London Loves - Book 3 - Love's Great Adventure Series

by Theresa Troutman

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “This is yours now. It’s a family heirloom. I’ll have no children to pass it on to. It belongs to the Earl of Sutton. Maybe one day you and Tess will have a son.”

  “Penny…”

  “Please take it, Sebastian,” she pleaded, cutting him off. “You know I’m right. The longer I wear it, the harder it will be to take it off. I need to find the strength to move on.”

  “Oh, Pen,” he muttered, placing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to his body.

  “We should be going if you’re going to make your meeting.”

  “Will you be okay?”

  “I have to be okay, don’t I?”

  The lobby of the Grosvenor House Hotel was opulent yet understated. The marble floor was shined to perfection. A large round mahogany table displayed an elegant floral arrangement. Sebastian noticed Victoria and Sigourney sitting in the plush red velvet chairs next to the fireplace. They looked up as he approached. Glancing at this Rolex, he noticed the time: it was noon. As if on cue, Martin Christopher Baker exited the lift and walked over to meet them.

  “Thank you for meeting me,” Martin said, rubbing his thumb against his palm.

  “We’re curious to hear what you have to say,” Sigourney announced.

  “Maybe we could move into the bar and sit at a table.”

  “Fine by me,” Sebastian muttered, eager for a scotch even though it was only noon.

  They sat at a round table with high-backed seats to give them privacy. The girls ordered mimosas while Martin requested scotch—neat. Sebastian begrudgingly ordered the same. After the drinks were delivered, Martin was the first to take a sip. He glanced up at his children and sighed. “I’m sorry for Max’s loss. It’s never easy to see someone die young, and it is even harder when it’s your child.”

  Victoria almost snorted her champagne in a very unladylike manner. “Pardon me, but you made the decision to leave us. I don’t think you have any right to mourn or ask for our sympathy.”

  Sebastian sat back in his seat, surprised by his sister’s outburst. She sounded a little too much like Lily, and it unnerved him. The only consolation was that Sebastian actually agreed with Victoria.

  Martin wearily ran his fingers through his graying hair. “I am truly sorry for the pain I caused you children. I didn’t want to leave you. I had no choice.”

  “You always have a choice,” Victoria seethed.

  “I wish there was a way to turn back time, but what’s done is done.”

  “Precisely. And I choose not to listen to your excuses anymore. What you did only shows you are a coward, and I have no respect for you.” With that, Victoria stood from the table and left the room.

  Martin turned his attention to Sigourney. She gazed back, her mouth in a hard line and her eyes unreadable.

  “I’ve not been a perfect father, Sigourney. I know this. I’m just asking for an opportunity to get you know again.” He swallowed hard and extended his hand. “Hello, I’m Martin.”

  Sigourney reached for his hand and accepted his greeting. “Hello, Martin.”

  Sebastian smiled at his sister. She always was the easygoing one—the peacemaker; it didn't surprise him that she would be the one to extend the olive branch.

  “So tell me about your life, Martin?” she asked with great curiosity.

  And so Martin began to tell the story of how he became an ex-pat, living in Greece, meeting his partner, Colette. He admitted that he kept tabs on the children as they grew, attended university, and sought careers. He finished his scotch as he finished his commentary and pushed the glass away. “Victoria was right: I am a coward and I do have a choice. I want to make this up to you both, if you’ll give me the chance.”

  “That’s a little difficult to do from Corfu,” Sebastian reminded.

  Sigourney reached over and touched Sebastian’s hand. “Everyone deserves a second chance, Sebastian.”

  Sebastian conceded with a nod of his head. He had changed his life, and it wouldn’t have happened without people who were willing to give him the opportunity to change. Maybe now was the time to pay it forward and give someone else the benefit of the doubt. Sebastian leaned forward and shook Martin’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Martin.”

  Chapter 27 - Conflicting Emotions

  Sebastian and Tess lay in bed talking about their day. “I miss you guys,” Tess admitted. “I’m sorry things have been so crazy at the office and I have to work late. Thank God I have you to take care of Mattie.”

