by Abigail Agar
The door came open slowly, and Fulton, the aged doorman, peered at him with disdain. The firm downward set of the man’s mouth told Jack right away that this would be no warm welcome. Jack cleared his throat. “Is the Lordship or Lady at ease where I can speak with them?” Jack knew it would be folly to ask to speak with Gwyn directly, but he hoped that his calling on the family at large would at least be met with curiosity.
Fulton made a noise close to a disgruntled hum as he let the door close. Jack regarded the closed door for a long moment as he listened to the noises of the house. He had no way of knowing if the man had gone to tell the Lord and Lady of his presence or if he had merely shut the door in Jack’s face and gone about his business. Uncertain of his fate, Jack waited with a frown.
A long while later, the door opened again and Fulton said in little more than a grumble, “They are retired for the night. Please return some other time.”
Jack found it hard to believe as early as it was that Lady Stanton was not still awake, but he had no choice but to accept that. Jack nodded slowly. “Of course. May I call on them tomorrow, perhaps?”
“I am afraid they will be otherwise engaged for most of the week, Sir,” Fulton said with only a trace of any kind of respect.
Jack sighed. “Very well,” he said. “I am very sorry to have disturbed you for nothing, Fulton.” He turned and started down the stairs only to hear the man’s voice call him to a halt. Jack turned and looked back at him.
Fulton frowned. “It likes me not what has happened over the past few months,” the doorman said in a tired voice. “I certainly hope for all of our sakes that it sorts itself out soon, Sir.”
Jack thought that what the man was really saying was that he hoped Jack would leave everyone be soon. Jack gave the man a tired nod and continued down the doorsteps to his horse. It would be a bit of a ride back into London as he had no intention of stopping at his own home for the night. The inn would be more welcoming.
***
Gwyn came down the stairs to see Fulton closing the door. “Who was that at such an hour, Fulton?”
Fulton frowned and said, “It was Captain Shelton.” Gwyn thought Fulton very much did not like relaying that information. Perhaps her mother had asked him not to, or perhaps he merely did not want to upset Gwyn.
Gwyn shook her head. “That man has lost his mind, I fear. Why would he think that I would let him in, especially at such an hour? No one visits at this time of night.”
“I think it is desperation that drives the young man,” Fulton said as his brow furrowed. “He did not ask to speak with you, however. He asked to speak to your parents.”
A frown formed on Gwyn’s face. What would Jack want from her parents? “Surely he cannot imagine they will be sympathetic. Well, perhaps Papa would, but he is hardly in his right mind.”
“Yes, Miss,” Fulton said quietly. “Perhaps, he thought it the best way to be allowed in. After all, he must know that you would turn him away.”
Gwyn nodded and agreed, “That is very likely. All this nonsense tires me so, Fulton. I am going to sleep.”
“That is a wise decision where such foolishness is involved,” Fulton agreed. “Goodnight, Miss.”
Gwyn smiled at the man. “Goodnight, Fulton.”
Chapter 14
Henry had come by to escort Gwyn on an early morning stroll. It was a peaceful affair. Gwyn very much liked being outside in the morning air, even with the chill. There still had been no frost,but she was more certain with every chilly morning that it was drawing near.
“Do you remember how you wanted peace between your brother and me?” Gwyn asked Henry as they walked through the butterfly bushes.
Henry nodded and grunted. “I do vaguely remember my moment of insanity.”
“I do not think it was that insane,” Gwyn said. “I will admit, at first, I did. I did not understand your sudden urge to mend everything, but then I realized that you are right. We shall never have a truly normal life until the family somehow gets past this.”
Henry frowned and glanced around at their chaperone for the morning in the form of Fulton who walked behind them enjoying the leisurely stroll. “Where is this coming from?” Henry asked with a somewhat worried expression. “I know you are not ready to wed, and mother has spoken to me about it. I am trying to understand that—”
“No,” Gwyn said softly cutting off whatever Henry was going to say. “It has nothing to do with whether or not I am ready to marry anyone. It has to do with the fact that there is this wedge between you and Jack that was not there before. I cannot help feeling that I am that wedge.”
“That is simply not true,” Henry said. “Jack and I have always been at each other’s throats. You can ask Mother that if you like.”
Gwyn sighed. “I do not have to ask your mother. I grew up with you two. This is different, Henry. This is something more. As much as you two fought each other, you have always been brothers. It does not feel that way anymore.”
“I tried to salvage it, Gwyn. Do you not think I have tried?” Henry asked defensively.
