My Fair Lover (Legendary Lovers 5)

For a moment, she looked reluctant to accept his praise. Then she cleared her throat and returned to the matter of his reformation. “We must emphasize your fortune and title and estates and remain vague about your former occupation…downplay your actual career as a merchant, even a wealthy shipowner, and embrace your new nobility instead.”

“I warn you, I have no intention of becoming an idle fop.”

Kate shook her head. “If you care for your dependents and tenants, you will not be idle in the least. Done well, estate management is hard work. You can hire a bailiff, but an absentee lord benefits no one. Ash will be happy to advise you. He can also help you to better understand the peerage and our royal government and the workings of Parliament—although none of that is a priority at the moment.”

Her expression turned thoughtful. “It might even be wise for Ash to accompany you to Kent. That would help to expedite your education and make good use of what little time we have. When he arrives in London this afternoon, I can ask him if he is willing. As for our plan…while you are away, I will work on refining a list of candidates. I will also start planning various engagements for you to attend—balls and routs and assemblies and such.”

“How delightful for me.” He offered her a cynical smile. “Behold me in raptures.”

In response, Kate gave him an exasperated look. “I am not inviting debate, Deverill.”

“Now who is being overbearing? I shall start calling you ‘Little Dictator.’?”

“If I am dictatorial, it is for your own good. You should be grateful I am willing to expend so much time and energy on your behalf.”

Brandon gave her a mock salute. “As you wish, princess.”

“You may deride me all you like, but you will have to make a sincere effort if we are to succeed. You cannot scare the ladies with talk of weapons and battle. You ought not speak about the conflict with America, either, and especially not your former privateering.”

“Why not?”

Her expression sobered. “I should think it obvious. For most of the Beau Monde, ‘privateer’ is merely a polite term for marauding pirate. I heard that you even captained a schooner against the British Navy.”

Brandon shrugged. “An exaggeration. I was merely aboard as owner, although in my youth I did spend two years apprenticing as a sailor aboard our ships at my father’s behest.”

“But you went to war against England, which made us enemies.”

At her accusation, he sharpened his gaze on her, while his tone held an edge when he replied, “If your navy hadn’t illegally impressed thousands of American seamen for over a decade, there would have been no need for war.”

Kate’s own tone was clipped when she retorted, “So you spent years harrying our fleet and sinking our ships and killing our sailors.”

“How would you feel if you were torn from your home and family and forced to serve on a foreign warship, perhaps to die in captivity?”

She pressed her lips together, clearly trying to hold back a rebuttal. “We will always disagree on this subject, so there is no point in quarreling about it.”

Perceiving her genuine ire, Brandon softened his approach. “I can see I have ruffled your feathers.”

“I do not have feathers, my lord,” she said tartly.

“Don’t get your back up, love.”

Visibly striving for composure, she gave him a cool look. “I don’t know how they do things in America, but here the appropriate interval for a gentleman’s social call is fifteen minutes. You have overstayed your welcome, my lord.”

Brandon shifted his glance to Kate’s companion. Mrs. Cuthbert was concentrating on her needlepoint, a vague air about her, but he suspected she was listening intently to their clashing.

He disliked leaving Kate on such contentious terms, but rather than dispute the point, he rose to his feet. With a polite bow, he took his leave of Mrs. Cuthbert, then her charge.

To his surprise, Kate accompanied him to the entrance hall—to finalize their plans, he presumed.

Instead, she sounded contrite when she spoke. “I am sorry for losing my temper.”

“I will contrive to forgive you.”

“I mean it, Deverill. I ought not have scolded you for a past that cannot be changed. We should let bygones be bygones.”

“You needn’t apologize, princess. We have too much of a history to stand on formality.”

She searched his face intently. “Indeed, we do. And in all seriousness, I well know the people you hope to influence. Many will turn on you and cut you dead if they perceive the slightest social advantage, and all your high marital aspirations will be for naught.”