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allowing her to resume her duties.”
    “Then we can discuss Jasper’s revenges. You mentioned that he punishes any insult. I need details if I am to help.”
    “I actually know very little.” She stared into the fire. “My husband considered him venal, though he never explained why. It wasn’t until after his death that I began hearing tales firsthand. The villagers often ask my advice. Others seek a friendly ear when they are troubled, some from as far away as Exeter.”
    “So I understand.” Mary had described her activities.
    Her hands twisted, drawing attention to her slender fingers. “Jenkins was the first case I discovered in detail. He has a tailor’s shop in Exeter. Jasper ordered a complete wardrobe from him – a little surprising, for he usually patronizes a tailor in Bath and occasionally sends his valet to London. Jenkins welcomed the business, of course. His customers are mostly merchants and gentry, so it puffed his consequence to dress a viscount’s heir.”
    “I am sure it did. And I suppose purchase of fabric and thread put him in debt.”
    “Exactly. He postponed other commissions so he could complete the order before Jasper returned from a house party.”
    “Then Jasper refused to pay.”
    But she was shaking her head. “Nothing so blatant. That would have tarnished his own image – he pretends to be the area’s benefactor, a gentleman whose honor is inviolable and whose magnanimity exceeds expectations. Of course he would pay – as soon as he was satisfied. But he no sooner took delivery than he had to send a jacket back because a sleeve hung poorly. Then there was the crooked seam on a waistcoat, too much shoulder padding, insufficient thigh padding—”
    Blake shook his head. “What did he expect of a country tailor?”
    “Exactly that,” she assured him. “As days turned to weeks and then months, Jasper kept up his complaints, postponing payment because he was not yet satisfied. Repairs left Jenkins no time to serve his other customers. Without income, he could not pay his creditors.”
    “Diabolical,” he murmured.
    She nodded. “Inevitably one of them complained to the magistrate, sending Jenkins to debtors’ prison. It took his family eight months to raise enough to free him.”
    “The magistrate did not demand that Jasper pay his own debt?”
    “Of course not. The magistrate is Lord Rankin. Why should he force his son to pay for inferior goods? Not that the request arose. He refused to allow Jasper’s name into a dispute between a tailor and a silk merchant. Though he has ignored his son since birth, he won’t hear a word against his heir, particularly from a tradesman.”
    “Hardly unusual. But I have to question your basic assumptions. Many young men make the mistake of ordering clothes from an inferior tailor, then go through the frustrating process of trying to make them fit. I can recall half a dozen cases among my own friends, including a particularly hideous coat I ordered myself. So why do you think this situation was intentional?”
    “Several reasons. First, Jasper had rarely purchased more than an occasional neckcloth from Jenkins in the past. Second, he has publicly worn none of the clothes Jenkins made. Not one item, though he has had them for more than a year.”
    “Not one?” He raised a brow.
    She shook her head. “Yet Jenkins is a good tailor. You can scoff about country tradesmen, but Sir Richard proclaims him the equal of all save Weston. Perhaps he exaggerates, but he is quite particular about his wardrobe.” She shifted a fire-screen to shield her face. “Third, Jenkins is known for sober styles and quality seams. His customers are tradesmen, clergy, solicitors, and the like. His coats have a quiet elegance that appeals to men like Sir Richard, but Jasper is a dandy enamored of bright colors, extreme styles, and flamboyant decoration.”
    “I noticed,” he murmured, recalling the towering shirt points, oversized buttons, and excessive