"Mr. Peel, we do not..." Peel's lips twitched slightly, but he did not refute Disraeli's assessment of his old subordinate.
As for the Duke of Wellington, perhaps because Disraeli had dragged out the Parliamentary Reform Riot of 1832, the Old Duke, who had witnessed Arthur's "martyrdom" with his own eyes, really could not bring himself to add insult to injury.
The Earl of Aberdeen saw that neither of them spoke, so he coughed to break the silence: "Mr. Disraeli, say whatever you intend to say, plainly. We old men don't need you circling around the point."
Seeing this, Disraeli knew his tactic was already halfway to success.
"Your Excellency is right; in that case I'll speak plainly: Clark will bring nothing back from this trip."
The Earl of Aberdeen's brows knitted slightly: "You're that certain?"
