have to admit I liked it as well. Volumes two and three will be forthcoming if you enjoy this one, and perhaps even if you don’t.”
Ethan couldn’t miss Will’s intense study, and dreaded what it might mean. Edmund pulled up a chair to sit with them, and Ethan was glad.
A note had been tucked in the book. Ethan showed it to the earl with a raised brow. Chadbourn gestured upward with a hand, and so Ethan opened it and read. “Lord Ethan, I hope this finds you better. Rest your fevered mind with some pleasant reading. It is my hope that that may help. Lady Flora Landrum.”
“A bit dramatic,” the earl mumbled.
Fevered mind, indeed. “Thank her for me,” Ethan told him. He suspected the earl had read it before presenting it, protective brother that he was, and indeed, Chadbourn appeared to choose his next words carefully.
“I gather you unburdened yourself yesterday.” He attempted to sound casual and failed.
Edmund’s gaze sharpened, and Ethan’s gut clenched. He didn’t like to remember his conversation with Flora, and he dreaded the loss of Will Chadbourn’s newly-formed friendship. He glanced at his brother. “My only defense is that I needed a buffer between my words and my family. I could speak looking at her face; not my father’s.”
“And my sister pushed you to speak,” the earl sighed, leaning back in his chair.
“She did.” He leaned toward Chadbourn. “Will, please know I didn’t speak in detail and I stopped short of—”
“Something a lady shouldn’t hear? How did you lose your hand? Flo told me you said, ‘he wasn’t French.’ What in God’s name happened?”
“If she repeated everything I said, you may surmise I came upon a group of men abusing a woman.”
“He stopped short of actually spelling that out, Chadbourn,” Edmund interjected.
“You should realize the ladies are capable of surmise as well, however,” the earl said.
Ethan grimaced at that. “Only it was a young girl, not a grown woman and the mob was led by an officer, one without honor.” The darkness began to descend again, tempting Ethan to hide.
Edmund leaned forward and touched his arm. “What did you do, Ethan? You said you tried.”
“I ran into the middle of them screaming like a banshee—unarmed and in my shirtsleeves. The officer took offense when I intervened.” He raised his damaged arm. “I don’t remember much after that. Shocked faces. I can only pray the distraction made a difference.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t bleed to death,” Will said. “I’m guessing at least someone in that mob was shamed enough to take you to the surgeons. Who was the officer?”
“Major Lord Alfred Hartford,” he spat with a grimace.
Will let out a string of curses. “Incompetent bastard,” he concluded. “I always loathed him.”
“The Duke of Warrington’s youngest? I should kill him!” Edmund said. He sighed at Ethan’s horror. “I wouldn’t, of course, but you ought to have brought it to authorities.”
“His father is the regent’s crony,” Will reminded him. “They will protect him—but you knew that, Ethan, didn’t you? Is that why you stayed hidden?”
“Perhaps that was part of it. If I speak up now, nothing will happen to him, and I can’t bear it,” Ethan shouted.
Will and Edmund’s eyes met. “What?” Ethan demanded. “I won’t go to Horse Guards with this. If I spill my guts there, I’ll look like a weakling, and he’ll get off.”
“There may be other ways,” Edmund said.
“It can’t hurt to look into the major’s whereabouts,” Will added.
Silence stretched between them. The earl patted his knee and rose to leave, but Ethan had one more thing to say. “Your sister said something else yesterday. She reminded me that I can do nothing to change the past—and I hope you both accept that we can do little about the bastard that did this—but I can still help the others. She meant the men on the street. Is that what you do?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve seen the one-eared footman and the pugilist butler. I spoke with that soldier’s widow you call a cook. How many more have you employed?”
