“But I do not wish him to fear me. And I will never be able to ride him.”
“I have given him to you,” said Selden, his voice rising. “You will not disobey me when I tell you to make this horse afraid of you!”
A crowd was gathering, marveling at the spectacle of an enraged Marquess of Selden yelling at his heir. Robert could understand their surprise. It wasn’t that his father never raised his voice. But it was extremely unusual for him to show such emotion in public. And it was all because Robert had refused his order to whip a horse.
Robert had admired the horse earlier, a grey stallion with beautiful lines. It was too much horse for him, of course. He could never hope to keep up with such a majestic creature.
Lord Selden forced the whip into Robert’s hand, but he still would not comply. “I do not see how whipping the poor animal would make him obey me. He would only be frightened of me.”
“It is always better to be feared than to be mistaken for a weakling. If you do not beat that horse, he will rule you. I will not have it.”
“And I will not beat a defenseless animal.”
“Show him the whip, boy!”
“No, my lord.”
“Whip him!”
“I will not.”
“You are too willful by half, you ingrate. I said whip him!”
The stallion, upset by the screaming man, sidled.
“Hold him still, you lackwits!” Selden snapped at the Tattersalls grooms. He turned back to his son. “Whip him, I tell you! I know you are a cripple, but your arms still work, do they not?”
“My lord, I will not whip another creature.”
“Your brother Frederick would!”
“Then I pity him for not having a soul.”
“He is ten times the man you will ever be. If only he were my heir I would be a happy man.”
There was a gasp from the crowd, but Robert already knew this to be true, since his father had said it countless times, though usually in private. “But, my lord, Frederick is not your heir, through no fault of my own.”
“You lived through the fever that did this to you. How life would be easier if you hadn’t.”
There was a murmur throughout the sizable crowd which had gathered. Robert tried not to let his father see how much his remark had hurt him. He had secretly feared his father would find life easier without him, but to hear it confirmed in such a public venue was devastating.
“If you will not show this beast who the master is, then I shall,” said Selden, as he grabbed the whip and brought it down on the horse, almost clipping one of the grooms.
The poor stallion let out a hideous shriek, even as it reared to get away.
“My lord, stop!” said Robert.
“Or what? You will weep?” His father whipped the stallion twice more before Robert could reach him.
Robert grabbed the whip out of his father’s hand. “You will not do that again!” he said over the howling of the horse. But there was not a word coming from the crowd, who stood enraptured by the scene.
“I will do as I please, boy! Apparently the horse is not the only one who needs to be taught a lesson!” He grabbed the whip from Robert’s hands, then turned it on him.
Robert barely had time to turn away before the whip came down on him. He cried out in pain and in his rush to move out of the way, he tripped and fell, allowing his father to whip him two more times.
Three men rushed his father, and one pulled the whip out of his hand.
“That is enough!” said Mr. Rigg, Lord Edward’s butler.
Robert recognized the other two men as grooms from the Duke of Lynwood’s stables.
“Give that back!” snarled Selden. “Who do you think you are? I’ll have you arrested!”
“That is not how you treat anyone, especially your son!” said Mr. Rigg.
“He is no son of mine! I herewith disown him. Now get out of my way,” said Selden, who looked like he would attack Robert again.
“No, my lord. We will not.”
Selden pulled out a pistol. The crowd gasped.
“Now see here, Lord Selden,” said Mr. Patterson, the head of Tattersalls who had come to witness the spectacle. “You cannot shoot these men.” Though he did not sound completely confident of that.
“I am not going to shoot these men, though they deserve to be punished. But I am going to shoot the horse.”
Now Patterson looked truly alarmed. “You cannot do that here, my lord.”
“I paid for him, didn’t I?”
“Not yet,” said the man. “You only signed the book. As no payment has changed hands, the horse is not yet yours.”
“You will not deny me. I am the Marquess of Selden and my family has been coming here since you opened. Besides, who else would purchase a whipped horse?”
For a moment, it looked like Patterson regretted stepping in. But Robert prayed the man would not let his father shoot the horse.
“The Duke of Lynwood will purchase the stallion,” said Rigg.
Selden laughed. “In that condition? I hope Lynwood discharges you on the spot for doing something so foolish.”
“He can do what he likes,” said Rigg. “He is a duke. That is higher than a marquess, isn’t it, milord?”
That was met with laughter from the crowd and Robert almost groaned aloud. He could not remember anyone laughing at his father’s expense. He prayed Selden wouldn’t get Mr. Rigg in trouble with the Duke of Lynwood. Though, when he thought of it, he doubted the Duke would care.
He tried to get off the ground, which was difficult in the best of times. But the pain of the lashes was now beginning to set in. He sat up, then felt the steadying hand of Mr. Rigg helping him stand while brushing off the dirt.
Robert looked up to see hatred in Frederick’s eyes. It was only then that he realized just how much his brother wished he were the heir. His other brother, Thomas, simply looked embarrassed by Robert’s physical weakness.
“Frederick, Thomas,” snapped their father. “We will leave this place now, never to return. Lorton, I do not care where you go, but you will never be welcome at home.”
