Algernon stepped forward.
“We must make haste. Sophia will be wondering where I am and if your father refuses to reveal more about this duel then there is little we can do. I must get home to Felicity.”
Brendon gave his father a last look.
“Hold hard and get better, father. I am not ready to take your place as head of the household quite yet. I fully expect you to run things for the next thirty years or so.”
Lord Spencer let out a low laugh.
“Go on with you. I’ll want a weekly report as to what you are doing to set things straight, but now I simply want to sleep.” He yawned widely and closed his eyes.
Algernon and Lucas followed Brendon from the room. Concern etched Lucas’ features.
“He looks awful. I’ve never seen anyone who has been recently shot before. The pain must be terrible.”
Algernon huffed indignantly.
“Thanks for reminding me that you didn’t bother to visit me on either occasion I suffered such wounds. And not wishing to denigrate his Lordship’s suffering, both of my injuries were far more life-threatening than a shoulder wound.”
Lucas pointed at Brendon.
“You can blame him for that. He was like a bloody guard dog. Wouldn’t let anyone near you for weeks after you arrived home from France, and he didn’t bother telling anyone about the incident at Sommersford until it was all over.”
Brendon spoke over his shoulder.
“Only because after receiving the bullet in his leg, he was such a grumpy sod I feared that he would lose all his friends if I let them near him. I didn’t want to risk it the second time it happened. You make a terrible patient, Algernon. Ask either Sophia or my sister. They will vouch for me. You only had to listen to all his whining over a mere headache this morning to know I speak the truth. And he was unconscious for weeks after the incident at Sommersford. There wouldn’t have been any point in you coming merely to gawp over his prone body anyway.”
Algernon raised his fingers to the scab forming over his ear.
“I couldn’t help being unconscious at Sommersford. I barely escaped with my life, and this morning was a lot more than a flipping headache.” He glanced at Lucas. “I was attacked by one of Sophia’s new stone gateposts, and have the scars to prove it. Sophia then attacked me again with a bottle of cheap gin. That woman is the very limit when it comes to nursing care. I swear I can smell the awful stuff in my hair.” He sniffed about, checking.
Lucas squinted towards the matted hair on Algernon’s head and might have said something about it, if he hadn’t walked straight into Brendon’s back.
“Oof! What the devil? Oh, I beg your pardon, Lady Spencer. I didn’t see you there.” He dusted himself off and moved around Brendon to bow over her Ladyship’s hand.
Lady Spencer gave him a small smile.
“Thank you for coming, Lucas. It is kind of you to visit, especially seeing as how late you were up last night. I think you must have been enjoying dancing with Sophia.” Her eyes flicked to her son.
Brendon glowered.
“No, mother. He had stopped dancing and was apparently totally drunk. Hardly the sort of dance partner any well bred young woman such as Sophia would want.”
Lady Spencer sniffed pointedly.
“And you would know all about Sophia’s wants, I take it. Especially as you have seen her so often recently.” The sarcasm was not lost on Brendon, but he chose to ignore it.
“At the moment I am rather more concerned with who would try to kill my father than anyone’s dancing predilections. He still refuses to give me any information and wants me to retreat to Fallows. I’ve said I will go, of course. I can do no other if it eases his mind, but I am not happy about it.”
His mother smiled widely and caught hold of his hands.
“Thank you! I know he has been worried about the place. And you will be near Felicity and Algernon.”
And Sophia, Brendon thought privately.
“We will leave later today. Algernon is keen to go home. It appears he is bewitched by my sister and cannot bear to be parted from her.” He placed his hand over his heart and fluttered his eyelashes at Algernon.
Algernon grinned and spread his hands, admitting his feelings without rancour.
“Well, what if I can’t? I love her and don’t mind admitting it to anyone who cares to ask. I want to return to Sommersford as soon as possible. Brendon can travel with us for part of the way.”
Lucas broke in.
“I’m not going. I have a fight later this week with the Peckham Pulveriser. And I can keep an ear to the ground here. If there is any gossip or news I can send word immediately.”
Brendon nodded.
“Thank you. That sounds like an excellent idea. I cannot believe that there is no gossip already. Someone must have heard something by now. The tongues of the ton must be wagging.”
Algernon took his watch from his pocket.
“You forget that it is only just gone ten in the morning. Half of them will still be abed.” He gave Lady Spencer a bow. “I must leave to help Sophia pack. She hasn’t employed a new footman yet and I know that she and Mrs. Archer will try and move the trunks if I don’t go and assist them.”
Brendon shook his friend’s hand.
“I’ll be at your door at twelve sharp. We’ll stop at the Kings Arms overnight before we part ways on the morrow. I’ll ride over to see you all later in the week, if that is suitable for you.”
Algernon agreed quickly, took leave of Lucas and Lady Spencer, and ran down the stairs. Lucas hovered for only a few moments longer.
“Right, well I’d best be off. Ivan wants me for training later today and I can ask around to see if anyone has any news while I am at the club.”
Brendon sucked in his lip thoughtfully.
