Aldridge did not raise his voice. “I shall give you five minutes to explain the reasons you felt urged to ‘warn’ my sister. You have a tendency to be pompous, but I have seen no evidence that you are crude or immoral. Or, at least, not more immoral than the rest of us.”
The term ‘pompous’ hurt, especially since Miss Grenford had used the same words. Still, Aldridge was in the right. Charles laid out exactly what had happened, from the overheard conversation to exactly what was said during the waltz.
A couple of judicious questions later, he found himself recalling as much as he could of the walk in the fog, and even what he’d heard of Miss Jessica venturing where she shouldn’t, and his own observations of Miss Grenford putting herself at risk to keep her sister safe.
The five minutes was long gone when Aldridge allowed him to fall silent. He sat and sipped his brandy while the marquis stared into nothing. Finally, the man gave a single nod.
“I will have your word you will say nothing of what I am about to tell you to either of my sisters, Hamner. You have shown an admirable concern for them, and you have earned the right to know. Besides, I have no wish for your uninformed concern to drive Jess, in particular, to defy me by practicing the very behaviour we are trying to avoid.”
Charles inclined his head in agreement, saying, “You have my word, Aldridge.”
“I have men following both of my sisters at all times. I am aware that their invidious position makes them vulnerable, and my own commitments mean I cannot always be in place to warn off those unwise enough to think I would not protect my own.” His lips curved in a smile that looked more like a threat.
“Had you been anything less than a gentleman that day in the fog, my friend, you would have met one or more of those guardians.”
