by Vikki Vaught
“Thank you, Hatton. That feels much better. Why don’t you go up to your room and get all your things put away? I won’t need you again until it’s time to get ready for dinner. I just want to relax for a while.”
“Here’s your brandy decanter. I’ll just leave it on the table beside you, my lord. I’ll return in plenty of time to help you get ready for dinner.”
Hatton left the room and Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he was alone. He poured himself another large glass of brandy and settled back into his chair. It was so good to be at home at last. He knew he had made the right decision to come back here.
As Jonathan looked around his room, he felt a huge sense of peace roll over him. His room was so comfortable with his large oak bed and his oversized chair by the fireplace. He found the deep moss-green colors that decorated his room restful. It made him wonder why he ever left St. John’s Wood to begin with. He thought back over the last few months and had no regrets over leaving town, or breaking it off with Alana.
Turning his thoughts to other things, Jonathan certainly hoped he could get his brother to come here because he didn’t want to have to go to him. He picked up his travel writing desk, pulled paper and quill out of it, and wrote a letter to his brother asking him to come home and bring his family. He would get Goodman to post it tomorrow morning. Jonathan leaned his head back against the cushions of his chair and fell fast asleep.
Later that afternoon, Hatton woke him in plenty of time for dinner, and Jonathan enjoyed spending the evening with Elaine. Dinner was pleasant, and after they finished eating Elaine entertained him by playing the pianoforte and singing. She had a lovely contralto voice that he always found soothing.
Yes, he was very glad to be home again.
Over the next few days, Jonathan rode around his estate visiting with his tenant farmers and catching up with his steward, Whetherby. The tenant farms were all doing well, and the harvest promised to be bountiful again this year. So far, rain had been steady throughout the summer, which helped the crops, even though it aggravated his knee.
Jonathan enjoyed his morning rides with Whetherby. Thank God, he had no problems riding a horse. He had to use his thigh muscles to compensate for the weakness in his knee and lower leg, but his horse, Demon, had adapted well, and Jonathan could get him to respond to the lightest of pressure followed by a verbal command.
He’d had Demon since he returned from Waterloo. He found him at Tattersall’s, and one of the fastest racing horses of the century had sired him. Since he was a gelding, he was less temperamental than a stallion would have been. While Jonathan was still an excellent rider, he doubted he could control a temperamental horse.
A few days later, as Jonathan sat in his study drinking brandy and going over some reports that Whetherby had left for him to peruse, Goodman brought him the post. There was a letter from his brother telling him to expect him to arrive on Saturday, the twenty-eighth. He was definitely looking forward to seeing his brother again.
Jonathan enjoyed spending time with Elaine. They went riding every afternoon. He was pleased to see that Elaine had turned into an excellent equestrian. He remembered how scared she was the first time he had put her on a horse when she was six years old. Elaine had certainly come a long way.
She had also turned into a real beauty, and he knew he would have his hands full in a few years when she made her bow to society. Elaine appeared much older than most fifteen-year-olds did. With her long golden blonde hair and gorgeous green eyes, he was sure young men would flock around her once she had her come out and presentation at court. He just hoped she wouldn’t give him any problems anytime soon.
Elaine was fairly well behaved, but she did tend to get into mischief when he was away. Again, he was so grateful that his brother had married. His brother’s wife, Allison, would be there when it was time for Elaine to have her come out. She would help make sure Elaine didn’t get into trouble. Pouring himself another glass of brandy, he continued going over his reports.
Chapter 2
The next day, when Jonathan returned from his ride with Elaine, his friend Jenkins had arrived. Jonathan dismounted, grabbed his walking stick, and made his way over to him. “Jenkins, glad you could make it. I figured you’d be here any day now. You remember my sister, Lady Elaine, don’t you?”
Jenkins glanced over at Elaine and smiled. “Surely this can’t be little Lady Elaine! I remember you as a little girl in braids, and now you’re a lovely young lady. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
Elaine coyly looked over at him. “Hello, my lord. I’m almost sixteen years old now, so I’m no longer a child. I’m pleased to see you again.” As Elaine laughed up at Jenkins, she added, “It’s been far too long since you came for a visit. I hope you’ll be staying for a while.”
