Stephen snorted. Shawn felt a twinge of disgust. He was beginning to understand what was going on with Lord Stephen and it wasn’t shaping up to be anything good. He wondered for a moment if that was what had caused the sharp look of dislike on Jonathan’s face when he’d met him this morning. He wondered if Stephen and Jonathan had been enemies when they were young. Both men were about ten years younger than Shawn.
“In addition, the Prince Regent has said that you will inherit the money should Anna not be able to marry in time. You will not have to change anything about your lifestyle at all.”
“If the money is not given to me, and it’s given to her, I will have to cater to what she wants to do with it. I want to make the decisions. As the male in the house, that should fall to me. Not to her.”
“Yes, I suppose you are right.” His friend’s voice betrayed his reluctance to agree. It was apparent that he’d already decided reasoning with Stephen wasn’t going to work and it was time to retreat from the task.
“But we’ve got it all planned, Collin. I’m sure that Anna won’t be able to find a husband in the next 30 days.”
“You delayed the notification long enough, then?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it.” Stephen sounded extremely proud of himself. Shawn clenched his jaw and lifted his glass. He quickly realized that he was putting a great deal of stress on the glass with his tightened fingers. He relaxed them and inhaled before taking a drink. He would refrain from punching Stephen. It simply wasn’t something he would allow himself to do. Not in public. As the Duke of Fairbanks, he had a reputation to uphold. He looked around him again. Even when no one in the general population recognized him.
However, he would do something. Moreover, Lord Dunning wouldn’t even see it coming.
“Does that mean she will be at the ball this Friday eve?”
“It does.” Stephen’s voice was back to grumbling. “She will dance with them all, I’m sure, and pick a few of them, too, I would hazard to guess. But they won’t make the cut. Any that are interested in her will get an earful of what she is really like.”
“But Lady Anna is a lovely woman.” Collin sounded confused.
“They won’t know that when I’m done talking to them.”
Shawn heard Collin sigh. He turned his head to the side and caught sight of the two young men in his peripheral vision. Collin was shaking his head, swallowing the last of his drink quickly, tilting his head back.
“I’ve got to get another drink, Stephen. I’ll be seeing you.”
“Bring me one, too,” Stephen said in a demanding tone.
“I plan to take my drink to Lady Carrington, truth be told.”
“Bring me mine first. Then you can go talk to her.”
Shawn realized he had tightened all of his muscles again and had to consciously relax. Why did Collin take orders from Stephen? Why did he even talk to him? It was a mystery.
“I’m afraid I won’t have time.” Collin hurried off toward the bar to get his new drink, not wanting to return to Stephen for any reason.
Stephen frowned and huffed. “Well…” He grumbled something under his breath that Shawn did not catch. The young man pushed himself up from the chair and edged around the small table in front of him to go to the bar, staying well behind Collin. Shawn stood up and made his way back to Jonathan and Sir Gadfry, who were still deeply involved in conversation.
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Jonathan shook his head. “I do not want to take her money and use it for my own purposes. In addition, the Lady is my friend. I hesitate to take advantage of that friendship and of her financial windfall, as you put it.”
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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
THE HARWOOD ARMS
When Shawn was close enough, Jonathan waved at him. “Shawn. William has just informed me that my second cousin Michael on my mother’s side is in the Drunken Duck. Would you mind if we went there?”
Shawn shook his head. “Of course I would not mind.”
The three men moved through the crowd and pushed through the double doors.
Jonathan looked at Sir Gadfry. “It surprises me that Michael is there. Have you an idea why he is in town?”
“I was quite surprised to see him in there myself. I did not know he was back from Brussels.”
“The latest news told me that he was still there. I wonder what has brought him to town.”
“You are aware that he has recently purchased some land and homesteads in the area?”
Jonathan shook his head. “I was unaware of that.”
“Yes, I believe he is planning to make his home here now that he is a widower.”
Jonathan’s eyes widened. “Oh dear. It looks like I have been out of the loop on this one.”
William shook his head. “Not at all. Lady Meredith passed away just one week ago today. Their marriage was strained and he put no heavy stock into the event.”
It was hard for Jonathan to fathom losing a spouse and not even caring about it. He looked up at Shawn, but the Duke seemed to be lost in thought, not listening to the conversation. He turned back to William. “Didn’t they have several children?”
“Yes, Rose, Caroline and Arthur. Each sent off to boarding school as soon as they were of age to do so. Lady Meredith was not the mothering kind.”
“Yes, I remember. Very harsh with the young ones.”
“Intolerant. Yes.”
“I suppose Michael is now looking to remarry? I doubt he will waste much time.”
“You are correct. He has already visited one ball in Brussels, but saw no lady of interest there. So he has returned and is currently looking for a woman who will become mother to his children. Hopefully, he will fare better this time.”
“It’s quite soon for him to be courting again, though you are correct, there was no love left between him and Meredith. It’s been that way for years, has it not?”
“It has. Here we are. And there he is.” William held the door open for Jonathan and pointed to where his cousin was sitting. The three men walked to the table to greet him.