Gwyn put her hand soothingly on the man’s coat sleeve. “I know that you have. I was just reminding you of it and asking that we can continue to try and put this all behind us.”
“Do you really think Jack will allow that?” Henry asked as if he did not believe it at all.
Gwyn frowned. “He at one time was ready to step aside.”
“That was before that night that he upset you. He and I had words, Gwyn. I am afraid that the time for mending our relationship may very well be in the past,” Henry said with regret.
Gwyn looked at Henry with sad eyes. She hated that she felt so responsible for all of this. “There has to be a way, Henry,” Gwyn said thoughtfully. “I shall endeavour to try to think of one for us all.”
“You may continue to peace make if it pleases you, Gwyneth, but I feel no more obligations toward my brother in that regard, not after how he has treated you,” Henry said frankly.
Gwyn hated to hear Henry say the words, but she also knew the moment he said them that she was done trying to convince him otherwise. Henry had made up his mind, and now Gwyn had no other avenues. She sighed and looked over the garden. It would not be long before the flowers died away, and Gwyn mourned other things that she would be losing as well, it seemed, if she did not mend the families somehow back together.
Every time things looked to be mending, something tugged at the tattered seams more. Gwyn glanced over at Henry and noted the set of his jaw. She would have to work on her own; it seemed as if both brothers were now determined that there would be no peace.
“I had hoped that at least a bit of the old Jack would have shown through and allowed things to settle. I had dared to hope when you told me that he had decided to step aside,” Gwyn said softly.
Henry’s frown deepened. “I had let myself hope too, but Gwyn you must let that notion go. You said yourself that the Jack you thought you knew was never real. We just have to come to terms with that.”
“How can we ever have a proper life with Jack beset at our heels so, Henry? Do you not see that it sounds hopeless? How can we stand that?” Gwyn shook her head in distress.
Henry said soothingly. “I know it seems that way, but as soon as I am Duke, then I will have the power to send Jack somewhere else, forcibly if I need to. One way or another, we will have our life, Gwyn.”
“At such expense,” Gwyn said softly. “I do not think it will be the same.”
Henry said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Things change, Gwyn. That is just the way things are.”
Gwyn looked away from Henry and his resigned expression. Perhaps she should remove herself from the situation entirely. Gwyn pushed the idea way. Even if she thought it might work, Gwyn knew that her mother would never stand for the notion. She had her mind set on Gwyn being Duchess, or so it seemed anyway.
***
Jack followed the meek little maid down the stairs at the inn. She had come to
tell him that he had a visitor, which Jack could only imagine was either his father or Henry. Downstairs, Jack spotted Henry lounging in one of the wooden chairs set around for guests.
Henry rose as Jack approached him. He pulled his coat around him and buttoned up a few buttons. “Accompany me outside?” Henry asked amicably as if he did not hate Jack fiercely.
Jack eyed his brother suspiciously but agreed with a nod. Jack tugged on his own coat and followed Henry out the door of the inn and onto the street. There was a busy noise to the London streets that always seemed to be there no matter the time of day that Jack stepped out those doors.
“What is this about?” Jack asked, anxious to have this over with.
Henry glared at his younger brother. “You sound as if you have something to do other than loiter around your room at that inn,” Henry said with a sneer.
“I am not interested in your baiting,” Jack said firmly. “If you came to talk about something then talk.”
Henry eyed Jack for a moment before he said, “I came to tell you that although Gwyn is promoting peace, do not think that I am. After your words at the house the other day, I consider you no longer a welcome member of our family.”
“So, you plan to permanently see me gone after Father hands you the reins? Is that it?” Jack asked and just stopped himself from laughing. “I did not need the proclamation to tell me that, Henry. Although you did put on a very convincing act in front of the family. I am sure you will have no trouble keeping that up for the rest of your life. You have had a lot of practice keeping up appearances, after all.”
Henry sighed, “You are very tiring.”
“You have no idea,” Jack said honestly. “I have seen war, Henry. You do not frighten me. You want to send me somewhere? Go ahead. You cannot actually make me go anywhere. I am not on your property. I can stay here in London for all of my life.”
Henry shook his head. “What do you want?”
“What do you mean?” Jack asked with honest curiosity. What was Henry willing to offer him that Jack could possibly be interested in?
Henry growled, “Is it money? Do you want money?”
“You ruined my reputation, Henry. That sort of thing is not fixed by money,” Jack spat back at the man. A couple of men across the street turned their heads towards them, and Jack pulled his coat a bit tighter around him.
