Chapter 20
The next day Julian contemplated the many portraits of his ancestors on the drawing room walls while waiting for his mother to appear.
He rarely saw any likeness to himself, because he’d inherited his looks from his mother.
Was that why she disliked him? Did she hate the comparison, or simply think he couldn’t be a true Laurent if he didn’t look like one?
He checked the clock on the mantelpiece.
She’d requested his appearance at noon, and it was almost half past the hour.
If she didn’t grace him with her presence in the next few minutes, he’d make his excuses and leave.
He owed Mr. Cox a last visit to tell him not to worry about Jeremy Calloway anymore.
Jeremy’s father had been furious to find out what his son was up to and had promised to put a stop to it immediately.
Julian had complete faith that he’d rein in his son—which would put an end to the speculation about the advertisement.
He didn’t greatly care about Walcott’s attempts to smear his reputation, but saving Carenza and Mrs. Sheraton from social ruin was an imperative.
The door opened, and his mother swept in, followed by his brother.
To Julian’s surprise, they appeared to be having a ferocious argument, which was unheard of.
“Julian.” Aragon finally acknowledged him.
“Brother.” Julian bowed and then turned to their mother, one eyebrow raised. “Ma’am.”
“You must stop him,” his mother said. “Carenza Musgrove was bad enough, but this new woman, who runs a … haven for thieves, is beyond the pale.”
Aragon looked at Julian over his mother’s head. “We received an invitation for a charity ball this morning hosted by the Duchess of Grantleigh. I mentioned that I’d visited the Cartwrights and found them excellent and worthy people.”
“Ah, I see.” Julian nodded.
“Yet again, you have deliberately introduced my son to an unsuitable woman,” his mother said. “One might begin to think that your motives in doing so are Machiavellian!”
“You suspect I’m angling for the earldom?” Julian blinked at her. “Why on earth would I do that, when I am very comfortably situated on my own?”
“Please don’t crow about your ill-gotten wealth, Julian. It is extremely vulgar.”
“I’m hardly—”
Aragon spoke over him. “Please stop this, Mother. I’ve already told you that none of this has anything to do with Julian.”
“You don’t know what he’s like, Aragon.” The countess turned to her oldest son. “He’s always been difficult, he’s never tried to fit in with our family, and—”
Aragon held up one finger. “I said stop. Can you hear yourself? Julian has always been the best of brothers. Your dislike of him is the issue at hand, Mother. Not his of you or me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The countess sniffed.
“You’ve never liked him. You’ve always treated him like a pariah in his own family, and you encouraged all of us to do the same.” Aragon was far from his usual affable self. “If there is any apologizing to be done, it should be coming from you.”
The countess swung around toward Julian. “You see? You see what you’ve done? You’ve destroyed his affection for me.”
“No,” Aragon said. “You’ve done that entirely by yourself.” He suddenly looked quite formidable. “If you can’t be civil to Julian, I’d rather you left Town. This is my house, and he is my brother, and, as I’ve already told you, he is always welcome here.”
“And I am not?” The countess drew herself up.
“Not until you remember your manners and stop blaming Julian for everything in the entire world.”
The countess turned on her heel and left the room, banging the door behind her.
In the sudden silence, Julian looked over at his brother. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did.”
“I’ve grown so used to her dislike of me that it barely registers.”
“Of course it registers,” Aragon said. “Once you pointed it out, I began to see it for myself, and I was ashamed of how I’d treated you.”
“There is no need for you to feel like that,” Julian said.
“Again, I am going to disagree with you.” Aragon came over and punched Julian on the shoulder. “And, as your older brother, and an earl, I would appreciate it if you’d do as you are told for once.”
Julian cleared his throat. “Thank you.”
“You are most welcome.” Aragon grinned at him. “Now, are you involved in the planning of this ball, or is it something the ladies cooked up by themselves?”
To Carenza’s relief, Olivia seemed more than willing to continue working with her and Allegra on the charity ball committee.
Miss Cartwright was disinclined to involve herself in anything so worldly and had only agreed because her more practically minded brother reminded her they always needed money and that if they wished to expand, it was essential.
Mrs. Mountjoy was thrilled to participate and, as the daughter of a viscount, she had all the necessary skills to understand the process of delivering a ball.
Aware that Julian’s reputation could take only so much damage, the ladies made plans with some haste.
