“By all means.” Verbury smiled with just his mouth, while his dark eyes remained fixed on hers.
She swallowed, reminding herself that she could end this conversation at any time simply by standing and leaving the room. “I presume that you have been told about the accident at the distillery. I have a list of the wounded and where they have been placed, if you would like to make any alterations to our plans.” If he was anything like her mother, then offering him the chance to consult would remove much of his crossness.
He made a sour face and waved for her to continue.
“Have you been told that Vincent found it necessary to fire Mr. Pridmore?”
Lord Verbury rolled his eyes. “I expressly told him not to do so. He will have to take Pridmore back.”
“Mr. Pridmore made the error of challenging Vincent’s authority in front of other planters. If they had been alone, I think there might have been another resolution. As it was, Vincent had to do so, or risk losing face for himself and the estate.” She would say nothing of the philanthropic reasons for firing the man, suspecting that those would mean little to Verbury. “Regardless of your wishes, it is done, and there is no taking it back. Our concern is that Mr. Pridmore will attempt to expose that you are still alive. Have you any suggestions on how to ensure his silence? He made a request that he said was based on a promise you made to him, but I could not bear to accede to it.” Jane sent up a silent prayer that he would stay true to type. She resolutely did not look at Louisa.
“You do not have the right to decline.”
“He has made his designs quite clear, and I cannot send an innocent anywhere near such a man.”
Lord Verbury barked with laughter. “An innocent? My dear, I promised her to him, because he had already had her.”
The room became suddenly, intolerably warm, and Jane had to clench her fists in her lap to keep from slapping Verbury. She did not care that he saw the movement. She swallowed, and, with as much calm as she could summon, met his gaze. “Be that as it may, I cannot do without Louisa, regardless of promises made. It would distress me.”
“Give him the girl. Your distress is worth less than my life.”
Jane smoothed her gown over her stomach. “I hope you understand that the distress would affect more than my sensibilities. I cannot do without Louisa.”
He stared at her stomach and then grunted, but gave no other sign of acknowledging her point.
“So the matter before us is how to hide the fact that you are alive. I have a proposal, if you will hear it.”
What she found most disturbing about Lord Verbury was his resemblance to Vincent. Though he was old and infirm, in his high forehead and strong brow, and even in the line of his jaw, she could see how Vincent would age. If all the wrinkles on Lord Verbury’s face had come from sneers and frowns, it would in some ways be easier to hate him. Yet at the corners of his eyes, he had clear laugh lines, as if there had been a point in his life when that had been a frequent behaviour.
He shifted in his chair, picking at his lap blanket with his good hand. “I am curious about your plan.”
“With Louisa in residence here, Frank has an empty room at the house you built for him. It has two entrances. We propose to move you there—not permanently, but just until the immediate danger has passed. If Mr. Pridmore brings anyone to the estate to look for you, they will certainly start at the great house, which will give us ample time to get a warning to you and hide your presence using glamour. If you can ask Sir Ronald for assistance in discrediting Pridmore, then we should be able to maintain the deception as long as needed.”
“You seem very sure of yourself. And if I refuse?”
“I hope that you would not refuse without reason. You know the principals better than any of us, and certainly better than I. If you see a deficiency in the plan to remove you, I should very much like to know about it.”
He snorted. “You are not what I expected.”
“I am glad to hear it.” He so clearly wanted her to ask him what he had expected, in the same way that her mother would make profligate remarks—though of a wildly different sort—simply to provoke a response. Suddenly, Jane recalled her father saying that all her mother wanted was to know that she was not alone. She tilted her head to one side and gave as much of a smile as she could. “Frank’s youngest daughters are still at home. I suspect that they would be glad to have you and Miss Sarah to themselves for a while.”
He rubbed his chin. “Have you met them?”
“I have not had the occasion.” Jane suddenly felt that that was a great negligence on her part. “Frank says that Rosa is showing a great deal of talent in the arts.”
Lord Verbury nodded slowly, as though he were thinking through the various points. He drummed his forefinger on the arm of his chair. “And what are you offering in exchange for my agreement?”