Mr. Rigg turned to Selden. “We will take Lord Lorton. He will have a home with the Duke of Lynwood.” It was not a question asking permission, just a simple statement of fact.
Selden’s anger flashed hot. “Then you have saddled Lynwood with two useless animals. By God, I hope he canes you before he discharges you.”
“The Kellington family holds Lord Lorton in high esteem. Now, it is time for his lordship to go home.”
Robert’s emotions and pain nearly overpowered him. He had been cast out of his home and had no idea what he would do, though he refused to be a burden on the Kellington family. He would accept their kind assistance for now, but had to devise a plan for the future.
“Lynwood will get more use out of the whipped horse than that cripple,” said Selden.
Robert turned to his father. “My lord, I will send word to Lady Selden within the day.”
“Do not bother. She is as ashamed of you as I am. I would pity poor Lynwood for having to take you on, but I doubt he’ll allow you to stay.”
“My future is well and truly my own,” said Robert. “Do not concern yourself any longer.” And with that he departed, leaning on Mr. Rigg as they made their way to the Lynwood carriage.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
As Rigg expected, Lynwood House erupted into a frenzy of motion as soon as he arrived with Lord Lorton, who was weak from his beating. The back of his shirt was covered in blood and the boy could barely walk. The butler, Heskiss, was extremely concerned and sent one footman to ready a room and another to ensure none of the children would see Lord Lorton in such pain.
“What happened?” Heskiss asked, just as the Duke of Lynwood and Ned Kellington came out of the library.
“The devil!” said the duke, even as Ned rushed forward to take the boy.
Lady Jane and the duchess joined them. “Let’s get him upstairs,
” said a shaken Jane. “Heskiss, send up hot water and bandages, if you please.”
Ned and the duke were about to follow the ladies when Rigg said, “If you please, your grace, my lord, there is much I must tell you.”
“What happened?” asked Lynwood, as he ushered Rigg and Ned into the library. The duke sat behind his desk as he motioned for Rigg to take a seat.
“Thank you, your grace, but I cannot sit. I acted inappropriately and you may discharge me when I tell you what I did.” Rigg prayed that would not be the case, but he had overstepped his bounds in confronting the marquess publicly and for speaking on behalf of the duke.
“I cannot imagine I would do any such thing, especially since I am certain you are not the one who hurt Lorton,” said Lynwood.
“Of course not, your grace.”
“And I do not know why you think Lynwood can discharge you, when you are in my employ,” said Ned.
“You may wish to discharge me as well, my lord,” said Rigg. “I have grossly overstepped my authority.”
“Do sit down, Rigg,” said Lynwood. “And that is a direct order. Ned, pour your man a snifter of something, along with the same for us. Now, Rigg, do be so good as to explain what is going on.”
Rigg told them about the fight and how Selden had whipped first the horse, then his son, as well as the cruel things the man had said to Lord Lorton.
“What a bastard!” said Ned. “I cannot imagine ever saying such things to a child of mine.”
“Nor can I,” said Lynwood. “I look forward to demolishing his next speech in the House of Lords. Now tell us, Rigg, where is the part where Ned and I are supposed to discharge you?”
Rigg sighed. “I confronted a nobleman and spoke on your behalf, when I had the right to do neither. I acted with authority I did not have and spoke for the House of Lynwood.”
“Let me see if I have this straight,” said Lynwood. “Do you truly believe I would object to you stopping a beast from whipping his own son?”
“No, your grace, it is not that.”
“Then mayhap you believe I would not open my home to a boy who has been a guest and is a friend to my family.”
“Of course not, your grace.”
“Pray enlighten me, then.”
“I did not have authority to remove the boy from his father and should not have claimed I had your backing.”
“You cannot believe I would want him to stay with someone who beat him.”
“Of course not, your grace.”
“You did exactly as you should have, Rigg. You bring honor to this family.”
Rigg could feel his cheeks warm at such praise. But he had other news to impart. “Your grace? You also bought a horse. The one who was whipped. But he does have good lines. I admired him yesterday when Lord Edward and I were there.”
“I imagine the poor animal is not in quite as good of shape now. But I trust Henderson believes he can help?” Henderson was his head groom and had been a witness to the attacks.
“I expect Henderson will do whatever he can to nurse the animal back to health.”
“Then I will have one more stallion in my stable. Now let us check on Lorton.”
* * *
Robert could feel the blood slowly seeping from his back. Heskiss had carefully cut away his jacket and waistcoat and now there was only his shirt, which was stuck to the bloodied skin. Lady Jane had organized her supplies and now turned to help him.
“My lady,” said Heskiss, “the blood has dried and the shirt is sticking to it. I do not believe I can remove the shirt without opening the wound.”
“Here, let me try,” she said, as she carefully applied a warm sponge to Robert’s back, gently loosening his shirt.
“If you do not need me, my lady, I will gather clothes for Lord Lorton,” said Heskiss. “Lord Lorton, welcome to Lynwood House. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call.”
“Thank you, Mr. Heskiss,” said Robert. He was overwhelmed by the kindness which stood in such stark contrast to his father’s actions.
