“First he sniffed out the one who had made the final decisions, and why he would have done something so contrary to what any other man in that position would have done. Then he went and had a chat with the man. Of course that man dared not change his decision openly for the secrets your mother has on him could destroy his new marriage to a woman he dearly loves.” Andras frowned. “My new friend,” he grinned, “told the man to cease being a coward and tell his wife for even if your mother is declawed, others could find out the same secrets and try to use him for their own gains as well. Then it was off to a man one step higher up than that one, a man my new friend is very close to, and all was rescinded. That man has no secrets your mother could use against him. He is a rare creature in the halls of power, a blunt, honest, thoroughly clean man.”
“It sounds as if there may be a few others. Sad that one has to hunt them down in such a convoluted manner though.”
“So what do you plan to do?”
“Go and kick my mother out of my house.” He grinned. “I shall thoroughly enjoy that.”
“You do not think it would be best if she remained where you could find her? You have not yet gained what you need to hold her own crimes and the threat of punishment over her head and thus confine her.”
“Not quite.” Brant frowned even as he took the quill Andras offered and signed the papers. “I will give her a reprieve of a few weeks to pack her things, sort her affairs, and then move to one of her dower properties. My mother would never just flee. She requires her comforts, her society, her shops. She would never just run and hide, either, for she is blindly arrogant. I think she has held power over too many for too long and thinks herself beyond punishment.” He grimaced. “She may even not fully see that what she has done is wrong.”
“Or care if it is,” Andras added softly. “If I may be direct . . .”
“You may say whatever you wish.”
“We are not our parents. While it is true that some illnesses of the mind and body can be carried through from parent to child, each child born of that parent does not have to carry the bad seed, if you will. You have no taint in you, m’lord. Your mother, however, does but I do not believe it is one that can be passed from mother to child.”
“When did you meet my mother?”
“Never. I but made it my business to be where she was from time to time after you came to me. Always know your enemy. I can see the taint in a person, the stain of guilt or madness or just disease. I can also nearly smell a lie. Your mother was a very difficult person for me to be close to but what twists her into what she is is not one of the things that can be passed on to a child. I think you are very fortunate that she was never maternal for such a taint could, through many different means, eventually stain a child even if it does not come through the blood.”
“I have slowly come to realize that. None of my siblings have her coldness, as Artemis calls it. Not one. My older sisters are hard and bitter but that is the fault of their husbands. My younger brothers are good boys and Agatha is a sweet, loving girl. None of that came from my mother.” He smiled a little sadly. “It is sad, is it not, that one can actually find oneself grateful that one’s parents never actually had anything to do with them.”
“M’lord, if you remain close to my family for a while, you will find that many a person has that feeling and, yes, it is sad.”
He stood up, and when Andras did the same, shook the young man’s hand. “Thank you. Send the bill and,” he hurried to say when Andras began to protest, “I will hear no argument on it. You have, in a way, saved my sister. This will also give me power over my mother again and who knows how many that will save. I have a nicely full purse as well so can well afford to pay my bills. You earned your fee. You have also earned my hearty recommendation if anyone ever asks me about a solicitor.”
“Thank you, m’lord. Oh, and how fares young Ilar?”
Brant stared at the younger man in surprise. “How do you know about what happened to Ilar? Olympia and I have been back in the city for only a short time.”
Andras just grinned. “We have our ways.”
“Ilar is fine. More than fine. As he told me, he discovered that, with his gift, he has the ability to protect himself from ones bigger and stronger than he is. I suspect that was a discovery that came as a great comfort.”
Brant stepped out of the carriage and stared up at the fa?ade of the family town house. It was clean, well maintained, and gave off the air of wealth. He could not complain about how well his mother had tended this piece of property. She was going to hate the fact that he actually had the full legal power to kick her out on the street now and he savored that for a moment.
He went up the well-swept steps and rapped on the door. When the butler opened the door and then hastily tried to shut it in his face again, he just grinned and kicked it open so hard the man went stumbling backward and fell on his backside. Brant stepped in and looked down at the man.