Jonathan didn’t like the way Elaine was acting at all. He couldn’t believe his eyes. His little sister was actually trying to flirt with Jenkins. “Elaine, why don’t you go into the house and let Mrs. Rollins know we have a guest and make sure she readies a room for him?” Elaine looked back at him with an exasperated look, but went into the house as directed.
Turning to Jenkins, Jonathan said, “Sorry about that. Elaine’s trying out her feminine wiles on you. She thinks she’s grown, now that she’ll be sixteen in five months. I hope she didn’t offend you. I’m glad you’ve arrived.”
Jenkins looked over at Jonathan and shrugged his shoulder. “I have a sister the same age, so no, I wasn’t offended. Actually, it’s a boost to the old ego to have her trying to flirt with me, since I’m almost old enough to be her father. You’re probably going to have to watch her when she has her come out. She’s turned into a real beauty. I’m glad it’s you and not me who will have to contend with all her beaus.”
“I’m certainly not looking forward to it. Thank God, I’ll have Allison to guide her when she makes her come out in a few years. Now, are you ready to do some fishing?”
“I’m more than ready to do some fishing. Have you done any since you arrived here?”
Jonathan pulled his flask from his pocket and took a drink. “No, I haven’t, but I’m certainly looking forward to it now that you’re here.”
“Is your knee giving you more problems? You seem to be drinking quite a bit lately. Does it help with the pain?”
Jonathan ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. The last thing he needed was a friend commenting on his drinking. He turned a stoic look towards Jenkins. “My knee has been giving me more problems lately, and I do find the brandy helps to deaden the pain a bit. Hatton wants me to take laudanum, but I don’t want it. How was the trip over here? Did it take you long to get here?”
“The trip was pleasant. I stopped by my estate and spent a couple days there. Since I was only coming from Wiltshire, I left at dawn this morning. Oh, by the way, Alana already has a new protector. She’s with Haversham now. I’ve heard that he’s set her up in a townhouse in Mayfair, and she’s loving every minute of it.”
“That relieves my mind and my pocket. Your room should be ready, so let’s go in and get you settled. We keep country hours here, so dinner’s at seven.” They went into the house where Mrs. Rollins was waiting to show Jenkins to his room.
Jonathan went to his study, poured himself a glass of brandy, and sat down. His knee was bothering him more than usual today, so he knew they would probably have rain tonight. He was relieved to hear that Alana had already found another protector. Now he didn’t need to feel guilty about ending their liaison early.
Thinking about Jenkins’s comment about his drinking, Jonathan realized that he would need to be more careful about drinking in front of people. He didn’t want anyone thinking that he had a drinking problem. He knew he was probably drinking too much, but it helped with the pain and the nightmares.
That evening, as they dined on pheasant and roasted potatoes, Jonathan said, “Will ten o’clock work for you in the morning? The fish should be biting at that time.”
“That sounds good to me.”
“Why don’t we adjourn to my study so we can finish our conversation?”
When they went to his study, they sat in front of the fireplace and started talking about the good old days. Laughing, Jonathan asked, “Do you recall the time we were caught sneaking those barmaids into our rooms while we were at school?”
“I’d forgotten all about that! We were a couple of rogues back then. I thought we were going to get expelled for sure, but you came up with that brilliant tale about them being there to clean our rooms. I still can’t believe Professor Higgins bought it. I miss those days.”
Jonathan grinned. “Me too. I don’t know how we ever made it to graduation.”
“You and I would never have made it through without Roderick. Having a prefect as a friend kept us out of trouble most of the time.”
Jonathan sipped his brandy as he resisted the temptation to swill it down in one giant gulp. He was determined to limit himself to one glass since Jenkins had commented on his drinking earlier that day.
