by Cari Hislop
“Excuse me Your Grace…”
Geoffrey scowled as another relative disturbed his morbid thoughts. The young man looked similar to almost every other Stratton; tall, slender with black hair and haunting beautiful features.
“Yes?” It was a curt unfriendly word.
“My father has sent me on behalf of my deceased mother, your Aunt Emily, to personally give you the family’s regard and good wishes at this happy time.”
“And which cursed impoverished cousin might you be?”
“Jonathan Grey at your service…”
“Couldn’t you afford to have your clothes washed? You smell like a horse. If you were hoping to engender my pity and procure an offer to pay your laundry bills it isn’t working.”
“I returned to London last night from Suffolk on horseback Your Grace. I didn’t have time to have them laundered. As a second son of a second son I am undoubtedly poor, but I am not impecunious nor will you ever receive a begging letter from my twig of the family tree. I have employment which affords me roof, soap and two servants.” The younger man’s half-hearted smile was ignored.
“Good!”
The young man’s pleasant expressed hardened as he crossed his arms and impulsively returned the insolent stare. “I’d rather sell myself than beg for your charity. I’d heard the Devil’s Corpse was a dangerous man, but I never imagined you were such a rude bore.”
Geoffrey’s eyes narrowed as the hateful name stabbed him in the heart. His young cousin was either a fool or looking for a bullet. “How old are you boy?”
“Old enough to resent being thought a parasite for doing my duty.”
Geoffrey took a deep breath and asked himself a now familiar question; what would his angel do? She certainly wouldn’t punch the young man or throw him out the front door by the seat of his breeches, but then she wouldn’t have been rude in the face of his good wishes either. He couldn’t even be pleasant to foolish young cousins with more pride than sense. Geoffrey cleared his throat and unfolded his arms and made a formal bow. “I beg your pardon Cousin, I feel like a baited bear this evening. I’ve been waiting hours for my friend. She hasn’t come. Forgive me, I feel like the devil.”
His younger cousin’s eyes went wide with empathy. “I’ve been waiting years for a friend to return my regard. Yesterday she married another man. I left the country for three months and returned to find my dreams in ashes. My good sense has gone begging. Pray forgive my rudeness.”
“It appears were a pair of miserable kindred spirits.” Geoffrey stared into sad blue eyes. “Sophia and Bamford are happy at least. Love does have its winners, I’m just not one of them. At least you’ve lost your sweetheart to a man you could kill.” Geoffrey’s lips twisted in a cynical smile. “Mine is in love with the man I used to be before I woke up with a headache and four missing years.”
“Really? I thought losing Belladonna to Cranston was bad…”
“Cranston? How did you lose a woman to Lord Cranston?”
“I don’t know, but she loves him.”
“No woman could love Cranston, not even his mother. Your Bella must be mad.”
“She thinks him amusing. I’d give my life to see her look at me once the way she looks at him.”
Geoffrey silently repeated the word mad and looked at his young cousin with concern. “You’re not going to blow out your brains are you?”
“Its strong medicine, but it’d be less painful than living.”
“Don’t be a fool. What if there’s a woman right now praying to meet you? Are you going to kill yourself and ruin her happiness?”
“I have a small house with two servants and barely enough rooms, furniture and clothes for them to clean in a day. I doubt there’s a gentlewoman of sense who’d fall in love with me.”
“Perhaps not, but I think you’ve allowed this Belladonna to blind you. You need a woman who doesn’t care about money.” Geoffrey’s mind lit up with a particular possibility. “There’s someone you should meet.” Geoffrey turned to a servant walking past and caught his attention. “Bring me my ward. Tell her I wish her to attend me immediately.”
“I don’t need your charity.”
Geoffrey’s lips cracked into a rusty grin. “I’m not forcing Charity into your arms boy, but you’re in need of a little sunshine. Relax and stop looking at me like I’d force you to be happy.” The two men waited in awkward silence until an exquisite silvery blonde appeared with a beaming smile.
“You wished to see me Your Grace?”
Geoffrey clenched his teeth as the soft warm sunlight emanating from the young woman made him miss his angel. It wasn’t the girl’s fault she was the wrong sister. He couldn’t wait to get rid of her. Purchasing the girl’s freedom as a surprise for Tolerance had become a painful daily scourge. “Yes.” The young woman smiled as if the curt word was a complement. “I wish to introduce you to my cousin. Mr Jonathan Grey…my ward Miss Charity Makepeace.”
The young woman slid into an elegant curtsey. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance Mr Grey. I’ve heard the Duchess speaks of you with fondness. She says you make excellent company.”