Michael stood, his face lighting up at the sight of his cousin and the Duke of Worthington. “Jonathan, my cousin, my old friend. Your Grace! How are you both on this fine day? What a pleasure it is to see you. And Sir Gadfry. Good to see you as well, sir.”
William and Shawn nodded and bowed slightly to the Earl.
“I am well, Michael, thank you for asking. And you?” Jonathan answered.
“I am doing quite well, considering I am now a single man with three children.”
“Yes, Will informed me of your circumstances. You have my condolences on the loss of Meredith.”
“And mine as well,” Shawn said.
“Thank you both, of course.” Michael smiled. He held his hand out to the unoccupied chairs at his table. “Please join me. Tell me, Jonathan, I’m sure you have been on many adventures since I saw you last. I’m sure it’s been seven months, wouldn’t you say?”
“I think that is about right, Michael, yes.” Jonathan nodded, picking up the menu and running his eyes over the offered items. “How is the Toad in the Hole?”
“It is delicious. Mrs. Parkington, the cook here, uses the tastiest sausages available. She is also a master at the Yorkshire pudding.”
“Sounds delicious.” Jonathan was glad he had chosen the Drunken Duck. “That’s what I will have. How did you come to know so much about it?”
Michael chuckled, pressing his fork down into a slice of sausage. “I asked.” He put the food into his mouth and lifted a thick fabric napkin to dab at the corners of his lips.
Jonathan smiled, looking at Shawn and William. “Will? Shawn? What will you be having today?”
“I’m not eating.” Shawn shook his head. “I have lost my appetite. I will just have a drink.”
“You shouldn’t drink too much without first eating something. You could find yoursel
f sick and heaving in no time.”
Shawn grumbled to himself, but his demeanor was not harsh or angry. “All right, order me whatever you choose and I will have a brandy in a tall snifter.”
“I will get the same. I am quite hungry, looking at Michael here eating such a hearty meal. But Jonathan, I am forgetting to give you some good news.”
“Oh? You mean to say we went through all those papers with the negative news, but you delayed in giving me the positive? Do tell.”
“I have just come from a meeting with the Davenshire Company. They want to invest in your business and the financial aspect of it is looking to be quite in your favor.”
“I am at a loss as to why you did not mention this to me earlier. You began the meeting with the worst news.” He looked at Shawn. “My companies have been failing lately. My family money was invested in these businesses and I have feared for my life.”
William chuckled, looking at Shawn. “He hasn’t feared for his life, my lord. He’s feared for his security.”
“Which could also be something that can cause loss of life,” the Duke pointed out.
“I do agree with that, my lord.” William looked back at Jon. “I do apologize for my error.”
Jonathan shook his head. “It is well, my friend. Let’s enjoy our meal.”
The four men enjoyed conversation for several hours before William finally stood to leave. “I must go. It has been delightful eating with you both today. Jonathan, we will go over paperwork next Monday at our regularly scheduled meeting.”
“Certainly, and thank you again, William. You are surely worth more than I am paying you for your services.”
William laughed. “Does that mean you are willing to give me more?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
The men laughed. William bowed at them and left the table.
“Your suggestion of Toad in the Hole was brilliant, Michael, thank you.”
“I am glad you enjoyed it, Jon.”
“Would you care to dine at my home tonight?”
Michael laughed. “You ask this just after we have eaten? I will not be hungry again tonight. But I will come over, if only to enjoy the company.”
Jonathan smiled at him. “You are always welcome in my home, Michael. Do you have business to attend to first or would you like to follow me back?”
“I am on foot, truth be told. May I ask for a ride from you?”
“I would be a cad should I say no and force you to walk, Michael. However, I am riding in the Duke’s carriage.”
Both men looked at Shawn, who stared back as if he had no idea what they wanted. After a moment, he lifted his eyebrows. “Is this a silent way of asking if I will give Michael a ride to your home?” He smiled quickly. “I would not leave the man stranded. Of course we will give you a ride, Sir. I have not had a chance to ask. How is Graymare faring these days?”
“The citizens are happy and the land is producing, your grace. Thank you for asking.”
“And your children?”
“They are well.”
“My condolences on the loss of your wife.”
“It is well, my lord.”
“Good to hear. Shall we go?”
The three men stood. Jonathan took one last drink from his coffee cup before turning away from the table. “Michael, are you acquainted with Lady Anna Dunning?”
Shawn looked at Jonathan curiously, wondering why he would ask such a question.
Michael’s eyebrows raised and he nodded. “I am familiar with her, yes.”
“She is in a bit of a bind.” They walked through the door to the restaurant and down the street toward Shawn’s carriage. He spotted his driver through the window of the tavern they had been in and nodded to him. The man immediately stood up and left the establishment, climbing up to the driver’s position. He was seated and ready before the Duke and his friends reached the carriage.
“Take us home, Drake.”
“Yes, my lord.” His driver nodded as the men got in.