“We’ve been friends for a long time now. The only time we’ve been apart was when you went to war. I still regret not going to fight, but as you know, I’d already inherited my title by then. I couldn’t risk anything happening to me. My title would have become extinct, and that would have left my sister without a guardian. Do you ever regret going? I know you experience a lot of pain because of your knee.”
“I hate that I’m a cripple, but no, I’ve never regretted going to fight. Bonaparte had to be stopped, and I wanted to do my part. My only regret was how it affected my father when I came back. My injury devastated him. God, I miss him so much.”
“I miss your father too. He was a good man. He helped me immeasurably when I lost mine. I was so young. I didn’t have a clue about running my estate.”
“Yes, my father was a great man. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t miss him. Oh, by the way, while you’re here, I’ll take you into Bath so we can visit Madame Angela’s House of Pleasure. It’s the most exclusive brothel in Bath. She has quite a few lovely ladies to choose from. I know you’ll enjoy yourself.”
“Oh, I’d love to go with you. Can we go tomorrow night?”
“Yes, tomorrow would be perfect.” Jonathan stretched and stifled a yawn as he looked at Jenkins. “Since we’re going fishing in the morning, I think I’ll retire early. It’s been great talking about old times. We can continue our conversation tomorrow. I’ll see you to your room.”
By the time Jonathan entered his room he was shaking. He poured a large glass of brandy and drank it down in three gulps. He hated needing the damned brandy, but he just couldn’t seem to go very long without it. Maybe it was time to try something stronger. He looked through his liquor cabinet and found a bottle of scotch whiskey. He drank a large glass of it and felt the immediate warmth as it made its way into his body.
Ah, yes, that was much better.
Jonathan could feel his pain ease up just a little. Since he had told Hatton to not wait up for him, he undressed, put on his banyan, and sank down into his chair as he continued to drink the whiskey. Eventually he passed out in the chair.
Hatton woke him up the next morning and immediately handed him his restorative beverage. He didn’t say anything to him, but Jonathan knew Hatton was disappointed when he bent over, picked up the empty whiskey bottle, and sighed deeply.
Jonathan and Jenkins went fishing that morning as planned. They didn’t catch many fish, but they enjoyed each other’s company tremendously. They laughed and joked, and it felt as if they were young again, before war had gotten in the way.
That night they went into town and visited Madame Angela’s House of Pleasure. Jonathan picked out a luscious, tall, slender, blonde-haired woman and spent half the night having great sex. He decided that coming to Madame Angela’s was much better than having a mistress. Mistresses always wanted to talk, and they were just too damned expensive. Here it was all just mindless sex, which was all he wanted anyway.
For the next three days, Jonathan and Jenkins went fishing during the day and to Madame Angela’s at night. It was the most enjoyable time he’d had in years. Jenkins left on Friday, and Jonathan was sorry to see him go, but Jenkins needed to get back to his estate, and Roderick was due to arrive the next day.
Roderick and his family arrived the following day in time for tea. There was an entire entourage because they also brought the children’s governess, Allison’s maid, and Roderick’s valet. Once they had the children settled, everyone went down to tea. Since it was only family, Elaine was allowed to participate. Jonathan looked at his brother and said, “I’m so pleased that you were able to come for a visit. How have you been lately?”
Roderick sat down and took a plate of sandwiches from Allison. “I was glad you wanted us to come. We’ve been spending quite a bit of our time out on our new yacht. The weather has been superb this summer, and I dread it when it gets too cool to take her out anymore. Allison loves it as much as I do, and we’ve even taken the children out a few times. I wish you would come over so I can take you out. I know you’d enjoy it.”
Jonathan sat back in his chair and took a sip of his tea. “I know you love being out on the sea, but I’ve always had problems with seasickness, so I think I’ll pass. How long can you stay? I would like to spend some time with Frankford. After all, he is my heir.”
Roderick looked over at Jonathan and sighed. “You’re welcome to spend time with him, but I wish you would reconsider your decision about marriage. Marriage has been the best decision of my life.” Roderick turned to Allison and said, “Isn’t that right, my dear?”