“Grey is finding life unpalatable. Take him away and make him see sense.” Johnny Grey didn’t have time to resent his cousin’s interference before the fairy creature wrapped a small hand around his elbow and beamed the full force of her loving heart into his eyes momentarily numbing his usually eloquent tongue. Warmth oozed into his heart resurrecting pleasant memories of his mother.
“Why don’t you want to live Mr Grey?”
“His heart has been damaged by unrequited love.”
“Would it hurt her if you died?”
“Yes.” Jonathan Grey stared into brown compassionate eyes and tried to resist the pleasure of the girl’s nearness, but it was like putting up his hand to extinguish the sun.
“Then you won’t want to do anything as silly as killing yourself. If she loves another, she isn’t going regret loving him, but she’ll feel guilty and may regret knowing and caring about you and that would make your act a double tragedy.”
Johnny Grey glanced at Geoffrey in confusion, but found another frightening smile. “Give her an hour boy and your head will be spinning so fast you won’t remember your date of birth. She’s very much like her elder sister, a living ray of…”
“I merely try to be good and do the right thing though I often fail so please don’t try to advertise me as perfect because I assure you I’m not.”
“As I was saying before being rudely interrupted, my ward is one of those rare creatures who have been abandoned by the angels and forced to live amongst us wicked mortals.”
“My cheeks are on fire Your Grace!” The young woman’s cheeks were bright pink with embarrassment. “Tolerance is the true angel. Isn’t she coming?”
Geoffrey’s misery warred with anger at being asked to verbalise his agony. “Obviously not.”
His ward reached out a hand and gently touched his sleeve, causing him to flinch as if burned. “The evening’s not yet over Your Grace. Knowing Tolerance, she’s probably stopped off to help someone and lost track of time.” The words punctured Geoffrey’s heart. His angel had probably stopped to help some evil blackguard and… He pulled out his pocket watch. It was Eight-fifty-five. Five more minutes and he’d put on his hat and coat and fly off to find his friend.
“I wish to be alone.”
Charity smiled at Jonathan Grey and took hold of his arm with both hands. “I think His Grace wishes us to fly to the devil.” She winked at her scowling guardian and gently pulled her charge away. “You don’t mind if I call you Johnny do you? I’m afraid I detest formal address, though I make an exception for my new guardian. Please call me Charity unless it makes you feel awkward. Some people can’t function without obeying every little social rule, but I’ve never had a problem picking and choosing. You smell of horses. I love the smell of horses. Is there any activity that can make one feel more alive than riding a horse? I suppose kiss
ing a handsome stranger might do it… May I say something fantastical? There’s something about you…I can see you with a pistol in hand saving silly women. As a silly woman I assure you that if you were to save me from some blackguard I’d cheerfully fall into your arms, though please don’t hold that against me. Beautiful men always make me feel light headed, I don’t know why.”
Johnny Grey blinked in shock as he tried to think through the haze of sunlight on the improbability of any woman thinking he did anything for a living let alone nailing down his secret occupation in the first three minutes of meeting him. “You flatter me.”
“Do I? I doubt it. I’m not one inclined to flattery. It tends to stick in my throat.”
“Madam, have you been imbibing champagne? What could possibly lead you to suppose such a…fantastical thing?”
“There’s something mysterious about you. Your cravat could suffer being retied, but you have very intelligent eyes and the muscles of your arm feel like steel. I’d wager my entire fortune of three pounds that after duelling against some villain you could pick me up and carry me up and down this ball room without losing your breath.” Johnny Grey was the only one surprised by his laughter.
Geoffrey listened with relief as the soothing voice faded. The hands of his watch had moved. It was three minutes to nine. Had his friend even got his letter? His shifted his weight to move towards the door, but his way was impeded. “Geoffrey?” Geoffrey’s taut nerves painfully twanged at the sound of his brother’s voice. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump.”
“How courteous of you.”
“I haven’t said one unpleasant thing to you for weeks little brother. You could at least be civil in return.”
Geoffrey looked up at his brother with narrowed eyes, his stomach twisting into a knot. “Yes, I’d noticed your sudden transformation into a kind thoughtful brother. What do you want? Could it be you need a loan to purchase some friends?”
Anger lit up identical pale blue eyes. “You’ve been standing here alone looking stupid all evening. As your brother, I thought I’d come and make polite conversation.”
“How kind of you to sacrifice conversing with more interesting persons to spare me the burden of looking stupid on my own.”
“Insults may cost you dear. Your lovely new toy, I mean ward, seems to be enjoying herself. She’d make a pleasant armful or have you already given her the pox?”
“Charity is a gift for her sister. Touch the child and I’ll kill you.”
“I’m trembling in my dancing slippers. What’s her background? Is her blood any good?”
