Authors: Sue London
"The
servants say the Duke of Beloin is here."
"Yes.
We'll be dining early with him and then I must go with him back to
London."
"Whatever
for?"
"A
vote in Parliament that I can't miss. It was very kind of Quince to come tell me
the vote is likely tomorrow. I wasn't expecting it for another week yet."
"I'm
not going with you?"
He
kissed her forehead. "No, love. I won't be gone long. There's no need for
you to rush back and forth to London with me."
"When
will you return?"
"Within
a day or two. Besides, this gives me a chance to settle Mr. Miller. He seemed
hesitant about going on to London without me."
His
wife's brow was still adorably furrowed with her frustration that he was
leaving and she was picking at nigh invisible lint on his jacket. He bent his
head to whisper in her ear. "I have to leave directly after dinner. If
there's anything you'd like to do...?"
She
took his hand and led him away from the servants busy with his packing, into
her room of blue skies and sunshine. He found that it didn’t remind him so much
of his mother anymore, but of his beautiful wife and new memories. They joined
with a sweetness and intensity that made it feel like the first or last time.
Gideon kissed her belly and dozed half on top of her while she ran her fingers
through his hair, content in his knowledge that this was far from the last time
he would make love to his wife.
Jack
doubted the wisdom of the seating arrangement her husband insisted upon. The
duke sat at the head of the table of course, as he was the highest ranking
person, and her husband sat the foot. She sat to her husband's right and Justin
sat to the right of the duke. She wasn't entirely sure of the protocols, but
was
fairly certain that seating an
unrecognized bastard next to a duke broke all of them. Due to the length of the
table this meant that either end was encouraged to talk privately, as
conversation for the full table required one to raise one's voice. Justin
looked appropriately overwhelmed to be paired with a duke as his dinner
companion and Jack wanted to be able to save him from the fear and
embarrassment. But the affable duke soon had the young man enthralled in
conversation and Jack was able to turn her attention to her meal.
"There's
no need to fear for him," Gideon said for her ears only. "Quince is
no Lord Lucifer."
Jack
raised her brows at him. "It beggars the imagination to know why you're
bringing up Lord Lucifer."
"Why
wouldn't I? It's a common reference between us now. Although to me it is a
teasing nickname from friends and to you it symbolizes a man with the power to
lead others to perdition."
"And
you doubt such a power?"
"You
can't lead anyone somewhere they didn't already want to go."
"That's
a convenient lie to tell yourself."
Gideon's
brows lowered with irritation but any retort was cut off by the duke raising
his voice to be heard across the table. "I find your assessment to be
correct, Lord Harrington. Now that you have him trained perhaps I will steal
your clerk from you."
Justin
blushed to the tips of his ears with the compliment.
"Don't
be ridiculous, your grace. Harrington men are known for their loyalty."
"But
his grasp of the issues is startling. Especially for one so young. Perhaps you
will share him with me?"
"What
one man could work in both of our offices and not find himself
conflicted?"
Jack
looked at Gideon questioningly and he said, "Quince holds the opposite
view from me on everything of consequence."
"Untrue,"
the duke said, swirling his glass of wine, "I knew from the start that
Lady Harrington would be the perfect wife for you and I can see that
you
now know it to be true."
"We'll
consider that the exception that proves the rule."
Jack
blushed at that but asked, "What are the most notable items you conflict
on?"
"Import
taxes," Gideon said.
"Aid
for the poor," Quince countered, raising his glass in a mock salute to the
earl.
"Agriculture
policy," Gideon responded, returning the salute.
"Domestic
taxes."
"Foreign
relations," Gideon said with a raised brow.
"Business
regulation," Quince reminded in a chiding tone.
"Crime."
"And
let's not forget women's rights.”
"Will
you never let that go?"
"Doesn't
seem likely. Why don't we ask your lovely wife her opinion on the
subject?"
Both
men turned their attention on her, Gideon looking irritated and the duke
inquisitive. Jack realized that this was the first item she was going to have
to navigate as a politician's wife. Honestly she was a bit annoyed with Quince.
He had been the one to say that politics and friendship were two different
things, yet here he was thrusting her into the center of a political debate. It
wouldn't do for her to counter her husband's political position, but since she
didn't know what it was, that was difficult. In an attempt to remain neutral
she shrugged and said, "I would of course enjoy participating in the
political process."
With
a sly smile the duke said, "Oh but you won't if your husband has anything
to say about it."
Gideon,
running low on charity for his guest, pointed his fork at the duke. "You
would do best focusing on the universal vote for men."
Jack
was unsettled by the duke's comment but asked, "What is the universal vote
for men?"
The
duke answered, "It is simply that currently in order to vote a person must
meet certain criteria such as owning property, which ensures that we continue
to have a government for the rich and by the rich. For instance, your young
friend Mr. Miller here, who demonstrates a comprehensive understanding for
current issues, can have no more influence on how the country is run than a
newborn babe in arms."
The
earl countered, "Yet you would let thousands of uneducated men access to
the vote in order to allow Mr. Miller the privilege? What would our country be
like if the majority of voters were uneducated and easily manipulated?"
"Most
men are easily manipulated," Quince answered. "Except for you, of
course, Giddy. A more stalwart man has not been put on earth by God."
Jack
began to wonder if the two men would pull swords from the walls of the gallery
and have at each other. However, one thing still bothered her. "I don't
remember anything making the papers over the past few years about the House of
Lords debating a vote for women’s rights. When did this happen?"
