What a Reckless Rogue Needs (The Sinful Scoundrels, #2)(85)

When she reached the kitchen, the pug looked rather forlorn in his basket. Agnes brought some bits of meat on a paper, and Hercules wiggled his funny tail.

Angeline sat on the floor with him. At first she had to push his rump to the floor with each command, but when she added the treat, he started responding to the verbal commands. She would not be at Deerfield much longer, but she would show the twins how to teach him to stop and lie down. She ruffled his short fur. “You’re a clever dog, Hercules.”

She stood and shook out her skirts. Then she returned to the great hall at the same time the marquess walked out from his study. Her opportunity to make a difference in Colin’s life stood before her.

The marquess frowned a bit. “Lady Angeline, is something amiss?”

His thinning hair looked a bit damp. He’d probably bathed after stomping around in the mud. “May I speak to you in your study?”

“Yes, of course, follow me.”

He ushered her inside and shut the door. “Please, have a seat.”

She expected him to sit behind his desk, but he sat in the cross-framed armchair next to her. “How may I help you?”

“It is about Colin,” she said.

“Ah.”

“My lord, I must be frank and tell you that I have been privy to all of your recent decisions about Sommerall. I think it is important that you know.”

“Very well. Perhaps you could elaborate, as I’m unsure what your interest is in the property other than the work you’ve done up to now.”


“My lord, I am more concerned about your relationship with your son.”

The marquess’s brows lifted. “What precisely concerns you?”

“First, I know he has a rakehell reputation, but there is more to him than that.”

“I see. You have evidence of this?”

Angeline noted the marquess’s slight smile. “I know he has not always been responsible.”

The marquess nodded. “Yes, I distinctly recall him showing up late and foxed at your come-out ball. Has he recently insulted you? You may tell me, and I will have a long discussion with him.”

“No, he did not,” she said. The marquess didn’t need to know every word of her conversations with Colin.

“Lord Chadwick, do you love your son?”

Her question clearly startled him. “Yes, of course I do.”

“I know he cares about you, even though you frustrate him.”

The marquess looked as if he were trying to hide a smile.

“He really does want the property, but it is not for financial gain. He recently told me he has a tidy little fortune.”

“Ah, yes, the shipping investments. Odd that he told you about them.”

“He had good reason at the time. Even if Colin doesn’t occupy Sommerall immediately, I know that he intends to reside there and probably sooner than even he expects.”

“How do you know this, Lady Angeline?”

“I suppose he just changed right before my eyes.”

“That is interesting. I have noticed the differences, and so has Margaret. She believes you are responsible for his burgeoning transformation.”

“When people change, it is because they want to change.”

“I will share this confidence with you,” the marquess said. “I forced him to make choices that were perhaps a little unfair but necessary. Sometimes a person needs a nudge. My son needed a swift kick in the— Never mind. I knew it had to be a threat of some sort. Prior to this house party, he took for granted that he would inherit Sommerall.” The marquess sighed. “Not once did he ever inquire about the property. One day, Bianca asked me why Colin never came home, and I felt that it was past time to remind my son what he was missing.

“As it happened, Faraday came along to ask about the property. You know the rest. My son is as stubborn as I am, and while I’ve had my doubts, I am seeing positive changes in him.”

“Do you mean you were not serious about selling Sommerall?”

“I was serious about a number of things. To be honest, I knew the only reason he made the journey here is because his mother is buried at Sommerall. I felt it was important to give him a chance to demonstrate he was worthy of the legacy.

“And I had my doubts. I will not sully your ears with some of his infamous exploits in London, but I grew increasingly concerned. Then he walked into the drawing room that first night of the house party. I thought steam would come out of his ears. That is when I knew he did care, but I didn’t know whether it would sustain or not. So I presented him with one challenge after another. I needed to know whether he truly cared about Sommerall. By the by, my own father used a similar tactic to lure me away from my dissolute pursuits.”

“I will never understand men,” Angeline said.

He patted her hand. “That is probably for the best. Do you have any other observations?”

“Colin has shown his willingness to see that the house is properly taken care of and kept in good order. I know it would mean a great deal to him if you saw fit to grant him the property.”

Lord Chadwick let out a loud sigh. “There is a complication.”

“What is it?” she said.

“I think it is something that I must tell him.”

She swallowed hard. “What do you mean?”