"I don't know," Patience said, staring down at her lap.
We fell into silence again, and it was almost a relief when Ned Longmire arrived. He entered the drawing room with a confident step and a defiant manner about him, as if he were daring Lord Cox to challenge him then and there. He wore a new suit, though not an expensive one, with shoes polished to a high sheen that looked as if they'd hardly been worn. His necktie was a deep blue, tied with a simple knot. A silver watch chain hung from the buttonhole of his dove gray waistcoat. The outfit was all wrong for eveningwear, something I wouldn't have known before I moved in with Matt.
I wasn't sure if Mr. Longmire noticed the difference between his clothing and the dinner jackets, white shirts and white bow ties worn by Matt and Lord Cox. He seemed far too interested in his half-brother's face, perhaps seeking out any resemblances. I saw very few. They were both fair in coloring with light blue eyes, but that was where the similarities ended. Lord Cox's face was slender, his top front teeth protruding somewhat, and he had a full head of hair whereas Mr. Longmire's receded into a peak. Mr. Longmire was also more physically imposing than his half-brother with a broader, taller build.
"Good evening," Lord Cox said stiffly. "May I introduce my wife, Lady Cox."
Patience put out her hand, and Mr. Longmire paused before shaking it. Going by her frown, she'd expected him to bow over it. Or perhaps she was annoyed by his mere presence. He was, after all, attempting to destroy her new life.
"This is my wife's cousin, Mr. Matthew Glass and his wife, Mrs. India Glass."
Mr. Longmire wagged a finger at me. "I know you," he said in a strong Yorkshire accent.
"Oh?" I said. "Perhaps you bought a watch or clock from my father's shop when I worked there. Steele's on St. Martin's Lane."
The finger wagging continued. Beside me, Matt shifted his stance. I hoped he wasn't considering snapping the finger off.
"You used to be India Steele?" Mr. Longmire said.
"That's right. Was it a watch or a clock?"
His top lip lifted in a sneer. "I wouldn't buy nowt from you."
"Oh?" I said, a sick feeling settling in my stomach. I suspected I knew where this was heading.
"You and your kind are ruining us," he went on.
"That's enough," Matt snapped.
"My guild contacts here in London told me to watch out for you." Mr. Longmire looked me up and down, far more thoroughly than he'd inspected his brother, and with more disdain too. "They said you're the spiritual leader of the magicians."
I took a step back beneath the force of his ire. "I—I don't know what you mean. I no longer have a shop."
"You don't need a shop to rally your kind. They all look up to you, so I hear. They say you're powerful." He stabbed his finger in my direction. "You lot are ruining us, and you don't bloody care!"
Matt grabbed him by the lapels and shook him, hard. "I said, that's enough."
Mr. Longmire tried to push Matt off but failed. "All right, all right. You win. I'll save my accusations until after this meeting."
"You won't speak to my wife again unless she wishes it. Is that clear?"
"I say, steady on," Lord Cox said, keeping his distance. "Let's all take a deep breath and calm down. All this talk of magic is somewhat speculative anyway."
"It's real," Mr. Longmire told him. "Mrs. Glass might not have a shop anymore, but her father did, and her grandfather, and they were successful too."
"Only moderately," I said.
"They were successful because they cheated. All magicians are cheats. We hard-working, honest businessmen can't compete when the other players don't follow the rules."
I frowned. His words sounded very familiar.
Matt shook him again. "If you don't close your mouth—"
"Matt." I laid a hand on his arm. "Let him go. You're crushing the suit he bought especially for tonight's meeting."
Matt released him, but not before giving him a shove.
"Mr. Longmire," I said, "have you been writing threatening letters to magicians in London?"
Mr. Longmire smoothed over the creases in his jacket. "What of it?"
"You can't go around threatening people like that!"
"People?" he spat. "You magicians shouldn't even call yourselves that. You're not natural, you're definitely immoral, and you're just plain cheaters."
Oh dear. He really shouldn't have said that.
Matt grabbed Mr. Longmire by the shoulder, jerked him around to face him, and punched him in the nose.
Chapter 4
"Mr. Longmire!" Lord Cox cried. "Are you all right?"
"Matthew," Patience scolded, sounding very much like Aunt Letitia. "Was that necessary?"
"Yes," Matt said.
"His nose is bleeding," I pointed out. "It'll get on the carpet."
Matt handed me his handkerchief and I gave it to Mr. Longmire. He snatched it off me, not in the least grateful.
"You bloody arse," he spat at Matt as he dabbed at his nose.
"There's no need for that language in front of the ladies," Lord Cox said.
Patience rang for the butler. "We'll go in for dinner now," she instructed. "I think we could all do with a glass of Madeira."
I didn't think adding wine to the hostility would make things better, but on the other hand, I might need it to get through the evening.
"I'm not staying for dinner," Mr. Longmire said.
"Oh." Lord Cox's shoulders slumped. "I thought we were going to talk about this like decent, civilized folk and nut out a solution."
"He ain't civilized." Mr. Longmire nodded at Matt. "And she—" He cut himself off before he could say something that would earn him another punch on the nose. "Anyway, there is only one solution." He pulled out a document from his inside jacket pocket. "Sign this. I had my lawyer draw it up."
Lord Cox looked over the pages, his face growing paler with each passing moment. "I—I need time."
"For what?"
"To think about things. This is all very sudden."
"It is for me, aye, but is it for you? My source says you already knew about our father's bigamy."
Lord Cox winced and made a show of reading the papers again.
"He needs his lawyer to look over it," Matt said.
"I can tell you what it says." Mr. Longmire sniffed and dabbed at his nose again. "It states that you will hand over all land and chattels that belong to the baronetcy, as well as the title itself. You give up any claim to styling yourself Lord Cox, and your heir gives up all rights of inheriting."
Patience gave a little sob into her hand.
Lord Cox winced again. "I would still like my lawyer to look over it. As you can imagine, this isn't a simple matter."
"It is to me," Mr. Longmire said.
"How can you be so cavalier?" I snapped. "You are changing their lives and the lives of Lord Cox's children. Can you not see how upsetting this is?"