Page 9 of Matching Mr. Montfert (Apsley Family #2)

Chapter nine

Phillip

The air had grown warm by the time Sabrina and I returned to the house, and I eagerly shed my coat and gloves.

“Thank you, cousin,” said Sabrina. “It was important that I visited the shops today.”

“Why is that?” I asked, handing my things over to the butler.

“I happened to know this particular silk is selling at a much higher price near Piccadilly. I told the shopkeeper I could give him insider information if he would sell it to me at a discount, which he agreed to do. The information would have reached him without my help eventually, but I saw no reason not to take advantage of being the conveyor of it.”

“I see.” Forcing a smile to my lips was difficult. In many ways, Sabrina mirrored her father, especially in the way they had mastered the art of manipulation.

Sabrina tucked the parcel she had obtained from the haberdashery against her and headed directly for the stairs. I had not intended to go out today at all, but she had made me a deal I could not refuse—a promise to introduce me to any of her eligible acquaintances we met along the way.

Miss Scott was working hard to find me a wife, but I would take any assistance I could get. My future, and Mother’s, was riding on my ability to please Uncle. Agreeing to accompany my cousin was a small price to pay.

Though why she wished for my escort, I hadn’t any idea.

I followed Sabrina up the stairs, taking them quickly until I had caught up with her. “Why did you request my escort? As a widow, Society would not frown upon you being out and about without one.”

We reached the landing, and Sabrina glanced at Uncle’s study before responding in a hushed voice. “Because I do not wish to be hounded by men who think I am searching for a new husband.”

“So I am a deterrent?” I supposed it could work. We were cousins, but that did not mean people would not assume a courtship between us. It was not an uncommon occurrence.

“Of a sort, though the reason I need the company will likely shift soon.”

My brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

She drew in a deep breath and nodded to the end of the corridor to the small parlor there. I followed her into the room. It boasted light blue wallpaper and darker-hued furniture, but the overall effect of the coloring was to give the space a cooler feel, despite the warmth outside.

Sabrina took a seat in one of the high-back chairs, and I claimed the one opposite. Her explanation required a degree of privacy, it seemed. We had never been particularly close, but her actions concerned me. Sabrina had never been one to hide or shy away from conversation. She wore her confidence well.

But the woman sitting across from me did not display that familiar confidence. She toyed with her gloved fingers as if hesitant to continue.

“There are rumors circulating about me,” she said at last. “I suspected they would come out eventually, but even so, I do not feel prepared to face them.”

“What sort of rumors? If there is anything I can do—”

Sabrina leaned forward and placed a hand on my arm. “You were always too good for this family, Phillip.” She slumped back into the chair, her forehead wrinkled. “There is nothing you can do, but I would rather not visit the shops or attend parties alone. It is easier to ignore things when I have someone at my side, and you know once my father hears the gossip, he will not step foot in the same room as me in public.”

“They are as bad as that?” I asked.

She stared at me for a moment, as if trying to decide how much to disclose. “I suppose you will hear them for yourself soon enough. I would rather you have the truth from me, especially if you are to be my escort.

“After my…after the late duke died, Father encouraged me to remarry. I am sure you know this and can guess at his reasons. I was never anything more to him than what he could gain through my connections. He did not like the idea of me—and by extension, himself—losing ties with the ducal family, and so, he insisted I attempt to ensnare the duke’s heir.

“What neither of us realized at the time is that such a marriage would never be legal and my efforts were both pointless and ended up severing any connection I had with the family. The new duke was engaged at the time, and after refusing my attention on multiple occasions, I was banished to the dower house.

“After that, I decided it was better to leave the estate, and I returned home.”

I remembered the day Sabrina had arrived at Eldercrest. I had not seen her since the wedding and had been shocked by her harried appearance. She always carried herself with such poise, and the change reminded me that, beneath her guarded exterior, was a person with feelings and fears.

My uncle had not been so sympathetic to her plight, agreeing to allow her back into his home upon the condition that she remarry. Sabrina had gone to a house party not long after, I suspected, for the purpose of gaining another husband.

The details of the event had never fully been shared with me, but Sabrina had returned unengaged, and her relationship with my uncle had grown far more tenuous. The two of them were often at odds, but there was a new sense of determination in Sabrina that I had not seen before. More than once, I had overheard her and my uncle discussing marriage, and each time his demands were met with a refusal. I envied her bravery. I had never stood up to the man, but my cousin had found the strength to do so after years of strict obedience.

“My marriage negotiations did not favor me in the slightest,” she continued, her tone quieter. “I am at my father’s mercy, and while I refuse to obey his demands, it is quite likely he will disown me should these rumors spread. Perhaps if I do not pay heed to them, Society will be taken by some other scandal and lose interest.”

“From where do you think the rumors came? Did the new duke—”

“No. At least, I do not think they came from him. He had no intention of allowing the information to reach London. He wanted to protect his wife from any sort of scandal.” She shrugged with a grimace. “But gossip spreads between households. Only so much can be done to prevent it. Powerful as a duke might be, even he cannot control wagging tongues below stairs.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Uncle will not take the news well.”

“He will not, but I care not for his opinion. Quite frankly, I want nothing to do with the man who sired me. I’ve come to realize he cares nothing for me, and I do not want to become him. His manipulations have hurt far too many people. I have hurt too many people on his behalf.”

