by Lucy Langton
And so, this was how the days were spent for Fitz. He was content to do so and found neither pleasure nor pain in his daily activities. Instead, he was simply at peace with himself and his choices, filling the void in his heart with work and exercise.
The sound of laughing children broke through Fitz’s concentration. At first, he wondered if he was simply hearing things like an echo from his past. But when the sound happened again, he could no longer ignore it and remain in his study. Fitz set down his letters of business and rose from the burgundy wing-backed chair.
He rounded the large mahogany desk and crossed the study, passing an empty fireplace and shelves lined with the history of his family. As he poked his head out of the open doorway, he peered down the main hallway of his estate till he could catch a peek at the foyer. And there, he spotted a most unexpected sight.
Running his fingers through his long, brown hair, Fitz made haste as he walked down the hallway towards the family he hadn’t expected to see till the holiday season, when the upper-class families of Town would leave their townhouses in search of the warmth of their country estates. Therefore, Fitz wasn’t sure why the Douglas family was at his home, and he only hoped that all was well. But as he neared the foyer, he spotted everyone in company. His best friend, Lord Michael Douglas was accompanied by his darling wife, Lady Douglas, and their three children. All seemed to be as it should be, but that didn’t answer the question of why they were all here.
“My goodness, what a pleasant surprise,” Fitz spoke up as the footman helped them out of their cloaks and coats. The small children seemed to enjoy teasing the footman when the young man was only doing as instructed.
“Fitz, my dear friend. How are you these days?” Lord Douglas asked as he embraced Fitz, slapping him on the back in a boisterous way. Fitz couldn’t help smiling and returning the gesture.
“My days are bright and full of joy now that you’ve come to pay me a visit,” Fitz said as he tried to maintain his smile. He hadn’t done much smiling since last he was with his best friend and accompanying family. He felt a little out of practice when it came to being joyful and a considerate host.
“You’ll have to forgive me for not writing about our arrival. We were headed to Bath and wanted to surprise you for a short visit,” Lord Douglas explained as he turned towards his wife. “Lady Douglas has been quite fatigued lately, and I thought a nice vacation from Town would help her condition.”
“Are you sure you are not with child again?” Fitz asked with a laugh. Lady Douglas chuckled in reply as she raised her gloved hand and covered her mouth.
“It is truly possible, but I won’t know for sure for some time. The idea of spending the Season away from Town sounded like the best way to relax,” Lady Douglas explained.
“There I cannot fault you,” Fitz spoke then. “I have never had an aptitude for dealing with the Ton during a Season.”
“I don’t believe anyone truly can,” Lord Douglas added.
“Well then, come into the sitting room. I’ll have Mrs Stanley bring in a tea tray with some delicious tarts to help you recover from your travels. The footmen will bring in your things and I’ll have Mrs Stanley see that all your things are unpacked for your stay,” Fitz said as he gestured to the sitting room.
“Your Grace, will there be strawberry tarts?” came the voice of little Michael, Lord Douglas’ first son. Fitz couldn’t help chuckling at the adorable question the small child proposed.
“I do believe I can put in a special request for the young master,” Fitz replied to the child. “Do you suppose there might be other requests?” The children all talked excitedly as they walked into the sitting room. Fitz didn’t often occupy the space because it had been decorated by Marian herself. As they all became settled, Fitz tried to listen to what the children were looking forward to doing during their stay, but his eyes drifted around the room.
The sage coloured carpet was still plush underneath his boots. The walls had been papered from designs ordered from a French merchant. The colours of crème and emerald matched well with the carpet and the curtains that hung over the windowpanes. Thankfully they’d been opened, letting in the sun as it rose in the east.
Elegant furniture was positioned throughout the room, chairs and settees made of light oak with fabric in hues of green and blue. Marian had commented that she wanted it to feel like the gardens that were just outside the door of the sitting room. Now, all Fitz felt was the memory of finding Marian deceased right outside this room.
“Come now, children. Don’t pester the Duke with such demands,” came Lord Douglas’ voice, breaking Fitz from the memory.
“Yes, my dears,” Fitz said as he forced a smile upon his face and turned his attention to them once more. “You must instead write down all of these wonderful demands so that I might review them with my evening port and make sure they happen come morning.” The children squealed excitedly, and as Mrs Stanley came in with a tea tray with plenty of different tarts, he requested some writing paper and graphite pencils for the children to use.
“Oh dear, I think they shall become quite messy using the graphite,” Lady Douglas spoke up as she looked down at her children.
“Whether ink or graphite, they are bound to make a mess,” Lord Douglas said in a way to comfort his wife. “They are children, after all.” Fitz chuckled at the comment, thinking the children couldn’t really hurt anything. They could be washed before dinner and their clothes before morning. He always enjoyed indulging the children whenever Lord Douglas came to visit. It was the least he could do with the amount of wealth he had stored in his coffers.