Henry did not seem concerned about making a scene any more than he had been as a youth as he stared Jack down. “I gave a journal to a man that you hated anyway. A journal that stopped Gwyn from marrying him,” Henry said simply.
“That journal has been tampered with,” Jack said resolutely. “You know it has.”
Henry sighed. “Maybe it has. Maybe Sergeant. Chavers messed with it to make you seem horrible and keep Gwyn from you. It would be suitably poetic justice.”
“Only he did not know about the night before Gwyn left. How could he?” Jack asked warily of his brother. The idea that Sergeant Chavers was involved seemed far-fetched at best to Jack,but he was willing to let his brother expand on his theory.
Henry said, “I am sure that someone in India knew why Gwyn was there. It could have gotten back to him that she had been jilted by her lover. He could have put it together that you were that man.”
“Possible, but not probable,” Jack said with a sigh.
With a lift of his hands, Henry said, “It hardly matters. Just tell me what you want,and I will try my best to give it to you.”
“I want my name cleared,” Jack said frankly. “That is what I want, Henry.”
Henry regarded Jack thoughtfully then said, “I can try to do so, but that will not be something quickly done.”
“All you have to do is admit that there is something wrong with the journal,” Jack said.
Henry frowned. “I already did. I told Gwyn and everyone else that it was possible that the entries in the journal were not the same. You know that I told you that I had not read through it before I gave it to Sergeant Chavers.”
“You did that?” Jack asked warily.
Henry nodded and said, “Yes, of course. Despite what you might think of me, I do not hate you without end, Jack.”
“So you want me to believe that you had nothing to do with my journal being tampered with?” Jack was incredulous that the man would even try to pass that lie off, but he was willing to allow Henry some leeway.
Henry said with a shrug, “I do not care what you believe. I just want you out of the picture so that things can calm down.”
“Ah,” Jack said with understanding. “Gwyn is refusing to tie the knot until things are patched up, is she?”
The scowl on Henry’s face was worth it. Henry sneered, “Do not look so satisfied at that, brother. It is still me that she will be wedding.”
“Well, then I think you deserve each other,” Jack said simply. It hurt to even say the words, but he was not going to let Henry get under his skin by using Gwyn as bait. “Although I doubt she would want to wed you if it came to light that you were the one she saw that night and not me. You do remember, do you not? The night she returned home from India with her aunt. The thing is that whoever wrote that entry had to have known that she saw someone.”
Henry said, “I told you that Sergeant. Chavers could have known all of that. He was very close to her family in India.”
“Again, possible, but not very likely that they would go spouting that off,” Jack said with a shake of his head. He gave Henry a smile. “By the way, did you come all the way to London just to try to bribe me into leaving?”
Henry sighed. “Not even you are worth all of that commotion.”
“Oh? So, what is the great and powerful soon-to-be Duke out doing this fine day?” Jack was genuinely curious, especially the way Henry’s eyes snapped to Jack when he asked after the man’s plans.
Henry snarled, “I do not have to answer anything that you ask me.”
“That is an odd reply,” Jack noted aloud.
With a shake of his head, Henry said, “I am conducting some business for Father. It is none of your business.”
“That was almost believable,” Jack said as if he was impressed. “Truly you must begin to believe your own lies, eventually. Is that how you are so believable? Are you just delusional now?”
Henry eyed Jack steadily and said, “Odd that you say that. Gwyn said almost the same thing about you.”
The words stung Jack, but he knew that was what Henry had intended. He nodded. “Oh well,” Jack said with a shrug. “Win some, lose some.” It was hard to play nonchalant about it all, but Jack wanted Henry aware that Gwyn was no barrier to him if it came down to it.
Henry smiled. “You are colder than I gave you credit for. Perhaps that war you were in really did rub off on you.”
“A man can learn a lot under the watchful eye of death,” Jack said.
Henry said, “It has been lovely, Brother, but I do have business to attend to. We will talk soon.” With that, Henry turned and walked away as if they had just had a normal, everyday conversation. Jack stared after his brother as his suspicions about the man grew. What was Henry doing in London? Jack frowned as he stared at his brother’s retreating back.
***
Gwyn wrote her words carefully across the parchment paper before her. She had given up the idea that Henry could be persuaded to strive for peace again. The only choice left to Gwyn was to write to Jack and urge him to reconsider. She tried to just talk to the man as if he were the man that she had always known.