The
duke was swirling his wine again. "Of course it never made the papers
because it was never publicly debated. Your husband made sure of that."
"What
do you mean?" Jack looked back and forth between the two men. Gideon was
thunderous and the duke icy.
"You
see, my dear," the duke explained, "before a bill is written it is
wise to chat with other Lords and men in the Commons to see what appetite there
is for the nature of the bill. Of course my good friend, the Earl of Harrington,
was one of the first people that I talked to about it. Not expecting that he
would immediately begin a counter-campaign to ensure the bill never found
sponsorship."
Gideon
was stabbing the vegetables on his plate with more force than necessary. “It
was a ridiculous item for you to bring forward as your first policy
issue."
Quince
raised a brow. "Ridiculous? You can fend off progress for now, Giddy. You
may have even put it back a hundred years. But progress cannot be held back
forever."
"And
then who will you fight for to get rights? Dogs?"
Jack
felt herself go cold. "Pardon me, did you just compare me to a dog?"
"I
think you rated slightly higher than a dog," Justin suggested, his first
contribution to the conversation and one designed to break the tension.
Still
stabbing at the contents of his plate, Gideon said, "The typical woman
rates lower than the typical dog in my estimation."
Jack
pushed her chair back with a sudden scrape and rose, "If you'll excuse me
I think I've developed a headache."
The
gentlemen stood with her and bowed to her as she left the room. She needed to
collect herself and think. Who... no that was the wrong term.
What
exactly had she married?
As
soon as Jack had left the room Gideon turned his ire on Quince. "That was
why you wanted to see my lovely wife? To upset her and push your own political
agenda?"
"My
dear boy, I don't think that I was the one to upset her."
"Bringing
up that issue in her presence was unconscionable."
The
duke turned to Mr. Miller. "You're her friend. Are women’s rights something
that Lady Harrington cares about?"
"She
has never mentioned it before," Justin hedged.
The
duke smiled. "Good man, Miller. You will have a future in politics yet.
But based on Lady Harrington's intelligence, education, and independence of
mind do you imagine she might?"
"I
respectfully decline to speculate, your grace."
This
caused the duke to laugh and Gideon said, "If this is how you're going to
be all night, Quince, then I'll take my own carriage."
"Fine,
I shall be on better behavior then."
"Mr.
Miller, I plan for you to take Brier with you to London to be your mount. You
may decide whether you would prefer to ride her tonight or ride in the carriage
with us."
The
young man looked back and forth between the duke and earl, finally saying,
"I'll ride the horse, sir."
"An
option I might take myself," Gideon said, downing the last of his wine.
"You are dismissed to prepare, Mr. Miller. We leave within an hour."
After
Justin left, Gideon turned to the duke. "I shall go take my leave of my
wife. And find out how much your little revenge is going to cost me."
"I'm
afraid to tell you Giddy, but she doesn't seem the type to be bought off with
baubles."
"As
you may find out when you marry, Quince, there are many forms of payment. Cash
is amongst the easiest to make."
"Married
less than a month and already you sound an old man. No doubt a circumstance I
should endeavor to avoid."
Gideon
dashed up the steps to face what was likely to be an unpleasant conversation
with his wife. And he had thought Quince was extending an olive branch? Ah
well, perhaps his days in London would allow this particular spat with
Jacqueline to blow over. It would be a good deal longer before he would forgive
the duke.
Jack
was sitting at her vanity brushing her hair, and recognized Gideon's step
entering her rooms.
"I
don't want to talk to you," she said before he had a chance to speak.
"No
tearful goodbyes and pledges that you will miss me while I'm gone?"
She
glanced over her shoulder. "If you want that you should buy a dog."
Gideon
chuckled.
"Touché
. I'm sorry I
lost my temper at Quince and you got caught in the crossfire."
"Is
that how you would describe it?" She felt herself becoming even more disappointed
that he didn't consider his opinions or statements wrong in any way.
"This
is an old argument between us, and he obviously hopes to win you to his way of
thinking in order to either change my mind or at least make me
uncomfortable."
"Is
this the issue he mentioned from four years ago?"
"Yes,
I suppose it was. It was his first year in the Lords after his father had
passed. The former Duke of Beloin had been a staunch conservative. Even I was
surprised by what a rebellious little progressive Quince turned out to
be."
"He
has such a reputation for being a snob. His politics surprise me."
"You
see, my love, Quince is only snobbish among the
ton
. He happens to despise his own kind."
"And
you're hoping that I despise my own kind and don't support rights for
women?"
"That's
not true. I hope that you don't undermine your husband's political ambitions by
expressing opposing opinions."
"Doesn't
that amount to the same thing?"
"I
don't think so."
Jack
clenched her fists in her lap and shook her head. How would she survive years
of marriage to her Luddite husband as he dragged her from social event to
social event expecting her not to counter his opinions. If she had known, if
she had really understood, she never would have married him. She needed to talk
to Justin before he left.
Gideon
came up behind her to rest his hands on her shoulders and she twisted away from
him, rising to put the chair between them. Finally seeing her expression he
realized that there might be a good deal more trouble here than he’d assumed. Her
eyes didn't have the wild fury that he remembered from the morning of the
society article that necessitated their marriage. This time he saw resolve,
rage, and more than a little disappointment. Perhaps he should just go throttle
Quince now.