“Yeoman stock, there’s not even a Baronetcy dangling in the family tree.”
“Pity, she’d make a fine table ornament.”
“You’re old enough to be her father.”
“But I’m not her father and I don’t need your permission to choose a wife. If I wanted her, I’d take her and if you got in the way I’d shoot you.”
“Where’s my kind thoughtful brother now? I wouldn’t give you a dog, let alone my ward.” Geoffrey watched his brother’s face drain of colour and braced himself for a black eye.
“One rule for The Bastard and another for The Worm eh? Go cry yourself to sleep Geoffrey; your ugly friend isn’t coming.”
A suffocating wave of panic momentarily made him mute as he clenched his fists. “What have you done? If you’ve hurt her I’ll…”
His brother theatrically put his hand on his chest. “Your heart must be breaking after all this time…banished from her sunlight for your thoughtless ill manners. Tell me Geoffrey, since when do you deserve an angel?” Geoffrey felt the words like a boot in the stomach. His hateful sneering brother couldn’t possibly know that he called his friend an angel. “I stole your letter. Your grovelling protests of love ended up in my fire.”
“You bastard!”
“What have you ever done to deserve love? You make me look like a saint.”
Neither brother saw their sister approach. “Thomas? Are you tormenting Geoffrey? You know he’s not well.”
“Your precious Geoffrey doesn’t think I’m good enough for his penniless ward. His own brother.”
“And he stole an important letter and ruined my birthday!”
“Did you steal Geoffrey’s letter?” The ballroom paused to listen.
“Don’t be angry Sophie. I wish I hadn’t taken the blasted thing, but I did and I read it. I felt terrible afterwards and I’ve tried to make up for it by being kind to the worm, but he’s a heartless corpse. I’m sorry I took his blasted love letter. I was going to send it on, but I accidentally tore it so I threw it in the fire.”
“Geoffrey, are you going to forgive Thomas for being jealous or snub your only brother?”
Geoffrey looked up into wary repentant pale blue eyes and resisted the impulse to punch the larger man in the face. What would his Sunshine want him to say? “I should have expected the Royal Mail to lose an important letter. I should have sent ten copies to be safe. I’m sorry I called you a bastard. You’re probably Mother’s favourite because your birth was the least painful.”
Sophia smiled as she linked her arm through Thomas’s elbow and nudged him. “I’m sorry I laughed when Father had you thrown out of the house. I thought you’d be back in a week. After a month you looked so hungry and dirty I asked him to end your banishment, but he threatened to throw me out of his life if I mentioned you again. I had no money, no other family.”
Geoffrey was silent for a few minutes as he digested his brother’s words. “I’m sorry I tried to push you out of an upper story window. I was jealous. I thought Mother loved you more.”
“It’s a good thing I was bigger than you. You may be thin, but you were never a weakling. I hope you never really challenge me to a sword fight because I’m forty-three and I feel it. You’d probably run me through.”
“I wouldn’t kill my big brother, I doubt if I could.”
Thomas bowed his head at the compliment and relaxed in relief at being a fully accepted member of the family. “If I ever learn who smashed in your head I’ll kill him.”
Geoffrey shivered as he looked up into face like his father’s, but devoid of hatred. “I know who attacked me. They told me. Unfortunately, I can remember why I deserved it.”
“How’s your head?”
“It hurts.”
“I hope you feel better soon.”
“Thank you.”
Sophia stood on her tiptoes and kissed Thomas on the cheek. “Happy Birthday Geoffrey! Come with me Thomas I have a new friend I want you to meet. She’s old like me, but she thinks you’re handsome. Her father is an impoverished Earl who’s going to die any day and leave her homeless. I’ve told her all about your ruin and she thinks it sounds romantic. She’s a bit scatterbrained, but I’m hoping you’ll fall in love with her…” Geoffrey took a deep breath as his siblings walked away. His head was throbbing, but his insides felt warm and pleasant. He pulled out his watch; six minutes past nine.
Chapter 28
Tolerance bit her lip as she rang the bell. Her dream Geoffrey had reminded her every night for a month that his birthday would be today and that he wanted her to come to his birthday ball by nine. He kept insisting that he’d sent her an invitation, but there’d been no word. The fact her dream Geoffrey had been right, that the real Geoffrey was giving a ball was odd, but it was probably just another strange coincidence. Fearing the bell might not be heard over the music and chattering guests she rang again. A few minutes later the door opened, but before she could explain her task the maid dressed in pale blue gasped in amazement and pulled her inside and shut the door while loudly calling for assistance. Her bonnet, pelisse and gloves were removed with efficient haste as servants whispered back and forth, “The time, the time…the lady in the study…before nine, to please the Devil!”