“Don’t make it too obvious. If the news is not out yet, then maybe it might be best kept as close as possible. We may tip the other party off to our enquiries if you go blundering in asking questions.”
Lucas looked affronted.
“I was not going to go blundering anywhere! Cheek of it. First you wake me at some ungodly hour, then you bash me on my chin before I have barely opened an eye, and now you insult my intelligence.”
“He did what?” Lady Spencer’s eyes narrowed as she regarded her son.
Brendon withered beneath her gaze and hid his injured knuckles in his coat pocket.
“I’m sorry mother. I don’t know what came over me, but Lucas is being over dramatic. It was a more of a slight tap, and I have already apologized for my transgression.”
She let out a long breath.
“Perhaps it is best that you are going to Fallows. Who knows what will happen here if you find your father’s enemy. You’ll probably end up on the gallows as you refuse to control your temper. And then where would we be!” She pushed past him, nodded quickly at Lucas, and disappeared inside her husband’s bedchamber.
Lucas moved from foot to foot.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to cause an argument.”
Brendon huffed.
“Pity you didn’t keep your mouth shut then. Do you have any idea how difficult this is for me? I am beyond frustrated with my father. I can’t understand why he is being so obstinate about it all.” He ran an agitated hand through his dark hair.
Lucas looked thoughtful.
“Perhaps he’s not telling you because the insult was aimed at you. It seems far more likely that you have offended someone than he, and he knows that you will react badly to any affront, real or imagined.”
Brendon fisted his hands at his sides. He really had tried to think before acting in recent months. Lucas was the first person he had assaulted in a year. But to think that his father might have taken part in a duel because of him didn’t sit well at all. Not that he could recall insulting anyone recently. He stood a little straighter.
“It better not be anything to do with me. I can fight my own battles.”
Lucas clapped a hand on
his friend’s shoulder.
“That’s as maybe but your father has asked you to leave it alone so perhaps that is good advice. At least you are getting away from it all. Sounds as though you are going to be too busy at Fallows to worry about any of this.”
Brendon became thoughtful.
“I was thinking that too. I can’t understand how my father has left it all so long. He could have asked me at anytime in the last year.” He dismissed the fact that his father had been hinting at his son’s responsibilities for the past year, and the fact that his son had ignored all of them. “Why does he insist that I go now when he needs me here? None of this dashed affair makes any sense and sending me to Fallows feels as though he is trying to get rid of me.” Realization dawned. “Good God! He is trying to get rid of me. You were right, the insult must have been about me.”
They came to the head of the stairs. Lucas looked down into the hallway below.
“Well, you have to ask yourself if there is anything to call you out over. You know, like waking people up and thumping them on the chin before they have had time to open their eyes properly...That sort of thing might cause offence to lesser people than me.”
Brendon rolled his eyes.
“Do I have to get on my knees and beg forgiveness, or are you going to go on about it forever?”
Lucas laughed.
“That’s the last I will ever say on the subject. Given your morning, I should be happy that you only struck me once. I don’t know if I would have been half so restrained if anyone had shot my father. But there might be other reasons to insult you. I’ve not seen anything of you for months. Where have you been hiding and what have you been doing all this time? You haven’t been dallying with anyone’s wife or daughter, have you?” He took a quick step back as Brendon swelled. “I see not, and it’s not as though you are in debt or have taken too much opium. Any other secrets we should know about?” He spoke in jest but Brendon’s face became red with anger.
“Absolutely not! I don’t have any secrets.” He said a little too quickly as he shoved his hands in his pockets and crossed his fingers.
Lucas narrowed his eyes for a second but then dipped his head in acknowledgement.
“I believe you. Don’t bother coming down to see me out. You need to go and pack. I’ll be discreet about my enquiries, have no fear. It will be my secret mission for the next few weeks. If I hear anything at all, I’ll send a note.”
Brendon watched as Lucas walked down the stairs and then left through the front door. He turned on his heel and marched back to his own rooms, a black hollow opening in his heart. Sitting on his bed, he stared out through his window. If he leaned to the right, he could see through a window of the neighbouring house. Not that there was anything to see. The place wasn’t occupied at this stage in the season.
He bit the nail of his thumb. Could anyone know? What about his mistress? Had Angelique let her delightfully talented tongue get the better of her? He hoped not. He had kept his shameful secret for years without a single word getting out. There were very few people that knew about it, and they had all been women. Certainly none of his friends knew. His cheeks flush with embarrassment. Did his father now know and rise to his defence. Could his secret be shocking enough for his father to duel over it? Guilt wracked him at the possibility.
A knock at his door startled him and he jumped, his heart pounding as Andrews, his valet came in.
“I heard that you are leaving shortly. Will I be accompanying you?” The man asked.
Brendon stood up and calmed his rapidly beating heart.
