“Not quite.” Matthew cringed. “It was difficult to see, but not total darkness.”
He lifted a glass of brandy to his lips, the liquid burned down his throat.
Jasmine handed the cloth back to Don Lorenzo and glared at him. “You should have told me that’s what you were planning.”
“It would have ruined it.” Don Lorenzo lifted his own glass of brandy and placed it to his lips. “Your fear needed to be genuine.”
“Thank you,” she muttered. “It was.”
“I don’t understand why you helped me,” Matthew said.
Jasmine shared a glance with Don Lorenzo. “I asked him to.”
“I do not care for men who impose their will by force.” Don Lorenzo scoffed. “Who would not wish to see an evil man punished?”
“So you did it for fun?” Matthew asked.
“I was curious what type of man you were. A man shows his true face when you’re his enemy.” He drank and chuckled. “After what I’ve witnessed tonight, I would much rather be your friend.” His gaze flicked to Jasmine. “I had asked Lady Lincolnshire to have you speak to me, but it appears she cannot be trusted to relay a message.”
“Insult my wife again, and I’ll remove you from my home,” Matthew growled.
Don Lorenzo shrugged. “It is a difficult habit to break.”
“Try.” Matthew sat on the settee next to Jasmine and draped a blanket around her shoulders. Her eyelids were swollen, red splotches stained her cheeks from her earlier tears. He glanced to the clock. It was past two-thirty in the morning.
“Please say what you’ve been patiently waiting to say, Don Lorenzo—how may I help you?”
“I believe it is I who can help you. Tomorrow morning, I plan to submit a formal grievance to His Majesty. I imagine the Prince Regent will have strong opinions of Duke Kendall’s gross displays of violence in front of foreign nobility.”
“You’re not doing it for free, are you?”
“Nothing is ever free, Lord Lincolnshire.” Don Lorenzo placed his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. “I only have one request. I do not want you to sell weapons to Spain ever again.”
Matthew frowned. “That is quite the demand—”
“Escúchame.” Don Lorenzo held up his finger. “When my country purchases weapons from you, your countrymen are fed, your nation profits. What of Spain? If you value the safety of my country, then teach her citizens how to protect their homeland. Partner with me, and we will outfit Spain together.”
Matthew thought back to their conversation at the Jewel Ball and groaned. “You came here to offer me partnership.”
“As I’ve said multiple times.” Don Lorenzo sighed. “But you’re never in a frame of mind to listen.”
“I thought you were here for Jasmine,” Matthew said.
Don Lorenzo raised a brow. “When a lady says no, a man stops.” He winked at her. “But it’s fun to see her fluff her feathers. She’s lovely when she yells.”
“This is your last warning.”
“Can’t compliment her either.”
“Don’t even look at her.”
“Enough.” Jasmine released a small laugh and placed her hand in Matthew’s. “What are you proposing?”
“Equality of profits and progress,” Don Lorenzo said. “Build a factory in Spain with me. I will oversee it. When there is innovation on either side, we will share it with each other.”
Matthew paused and glanced at Jasmine. After the scandal they had caused tonight, the next few days would be a whirlwind of newspapers and curious guests. Uncertain consequences would follow, and business negotiations would have to wait.
“I don’t make decisions alone,” Matthew said. “I’ll need time to discuss it with my family.”