  “Are you happy?”

  “I’m happy. I just miss you.” She snuggled closer. “I worry about you, Bas. With everything that is happening: Max, your father, the earldom…Are you happy?”

  “As long as I have you and Mattie, I’m happy.” He kissed the top of her head. “I do admit I’m feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment.”

  “How so?”

  “The will is read tomorrow. Martin wants absolution. Penny is grieving. I have to make a decision on what to do with Max’s office and secretary. Ugh, I could really use your organizational skills right now. I don’t see any way to handle this other than to quit my job at the gallery.”

  “But you love it there!” she exclaimed, propping her head up on her hand to make eye contact with her husband.

  “I suppose I’ll know more after tomorrow. I have no idea what it takes to run an estate and support the charities that Max did. How can I possibly do it all and care for Mattie? I won’t hire a Nanny, Tess. You know how I feel about that.”

  “I wish I could go with you to meet the lawyer tomorrow.”

  “You’ve missed too much work already. I’ll be fine.”

  Tess tilted her head and kissed Sebastian on the lips. “It seems the only time we get to talk anymore is in bed, late at night.”

  He let out a long, slow breath and his chest contracted under Tess’ touch. “We’ll figure this out, right?”

  “Of course we will. We’ve dealt with worse. We can handle this, too,” she reassured him.

  “Martin and Colette want to have dinner at The Ivy before they fly out on Saturday. Do you think you can make an eight o’clock dinner on Friday night? I’ve asked Penny if she’d watch Mattie.”

  “Yes, I should be able to do that. I can always work on Saturday. Are you sure it’s a good thing to leave Mattie with Penny?”

  “I think it’s probably the best thing for her right now. Pen interacts with Mattie and Mattie gets her to eat. They’ve become quite the team.”

  “How much longer do you think we should stay here in her house? I want to be here to support in any way I can, but I miss our home.”

  “I know, darling. I need to talk with Pen. I’ll do it tomorrow after the will reading.”

  At ten o’clock the next day, Lily, Sebastian, Victoria, Sigourney, and Penny sat in the lawyer’s conference room awaiting the reading of the will. It brought back memories of Nanny, and Sebastian longed to have Tess by his side, but she was at work. There was no time for self-pity; Penny needed him to be strong. The lawyer shuffled into the room, impeccably dressed in a gray pinstriped suit and flanked by an assistant.

  “Thank you all for coming,” he said, sitting down at the head of the table and opening a file. Without further ado, he began to read the will.

  All shares of Irons Electronics where bequeathed to Victoria. This now made her equal partners with Lily. Sebastian was more than grateful to not have anything to do with the company, and it was fitting for Victoria to have them since she would one day run the company.

  Lily was bequeathed the Mayfair townhouse. Sigourney was bequeathed the cottage in the South of France.

  As the lawyer began to read the part of the will that involved Penny, she nervously reached for Sebastian’s hand. “To my loving wife Penelope, I leave the sum of one million pounds.”

  Lily held her head high, annoyed at the announcement.

  Penny leaned her head on Sebastian’s shoulder. �
�I’d rather have Max back instead of the money,” she softly whispered to Sebastian.

  “Lastly, to Sebastian Irons, I bequeath Sutton Castle, my collection of cars, all heirlooms and family positions of the Earl of Sutton, and the sum of three million pounds to run the estate and care for its workers.”

  Sebastian’s mouth opened in disbelief. If Lily seemed annoyed before, now she looked downright indignant. Penny glanced at Sebastian and gave him a slight smile while squeezing his hand.

  The lawyer had papers for each person to sign and then they were free to go. Sebastian almost made it out the exit before Lily cornered him. “You must be very pleased,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain.

  “I’m not pleased at all. I never wanted any of this, but now it’s my responsibility.” He buttoned his coat as the cold December air blew through the open door. “You can have a wing of the castle, but I don’t want you to step foot on the grounds when I’m there. I’ll have Max’s secretary ring your secretary to set up a schedule.”