The moment Mrs Stanley returned with the items, the children went to go sit around a small writing table as they began their lists with the help of Lady Douglas. Fitz always considered the woman to be a fantastic mother, and as he and Lord Douglas sat together by the large granite fireplace, he thought that she hadn’t lost her touch in lovingly guiding her children.
“How have you been these past few months we’ve been away?” Lord Douglas spoke up, bringing Fitz’s attention back to him.
“I am fine, Michael,” Fitz said, hoping to be as honest as possible. “I occupy my time with healthy behaviour, and I stay away from vices that would cause my downfall.”
“You’ve always been a reasonable man,” Lord Douglas admitted. “But you’ve seen how happy I’ve become since having children. I would wish that same happiness be felt by my best friend.” Fitz did his best to keep his composure as he looked at his friend. This line of topic always came up when Michael visited. He simply hadn’t expected it to come up so soon after just arriving.
“I like to think that marriage and children have made you a different man since Cambridge,” Fitz said, trying to avoid the conversation. “Who would have thought that the Loveless Earl would one day be a happy father.” Lord Douglas laughed openly. He no doubt remembered his schoolhouse nickname when they both attended Cambridge together and first became close friends.
“You are correct, Fitz. I had never imagined marrying when I had such ambitions for business. I turned down any female company or attempts from eligible young ladies. It was my darling that really brought the best out of me.”
Lord Douglas turned and looked at his wife then. They shared a tender look; one Fitz could remember sharing with his own wife. It was the look of mutual love and adoration that Fitz desperately missed. Though he always enjoyed when Michael came to visit him, it was like a double-edged sword. He enjoyed spending time with this family, but the love they had for one another often reminded Fitz of what he’d lost.
The rest of the afternoon was spent eating tarts, as well as a variety of things to help the travellers recover from their journeys. As Michael had explained, the fatigue of the day eventually became too much for Lady Douglas, and she retired to her bedchamber for a short rest.
Fitz was happy to oblige the couple and took the three boys outside to play a game of hide and seek in the gardens. The young company br
ought new life out of Fitz, and he indulged in it, forgetting his responsibilities and the letters in his study. Instead, he focused on these short moments of joy.
Chapter 2
When the evening meal was through, and everyone was completely filled from the seven-course meal that Fitz had asked Cook to prepare for the special occasion, Lady Douglas took the children to bed. Cook, even though an older woman in her forties, was always happy to appease her master and didn’t speak ill of the large, sudden task at hand.
All the servants seemed to be in higher spirits with the young family filling the halls with the sound of youthful laughter. Lord Douglas and his family were the only ones that ever paid Fitz a visit. Sometimes Marian’s sister, Natale, would pay him a small visit, but those were few and far between. He wasn’t even sure about Marian’s only living relative anymore yet gave little concern for the thought.
With the night in full swing, Fitz sat with Michael in his study as they enjoyed their evening port. Fitz had a true smile on his face as he looked over the lists the three boys had made about fun things they’d enjoy doing during their stay.
“How long are you planning to stay before continuing west to Bath?” Fitz asked before taking a small sip of his port. He drank very little and usually only with Michael when he visited.
“A few days, at least. I want my wife to rest fully before we travel by carriage once more,” Lord Douglas explained.
“Then it seems we shall go fishing tomorrow, followed by a walk through the woods that little Madison thinks is haunted,” Fitz said with a chuckle. Lord Douglas raised his eyebrows as Fitz handed over the youngest boy’s paper. As the father read his son’s note, he couldn’t help laughing boisterously, causing Fitz to join him.
“I have no idea why he’d think of the woods of Chatham are haunted,” Lord Douglas said once his mirth had subsided. “The imagination of young children.” Fitz took the note back. He was excited to treat the three young boys, for it had been some time since he’d been fishing. Always Lord Douglas brought his family in the fall or winter months, but during the spring months, they had many more options to plan fun outings.
“You have always been good with children,” Lord Douglas spoke up. “The excitement I see on your face as you talk to my boys and the way you are now, planning these outings. You could truly out beat me as a doting father.” Fitz gave his friend a pleasant smile as he set the notes aside. He couldn’t disagree with his friend, but he also didn’t want to agree. That would require him to remarry, and that was something he hadn’t thought about since the funeral.
“They are good boys,” Fitz offered, thinking that it was simply his duty as a humble host to show his guests a pleasant time. “There will come a day, sooner than expected, when the boys will be old enough to begin their studies. They should have a memorable childhood.”
