Beguiling the Barrister

by Wendy Soliman

The duke’s eyes looked rather moist and his voice was gruff when he responded. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.”

  Gabriel bounded into the room. “Good morning, uncle.” He inclined his head towards the duke and then paid his respects to Leah. “What have I missed?”

  The conversation became more general but Flick could see that Gabe had something on his mind.

  “Hal, I thought I might tool on over to Nathbone’s place tomorrow and take a look at the Trakehner,” he said, clearly trying to make it sound like a chore. “Would that be all right with you?”

  Hal smiled. “And if I said no?”

  “This stallion really does sound perfect for our requirements. Unless James exaggerated, he’s first rate and won’t stay on the market for long.”

  “I’ll come with you, Gabe,” Flick said enthusiastically.

  “You?” Gabe shook his head. “Horse talk bores you rigid.”

  Yes, but the opportunity to interrogate one of Armstrong’s colleagues certainly doesn’t. Darius might not be able to approach him, but no one will suspect me if I ask a few casual questions.

  “I have a fancy for fresh air after being indoors for so many days.”

  “It’s hardly the weather for traipsing about the country,” Hal pointed out.

  “I was going to ride over,” Gabe said. “Wanted to give the thoroughbred a good run.”

  “You imagine us females are such delicate creatures that we’re incapable of surviving a little cold air?” Leah asked, taking Flick’s part.

  “Not at all.” Gabriel coloured. “I was just—”

  “Gabe,” Leah continued, smiling at Flick as though she understood her need to escape, but hopefully not why, “if you really plan to go, then you should take the carriage and your sister. If she dresses warmly no harm will come to her.”

  “If that’s the only way I get to go then so be it.” Gabe grinned at Flick, not seeming too put out by the change in his plans. “But you’ll have to be up with the lark, squirt.”

  Flick harrumphed. “Since when did I lay all day in bed?”

  * * *

  “Darius, you’re up early this morning.” Hal shook his hand and led him into his study. “If it’s Rob you’ve come to see, he’s not down yet.”

  “No, actually I was...er, hoping to catch you alone.”

  “Really?” Hal shot him an inquisitive glance. Did he suppose that Darius had come to talk about Flick? How he wished his affairs were settled enough for that to be the case. “Come along in then. Potter,” he added to the hovering butler. “Some coffee, if you please.”

  “At once, my lord.”

  Darius withstood Hal’s close scrutiny with every appearance of calm, even though he felt anything but. Thanks to the ambitious programme of entertainments that Leah devised to keep the duke occupied, Darius had had no further opportunity to be alone with Flick since the interlude in the morning room that Leah had interrupted. He saw her almost every day since Leah included Darius and his mother in her invitations, but she was never alone. It was a blessing in many respects since he couldn’t be accused of avoiding her. It was also living hell, seeing her, hearing her laugh, recognizing her perfume above all the others as she passed through a crowded room. The pain of jealousy was almost unbearable when he observed other gentlemen engaging her attention a little too avidly. He yearned for her with a deep physical ache that made him inattentive to the point of rudeness—a situation which, he suspected, hadn’t escaped Leah’s notice.

  He exchanged elongated looks with Flick that spoke volumes and sometimes managed to touch her hand without anyone noticing. They joined in the charades, often sitting at the same card table, and whenever there was dancing they stood up together. But that was the extent of their intimacy. There wasn’t even an opportunity to steal a kiss.

  Darius became increasingly frustrated, even though he knew it was for the best. She couldn’t accuse him of not keeping her informed if they were unable to speak privately. He had lost count of the number of sleepless nights he’d endured, trying to devise a means whereby he could discharge him obligations towards Cuthbert and Baker without destroying Flick’s family’s honour. When he spent that precious half-hour with her in his bedchamber, everything had seemed so straightforward. He would defend Cuthbert to the best of his ability, Jackson would keep his side of the bargain and ensure that he became King’s Counsel, and he would then be able to marry Flick.

