Regency Buck (Alastair-Audley Tetralogy 3)

‘More than likely,’ agreed Worth. ‘It won’t hurt him.’ He picked up one of the phials from the table and delicately poured a few drops of what it contained on to his mixture.

Judith rose. ‘I see, sir, that I waste my time.You are not interested.’

‘Not particularly,’ admitted the Earl, setting the bottle down again. ‘The intelligence you have so far imparted has not been of a very interesting nature, has it?’

‘It does not interest you, Lord Worth, that your ward is got into a wild set of company who cannot do him any good?’

‘No, not at all; I expected it,’ said Worth. He looked up with a slight smile. ‘What has he been doing to alarm his careful sister?’

‘I think you know very well, sir. He is for ever at gaming clubs, and, I am afraid – I am nearly sure – worse than that. He has spoken of a house off St James’s Street.’

‘In Pickering Place?’ he inquired.

‘I believe so,’ she said in a troubled voice.

‘Number Five,’ he nodded. ‘I know it: a hell. Who introduced him to it?’

‘I am not perfectly sure, but I think it was Mr Farnaby.’

He was shaking his mixture over one of the sheets of parch ment. ‘Mr Farnaby?’ he repeated.

‘You know him, sir?’

His occupation seemed to demand all his attention, but after a moment he said, ignoring her question: ‘I gather, Miss Taverner, that you consider it is for me to – er – guide Peregrine’s footsteps on to more sober paths?’

‘You are his guardian, sir.’

‘I am aware. I fulfilled my part to admiration when I put his name up for the two most exclusive clubs in London. I cannot remember having done as much for anyone else in the whole course of my existence.’

‘You think you did well for Perry when you introduced him to a gaming club?’ demanded Judith.

‘Certainly.’

‘No doubt you will still be thinking so when he has gamed the whole of his fortune away!’

‘On one point you may rest assured, Miss Taverner: while I hold the purse-strings Perry will not game his fortune away.’

‘And after? What then, when he has learned this passion for gaming?’

‘By that time I trust he will be a little wiser,’ said the Earl.

‘I should have known better than to have come to you,’ Judith said bitterly.

He turned his head. ‘Not at all. You were quite right to come to me. The mistake you made was in thinking that I did not know of Perry’s doings. He is behaving very much as I supposed he would. But you will no doubt have noticed that it is not causing me any particular degree of anxiety.’

‘Yes,’ said Miss Taverner, with emphasis. ‘I have noticed it. Your anxiety is kept for whatever it is that you are so busy with.’

‘Very true,’ he agreed. ‘I am mixing snuff – an anxious business, Miss Taverner.’

She was momentarily diverted. ‘Snuff ! Do all those jars contain snuff ?’

‘All of them.’

She cast an amazed, rather scornful glance round the shelves. ‘You have made it a life-study, I conjecture.’

‘Very nearly. But these are not all for my own use. Come here.’

She came reluctantly. He led her round the room, pointing out jars and bottles to her notice. ‘That is Spanish Bran: it is generally the most popular. That is Macouba, a very strongly scented snuff, for flavouring only. This is Brazil, a large-grained snuff of a fine, though perhaps too powerful flavour. I use it merely to give tone to my mixture. In that bottle is the Regent’s own mixture. It is scented with Otto of Roses. Beside it is a snuff I keep for your sex. It is called Violet Strasbourg – a vile mixture, but generally much liked by females. The Queen uses it.’ He took down the jar, and shook a little of the snuff into the palm of his hand, and held it out to her. ‘Try it.’