It had taken all of his reserve not to walk out of the billiard room the moment he’d seen him. Instead, he’d managed to make certain to be on the opposite side of the room no matter where the man was.
If Mr. Melbourne liked the reverend enough to invite him to his home, it would reflect poorly on Joseph to show his dislike of him. The man acted more like a lord than a man of the cloth. Perhaps there was a family connection. While he supposed Henderson might be considered charismatic by some, Joseph knew better from Henderson’s dealings with his father.
But he was a guest here just like the reverend. The last thing Joseph needed was a reason for Melbourne not to invest in his plan before he’d had the chance to propose it.
“What happened?” Charles asked after taking one look at his face.
“Reverend Henderson is here.”
The valet’s surprise made Joseph feel marginally better. “Why?”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out. The way Melbourne greeted him, I’m inclined to believe they’re friends of a sort.”
Charles scoffed as he helped Joseph change. “In other words, the reverend is pretending to be nice in order to ask Mr. Melbourne for a donation to his church.”
Joseph shook his head. “I wonder if he shares the fact that he doesn’t use those funds to aid the less fortunate.”
“Surely people would ask before handing him money.”
“If a reverend asks for donations, one would assume it is going to a good cause. But from what I’ve learned from Henderson himself and my parents, I have my doubts. I want to know what he intends to do with the money that people like my father give him if it’s not to aid the poor.”
Henderson had told Joseph when they’d crossed paths outside Joseph’s parents’ house that he didn’t believe in helping the less fortunate. He insisted that Great Britain’s duty was to civilize other countries, and that meant the country’s population needed to be strong. Handing money to the weak didn’t aid that mission.
He shared a pointed look with Charles. “Clearly, the time has come to discover what we can about the man. See if you can learn anything from his servants.”
“Of course. My pleasure.” Charles assisted him into his evening coat.
“I will ask Melbourne’s son, Martin, about the reverend.” The memory of Miss Melbourne came to mind. “If he isn’t helpful, perhaps his daughter might be willing to share the details. She is the one who helped save my mother last week on Bond Street.”
“Ah.” Charles smiled. “The plot thickens.”
“Indeed.” Somehow, the thought of her eased his upset, a balm on his troubled mind. He still didn’t understand why he hadn’t remembered her when they’d been introduced. How long ago had that been? He must’ve been distracted then. Plus, he’d gone out of his way to avoid speaking overlong with eligible ladies since marriage wasn’t in his near future.
It was only in the past month that his idea for the investment opportunity had come to mind. Before that, men like Melbourne hadn’t been of special interest to him either.
“Surely, some of the other guests will see through Reverend Henderson’sfaçadeand realize the truth,” Charles said as he adjusted Joseph’s tie.
“Considering that I’m still waiting for my father to recognize the truth, I remain doubtful.”
Charles shook his head. “The man must exude more charm than we’ve witnessed thus far.”
“Apparently so. I will do my best to hide my dislike and distrust of him from our hosts and the other guests. However, I fear I’ve already shown my cards to him. No doubt he’ll keep a watchful eye on me.”
“Amused disdain can be quite effective.”
Joseph chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind. I rather hope he chooses to say something about his relationship with my father. I would welcome the chance to ask a few questions.”
“Especially in front of the other guests, eh?” Charles offered a satisfied smile. “I can only hope I am witness to that exchange.”
“I wouldn’t want to offend our hosts, but neither can I remain silent if the chance to share what I know arises. Perhaps Reverend Henderson will keep his unusual ideas to himself with me here.”
“There’s some satisfaction in knowing he must be as unhappy to see you as you are to see him.”
“True. Perhaps my presence will foil any hope he had for asking for donations.”
Charles stood back and studied Joseph’s black evening attire with a nod of approval. “I look forward to hearing how dinner goes. Meanwhile, I’ll see what I can discover below stairs.”
“Perfect.” Joseph nodded. He already felt better knowing they had a plan in place.