  Had he known that Pallister would so callously compromise his plan, then nothing could have persuaded him to take things as far with Flick as they had progressed.

  But they had progressed, and in spite of everything he couldn’t regret it. Darius no longer recognized himself and sometimes thought he must be running mad. It felt as though he had half the world’s problems resting on his shoulders, and yet all he seemed able to think about was that divine interlude when he’d held a naked Flick in his arms and she’d responded to his advances with such unbridled passion. Somehow, he had to find a way to improve his own circumstances without ruining her family. Then he’d ask Hal for her hand in marriage.

  How the devil he would manage to achieve that ambition he had yet to conjecture.

  One thing he did know. Hal needed to be aware of the remarks Pallister had made about his stepmother and, more significantly, the parentage of his stepsister. Hence his call at the Hall at an unfashionably early hour on the second day of 1815.

  Once Potter had served coffee and withdrawn, Darius got straight to the point. “You’ve heard, I suppose, that I’m defending Cuthbert and Baker?”

  “Yes, Flick told me. I was surprised at first but Flick seems to think that they might not be as guilty as we’ve been led to believe.”

  “I have every reason to believe they’re completely innocent of the crimes they’re accused of. They seem to be guilty of nothing more than high spirits and an inability to choose their friends wisely.”

  “If you are convinced then I’ll take your word for it. I seldom believe what I read in the newspapers anyway.” Hal laughed. “Given Leah’s previous occupation, I’m sure you can understand why.”

  “Quite.” Darius paused. Now that he was actually here, he wondered how to say what had to be said without giving offence. “I wouldn’t normally divulge anything a client said to me, but in view of subsequent events, you need to be aware.” Darius fixed Hal with a penetrating gaze. “I won’t insult you by asking if I can depend upon your discretion.”

  Hal inclined his head. “You know very well that anything you say to me will remain confidential.”

  “Thank you.” Darius briefly explained how Jackson had virtually bribed him into taking the case. “Like you, I saw little hope of saving them from an appointment with the hangman. I made Jackson aware of that and had him promise that if I did my very best, he would still see me made K.C., thus securing my future.”

  Hal nodded, as though he understood what that would mean for Darius’s personal ambitions. “In your situation I would have done exactly the same thing. One does not easily turn Jackson down.”

  “Quite.” Darius stood up and walked to the window, hands clasped behind his back. “Jackson didn’t share my view that I would have a hard time getting them acquitted. As our conversation progressed it became obvious that he knew a great deal more about the affair than he’d let on before I shook his hand on the deal.”

  Hal smiled. “I’ve come up against him more than once and haven’t always emerged on the winning side. He’s a slippery character and plays his cards close to his chest. However, on the whole, he’s a man of his word and only has the best interests of the country at heart.”

  “He told me to talk to my clients and was confident that I would change my mind about their guilt as soon as I did.” Darius resumed his seat and took a sip of his coffee. “And he was right.”

  Darius explained all he’d been told by Cuthbert and Baker. Hal narrowed his eyes at the mention of Armstrong’s name.

  “Now it becomes clear
,” he said. “I never actually believed that Cuthbert and Baker would behave in such a manner, but I have no difficulty in imagining Armstrong being at the heart of matters.” Hal leaned back in his chair, contemplating Darius through intelligent eyes as he considered all the implications. “And the marquess will do anything he must to protect his son and keep one step ahead of Jackson. Clearly, the ruination of Pallister must be Jackson’s main motivation in this matter.”

  “Yes, I believe it is, unfortunately for me.” Darius leaned an elbow on the arm of his chair and rested his chin in his cupped hand, pausing significantly. Hal waited him out in silence. “The marquess stopped me just before I left town and encouraged me most emphatically to ensure Cuthbert and Baker were found guilty.”

  “Even he must know that you’re not the sort of man who can be bought.”

  “Oh, he didn’t try to bribe me financially.” Darius levelled his gaze on Hal’s face. “Instead he threatened your family.”