“Yes. I can’t imagine there being a valet at Fallows and I’m not yet up to being dressed by a stableman. I’m not sure how long we will be staying there but pack for at least a fortnight.” Taking control made him feel better immediately, but he still needed to speak with Angelique before they left. It was time they parted ways, but Lord knew what he would do if she had spilled his secret. He was likely to strangle her. He sucked in a long breath and strode to the door. “I’ll let you get on with our packing. I have an important meeting to attend before we leave. I’ll be back here at eleven thirty.”
Chapter Five
A Long Journey
Sophia soothed her skirts and tucked her feet beneath the seat. With both her brother and Brendon sitting opposite, their long legs taking up an inordinate amount of space, she had made herself as small as possible, but the carriage still felt overcrowded. The summer shower had kept them both cooped up inside with her, and the atmosphere had become warm and a little stuffy.
“I don’t recall it taking so long when we came last year.” She glanced out of the window and wafted her fan as she watched the passing scenery.
Brendon lolled against the squabs, his fingertip following a raindrop as it ran down the glass. If she would just stop waving her fan about he might be able to think sensibly. As it was, every time she did, a breath of her maddeningly delicate perfume hit him with a force belying its gentle fragrance. So different from Angelique’s brash scent. He breathed in through his mouth before responding to her observation over the length of the journey.
“It didn’t. Felicity had just been bashed over the head, if you remember. I think we all came down with a little more haste.” He recalled his frantic ride and the carriage carrying Sophia and his parents chasing after him.
Algernon wiped his hand across his brow at the memory.
“Don’t remind me. Worst day of my life finding her covered in blood like that.”
Brendon blanched but looked questioningly.
“What, worse than when you were shot for the second time? That must have been the worst, surely. Or the time you were hit in the thigh. I remember you rolling about in agony with that one.”
Algernon shuddered but shook his head.
“You wait until you discover the love of your life. You see how much it hurts when she’s put in danger. I swear I thought my heart had been ripped in two.” He pressed his hand to his chest as if he could feel the actual pain.
Sophia beamed at her brother and wafted her fan again.
“How romantic you are Algernon. I never would have guessed such sentiments lay within you if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. I expect you are looking forward to seeing her again.”
Brendon rolled his eyes as Algernon’s features softened considerably and he nodded happily.
“Good grief man. Can my sister really make you feel like that? It’s positively nauseating the way some men become so distracted with women. One coquettish glance and they are slathering all over her feet, willing to do her bidding at a moment’s notice with no regard to their former fellows. I certainly won’t end up acting like a besotted buffoon.” He huffed, folded his arms over his chest, and refused to notice the shine gleaming from Sophia’s curling hair.
Sophia sent her perfume about the carriage once again as she lifted her chin.
“You are a complete bore on occasions, Brendon Spencer. Perhaps it might do you good to live on your own for a while. You might appreciate your friends’ company more if have to see less of them.”
Brendon glanced into her dark brown eyes, but looked away quickly. They seemed to reach into his soul and strip him bare. He swallowed the lump caught in his throat and spoke quickly.
“I thought that is what I had been doing for the last year, and then you complained of it quite vociferously.”
A flush of colour rose to Sophia’s cheeks.
“Well, clearly you will never appreciate your friends then. It is as well that Fallows isn’t right on Algernon’s doorstep. How unfortunate it would be if we were to accidentally bump into each other while out and about.”
The unusual sharpness of her tone had Algernon sitting straighter.
“Sophia! That is no way to speak to Bren.” He was about to say more when the carriage began to slow. He glanced out of the window. “Ah! The King’s Arms at last. I think we could all do with some fresh air.
The carriage had barely stopped
before Brendon had the door open. He jumped down and, ignoring his fellow passengers, stalked towards the inn.
Algernon descended and held his hand out for his sister.
“Go easy on him, Sophia. He’s having a hard time. He punched Lucas in a fit of temper only this morning and he hasn’t done that sort of thing in months. We only just managed to avoid an altercation due to Lucas being half asleep. You must understand that this thing with his father has unsettled him.”
Sophia took her brother’s arm and caught hold of her skirt to keep it from the puddles.
“Unsettled him! While I am sorry that his father was hurt and understand Brendon’s concerns, his manners are appalling. He talks as though his friends are some low, barely worth acknowledging life form. I don’t know what I ever saw in him.” She lifted her chin.
Algernon tugged her arm gently.
“I am sorry too. I know that you had set your heart on him last year. I did my best and thought I could fix it all up for you, but it came to nought.”
Sophia refused to let the gathered tears fall. Though splinters pierced her heart, she could not let her brother take any responsibility for her emotions.
“You have no need to apologize. I am glad I realized my mistake in time. We would never have done for each other. He only took notice of me when we were last at Sommersford because you were lying on your deathbed. He was merely comforting me. I can see that now. Forcing the issue would have been a disaster.” She gulped down a sob as her words pushed the splinters deeper.
Algernon guided her around a large puddle and led her towards the inn.
“There is still hope if you wish it to be so. After seeing his reaction to your dramatic outburst this morning, I am sure that he is very fond of you.”
Sophia groaned audibly.
A Promise of Pure Gardenias Page 6