Free Tenacious Trents 02 - A Perfect Gentleman by Jane Charles

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he witnessed on Sunday mornings in church and when she was with the
children teaching.
    Jordan waited for him in the carriage. Miss
Cooper’s uncle had already left. Without a word, Matthew entered
the conveyance and sat down. There were several times over the
years he had been angry with one of his brothers but he could not
recall being this livid in his life. “What are you
thinking?” he demanded once the carriage reached the road.
    Jordan slouched back against the squabs.
“What do you mean? Stillwaite is my client. I told you one of the
reasons I came here was because of business.”
    “You should have said something earlier, when
Miss Cooper first mentioned the trouble with her uncle.”
    “How was I to know she was speaking of
Stillwaite?”
    “How could you not?” Matthew yelled.
    “Easy.” Jordan threw out his hands in
defense. “I was introduced to a Miss Cooper. She only mentioned an
Uncle Henry.”
    “Exactly!” Matthew pointed his index finger
at Jordan to emphasize his point.
    Jordan shook his head. “So I am to be a mind
reader now. How many men do we know that go by the name of Henry
that are also uncles? Several,” he answered before Matthew could.
“I did not know Stillwaite had a niece, and the last name is not
exactly uncommon. I did not know he believed his brother to be
incapacitated. I only came here to discuss a business opportunity.”
Jordan was yelling and punctuating each sentence the more he
spoke.
    Matthew took a deep breath and looked out the
window. Perhaps his brother was correct, but that didn’t help where
matters now stood. “Since when did you work for anyone?”
    Jordan sat in the shadows and all Matthew
could see was the shrug of his shoulders.
    “Do you have a profession the rest of us are
unaware of?”
    A deep sigh came from the corner where Jordan
sat.
    “Dammit, answer me.”
    “Tsk, tsk, Matt. You are a vicar. Father’s
perfect son. The perfect gentleman. You shouldn’t swear.”
    He shouldn’t hit anyone either, but Jordan
was testing every inch of his patience. “Tell me what you are
about?” Matthew asked in a calmer tone.
    Jordan sighed again and shifted into the
light. “I secretly received an education father never learned
of.”
    “How did you manage that?”
    “I am bloody rich, remember.”
    Father may have insisted Matthew be the
perfect vicar and son, but Jordan was his favorite, next to
Clayton. Sometimes it was hard to tell who father favored more. But
regardless, Father never wanted Jordan to want for anything in his
life and gave him an allowance more than the other three brothers
combined and then some. Jordan never had to work a day in his life
if he didn’t wish to. “So, you paid for an education, lining the
pockets of your instructors, so father never learned.”
    Jordan grinned.
    Admiration replaced some of Matthew’s anger.
If only he would have secretly gone against his father. But, what
else would he have done? He never even allowed himself to dream of
other possibilities, knowing they would be impossible, yet two of
his brothers had found a way to do something they wanted, despite
their father’s plans. “What is your profession? I am assuming you
have one.”
    “I am a lawyer.”
    “How did you ever manage to keep that from
father?”
    Jordan chuckled. “I only worked for gentlemen
who did not know father or run in his circles. I am a silent
partner in a small firm. The clients are questioned before I meet
them. If they knew anything about my family, I did not assist.”
    “And this is what you want to do?” Matthew
couldn’t imagine Jordan sitting in a stuffy room all day reviewing
documents. He was a man of action.
    “No. I wanted to be a barrister.”
    Matthew found himself grinning. Jordan would
make an excellent barrister. He could convince anyone of almost
anything, which was why the ladies loved him so.
    “Why did Stillwaite hire you?”
    Jordan stiffened. “I cannot discuss the
business of my