Loving a Fearless Duchess: A Historical Regency Romance Book(26)

“He knows I can spread the word about him. He knows I’m still furious with him about my dog. He is afraid of me. I’m his biggest threat. And Avery’s biggest threat. Prepare yourself for an ultimatum about Penelope and me.

“By the way, I don’t think he will throw the three of you out either. What’s Avery going to say to the ton? He can’t very well acknowledge he threw out his sister. And what reason would he give?

“And, if cut off, Cecilia would be free to tell anyone who would listen all about her nephew Henry. He is making idle threats. I, on the other hand, am a Duke of good standing who they have no leverage over. Henry is stupid. He should know all that. He should know I’m still upset about my dog.”

Edward’s face lit up. “Uncle Avery likes to have a good reputation, and he works hard for it. He drops in to say hi to the ladies having tea, and he accompanied Penelope to her first ball and danced her first dance with her. He didn’t do it for Penelope. He’s constantly polishing his image.

“That’s why he tries to keep Henry’s profile low. You’re right. He can’t throw us out. We could talk to every member of the ton personally if we were on the street.”

Edward’s smile was wide. “He’s giving us empty threats. Do you know what a relief it is to know the roof isn’t going to cave in?”

“He still has the option of sending you to Somerset indefinitely,” Nash said.

Edward thought, then said, “It doesn’t leave my mother on the streets. That is what I’m going to focus on now.”

Nash swirled his cognac in a big bulbous glass. “So neither Henry nor Avery has anything over you. You are free to live your lives. I will think on if there are any holes in our logic, but I think you are in the clear. Have you done anything they can hold over your head? Is there something else Avery might have on you?”

Edward answered quickly and with conviction. “No. Nothing.”

“Did you know I have another townhouse?” Nash asked.

“No, I didn’t. What is the necessity of having another?”

Nash smiled. “There is none. My mother came to the marriage with one, and my father already had the one I live in.

“She let her cousin and her cousin’s children stay there. She said she liked having it occupied. She didn’t want it empty, and she didn’t want to sell it. She didn’t want it to become run down.”

“What happened to it?”

“It’s empty. I don’t have the heart to sell it because it was my mother’s. Her cousin’s daughter married last year.

“Every time I hear Henry threaten to throw you out on the street, I want to hand you the key. It must be very stressful to live like that.”

Edward shrugged. “It is. We are used to it. We don’t know what we would do without my uncle. He saved us. He put a roof over our heads.”

Nash gave a sharp laugh. “And yet you are constantly threatened he would take away the roof over your head.”

Nash stopped and turned to Edward. “Do me a favour? Go live in my mother’s townhouse. You won’t be threatened; you’ll have a free place to stay, and it wouldn’t be empty. It helps us all. You would be doing me such a big favour. And besides, I’d love to see Henry’s face when you tell him you are moving so he can’t threaten you anymore.

“I don’t want to hire someone, a stranger, just to live there. I want it to be someone’s home.

“Please come with me and see it. You don’t need to make up your mind until then. Tomorrow, ten o’clock?”

***

Nash went back to his townhouse and decided to have another cognac before retiring. His run-in with Henry at the club and another with Edward at the Musical made his mind race.

He couldn’t forget talking with Avery either. After the night at Vauxhall when Henry spoke so loudly for anyone to hear, Nash thought Avery would be furious. Why wasn’t he?

Maybe, Nash thought, Avery didn’t care what Henry did. He only cared if it caused his reputation to suffer. Maybe Avery was right. He could explain anything away as garbled or misinterpreted.

Why did Henry want to split them up? He was spending all his energy on that single purpose. Did Avery know what Henry was doing? If he knew, would he agree or disagree? He’d have to talk with Edward.

***

The townhouse was beautiful, but the planters in the front of the windows contained dead plants and bird droppings.

“See?” Nash pointed to the flowers. “You can tell it’s not occupied. My mother would be so upset to see this. I’ll send someone over today to fix it.”

Nash took out his key and opened the door to still, stuffy air. The windows hadn’t been opened recently. The furniture was covered. “It can look so much better than this.”

Edward walked in. Nash shut the door then opened a window in the parlour. It looked out on the street. He lifted a sheet high so Edward could see what the furniture looked like underneath. Pink pastel brocade fabric with cherry wood.

“Oh Nash, these furnishings are sophisticated.” Even the oriental carpet was pastel instead of a variation of red.

He went to the fireplace and took the sheet off the painting over it. A beautiful girl, probably Penelope’s age, looked out with a serene expression except for twinkling blue eyes. Her white dress had colourful embroidery around the sleeves and front. She had a necklace of one large teardrop Ruby.