“What is this bind you speak of?” Michael asked curiously, settling into the seat across from Jonathan and Shawn.
“She must marry before the end of next month, specifically the 28th, which is her birthday. I am not privy to full information, but it may be acceptable for her to be engaged by then. Her father left her a sizable inheritance, but the Prince Regent was notified and there is a clause wherein she must be married or engaged, as I said, by her 25th birthday. On the 28th. She has already been struggling financially and has not been helped by her brother Stephen, who is an adopted son to the late Duke.”
“Oh dear. She is in quite a predicament. That is just under five weeks away.”
“Yes.”
“You wish for me to meet Lady Anna again and court her?”
“I had that thought, yes.”
“Why do you not take advantage of the situation and do so yourself? I know that you are having some financial issues yourself. A financial windfall might just be what you need.”
“That was my idea, as well,” Shawn interjected, giving Jonathan a stern look.
Jonathan shook his head. “I do not want to take her money and use it for my own purposes. In addition, the Lady is my friend. I hesitate to take advantage of that friendship and of her financial windfall, as you put it.”
Michael nodded, giving Shawn a knowing look before turning his eyes back to Jonathan. “I will meet her. Perhaps you can send a messenger to fetch her this evening?”
Jonathan’s smile was wide. Michael was a good man. It would be interesting to have Anna as a relative of some sort. He turned his grin to Shawn, who just rolled his eyes and looked out the window. “You must stay at my manor for the evening. I will have Belle ready one of the extra rooms for you.”
“That sounds wonderful, Jonathan, thank you for the invitation.” Michael nodded and smiled from ear to ear.
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Michael laughed. “I will attend the ball with him. I will make sure that he secures a dance with you.”
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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
A POTENTIAL MATCH
Jonathan watched Shawn’s carriage pull away from his mansion. He waved until he knew that Shawn couldn’t see him and then retreated back into his house. He handed his coat and hat to Carter, his butler, before sending the old man to fetch Lady Anna and bring her to the mansion. Carter was familiar with Lady Anna and her family, having been on the Caldwell estate for decades. He was happy to go.
While Jonathan and Michael waited for his return, they sat in the library, discussing business. Michael wandered from bookshelf to bookshelf, scanning the titles of the books there. He had been to the house many times, more so as a child attending parties. Jonathan’s father had thrown grand parties. His mother had been well known for her hosting abilities. After his mother’s death almost ten years previous, Jonathan’s father had grown more and more despondent until one day he went to his deceased wife, dying of what many called a broken heart. Jonathan was left with few regrets, knowing the love between his parents had been strong. He admired his father regardless of his devastating end.
“When are you planning to begin reparations of this old house, Jonathan?”
“I had thought to put it off for the future because of money matters,” Jonathan responded. “But I have decided to begin next week after William’s news of the reversal of fortune for me, business-wise.”
“The old place needs something,” Michael went to the large window and peeked through the closed curtains.
“Go ahead and open those curtains, Michael. I don’t know why it wasn’t done today. I don’t like the room to be closed off too often. The books become dusty and a certain smell develops that I am not keen to experience more often than I must.”
“I understand.” Michael opened the curtains and let the sun shine into the room. “It is a nice day. You would reg
ret not letting some of the outside come inside today.”
“I agree.” He got up from his chair and came to stand with Michael.
“I must say, you have kept the grounds looking nice.”
“The perception of the outside area prevents those passing from knowing what the inside looks like.”
“I suppose that’s why the drapes are often drawn.”
Jonathan shrugged. “I don’t have many visitors and those who do come will end up inside eventually anyway.”
Michael chuckled at his cousin’s nonchalant response.
“No one passes by close enough to see in the windows. As you know, the path to my house is very long and the road is narrow and rocky. It makes it less inviting.”
“Yes, that is true of anything, isn’t it?”
“Agreed.”
A knock at the door made both men turn. The door opened. Carter took a few steps into the room.
“Lady Anna Dunning to see you, my lord.”
“Thank you, Carter. Lady Anna, how…”
Jonathan stopped mid-sentence when he saw his friend come through the door. She was wearing a new red silk dress with lace and silk intertwined around her slender curves. Her blond hair was piled on her head, several strands curling around her slender cheeks. Her blue-green eyes sparkled when she saw the look on his face. She snapped open a fabric fan and waved it so that a light breeze blew against her pretty face. She smiled at them both.
“Good afternoon, Jonathan. What do you think of my dress for the ball in a few days?”
Jonathan lifted both arms out toward her. “My darling, you look stunning! What a beautiful dress! I am impressed, my dear!” He walked to her and kissed first one cheek and then the other. “Wonderful choice, Anna. Absolutely stunning!”
“Oh thank you, Jonathan! Thank you! Elizabeth said it was the one to wear here tonight because it is one of the most beautiful dresses we bought.”
Jonathan wondered how many dresses she had bought, but didn’t ask.
Regency Romance: More For A Duke (The Fairbanks Series - The Familial Adventures) (CLEAN Historical Romance) Page 10