  “You can’t do this to me. Sutton castle is my home.”

  “It’s my home now, and you are no longer welcome there when my family is present. If you can’t live with that, I’ll call a mover today and have your things removed at once,” he coolly replied. Threading Penny’s arm though his, he said, “Are you ready to go?”

  She silently nodded and they walked out onto the street and hailed a cab before Lily could utter another word.

  Inside the warm cab, Penny turned to Sebastian and said, “I’m so sorry this all falls on you now.”

  He shrugged, resigned to his fate. “Would you be up to helping me sort through all this mess? The estate, the charities, the staff—you must have some idea how to handle it.” He sighed and then quickly added, “But if it’s too painful, I understand.”

  “Of course I’ll help you. What else do I have to do?” she replied, full of melancholy. “By the way you just put Lily in her place, you’ll be fine.”

  It was a short cab ride to Westminster and Max’s office. They disembarked and entered the building. Max’s secretary was dutifully seated at her desk, opening correspondence. Sebastian didn’t know if he would continue to need an assistant but didn’t want to put the poor woman out of a job, so he kept her on—business as usual. “Mr. Irons and Mrs. Irons, can I get you some tea or coffee?”

  “Tea, please,” Penny replied.

  “Same here,” Sebastian agreed. “After tea, we need to talk about Max’s schedule. Bring your notes and calendar.”

  The secretary nodded and began collecting the information while Sebastian and Penny walked into Max’s office. Taking the seat behind Max’s desk, he looked out over the desktop, neat and organized, with no clutter. That was Max. His wedding photo stood on the corner in a sterling silver frame, recalling happier times. “If there is anything here you want to take, Pen, it’s yours.”

  She picked up the photo and smiled. “That was the best day of my life. Do you ever think I’ll be happy again?”

  “Yes, I do. It may not be right away, but I think you will find happiness again,” he replied in all earnest.

  “Then I just have to believe that, or there’s no point in going on,” she murmured.

  The secretary entered the room with a tea service and poured them each a cup. Sebastian thanked her. Pulling the calendar on Max’s desk in front of him, he picked up a pen and prepared for the onslaught of note-taking.

  Two hours later, his head was spinning. They’d covered the charities Max chaired and the causes they supported. Penny was a big help with information on this front. Sebastian was astounded by the information regarding the castle and grounds—the upkeep and bills and the staff. He would definitely be leaving his job at the gallery. Running the castle seemed like running a small corporation, and the cost was astronomical. No wonder Max left him three million pounds to run it. The next call Sebastian would have to make was to Mr. Hume to have him run over the financials and see if there was any way he could invest the money to make a profit and keep the staff employed for many years to come.

  Later that evening, Sebastian took Mattie to McDonald’s for dinner because Tess was working late again. They sat in a booth, eating cheeseburgers. “Did you have a good day, Daddy?”

  “Not particularly, Mattie. Did you enjoy your play date with Michael after school?”

  “Yes,” she replied, sipping her milk. “Why are you sad?”

  “I miss Uncle Max. I feel bad for Aunt Penny. Now that Uncle Max is gone, I have to take over his job.”

  “So you have to take Aunt Penny to charity balls now?”

  Sebastian looked at his daughter and smiled. Oh, if it were only that simple. Someday she would understand. Hell, she’d have a front row seat. “No, Mattie. I now own the castle and need to take care of the people who work there.”

  “We get to live in the castle!” she exclaimed.

  “Only on the weekends, when you aren’t in school,” Sebastian explained.

  “I want to live there now. Can’t I go to another school?”

  “Wouldn’t you miss your friend Michael?”

  The child pouted. “Yes.”

  “I not sure what we’ll do next. I have to talk to Mummy about it.”

  “She gives good advice.”

  “That she does,” he agreed. “Now finish your meal so we can get home.”

