Right.
James steeled himself and sent the duke a glare which he promptly returned.
“I recently lost a client due to a lie that was printed about me in The Mayfair Chronicle,” James began. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath, ignored the duke’s protest and kept on talking. “It was claimed that my acquaintance with Mrs. Lawson preceded her divorce and that I was in fact the one to set it in motion because she and I were lovers. This, I can assure you, ladies and gentlemen, is utter nonsense, fabricated by the Duke of Cloverfield for the purpose of tainting my reputation.”
“I would never be dishonest about such matters,” Cloverfield snapped. “Your charge against me is outrageous.”
“What is outrageous, Your Grace, is what you are able to get away with due to your position. You think you can do as you please without consequence, do you? Then by all means, let us put that theory to a test.” He met Pennington’s gaze and gave a swift nod. The viscount immediately called on his footmen to bring out the flyers.
“I’ll not have you spreading falsehoods about me, Dale,” Cloverfield fumed. He turned to the crowd as guests began reading the flyers the footmen gave them. “Don’t listen to him, do you hear. That man is not to be trusted!”
“What’s happening?” Wilhelmina asked.
“Something I hope will prove what sort of man Cloverfield is.” He glanced at her, noted the concerned look in her eyes. “I have no evidence to contradict his claim about the two of us, but I can offer proof of his violent behavior and brutal attack against you.”
She clutched his forearm. “James…”
“Don’t worry.” He held her close. “The witness testimonies I have chosen refer to his cruel intentions rather than to the extent of his actions. There’s nothing for you to be ashamed of, Mina, though the same cannot be said about him.”
“Is this true?” someone asked.
“Of course not,” Cloverfield blustered. His friends, the same men who had accompanied him on his trip, came to offer support.
“Mrs. Lawson agreed to an assignation with Cloverfield,” Everton said. “When Mr. Dale found out, he attacked him for it.”
Wilhelmina gasped. “That’s not true.”
Before James could respond, the Earl of Bearfort, an older gentleman roughly twenty years James’s senior, spoke up. “Not according to what these witnesses have reported. In fact, if I were to draw a conclusion based on this, when Cloverfield didn’t get what he wanted, he went in pursuit of Mr. Dale and Mrs. Lawson with every intention of asserting himself through force. Not exactly the honorable actions one might expect from a peer, certainly not from a duke. Then again, your father wasn’t much better, so I’m hardly surprised.”
James gaped at Bearfort. Had he truly just spoken against two dukes and questioned their conduct in public? It was unheard of.
“I’ll see you at dawn for that,” Cloverfield shouted as he redirected his anger at Bearfort.
“Violence isn’t the answer to everything,” the Marquess of Stratton said. “Have some pride, Cloverfield. And for God’s sake, stop acting like a St. Giles thug.”
“If what these witnesses claim,” said a lady whom James now recognized as the Dowager Duchess of Gilford, “you treated Mrs. Lawson appallingly.”
“She’s a whore,” Cloverfield thundered. “And as such she ought to have thanked me for taking an interest.”
Wilhelmina sucked in a breath. As did everyone else, it seemed. Wide eyes and slack-jawed expressions answered Cloverfield’s statement. Silence reigned, as if everyone needed a moment to process the words that had just been spoken. The muscles in James’s arm flexed beneath her gloved hand. Clearly he wanted to act, to bury his fist in Cloverfield’s face.
But rather than give in to such temptation, he spoke between clenched teeth. “Mrs. Lawson is the most incredible woman I’ve ever had the honor of knowing. Unfortunately, she ended up in an unhappy marriage at a young age.”
For a moment, Wilhelmina worried James might reveal the truth, only to chastise herself for even considering something like that. She trusted him and knew he would protect her secrets. Somehow, he’d find a way to argue her case without betraying her. He was an excellent barrister after all. Convincing people of what he believed in was his forte.
“It’s not an unfamiliar situation,” James continued. “I’m sure there are many who wish they could escape the man or woman they pledged themselves to. Few have the means or the courage to do so, however. For this, Mr. Hewitt must be commended. He strove to find a way out of his marriage, which unfortunately required him to disparage Mrs. Lawson. But…” James paused. He glanced at Mina, offered her an encouraging smile, “were her actions against her husband truly contemptible? According to statements made in court, Mr. Hewitt had several mistresses during the course of his marriage. Why then should Mrs. Lawson be criticized for the affairs she may or may not have had? Does the fact she’s a woman deny her the right to happiness? Or are we a hypocritical lot who allow men leniency while placing all blame on the fairer sex?
“My point, ladies and gentlemen, is that Mr. Hewitt wanted to end his marriage so he could enter into a new one. Mrs. Lawson was equally happy to part ways with him, but unlike him, she was made to suffer. Now ask yourselves if that is just.
“I can only speak for myself,” James added, “and while I’ll admit to being her greatest critic when I first heard her husband’s accusations, I have since reconsidered my position. You see, my opinion of her was rooted in my own past experiences – a situation which could not truly be compared with hers since it was entirely different. And so, with this in mind, I ask again if anyone here can truly say she deserves to receive the cut.
“Given the fact that the duke attacked her, then threatened to kill me so he could take her against her will, perhaps it is he who ought to receive such treatment?”
Wilhelmina snapped to attention. Had James just suggested the ton give a duke the cut direct in a show of support for a woman who’d fallen from grace? It was unprecedented. And yet, Pennington and his wife didn’t hesitate for a moment. They both turned their backs on Cloverfield, as did the couples standing beside them. Other guests started following suit and when the Dowager Duchess of Gilford and her sons did the same, everyone else turned away as well.
It was like watching a drop of oil repel water. Little by little, Cloverfield stood by himself. Not even his friends remained by his side.
“Damn you all to hell,” the duke sputtered. Fists clenched and with a furious glint in his eyes, he strode toward James and Wilhelmina, who remained in front of the exit. He paused before them, his lip curling with malice. “I should have killed you while I had the chance.”
Pushing Wilhelmina slightly behind him, James faced the duke. “Careful, Your Grace, lest you get yourself arrested for conspiracy to commit murder.” When Cloverfield answered with a snarl, James added, “If any harm ever befalls me or my family, you may rest assured that you shall be the first man apprehended for questioning.”
“Bloody bastard,” Cloverfield snapped. His shoulder knocked against James’s as he pushed past him, shoving him sideways into Wilhelmina.