“Do you know what you’ve done?” Jasper cried. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? This will ruin us!”
Cedric and I sat side by side in hard-backed wooden chairs while Jasper paced in front of us with hands clasped behind his back, very much like some sort of courtroom attorney. Charles stood against the opposite wall and looked as though he was still having trouble coming to terms with these new developments. It was the morning after “the incident.” We’d both been sent back to our respective rooms last night, with hired men on watch, in case we attempted to flee.
“I think ‘ruin’ is kind of a strong term,” said Cedric calmly.
“Oh, really?” Jasper came to a halt in front of us. Fury smoldered in his eyes. “You don’t think this is going to get out? Because I assure you, it’s already gotten out. The rest of the girls are under lockdown, but the servants and the hired men know. This will be all over Cape Triumph by the end of the day, and no man will come near us. I’m not na?ve. I know some of these girls didn’t come to us as blushing maidens.” Charles looked startled by that revelation. “But we’ve always preserved that image of purity, letting our prospective clients believe their wife’s virtue is still intact. Now, there’s hard proof that that’s not the case.”
The mention of virtue reminded me of my own glib words last night: I have a very creative definition of “virtuous.”
“Nothing happened.” Cedric was remaining remarkably cool-headed, given the situation. Maybe it was the result of years of dealing with his father’s moods. “Her virtue is still intact.”
Jasper fixed me with a look I didn’t like. It made me feel . . . unclean. “Oh? I have a hard time believing that. From what I heard, her clothes were scattered across the floor.”
A deep blush filled my cheeks. “That’s a lie. That’s Clara trying to make things worse.”
“Well, at least you’re acknowledging things are bad to begin with,” snapped Jasper. “The truth doesn’t matter. It will get twisted—for the worse. By the time this story’s told enough, you’ll be as brazen as some Alanzan harlot sprawled in the grass. Everyone’s going to know my son had his way with one of our girls. And everyone’s going to think that’s how it is—that all the men here are sampling our goods.”
I didn’t like being referred to as “goods,” but the rest of his words struck me in a way I hadn’t expected. Cedric’s silence told me they’d affected him as well.
Seeing he’d gotten through to us, Jasper added, “I know you think I’m ruthless—that I go too far to make a profit. And maybe that’s true. But one thing I’ve always done is maintain a reputable business. Now that’s all been called into question.”
“Then I’ll make it right,” said Cedric. “I’ll marry her.”
“Cedric—” I began. I had no problem with the idea of marrying him, but he had to know the obstacles standing in our way were nearly insurmountable. Jasper knew that as well.
“Do you have a fortune set aside that I don’t know about? A stash of gold under your bed that will cover her price?”
Cedric’s jaw clenched. I hated seeing him humiliated, but Jasper’s point was valid. Cedric didn’t even have the funds to buy his stake yet, not until the painting deal went through—if it went through. And clearly, my commission was off the table.
“She still has time left on her contract,” replied Cedric. “I’ll earn the fee.” I was about to say Cedric had better things to spend his money on—hoping he’d pick up on the hint about Westhaven. But then he said something that sent me reeling: “I love her.”
A bright feeling blossomed within me. It was the first time the subject of love had ever come up between us, though I don’t think either of us had ever doubted it was there. Uncaring of Jasper’s disapproval, I found Cedric’s hand and clasped it. “I love him too.”
Jasper rolled his eyes. “This is all very touching, but unfortunately, we live in the real world—not some cheap copper romance novel.”
Charles cleared his throat, expression uncertain. “Perhaps . . . perhaps we could lend him the fee. He is family, after all.”
“No,” said Jasper swiftly. “No special treatment. He violated our policies, and he’ll live with those consequences. If others know he received a favor, it’ll only worsen things—confirm the idea that we’re taking liberties here. He’ll deal with this disaster the same way anyone else would have to.”
“We will deal with this,” I corrected.
A knock at the door stopped Jasper from rolling his eyes again. He nodded for Charles to open the door, and sighed. “This had better not be another one of those girls finding some excuse to get a peek in here. I’m sure they’re all gathered outside the door trying to listen.”