Anita Mills by Secret Nights

Author:Secret Nights [Nights, Secret]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

“Hamilton! Good to see you!”

Clapping Patrick’s shoulder familiarly, the Earl of Dunster guided him toward the formal saloon in the front of the elegant townhouse. As he stepped back to let the younger man pass, the earl motioned to a liveried footman. “Break out my best claret,” he ordered. Turning to Patrick, he smiled. “Jane tells me we have something to celebrate, sir.”

“Well, I had planned to broach the matter a bit more properly,” Patrick admitted.

“No need to stand on ceremony—none at all, I assure you. I’ve been following your career for years, sir, and I’ve liked everything I’ve seen.”

“Thank you.”

“Handsome girl, my Jane,” Dunster murmured.

“Yes, she is.”

“Got everything a man could want—good looks, good breeding, good manners. The sort of female to help a man’s advancement.”

“I have admired her for some time, sir.”

“Of course you have! And I have seen that she has waited for you. I could’ve taken Dillingham, you know, but she had her heart set on you, for you are the handsomer, she says.” Dunster noticed that the footman had returned. “Ah, yes. That will be all, Thorpe.” Moving to where the man had set the tray, the older man poured hefty amounts of the claret into two glasses. “Well, don’t stand there, Hamilton—come get your share, eh?”

As Patrick took one, the earl lifted the other, smiling again. “To the future of the Tories!” As their glasses clinked together, the older man sobered. “You are the future of the party, Hamilton.”

“I hope so, sir.”

“No doubt about it.” Dunster sipped from his glass, then indicated two chairs drawn up to the blazing fire. “Sit down, my boy, for we’ve a great deal to discuss.” Patrick took a seat, then drank of his claret. “Quite good stuff,” he admitted.

“I’ve been saving it, sir, for precisely the right occasion, and I should say this fits that bill, eh?” Dunster held his glass out to the fire, letting the flames reflect off the deep red of the wine. “Best stuff ever smuggled into England from Bordeaux,” he declared proudly.

“As an officer of the court, I shall try to forget that, sir,” Patrick murmured, smiling.

“Mean to talk about that also. But just now there are other things more to the point.” The earl’s eyes met Patrick’s. “Settlements, for instance.”

“I don’t expect a great deal, my lord. Your patronage means far more than money.”

“Oh, I mean to be generous,” Dunster insisted, waving aside Patrick’s words. “Jane wants you, and I want her to have what she wants. Of course, I shall expect your candor also. Between us, we want to see that she has the sort of life she has come to expect, don’t we?”

“I assure you that I can afford her.”

“Of course you can! I have made some preliminary inquiries, and I think I have a fair notion as to where you stand financially, dear boy.” The earl smiled, then sobered. “You’ve come far in the ten years you have been in London, haven’t you?”

“I’ve had my successes.”

“And you’ve made a name for yourself, there’s no denying that.

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