“I hope you feel that way!” Allison replied, with delight dancing in her light-blue eyes. Then she looked over at Jonathan and asked, “Do you think we could go into Bath on Monday? We would like to visit the city while we’re here. The shopping is so much better than in Bristol. I would also like to visit the Pump Room, just to see who’s in town, of course. I can’t stand the mineral water, even though I know everyone drinks it. Oh, and I would like to go to the assembly rooms on Wednesday night, if that would be convenient?”
“Whatever you’d like to do is fine with me. We can definitely go on Monday. I might like to take the waters myself. They could help my knee. I’m free to go to the assembly rooms on Wednesday as well. I remember how much you like to dance.”
After tea, Jonathan took Roderick to his study so they could talk. Jonathan poured both of them a glass of brandy.
Once they had taken their seats, Roderick said, “I know that you’re set in your mind to never marry, but I hate that you’ve allowed Susannah to have so much power over you. She was a shallow, conceded bitch. Please don’t let what she did to you ruin your chance at happiness.”
Jonathan glared at Roderick. “God, you’re worse than our elderly aunt was! And I’m not giving power to that bitch!”
“I’m sorry, I don’t want to make you angry, but you’ve been through so much, and you deserve to have some contentment in your life. I’ve watched you through the years, ever since Waterloo. If you keep drinking, carousing around with your reprobate friends, and debauching women, you’ll end up a bitter old man or die before your time. How many mistresses have you had over the last eight years anyway?”
“To be honest with you, I can’t even tell you. I lost count a long time ago. I just got rid of my last one, and I’ve decided to do without one in the future. Now if I want sex, I’ll just go to a house of pleasure instead. I drink…because it helps the pain. I carouse with my friends…to keep the boredom away. You know that.”
“I know you believe that, but Jonathan, marriage would be good for you. You deserve to have someone in your life that could give you comfort.”
“I know your views on marriage, but I don’t have anything to give to a woman. Look at me! I have to walk with a cane, and I can’t dance. What woman’s going to want me?” Jonathan felt his blood begin to boil the more they talked about the subject. He
pulled at the neck of his cravat, which suddenly felt too tight. “Besides, I’m too set in my ways. I could never marry some silly young debutante. I wish you would just accept my decision and drop it.”
“Sorry, I don’t want us to fight over this. I’ll drop the subject. Frankford, by the way, is thrilled that you want to spend time with him. That was all he talked about the whole way here. I hope you know what you’re getting into with him. He’s a very rambunctious lad and can be hard to handle at times. Maybe I should go with you tomorrow when you take him fishing after church.”
“We’ll be fine. I just think it’s important that Frankford gets to know me. In a few years, I’ll be teaching him about managing the marquessate. He’ll be more receptive if he knows me. Since I’ll never have a son of my own, he’ll have quite a bit of responsibility when he grows up. I want to help him be ready for it. Father used to spend quite a bit of time with me, and I want to do the same for Frankford. You’re welcome to come along with us tomorrow if you think that would be better. After all, I am a cripple, and I wouldn’t want anything to happen and then not be able to get to him fast enough.”
Roderick looked directly into Jonathan’s eyes. “I’m sure you’d manage just fine. I’m more concerned that Frankford will irritate you with all his nonsense. He’s only six years old and all boy. You can remember what we were like at that age.”
“All right, we’ll all go tomorrow. Well, I think I’ll go up to my rooms. It’s time for Hatton to treat my knee. It’s going to rain tonight. I can always tell when it’s going to rain when my knee starts bothering me more than usual. See you at dinner.” Roderick and Jonathan stood up and left the study. Jonathan went to his room, and Roderick went to find Allison.
Everyone was in a jovial mood at dinner that night. After the meal ended, Allison entertained Roderick and Elaine by singing as Jonathan played the pianoforte. It had been years since he’d played and he quite enjoyed it. Allison had a beautiful soprano voice, and it was such a pleasure to hear her again.