Having a duchess at its helm meant that most doors were open to the committee and suppliers strove to offer them the best deals available.
Mrs. Mountjoy was in her element and happily took on most of the work as she had both the time and the best bargaining skills.
The duchess had her own ballroom attached to her vast London house, which made things easier, and a full staff to assist the committee in every way possible.
Carenza and Allegra took on the job of dispensing the invitations and organizing the replies, which was quite a task in itself. Luckily, Allegra loved making lists, and Carenza was happy to let her have her way.
One afternoon, a few days before the ball, Aragon appeared in the drawing room without his brother and with news to impart. Carenza, delighted to be released from her sister’s small tyrannies, sat down with him to hear how he’d gotten along.
“Walcott is completely convinced that I’m in agreement with him about Julian,” Aragon said. “In truth, I hardly had to complain before he started on about all his little grievances. I don’t think he cared about mine, just that someone agreed with him.”
“That sounds like Percival,” Carenza said. “He is the kind of man who sees an insult in everything.”
“I got drunk with him last night,” Aragon continued. “It takes only a couple of bottles to see him under the table; whereas, I can drink about ten before I even feel a bit woozy.”
“How extraordinary.” Carenza stared at him. “And what did Percival reveal when he was in his cups?”
“That he’s out for public revenge,” Aragon said simply. “I hope I did the right thing, but I mentioned the charity ball as the perfect venue for him to humiliate Julian. He was very taken by the idea and said he would consult with Lady Brenton to see what she thought.”
“I knew there had to be a woman with brains behind his schemes,” Allegra commented as she joined them. “I should imagine she’ll be thrilled to see Julian thrown to the wolves.”
“Good. Then I did do the right thing.” Aragon looked relieved.
“I also noticed something else. Walcott is very short of the readies. He said he’d borrowed heavily on his expectations and that it was Julian’s fault he couldn’t repay his debts.
He also likes to gamble. Several gentlemen approached him in my hearing asking most politely when he expects to repay them. ”
“Gambling debts are debts of honor,” Allegra mused. “Not as easy to get out of as tradesmen’s bills without a complete loss of reputation.”
“I wonder if it would be possible to buy some of that debt?” Aragon asked. “I did it for a friend of mine once. He’d been fleeced at a gaming hall.”
“You did?”
Aragon shrugged. “Chap was a good friend of mine, couldn’t let him down.”
Carenza reached over and patted Aragon’s hand. “You are such a good man.”
“Hardly. I let my mother bully Julian for years before I saw it for what it was.” He looked up. “I told her to mend her manners or she could go back to the country and prepare to move to the dower house.”
“You did?” Allegra echoed Carenza’s earlier comment. “Well done.”
“Mother was horrible about you, Lady Carenza. And Miss Cartwright. I couldn’t have that.”
“Of course not,” Carenza agreed. She glanced at her sister, who nodded. “I think the idea of quietly buying up Percival’s gaming debts is a brilliant one. It would be excellent leverage against him. We would be happy to lend you money to accomplish such a feat.”
“There’s no need.” Aragon waved away the offer with his usual good humor. “I might not be as rich as Julian, but I have deep pockets. I’ll put out some discreet inquiries immediately.”
The butler appeared at the door. “Mr. Laurent has called, my lady. Do you wish me to show him up?”
“Good Lord.” Aragon shot to his feet. “Not until I’m on my way out.” He hurried toward the door. “Don’t tell him anything, yet. He’ll probably kill me for interfering.”
“Interfering in what?” Julian asked as his brother pushed past him.
“Nothing!” Aragon said. “Good day, ladies,” he shouted before running down the stairs.
Julian surveyed Carenza’s and Allegra’s remarkably guilty faces. “Is there something I should know?”
“Absolutely not,” Carenza said as she came over to kiss him. “Aragon was simply telling us how he stood up to your mother. It’s about time, too.”
“I suspect she overstepped the mark with her criticisms of Miss Cartwright,” Allegra added helpfully. “Aragon seems very keen on her.”
Julian sighed. “He has the most unfortunate habit of fixating on the same women I admire.”
“Ah, so you do have a tendre for Miss Cartwright.” Allegra gave Carenza a knowing look. “I thought as much.”
“I simply meant that I appreciate her dedication to her cause.”
Carenza smiled. “It’s all right, Julian. Your admiration for Miss Cartwright is hardly a secret. She would make any gentleman an excellent wife.”