“It is more than that, Fitz,” Lord Douglas said in a pleading voice. “I know you are not keen on this subject, but in order to have children of your own, you must consider remarrying.”
Fitz fixed his eyes on his friend, trying not to say or do anything to put him off. He didn’t want to anger Michael or upset him in any way. He was his only friend, and he didn’t want to lose him, too. But he also couldn’t agree with Michael. Though he’d longed for a large family with plenty of children to raise, that dream had vanished along with Marian.
“Though I can at least agree to the idea of having children and becoming a father, the thought of returning to Town to attend a Season is what keeps me rooted at home,” Fitz confessed. He disliked Town because it was often overbearing and unrealistic.
At least in the country, he didn’t have to worry about what other people thought about him or deal with any rumours circulating about him. Far away from Town, he didn’t have to worry about high society and all of their social functions.
“Then do things the traditional way. Agree to an arranged marriage if only to produce an heir and keep the Mavis family line alive. Then, you’ll have someone to be the Duke of Chatham when you pass away. It will be someone you’ve raised and taught, and not just some random Earl who’s persuaded the King to choose for your successor,” Lord Douglas suggested.
“Come now, Michael. Surely, you’d like the dukedom for yourself to pass on to one of your sons. After all, you can only have one heir,” Fitz said with a smirk.
“That is my only fear as the father of three boys and an earl. That one day they’ll fight over my title,” Lord Douglas said with a sigh. “I wish they could stay small forever and I shall become immortal.” It was Fitz’s turn to laugh boisterously, thinking that only a truly loving father would say such a thing.
“Well then. Let’s hope that if I do ever remarry that I shall produce three daughters so that our two families might become joined and no one shall need to fight for anything,” Fitz said once his laughter had died down once more.
“I agree that it would surely do the trick,” Lord Douglas said. “But seriously, Fitz. You could have an arranged marriage with a young lady of decent birth and connections. Someone pleasant enough not to cause you any more trouble than she’s worth. And when you have a carriage full of your own children, it shall all become worth it to you in the end if only to have the joy you have with my boys in your daily life.”
“And to whom do you suppose I should write to make such an arrangement?” Fitz asked, thinking that this plan would be of no use to him. It almost seemed as terrible as the idea of going to Town for a Season.
“Write to the lords in your own area,” Lord Douglas said with a shrug of his shoulders. “You have a decent neighbourhood with at least a dozen worthy families. Write to those you are already familiar with, who are close by, and enquire of which lords have eligible daughters. Be plain and frank, that you seek a wife to carry on your lineage. No one would dare say anything against that borne responsibility.”
Fitz thought about Michael’s words for a moment. It was a feasible and logical plan. It was an idea that had been used time and time again to secure strong family lines. And though it would probably appear strange that he was writing to these lords after very little communication over the last few years, perhaps they would overlook that little fact for the prospect of marrying their daughter to a very wealthy duke.
“My position in society makes me a very eligible gentleman. I doubt this task would be very difficult from my position. It depends on the number of eligible young ladies in the area,” Fitz spoke, trying to see this as a matter of business instead of a personal matter.
Perhaps if he kept to this line of thinking then he might be able to produce an heir without becoming emotional attached to the woman. He couldn’t risk another heartbreak if something were to happen to his second wife.
“That is the correct way to look at it,” Lord Douglas said with a nod. “Any father would be eager to have you as a son-in-law. You shall either have every lord in the area knocking on your door, or, you’ll discover for yourself if there is a lack of eligible young ladies in this area.”
Fitz could only nod as he looked back down at the notes the young boys had written. He was still eager to spend the following day with them, doing things that used to bring him so much joy. He liked the idea of having children of his own to one day spend days like that with.
He’d teach them all sorts of things, from fishing to how to ride a horse. Fitz very much liked the idea of this, even though he almost loathed the idea of marrying and having to bed a woman he could not love. Perhaps it was all for the better that I never fall in love again, Fitz thought as he settled on his decision.
“When you leave for Bath, I will construct these letters to the lord I know of in the neighbourhood. I shall then write to you if I have any success in the matter,” Fitz announced. Lord Douglas smiled brightly as he picked up his glass of port and held it in the air.
“To the future Duchess of Chatham and all the children you shall one day have,” Lord Douglas toasted as he leaned his head back and downed his d
rink. Not wanting to be rude, Fitz took a sip from his own glass. Even with the decision made, he did not feel excited about it like he did about spending the day fishing with the young boys. He didn’t want to dread the idea either, not wanting to become a disrespectful husband. He understood that couples were married all the time through arranged marriages and lived decent lives. He understood that love wasn’t always present in some marriages. But having experienced a deep connection with Marian, he knew of the possibilities. Now he needed to come to terms with his sense of duty over his heart’s wants to finally be healed.