could likely pay my household expenses for a year solely on what he earns from the aristocracy alone,â Freddy said with a grimace. âPerhaps even two.â
âBut surely a medical man would have an obligation to ensure that the accusations were true before he signed his name to such a writ,â Mainwaring argued. âI mean, if it were that easy then weâd see a whole spate of drunken uncles and temperamental aunts being taken up by the good doctorâs men on a daily basis.â
âWhoâs to say there isnât?â Trent asked seriously. âItâs not as if the nobility are open about such matters. Itâs an embarrassment to have a family member taken to the madhouse. Much easier to explain away their absence by claiming theyâve gone to Scotland. And no one would be the wiser. I can even imagine a grateful head of the family sending the doctor a gift of a few hundred pounds in gratitude.â
Freddy whistled. âWhen you put it that way it does sound rather ominous. Iâm glad my family never heard of this chap. It would be just like one of my brothers to have me carted off as a joke.â
âYour family is odd,â Mainwaring said with a shake of his head. Turning back to Trent, he asked, âSo, do you believe that this Maggie Grayson is indeed mad or that her husband lied to have her taken up?â
âI know Ophelia, that is, Miss Dauntry,â Trent corrected himself, âbelieves that Mrs. Grayson is no more mad than you or I, but not knowing the woman myself, I cannot judge that. What I do know is that George Grayson was reputed to be a good officer, and I find it hard to believe that the man I spoke with at length this morning did such a thing.â
âBut if not him, then who?â Freddy asked. âAnd where has Grayson gone? Surely his disappearance is suspicious if nothing else is.â
âOh, itâs suspicious as hell,â Trent said, clenching his jaw. âIf for no other reason than to see if my own instincts have degraded to such a degree than I can no longer tell the difference between sincerity and barefaced lies. And heâs a member of the Lords of Anarchy, so thereâs also that.â
âBecause youâre the president, you mean?â Mainwaring asked with a raised brow. âIâm not sure the past presidents would have been so conscientious.â
âNeed I remind you that one of them is in exile and the other is dead? I do not believe either are examples I wish to follow,â Trent said wryly. âI swore to turn this club into something that its members can be proud of. And that means investigating the matter when one of the members appears to have acted in bad faith.â
âWell, when you put it that way,â Mainwaring said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
âJust donât get yourself into trouble,â Freddy said, taking a deep drink of claret.
âAnd if you do,â Mainwaring said, raising his own glass, âfeel free to call on us for help. Weâve got a bit of experience in this sort of thing.â
âI think Iâve got it handled,â Trent said, biting back a grin. âI did manage to go to war for a decade without your assistance. Surely I can handle a physician with delusions of grandeur and a certain demanding young lady.â
At least he hoped so. Otherwise he was in for quite a difficult few days.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
âWas that the Duke of Trentâs curricle?â asked Opheliaâs mother from the doorway to her sitting room.
Ophelia had hoped to sneak into her own bedchamber without notice. Especially after that shocking kiss. Unfortunately her motherâs windows faced the front of the house and therefore gave her an unobstructed view of the street below.
With a sigh of resignation, she obeyed her motherâs unspoken demand and followed her into the cozy parlor where Mrs. Dauntry spent most of her
C. J. Cherryh
Learning to Kill: Stories
John O'Riley
Brenda Sinclair
Christopher George
Stephen Lloyd Jones
Karl Iagnemma
Celya Bowers
Jill Gregory
Aria Cunningham