“It’s patronizing and awful, but it’s also really not, er, not meant to be.” Theo sighed. “He wanted me to tell you that he admires you—and, you know, I think he means it—and that if you’re ever in need of a position, you should come to him. He doesn’t mean in his household or anything; he was thinking more about managing one of his estates, or surveying for ironworks, or something like that.”
It was still patronizing. But it wasn’t an insult, or at least not after the first flush of emotion. The Duke of Fareham was trying to help, and was, in Henry’s estimation, a decent person behind the whisky and the languid façade of supercilious boredom. He remembered David being on his side, and on Theo’s, at Baselton House.
And that did matter, not only because powerful friends were good to have.
