Peel's eyebrows moved slightly. "But the truth matters just as much."
Disraeli spread his hands. "If Arthur really had an affair, where's the evidence? If he didn't, then who started the rumor? What role did the Melbourne Cabinet play in all this? Those whispers in the court, are they Her Majesty the Queen's own will, or did someone put them in her ear? And why is Buckingham Palace in such a hurry to examine a lady who has already left the court?"
He fired off five questions in one breath, then leaned back against the sofa, smiling at the three grandees. "Your Excellencies, what I've just said—this is what you truly care about, isn't it?"
The Earl of Aberdeen coughed. "Mr. Disraeli, you're making us all out to be far too calculating."
"Calculating?" Disraeli laughed aloud. "Your Excellency the Earl, if a Politician isn't calculating, should he go and be a Priest instead?"
Wellington looked at him, a hint of amusement in his gaze. "And you? Are you calculating?"