  “What the devil—” Hal half rose from his chair but Darius waved him back into it. “What does he imagine that he has on us and why would he think that would influence you?” Before Darius could reply, Hal spoke again. “Forgive me, I’m being exceptionally obtuse today. As well as being a lifelong neighbour and close friend of my brother’s, unless I mistake the matter, you have another, more compelling, reason why you’re confiding in me.”

  “Yes. It will come as no surprise to you that I wish to marry your sister, but only if I’m in a position to keep her in style. However, I’m not yet ready to make my declaration and wouldn’t have mentioned the matter, had you not brought it up yourself.”

  Hal nodded. “I thought as much,” he said, not insulting Darius by mentioning Flick’s substantial dowry as a means of extracting himself from this farrago.

  “I can still remember how embarrassed I felt when my father went cap in hand to his friends, begging them to bail him out yet again when he’d gambled beyond his means and lost.” Darius clenched his jaw. “Apart from deterring me from the gaming tables for life, about the only lesson of value that man ever taught me was never to put oneself in a position of relying on the goodwill of others.” He glowered at the opposite wall. “I never intend to do so.”

  “Tell me what Pallister thinks he has on the Forsters.”

  “He’s bought up all your stepmother’s vowels,” Darius said.

  “Oh, is that all?” Hal flapped a hand. “I’ve known for years that she’s a gamester and therefore always short of blunt. She knows she won’t get anything more from me other than the allowance my father foolishly left her. Believe me, she’s tried every stratagem known to man to get on my good side. Unfortunately for her, in her case, I don’t have one.”

  “Yes, I told Pallister you’d made it plain to society that you wouldn’t cover her debts.”

  “Flick tells me she tried to ingratiate herself at the town house while Leah and I were away, assuming that Flick was still a child too frightened to stand up to her.” Hal laughed. “She now has reason to hold a different view.”

  Darius laughed also. “That I have no difficulty in believing.”

  “There must be more to Pallister’s threats than that, otherwise you wouldn’t be so Friday-faced.” Hal sighed. “Come on then, let’s hear it.”

  “Please don’t take this amiss. I wouldn’t tell you except that I’m in an impossible position.”

  “Darius, now you’re really worrying me. Just spit it out and be done with it.”

  “All right. I’m duty bound to do my very best for my clients but if I do that it will almost certainly result in embarrassment for you, to say nothing of the loss of the woman I love.”

  “I very much doubt it, on both counts. You ought to know that I value your friendship very highly and that Flick looks upon you as a great deal more than a friend. I suppose you’re aware she turned down three very good offers last season. And the time I was at a loss to understand why.” Hal grinned. “I ought to have realized—”

  “Yes, she told me.” Darius sighed and shifted himself into a more comfortable position. Observing a flash of impatience in Hal’s eye, he realized he could no longer procrastinate. “It seems Pallister has proof that your half-sister isn’t your father’s progeny,” he said soberly.

  Hal sat bolt upright and tugged at his hair, held back in its usual queue. “How, in God’s name, did he reach that conclusion?”

  “I won’t ask if it’s true, I merely wished to warn you.”

  “I’ve no idea if it’s true, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it is. The question is, how does he imagine he can prove it?”

  “Well, he holds the lady’s vowels. Presumably, if he offered them back to her in return for her confirming the account, she would do so.”

  “Undoubtedly, even if it ruined her daughter’s chances of making a good marriage.”

  “Exactly.” Darius ground his jaw. “I have good reason to know that compulsive gamblers will do whatever it takes to feed their habit.”

  “Yes,” Hal said softly. “You, of all people would know that and yet you managed to rise above the mess your father left you with and make something of yourself.”

  “It wasn’t hard to make a better fist of Brightstone Manor than my father did.”

  “Talking of fathers, mine didn’t leave Julia well endowed.” Hal stared off into the distance. “Perhaps now I understand why.”

  “Pallister claims to be intimate with the doctor who attended your father when he was afflicted with a fever. According to him, that ailment apparently rendered him impotent.”

