CHAPTER34
Jeffrey sighed, wishing he could forget all else and simply take this woman back to bed, where he would continue to ravish her, showing her how much he loved her. Or even take her home and share the news with his family that the two of them were to be wed. How happy his mother would be, and he could already imagine his sisters’ glee at the thought of a wedding. But first, there more serious matters to which they must attend.
“You are aware that I set out to learn more aboutThe Women’s Weeklynot completely on my own terms, but due to the urging of other noblemen,” he began, leaning back against the settee. He had to sit across from her, or else he would be tempted to forget all that he wanted to speak to her about once more.
She nodded, and he continued.
“I am, obviously, not going to tell them of your identity, nor have I had any thoughts to do so in some time. It was going to be easy enough to tell them that you could not be found, though it would require you moving out of your current building.”
“Hence the building you bought?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Partially, yes,” he said. “Though matters have become somewhat … complicated by the fact that my brother, Ambrose, is aware that you are the publisher of said publication. Ambrose holds a vendetta against me for not supporting him in his rather nefarious, questionable schemes, and now he feels he can find justice by not only making me out to be a liar but by discrediting the woman I love.”
“I see,” she said, looking off into the distance, and he could practically see her mind working as she chewed her bottom lip.
“He means to follow me to the club, and feels he has proof that can establish that I am not all that I seem,” he said. “But I will demonstrate that this is not at all the case.”
“And how do you plan to do that?” she asked.
“First,” he said, leaning forward, “It will now require quite a bit of work on your part. It is partially why I purchased the printing press. For there can be no ties back to you. I found your printer, Phoebe, and unfortunately it did not take much to follow up on that lead. As it was, I was rather … preoccupied in courting you and therefore was no longer hunting you, or I would have found you even sooner. If someone else much more determined takes on the crusade, then you must be untraceable.”
She held up a hand, and he stopped for a moment.
“Yes?”
“While I was aware that you were no longer persecuting us, as it were, are you telling me that you have no issue with me — as your wife — continuing on publishing such a paper?”
He reached across the table and took her hands in his.
“Phoebe, I have come to learn that part of what makes you the person you are, the woman I fell in love with, is the purpose and the passion that you hold. If I were to take that away from you, you would only grow to resent me, would you not?”
She looked down at the ground and then back up at him.
“While I would like to deny it, I suppose this is somewhat true. Of course I would still love you, but I would resent the fact that it was all taken away from me, yes. There is another issue, however. We are making money now, but much of the paper is still dependent upon my inheritance, the money that I bring into it. And I am the sole owner. If — when — we marry, that will all become yours.”
He nodded slowly, warm at the thought she would trust him with all that was hers, and yet at the same time aware of what it would mean for her to give it all over to him.
“When we marry, Phoebe, what’s mine is yours and yours is mine. If it would make you feel better, however, we can make a small adjustment to the marriage contract so that you may retain some of the funds in your own name — and the publication.”
She smiled at him then, one of great thanks, and it warmed his heart.
“I suppose there will be much of these negotiations to come,” she said, chewing that bottom lip again, and he nodded. “But if we do so with only the thought of one another, then I’m sure all will work out fine.”
He leaned forward, kissing her ever so gently on the lips, before settling back on the settee.
“Now, for discrediting my brother,” he continued. “I know just how to do so.”
* * *
Jeffrey strodeinto White’s the next day, confident in his plan, though a slight bit of nerves coursed through him. For if he should fail— but he would not. That was not an option, not now that he had finally accomplished nearly all for which he had been searching for so long.
“Berkley!”
A table full of gentlemen greeted him as he strode in. He could read the speculation in their gazes, with the exception of one — Clarence. Instead the Duke leaned back with a smirk on his face as he watched Jeffrey, as though he were eager to learn what Jeffrey would have to say to the lot of them.
Jeffrey nodded to them his greetings before ordering himself his usual brandy and settling into a chair at the corner of the table.
“Well?” Lord Totnes asked, his face already ruddy from too much drink, despite the fact that it was still early in the afternoon. “Have you finally anything to report, Berkley, or are you still finding other matters much more important?”