Lady Jane was being as gentle as possible, but the pain was excruciating. He was actually glad for it because it gave him an excuse for the tears which were now welling up in his eyes. He tried not to let them fall, but could not control them.
Lady Jane handed him a handkerchief and it was that kindness which was his undoing.
“Why did he do it?” he asked. “In front of everyone. How could he have disowned me? I have always known he was embarrassed of me, but I have tried to be a good son in all the ways I could. It is just this blasted leg.” Then he realized what he had said. “Pray forgive my language, my lady.”
Jane took his hand and sat next to him. She had tears in her eyes, as well. “I heard much worse language on the battlefield and even used some myself. In fact, I am quite tempted to hunt your father down and say the worst words I know. He surely deserves to be called into account for his disgraceful actions. You have done nothing wrong. Nothing. And I cannot imagine a father behaving as he did. A parent has many responsibilities beyond the basics of feeding a child and keeping a roof over his head. You deserve loving parents, but I believe that emotion is beyond your father and mayhap your mother, as well.”
“They love my brothers,” said Robert, hating the jealousy in his voice.
“I doubt it. Loving parents do not behave as your father did today. I suspect he is simply more content with the idea of a son who does not face physical challenges. But all in all, he is simply an arse. And a bastard. I can go on with more words of the battlefield, if you would like. Poxy lickspittle. That is an especially creative one.”
Robert had to laugh at the genteel lady’s language. He would have to come up with a way to repay the Kellingtons for their kindness, though first he needed to figure out where he would live. He had some income independent of his father’s control, but did not know if it would allow him to go back to school.
His thoughts were interrupted by Violet’s arrival as she rushed into the room. She took one look at him and burst into tears. “I cannot believe what your father did to you!”
Jane took her daughter in her arms. “My love, Robert is safe with us now.”
“But his father is horrid!”
“Yes, he is. But now we must tend his wounds and let him rest.”
“Can I help?” she asked, sniffling.
“It is a bit irregular for you to help me tend to a half-dressed young man.”
Violet looked at her mother as if she were daft. “He is naught but a brother to me! And one does not leave a brother when he is in need.”
Robert smiled at the girl he had long considered a sister. He would be a fortunate man if that were true in fact. “Violet is right, Lady Jane. She and I are brother and sister of the heart.”
There was a knock at the open door, then Lord Ned and the Duke of Lynwood entered, along with the duchess who brought salve and additional bandages.
“How do you feel?” asked the duchess, Rosalind. “Oh dear, that was a hen-witted question. I can only imagine how you feel.”
“Lady Jane is fixing me up well, your grace.”
“And me!” said Violet, as she stirred the salve the duchess had just brought.
“And Violet,” added Robert. “Please thank Mr. Rigg for me. He saved me from a savage beating, though I am frightfully sorry for the disturbance and shall leave as soon as I am able.”
“You are not going anywhere,” said Lord Ned.
“I cannot stay here, though I thank all of you for giving me respite.”
“You will stay here as long as you wish,” said the duke.
“Thank you, your grace, but my father will not like it. He obviously does not want me at home, but he would ruin any man who countermanded his wishes.”
“I can easily withstand Selden’s wrath,” said the duke. “And I’ll be damned if I allow you to go out on the street because you fear what he would do to us.”
“Come home to Marston Vale with us,�
� said Lord Ned.
“That is a brilliant idea!” said Violet.
Robert could barely speak for the lump in his throat. “My lord, while that is a very generous offer…”
“There is nothing generous about it. The younger children will be ecstatic and obviously Violet likes the plan. Do not worry about Selden, for we certainly will not. I suspect Ridgeway will make a similar offer when he hears of this, but I hope you will stay with us.”
“Do not go to the Emersons!” said Violet. “Stay with us!”
“After all, we already have your horse,” said Lord Ned.
“My horse, my lord?”
“The one your father wanted you to beat,” said the duke. “He is in the stables being tended to. He is a grand animal, despite his wounds. Apparently he gentled as soon as he experienced human kindness. Stay, Lorton. You are among not just friends, but family.”
Robert’s tears finally began to fall, brought on by such kindness. He tried to shield himself, but Lady Jane folded him into a mother’s embrace. He had seen her do this with her children, but Robert had never experienced such kindness himself.
“I finally have a big brother,” said Violet, as she hugged her father.
“The children will all be so happy to see more of you,” said the duchess.
Robert forced the tears away as he looked at the others. “Thank you for taking me into your family. And I shall be happy to buy the horse from you, your grace. I have independent income.”
“Think of it as my first gift to my new nephew,” said the duke. “Now I will write your mother and tell her you will be safe with us.”
Robert realized he was finally home.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Marston Vale, Three Years Later
Robert always looked forward to going home to Marston Vale on his breaks from university. He, Wes and Mark still roomed together and their quarters at Oxford were slightly more spacious than their suite at Eton. His parents had made no effort to see him in the intervening years, and he’d heard his father would not even allow his name to be spoken in his presence. He had learned that last bit from Percy Reynolds, who struggled to stay afloat at university and had not been sent down only because his father would not allow it.
Never and Always (Emerson Book 6) Page 13