Mary Blayney - [Pennistan 03] by Strangers Kiss Page B

idea.”
    “Yes.” Meryon started toward his carriage again. Henderson kept up with him. “Whether they decide for or against does not matter at this point. They have not rejected it without thought. They want to know what others think.”
    “Thank you, Your Grace.” Henderson studied his shoes for a minute. “Have you decided whether to propose it or not?”
    “No. Not yet.” Meryon noticed that Viscount Bendasbrook was nearby, shifting from one foot to the next, waiting for his turn. “Is that all, Henderson?”
    “You may be undecided at the moment, Your Grace, but that is one of the pleasures of working with you. You decide without concern for party labels. Please let me know how I can be of further service.” Henderson bowed and moved away.
    Meryon pretended to ignore Lord William, who never took that hint.
    “Your Grace! A moment please.”
    “Yes, Lord William?” Meryon continued walking and let his strained patience show. He did not care aboutElena Verano’s love life. She could dally with anyone she chose, up to and including a Bendasbrook.
    “Thank you, Your Grace.” The viscount fell into step beside him. “Last night I wished we had had a few more minutes together. If you please, Your Grace.”
    “Walk with me, my lord, and I will listen.”
    “Last year, in my presence, you swore revenge against my grandfather for his part in organizing the abduction of your sister. I had hoped that you had forgotten that threat or had second thoughts after the death of the duchess. It is now being rumored that you challenged him to a duel.”
    “Yes,” Meryon said as he stopped walking. “The duel is not a rumor.”
    “Then …” Lord William began.
    “It was aborted due to the innocent death of a groom in my employ,” Meryon said, not caring to hear Bendasbrook’s opinion.
    “Then the Rowlandson cartoon was not slander but the truth.” Lord William could not hide the distress in his voice.
    “Those are your words, my lord.” Meryon folded his arms across his chest. “I did not threaten revenge. I swore that he would regret his actions. I demand justice. Justice and revenge are completely different.”
    The viscount looked unconvinced by the distinction between the two. “There is one more issue, Your Grace. Today as I sat in the gallery and listened to the private bills I realized that something is afoot.” The young man wiped his brow with a handkerchief and went on. “My grandfather has introduced two private bills since January requesting an exchange of land that is part of the entail fornewly acquired property. That is unheard of for him. I think he has done it once before in all the years of his peerage.”
    “You know as well as I do that Bendas has become obsessed with acquiring land.”
    “I suspect that he thinks that these new properties are rich in coal and are more valuable than the farmland he is selling. I can only wonder how such plums fell into his hands. Do you have any idea?”
    “You can unravel the puzzle. I have no interest in it.”
    “I am going to do exactly that, Your Grace.” Lord William stood on tiptoe. “I want you to know that despite my estrangement from my grandfather, I will allow nothing to happen that will undermine the wealth of the Bendasbrooks, which my father and then I will inherit one day. Do you understand, Your Grace?”
    “Yes.” The arrogant tone did not go unnoticed, but Meryon would have done the same if his entailed wealth had been co-opted. “But the question you should ask yourself is whether your grandfather is behaving in a responsible manner. No matter how these offers are being presented, I would question the brainworthiness of a man who acts before he investigates.”
    “Are you suggesting that he is unwell?”
    “Lord William, two years ago he collapsed in the House of Lords. It was said he merely fainted, but he has never returned to take his seat again. Unusual for a man who feels so strongly about the suspension of habeas