was with an edge to his voice that he said, “Have you come to give me pointers on how to be a gentleman? I warn you, I’m a slow study.”
Ferguson snorted. “I doubt that. My connections tell me you have a solid head for numbers, an uncanny ability to drive the best bargains, and adequate concern for your employees and dependents.”
“What connections have told you that?”
Ferguson pulled a snuffbox out of his greatcoat and offered it to Nick. Nick refused.
“Abominable stuff, isn’t it?” Ferguson said, tossing the box back into his pocket unopened. “But if you want a career as a rake now that you’ve returned, it is one of the best affectations you could choose. That, or a quizzing glass.”
He had evaded Nick’s first question, but that statement raised even more. Nick stayed focused, though. “Have you been looking into my affairs?”
The duke’s sidelong glance was deadly serious. “I will protect my sister, Folkestone. Depend upon it. If my connections found anything suspicious, you would have already heard about it from me.”
Nick raised an eyebrow. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it?”
Ferguson brushed a piece of lint off his greatcoat. “I do hope that wasn’t a comparison to my father. Ellie will be displeased if I kill you on the dueling ground.”
“Then if your men have found nothing, and you don’t wish to fight me, why are we having this conversation?”
“I didn’t intend for a conversation. I planned for a monologue. They’re becoming my forte — as I said, titles have their uses, and one is that most people don’t interrupt.”
He paused. Nick said nothing. Ferguson had changed since Eton — perhaps for the better, despite the path this meeting had taken. There was certainly something appealing about his humor, odd as it was. If they had met again in some other way, without Ellie between them, perhaps they would have become friends, or at least gambling partners.
But Ellie was between them, just as she was between him and everything else. Ellie was the central sun in his solar system. He was a satellite that revolved around her, just as everyone at this party did. She would always be between him and the world — but her brilliance made up for the inconvenience.
He didn’t say any of that to Ferguson. Finally, perhaps convinced that Nick would stay quiet during his monologue, Ferguson spoke again. “Let us cover what I already know. Ellie told me last year that she had loved you, but that our unlamented father encouraged her to marry your cousin. She also said she waited for you, but you had never come back. This can only mean you were furious with her. You can understand why that would not make me sanguine about the possibility of a civil, cordial reunion between you.”
He paused again. Eventually, Nick sighed. “Do you want an acknowledgement, or is that considered interrupting your monologue?”
Ferguson grinned. “You may refrain from applause until the end. I like you, Folkestone. The people I’ve interviewed who knew you in Madras liked you. Your brother likes you, even though your return diminishes his responsibilities. But liking you doesn’t mean I won’t find a way to destroy you if you harm Ellie in any significant way.”
“You’ve been interviewing people about me?”
Ferguson looked around. “Quiet, if you please. It wouldn’t do if Ellie or my wife overheard you. But don’t be so surprised. If you had a female relative and someone in her past could one day turn up to cause her problems, you would have done exactly what I did. I needed to prepare for the day you might come back, even if Ellie hadn’t.”
“Still, spying on me is beneath you.”
“Not for Ellie’s sake. I’d do it all again to protect her. It’s the least I can do, since I wasn’t here when the two of you had your first falling out.”
Then he leaned in, and even though he was shorter than Nick, he somehow managed to look utterly threatening. “I’m watching you, Folkestone. If you hurt her in any way, I will personally beat you within an inch of your life. Then I will ruin your business interests so completely that you will lose every scrap of clothing that isn’t entailed.”
Nick didn’t flinch. “What is between Ellie and me will stay between Ellie and me.”
“You really are a slow learner, aren’t you?”
Nick looked out onto the ice again. Ellie had parted ways with Norbury, but her skating was slower — sadder, perhaps. Her head