I bit my lip, uncertain I should speak my mind. We had never had the kind of relationship friends shared—the kind that offered comfort and criticism. But she had confided in me, and surely that meant she might be more open to my advice? She sounded genuinely repentant of her past actions and, if nothing else, wished to be better than her father.

“Sabrina…” I hedged.

She glanced up at me, and her lips lifted in a gentle smile. “You have something you wish to say. Something, I think, you believe I might find offensive.”

I chuckled. “How could you tell?”

“Call it a gift for reading people.” She paused, her smile fading. “Tell me, Phillip. I shan’t take offense, and I would wager it is something I need to hear.”

I nodded, already feeling guilt pool in my stomach. “You wish to be nothing like your father, but the man is manipulative, Sabrina. I have seen those same manipulative tendencies in you, even today.” I gestured to the parcel she still held. “The silk, for instance. Even your offer to help me in exchange for my escort about town. They are harmless manipulations, to be sure, but manipulations nonetheless. I suspect you were not aware of them.They came to you naturally.”

She blinked back tears. “I never considered… You are right. I have spent so much of my life tricking and blackmailing to get what I want—to meet Father’s expectations—that it has become ingrained in me. I do it without thinking. I am so sorry.”

I leaned forward, took her hand, and gave it a light squeeze. “But you want to do better, and that is the first step. You’ve recognized the habit. Now, you need only focus on squashing it.”

She smiled tentatively. “I wish it were so easy, but you are right. I am going to fix this.” She released my hand and stood, dashing away the lone tear that had escaped. “Thank you for being honest with me, Phillip.”

With that, she left the room. I silently wished her luck in the endeavor, for some things could never be fixed. I should know.

Never, in the last two decades since I had come to live with my uncle, had I ever felt comfortable during one of our meetings. Even at the age of eight, when he had taken guardianship, the man had intimidated me. He and my father were as dissimilar as brothers could be. Where the man who sired me tended toward a relaxed temperament, Uncle was fueled by unyielding determination. My father had been slow to anger and preferred to spend his time with his family. Our home had been one of safety and love.

Living with Uncle was akin to walking on ground made of glass, where each step was fraught with danger and a simple crack resulted in punishment. While I owed the man my gratitude for saving me and Mother from a life of destitution, I quickly came to understand it came at a cost. Our relationship would never resemble what I had lost.

He would not replace my father in any sense.

Even now, as I sat in the study with him, his stare bore into me with unveiled expectation. I had been assigned the role of heir, and if I wanted to keep it, I must do as I was told. That had always been the way with Uncle. He wielded my lack of fortune like a weapon, one that easily corrected disobedience and kept me in line.

That had been a difficult lesson for an eight-year-old to learn, but that boy had been locked away in a box without a key for two decades now. With my future in Uncle’s hands, I had no other choice.

“You’ve been out with Apsley several times this week.” Uncle’s gruff voice made the statement feel like an accusation.

“I have. He has become a good friend.”

Uncle pursed his lips, nodding slowly. “I admit, when I told you to become acquainted with members of the ton , I did not think you would find success so quickly. This bodes well.”

I ignored the insult in his words. “I am doing my best to please you.”

Uncle sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “That remains to be seen. Have you found a woman worthy of courting yet?”

The muscles in my jaw tightened. Worthy of courting? I wanted to scoff. His list made it quite clear the sort of person he deemed worthy —a creature that simply did not exist. Still, I would keep the opinion to myself.

“I have a few I am considering,” I said, a half-truth. “However, I would like a bit more time to assess their qualities. If I find any of them meet many of the attributes on your list, I will offer her name for your approval before moving forward.”

Uncle studied me for a moment, and for the first time in my life, I felt an inkling of approval. Rarely did we have a conversation where he did not berate me for one mistake or another or remind me my dysfunctional hearing labeled me a broken man and not fully fit for Society. Perhaps I had finally earned his respect, or at least a small portion of it.

“The Season will close before we know it,” he said. “I trust you will make haste with your assessments?”

“Yes. There is a ball next week, and I intend to learn more then. Apsley requested an invitation on my behalf. It came just this morning.”

“Good. Good. That will give you an opportunity to watch these women among your peers, too. It is of great importance that your wife be capable of mingling with the upper class. Are any of them titled?”

“I…” Lud. Miss Scott had not revealed much about the women, including their names. I hadn’t any idea if they held titles or simply came from wealthy families. Surely it was some mix of the two? I had made it clear to her how important those things were to Uncle. “I am uncertain, but it is my top priority to find out.”

Uncle narrowed his eyes. “See that you do. I have a meeting I cannot miss, so I trust you can manage one ball without me. Until then, we have ledgers to look over.”

He slid a stack of them toward me, and my brows lifted. I had been tutored extensively on estate management, but Uncle had never allowed me firsthand experience. “You wish me to help?”

“If you are to take over my holdings one day, then you must learn the ins and outs of my business dealings. We will start with these.” He tapped a finger against the ledger in front of him, one made of leather with a deep red tint. “Once you’ve proven yourself…well, we can move on to other things.”

“What does that ledger contain?”

“Nothing you need to worry about at present.” He nodded toward my stack. “Verify those are properly balanced. Once you’ve finished, you will bring your findings to me. I will know if you miss anything.”

His words could not be more clear. This was a test and one I needed to pass.