  “That doctor being Harrison, I suppose,” Hal said, scowling.

  “I believe so.”

  “He’s an imbiber and a social climber. Pallister would have no difficulty getting him to say anything he wanted him to. I persuaded my father to get rid of him and use someone better qualified.” He shrugged. “Not that that will help much in this situation.”

  “No, I suppose not, unless the matter of your father’s virility arose between them.”

  “You did the right thing in telling me about this,” Hal said. “Forewarned is forearmed. I hope that Giles is my father’s son,” he added reflectively. “The boy shows promise and he does resemble the rest of us. Julia I’ve always had my doubts about, I suppose, even if I didn’t wish to face up to them. Perhaps that’s partly because her character so closely resembles her mother’s.”

  “What will you do about it?”

  Hal sighed. “What can I do? A dignified silence is usually the best way to ride out scurrilous gossip.”

  Darius stood. “Well then, I’m glad I told you.”

  “Thanks for warning me.” Hal stood as well. “And just so you’re aware, when the time’s right, I will happily give you permission to address Flick.” He grinned. “Not that it would make too much difference if I didn’t. My sister has inherited the Forster pigheadedness when there’s something she very much wants.”

  “Thank you. I hope I’ll be up to the job of making her happy.”

  Hal regarded Darius with amusement in his eyes. “Oh, I’m sure you will be. When it comes to keeping her under control, however...well, that’s altogether another matter. Leah has already proved to me just how contrary a woman can be when she knows she owns your heart.”

  Darius laughed. “I shall have my hands full then. Fortunately I enjoy a challenge.”

  Hal slapped him on the shoulder. “Defend Cuthbert and Baker with a clear conscience.”

  Darius suppressed a sigh. He had told Hal as much as he was prepared to for the time being. He wouldn’t talk about French renegades and traitorous leanings unless he had no other choice. He would see where his investigations led first. No one had looked too hard for alternative culprits, everyone being convinced that Cuthbert and Baker were guilty, thanks to Pallister’s manipulation of the newspapers. There was an outside chance that if Darius dug deeply enough, he might turn up evidence it was impossible for the courts to disregard, therefore acqu
itting his clients without the need for a trial or for anyone else to be charged with the crimes. Better for Armstrong to go free than for Hal to be branded as a traitor.

  Darius had learned a hard lesson these past weeks, one that caused him to set aside his principles. He was now playing by his own rules and only as a last resort would he explain to Hal about Pallister’s infamous allegations.

  Hal rang for Potter to show Darius out.

  “Do your very best, Darius. Pallister can do nothing to harm the Forsters.”

  Darius fervently wished that was true. “Is Flick about?” he asked. “Needless to say, I haven’t told her anything about Pallister, nor do I intend to, but...” He could see that he’d lost Hal’s attention. “What is it? You look completely drained.”

  “It’s Gabe,” he said slowly. “He’s gone to Nathbone’s to look at a stallion, and Flick insisted on going with him. I wondered why at the time. It seemed so unlike her since she has no interest in horses.” His jaw tightened. “Now I understand.”

  Darius felt as though he’d been punched in the gut. “Dear God!” he said faintly.

  Chapter Nine

  “Hal didn’t specify what type of carriage we were to take,” Gabe said, taking his eyes off the road to grin at his sister.

  “True.” Flick sank her chin deeper into the thick fur collar of her pelisse but still felt frozen to the core. “But I doubt if it crossed his mind that you’d be idiotic enough to take a curricle in this weather.”

  “Stop complaining.” Gabe’s grin was so infectious that she couldn’t help returning it. He guided his pair of matching bays round a large rut in the road. Mercifully he also slowed them to a sedate trot, reducing the force of the bitter wind on her face. “You did say you craved fresh air, didn’t you?”

  “Also true, but this wasn’t quite what I had in mind.” Flick pulled the thick carriage rug further up her knee and curled her fingers inside her gloves in an effort to restore some feeling to them. “The roads are covered with frost and yet you still set your team at a rattling pace.”