Page 14 of Love and Other Disasters

“Ah,” Jasper said, then dismissed the matter. He cared not that the whores he’d hired had never been to Ravenswood Palace before, or anywhere half so grand. They only had to do what they were paid to do. Be pleasing and attentive to his friends. Distract the gamblers at the right moment, he hoped, so they would rush to finish the game in favor of other sport and play carelessly. “That will be all for now, Seymour.”

The old butler went on his way, and Jasper sat back in his chair, though he could hardly settle. He was impatient for the guests to arrive and for the fun to begin. To begin to rebuild his funds, too.

Jasper’s allowance had never been enough to cover all his needs, and to make up the difference, he’d always resorted to other measures to support himself. He had to make money somehow, and why not take advantage of others? He had no creative talents like Stratford. Nor could Jasper tend to the sick of high society the way Nash did, and be paid for his discretion. And, of course, he was not first-born like the new Duke of Ravenswood.

Father had refused him a commission in the army—out of spite, most likely, because he’d dared ask for it—and he was forever set on the path to be considered a useless third son. The spare’s spare. A man with no prospects at all.

Yet one thing he was good at was making new friends. He’d make a fortune as the owner of a gambling hell when he could save enough to begin such a venture in London himself.

Father would never have allowed it, and now his elder brother hadn’t even the funds to consider backing him, if he’d been so inclined. Until the estate was back on its feet again, Jasper would make do.

He sat at his new desk, running his hands over the smooth mahogany surface. Since he currently owned a tiny part of Ravenswood, he had taken over this chamber for the summer. From here, he could manage the few concerns of the estate left to him and contemplate his future money-making endeavors without being spied upon.

A child’s laughter broke his reverie, and he spun around to see his oldest nephew run past his open door. The younger nephew followed, then the governess a moment later, straight-backed and in an obvious hurry to catch up with her charges.

Jasper flew out of his chair and into the hall, calling after her. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The little woman continued on her way as if she’d not heard him.

Infuriated by her disobedience, he followed the governess. “Mrs. Radcliffe!”

Mrs. Sophie Radcliffe finally stopped, but urged the children to continue into the long gallery without her. They looked back, slightly bewildered, but then she closed the door on them and turned to face him. “Yes, my lord?”

“What do you think you are doing down here? I gave strict instructions that all staff are to remain in other parts of the palace.”

“You gave instruction to the palace servants. That is true. However, as the butler pointed out, I am not in the Duke of Ravenswood’s employ, but his brother’s,” she said with a haughty tilt of her head. “I do as he says, and at this hour, the children are to play in the long gallery for an hour and a half. It’s on their schedule.”

“The schedule has been set aside,” Jasper ground out.

She appeared incensed by that. “May I ask why?”

“No, you may not,” he replied loudly. It was quite enjoyable to deny her wishes so loudly and not care who heard. He could see it annoyed her to no end, which made him endlessly happy.

She drew a little closer, chin dropping. “I’ve asked to speak to you repeatedly about the restrictions you imposed upon us. The only response I received was to have my request summarily ignored.”

“The new rule applies to everyone,” he said, punctuating the statement by pointing his finger at her. Her hand flew up between them and his finger stabbed her palm. “You and the children should be upstairs at all times.”

Her fingers curled over his digit, and she pushed him back. “Then you should have said so from the outset, instead of failing to answer my earlier questions or even lowering yourself to speak to me,” she insisted. “The children require exercise. To run about and play games. I will not endure them being locked up in the nursery until Lord Nash returns. Whenever that might be.”

“I never said they were to be locked up, although it is not a bad idea, especially at night,” he mused.

Jasper had ignored Radcliffe to prove how unimportant she was in the grand scheme of things. Her endless demands via the butler’s ear had been like that of a fly trapped under glass. But today, with his fingertip trapped in her grip still, her whispers had turned into a roar he could not ignore. She was the most frustrating woman he’d ever met, and he had to do something about her.

Yet today was not the day to deal with her, or for the children to be roaming the palace. “There are entire acres of land around the palace. Take them outside if you must.”

Her eyes widened. “Do you want them playing near the drive and to see your secret guests arriving? The guests I’ve not been told about directly for some obscure reason that only you and the butler know? The children might believe their father has returned, and also may run off beyond my power to call them back. They do love horses and fine carriages.”

Jasper narrowed his eyes on her. He heard her threat clearly. Dear God, this woman tried his patience. Was she trying to have herself dismissed?

He brightened slightly. Impertinence, outright disobedience, might be reason enough to get rid of her before Nash even came back. He might have considered it, too, if it was any other day.

But his guests were expected in the next hours, and she had to go away somewhere—anywhere else—with the children. Someone had to care for them and there was no better choice than Radcliffe right now. He realized then too that he would have to compromise to keep her happy and quiet. “The lawns at the rear of the palace, away from the front drive, beyond the kitchen garden walls, are where you can take the children. Please use the kitchen entrance and servants’ stairs for the next few days as well. Not that I should need to explain myself to you. My guests will be here for at least a week, perhaps longer. They will not require your company or your conversation at the dining table, either.”

“Good,” she muttered, almost too softly to hear.

But he heard her relief, and he straightened his spine at the implied insult that she considered herself too good to sit down to dinner with him and his friends. “My friends will come in the front, use most of the lower floors and guest rooms in the east wing, and likely stroll the east-side hedged gardens and the maze, if they ever care to stretch their legs. The children are absolutely forbidden to speak to them or be seen by them. Is that understood?”

His finger was finally released. “Yes, my lord. Thank you for the explanation and concession for the children, such as it is,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm now as she curtsied to him. “I shall endeavor to keep the children well away from your special guests in the coming days.”