"Needham? Might I ask if you have a mistress?"
The earl's blunt question quite took him aback. Nick's head jerked up from the stack of official correspondence that had just arrived on the express packet from England. "No, I have not," he replied stiffly.
"Might I assume by your answer that you have recently parted with one?" Rochford suggested.
"You are quite mistaken, my lord. I have never kept a woman for my pleasure."
"Then perhaps it's time you did! Have you bedded an Italian woman, Needham? I tell you there is absolutely no comparison between English and Italian quim. It's the difference between fire and ice. If money is an object, I will even raise your salary—anything to improve this wretched aura of woe that you seem to be carrying about."
"Aura of woe?" Nick repeated incredulously. "I was unaware. I apologize if I have been preoccupied of late."
"It's far more than that, Needham. For weeks now, I have remarked a distinct melancholy about you. It is almost as if you were in mourning. Indeed, I'm half inclined to call you Dismal Nick. Have you perhaps suffered a loss you have not informed me of?"
Yes. And it's almost more than I can bear.
"No, my lord. Are you dissatisfied with my work? Am I being sacked?"
"No, man! It's nothing like that." Rochford waved his hand in the air. "Your work is above reproach. It's just your absence of joie de vivre is rather . . . depressing."
Nick forced a smile to his stiff lips. "I will endeavor to improve."
"Needham, the Foreign Service is not for everyone. Have you ever considered seeking a domestic post?"
"That has not been a viable option to me, my lord. Indeed, I count myself most fortunate to be in your employ." Eager to divert the discussion away from his personal life, Nick began sorting through the official letters that had just arrived in the post. "You have a letter from His Majesty, my lord."
The earl sighed. "Then I suppose I must put off my hunt with the duke to answer him."
Nick crossed the expanse of pink-veined marble tiles to offer the elaborately sealed parchment to his employer. He then returned to his own desk in preparation to pen the earl's response, waiting patiently with quill poised as Rochford broke the seal and scanned the missive. After a moment, he threw it down with a curse. "Damnation! How the hell did the Duchess of Bedford get wind of La Bella Banti?"
The earl referred to his latest mistress, a flamboyant Italian opera dancer. Nick didn't answer that Rochford's lack of discretion was a constant source of court gossip in Turin. His latest mistress was particular trouble. She thrived on notoriety and may well have encouraged the spread of rumors. Nick refrained from comment, knowing his silence would prompt the earl to elaborate.
"It seems the Duchess of Bedford has expressed her disapproval of my keeping an Italian mistress," he continued in disgust, "and has convinced the king that I should wed. Why in infernal blazes must they concern themselves with my personal affairs? Just look at this Needham!" Rochford took to his feet and strode across the room. He slammed the parchment down on Needham's desk and stabbed it with a be-ringed index finger.
"She has even generously provided His Majesty with a list of vetted candidates!"
"Shall I congratulate you on your pending nuptials?" Nick asked.
Rochford returned a glare. "Now is not the time to regain your humor, Needham!" Rochford exhaled a martyr's sigh. "I suppose you are right though. There's naught to do now but accept my fate, given that his Majesty has all but commanded it."
"How do you intend to proceed?" Nick asked. "Will you return to London?"
"No. I cannot leave here," Rochford replied. "With the peace so newly minted, relations are still in a state of utter turmoil. I have no time to waste in wooing a bride. 'Tis a pointless pursuit anyway. They need husbands, and I need heirs. Now that I think upon it, this situation couldn't suit me better. I will remain here and attend to affairs of state and send my agent to England to attend to affairs matrimonial. Needham, it seems you may get your wish after all."
"What do you mean?"
"Given your impeccable manners and unimpeachable sense of discretion, I cannot think of a man better suited for this mission. I will send you to attend to this business in my stead."
"You wish me to negotiate your marriage?"
"Indeed I do. I will make it quite worth your while. Should you accept this commission and succeed in bringing the matter to a swift and mutually satisfactory conclusion, I will personally secure you a post in London in the department of your choosing."
Nick's heart raced. Could it be that he had his chance after all? Rochford had just promised him precisely what he needed to claim Mariah's hand. The earl's offer was everything he'd wished and hoped for, but had it come too late? He'd posted the letter weeks ago. Surely she'd already received it.