  Chapter 28 - By My Side

  Tess walked through the front door of Penny’s townhouse around nine o’clock in the evening. Exhausted, she set her briefcase on the floor in the hallway and walked into the parlor. She found Sebastian poring over documents and a notebook.

  He looked up when she entered the room. “Hello, darling.”

  “Hey,” she replied with a smile as she walked over to join him on the sofa. Looking down at the papers, she grimaced. “That looks menacing.”

  “I’m not having much fun, I can vouch for that.”

  “What is all this?”

  “Max’s info regarding a dozen charities, the household budget for the castle, and a list of its employees and job descriptions.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. Tess grabbed all the paperwork from his hands and placed it on the coffee table. Next, she sat on her husband’s lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you.”

  He kissed her, and in that one move he found solace. The kiss deepened; their tongues caressed in a slow, languid motion. Pulling apart with a labored breath, he said, “I don’t want to talk right now. I just want to make love to you.”

  “Hmm, that sounds wonderful.” Tess stood from her husband’s lap and took his hand, escorting him up the stairs to their temporary bedroom.

  Inside their cozy room, they undressed one other. Piece by piece, the layers were stripped until they were naked. “I’ve missed you so much,” he murmured, running his hand down her spine until he reached had cupped her gorgeous ass. Next he walked her backwards until the backs of her knees hit the edge of the mattress.

  Tess sat down and dragged her fingertips along his well-defined, smooth chest. “I miss you more,” she told him before leaning in and kissing the tip of his erection.

  “I like that. It feels so good.” Sebastian tilted his head back and closed his eyes, concentrating on the heady sensation of her lips that were now wrapped around his cock. Between the exhaustion and the excitement he was feeling, Sebastian wasn’t sure how much longer he could remain standing. He pulled away from his wife and moved her body to the center of the bed. Lying of top on her, he kissed her jaw and then moved along her neck and then down to her breasts, licking, nipping, and kneading them until Tess let out a low moan that let him know he was having the desired effect.

  “Please—now,” she pleaded, knotting her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

  His mind wandered back to the time they first lived together and their spectacular honeymoon, when sex was something they seemed to do every day. Now sex was infrequent and quick because life ju
st seemed to take over. He granted her request and eased inside her. Tess was his home, and as long as he remembered this, everything else would work itself out. Tess let out a short, quick gasp, and then he felt her muscles tighten around his cock as she climaxed. Feeling her come undone around him sent him over the edge.

  Tess let out a small yawn that she covered with her hand. “So tired,” she said, wrapping her arms around her husband as he lay his head on her breast.

  “Sleep now, Tess.”

  The alarm clock buzzed incessantly and Sebastian blindly reached over and hit it with the palm of his hand to turn it off. Tess squirmed underneath him, unhappy to have her slumber disturbed.

  “Darling, get up. We need to shower,” Sebastian coaxed with a little nudge.

  “Hmm—together?” she asked in a quiet voice as she slowly opened her eyes.

  “Can’t think of a better way to start the day, can you?”

  Tess sat up in bed and stretched her hands above her head, the white sheet falling onto her lap, revealing her naked breasts. “Okay.”

  “You keep that up and I’ll ring the office and tell them you are sick so we can spend the day in bed,” he threatened.

  “That sounds like heaven,” she wistfully replied, getting out of bed. “But we have your father’s dinner tonight and we need to get Mattie off to school.”

  “No-nonsense Hamilton returns,” he pouted, also getting out of bed.

  They walked into the bathroom and Tess started the shower. She stepped in first, and Sebastian followed. Taking the handheld shower nozzle from her, he began to wet her skin and then her hair. “Aren’t you tired of all the responsibility? Don’t you ever just want to say dash it all and be free?”

  “It a lovely thought, Bas, but it’s not realistic.” Tess took the shower nozzle from her husband and began to wet his skin.

  “I know,” he muttered, relaxing under the stream of hot water. “I feel like the bloody mayor of London, complete with budgets and payrolls. I wish we were back in New York.”