Julius's Passion (Regency Club Venus #4) - Carole Mortimer Page 0,1

man had recently been involved in an altercation having absolutely nothing to do with this situation, but which had resulted in severe bruising and a week of being confined to bed. Those bruises had since faded, for the main part, and the perpetrator dealt with, but Julius had no doubt James’s friends would be eager for a scrap if the bogus Earl of Ipswich did not cede his position.

“We need to approach this with calmness and a cool head,” he stated firmly. “To discover the lay of the land and find that proof before we even think of confronting Metford. Crashing in and making accusations, with very little to back up those accusations, will almost certainly get you or both of us killed,” he predicted. Adrian Metford already believed he had ordered his nephew’s murder once. Julius doubted he would hesitate to do so again.

James’s breath left him in a heavy sigh as he slumped back against the carriage seat.

“So?” Julius had still not received an answer to his earlier question. “Is there anything else I should know before we arrive?”

Because of those years of acting as a spy for England, Julius knew better than most that forewarned was forearmed. Many an English soldier’s life had been saved because of the information Julius was able to garner and pass on to the necessary authority.

This campaign to oust the bogus Earl of Ipswich and put James back in his rightful place as that earl was, in Julius’s opinion, no different to the years he had spent spying on the French.

The only difference with this enterprise was that Julius hadn’t had time to gather all the information on Adrian Metford, other than what he already knew of the man’s arrogance and snobbishness, before agreeing to travel into Suffolk with James.

Julius was aware the reason he had been only too eager to make that agreement was because he was so utterly bored with his life, and had been for some time. England’s war against Napoleon had been over for several years, and things were now more settled with the French too and his services no longer required.

So settled, in fact, Julius believed he might actually die from the stultifying affliction of ennui if he did not do something to occupy himself which did not include estate accounts or listening to the incessant babbling of his sister in regard to her upcoming spring wedding. He loved his sister dearly, and had been her guardian these past five years, but was it unreasonable of him to fail to see why the groom’s neckcloth needed to perfectly match the color of the dresses of the six bridesmaids his sister had insisted upon having? Mary seemed to think it was!

Having recently returned from several weeks at his country estate in Cheltenham, after spending Christmas and the New Year holiday chaperoning Mary and her betrothed, Julius was more than ready to occupy his thoughts with something other than how many layers of lace would eventually make up Mary’s finished veil.

He and James had discussed the situation in Suffolk extensively during their journey from London. Rather than confront Metford immediately with James’s existence, Julius had suggested, and the younger man had agreed, they should ascertain the situation in Suffolk before James, with Julius’s help, made any move to claim back the Ipswich title.

James had assured Julius he had changed immensely in his appearance since the age of sixteen. Not only had he grown several more inches in height, and his shoulders and chest had become wide and muscular, but his countenance was now that of a man rather than a youth.

Even so, ten years ago, Metford had had several thugs in his employ who were more than happy to do his bidding, which had included the murder of his nephew. The fact James had not died meant they needed to know whether or not those same men were still in Metford’s employ. Julius was no coward, and he was proficient with his fists as well as a pistol and sword, but they could be seriously outnumbered, and he preferred to know the odds stacked against him before engaging in physical combat.

James had not been old enough to enter Society ten years ago. With both of James’s parents recently dead of the influenza and the original household staff sacked by Adrian Metford, Metford had opportunity to dispose of his nephew during a visit to London, before he claimed the title and fortune for himself.

Although, Julius had seen the other man