“Well, at least, you know your way back to Fallbrooke,” James muttered as he gazed at the countryside going by his window. He turned to face Philip. “I can certainly see how going back to Castborough would interfere with your important plans. Am I wrong to assume your plans consisted of sleeping most of the day?”
“No, you would not be wrong,” Philip answered. “And you can save your disdain. At least, I am doing what I want to do rather than acting as Father's errand boy.”
James stiffened, although he should not have been surprised to hear his brother's insults. “Father would not have needed me to go to London if you were not so irresponsible and completely selfish.”
“Selfish?” Philip snorted. “Well, that’s rich.”
“Yes, you are selfish. Mother expected you home and has had the staff waiting for you to arrive. She had planned a special celebratory dinner for you. Although I'm sure the food has been put to other meals by now.” James leaned back in his seat “Mother was quite disappointed.”
Philip had the grace to look at least a little chagrined. “Well, I am sorry for that, I...”
James held up a hand. “Oh, save it. I care not for your excuses. I suggest you get some sleep. I am sure that father will have much to discuss with you when we arrive. You will need to be alert for that.”
James opened a book on his lap hoping that would signal the end of the conversation and Philip would follow his advice. Pretending to read would give him a chance to stew with his own thoughts. Honestly, his own anger.
James had not been lying when he said that he did not care about Philip's excuses. He had had more than enough of his brother’s mocking tone and lack of concern over the expectations of their mother and father. For as long as James could remember, he had been told that Philip was important because he was the heir. That Philip was to be the next Duke of Castborough and that he was destined for greatness.
He had believed it when he was younger, but now James knew different. Philip was destined only to find the bottom of the whiskey bottle or a spot at the gambling table. Anything good that happened would be purely an accident.
The weather was favorable so it was not too much longer before the carriage pulled up and stopped in front of the large stone stately home that was Castborough Abbey. James did not bother waking his brother, he simply gathered his coat and alighted from the carriage. He nodded to Thomas as he entered the house and went directly to the library. He was surprised to find it empty and moved back to the hall. He had just made it back to the entry when Philip walked through the door.
“Philip, my boy! Welcome home!” Their father's booming voice filled the room.
“Father,” Philip beamed at the older man. “It is good to be home. I apologize for any confusion regarding when you expected me.”
Father clapped Philip on the shoulder. “Not at all, not at all.” He gestured down the hall toward the library. “Come along, come along. Let us all have a chat. We have a need to catch up on a few family matters.”
James gritted his teeth as he followed, annoyed at the picture that was being portrayed in front of him. It was annoying and insulting to see his father welcoming Philip home so profusely. It was clear that Philip was enjoying the enthusiastic response from their father.
James chose to stand near the window that overlooked the garden in hope that the peaceful view would keep him calm. Philip sank unceremoniously into one of the large upholstered chairs that sat in front of their father's desk.
“I am so glad to hear that it has not inconvenienced you.” Philip looked at his father earnestly. “I am most happy to stay through the end of the week before I make my return to London. If you need me to do so, that is. Otherwise, I—”
“I am most glad to hear that you are agreeable to staying here but I am afraid that you will not be returning to London for some time.”
Philip let out a sigh. “Father, I do not see why—”
“Be quiet,” Father barked. “What you want or can see is no longer my concern. You lost any say in the matter when you failed to return home as I asked when we spoke in London over a week ago. I am no longer asking.”
Philip opened his mouth to speak again but Father was already talking again. He gestured towards James. “Why can you not be more like your brother? He is responsible and reliable. Any time I ask him to do something I know he will do it without question or quarrel.”
James was pleased to hear his father say such nice things about him but knew it would cause more problems for them all. Philip was already annoyed that he had been pulled away from London, their father's comments would only serve to further Philip's displeasure. He was likely to take that displeasure out on James.
“Father, I am not sure what we are discussing here.”
“It's time that you settled down, it is past time for you to find a wife.”
Philip looked around the room in a mocking manner. “And you expect me to find one here, rather than London?” He leaned back in his chair with a chuckle, shaking his head.
“Yes,” Father said with a stern voice. “You will be staying right here. A house party will be held one week hence. The Earl of Southwick will be in attendance with his only daughter. It would be a good time to look toward settling down.”
“A house party?” Philip asked, before smiling at his father and saying, “Sounds simply delightful. I look forward to meeting the earl's daughter. Perhaps she will be open to courting a rogue.”
The duke did not laugh at his eldest son’s joke nor did he give in to his clear distaste about attending a country house party.
James watched his brother's face from his spot near the window. In spite of his jokes and smirks, Philip seemed to want to please their father. He could see through Philip’s attempts to mollify their father and it seemed abundantly clear to James that he would need to keep a close eye on his brother.
Chapter Four
“Elizabeth!”
Elizabeth left her room stopping at the banister to look over to the floor before. Her father stood in the hallway looking up at her.
“Yes, Father?”
He gave her a small smile. “Please come down to the library so that I can speak with you.”
“Yes, of course.” Elizabeth wondered what her father could want as she calmly moved down the stairs. They had been in London for over a month for her to attend the fanciest balls and parties of the Season. Her father was often busy with his work with Parliament, leaving her Aunt Judith to take care of Elizabeth.
Elizabeth stepped into the library standing behind one of the high-back chairs. “Yes, Father?”
Her father looked up from his desk, his face confused for a moment. “Oh, yes. Elizabeth, I wanted to let you know that we have been invited to a house party in Surrey. We shall be leaving in three days’ time.”
Of all the things her father could have discussed with her, a house party was not what she expected. “That sounds most interesting. I have found London to be quite tiresome this Season.”
Her father was bent over the desk once more. “Yes, it will be good for you, I believe. Miriam will take care of getting you packed and ready to go.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Miriam? You mean Marianne, of course.”
“What?” He asked looking up. Her father blinked and then said, “Yes, Marianne, is that not what I said? She will take care of everything.”
Elizabeth nodded and then left the room quite certain that her father would not notice that she had even left. She continued on to the drawing room as it was almost time for tea. She had barely sat down when Mrs Gibbs came in with a tray with tea and biscuits.
“Good afternoon, Lady Elizabeth,” Mrs Gibbs said setting the tray on the small table next to the settee.
“Good afternoon. Those biscuits smell delicious.”
Mrs Gibbs smiled. “They just came out of the oven.”
“Please tell Annie that I am most grateful that she is such a wonder in the kitchen,” Elizabeth said taking a bis
cuit from the plate.
“I will let her know,” Mrs Gibbs smiled and then pointed at the tray. “Make sure to share those, though.”
“Share?” Elizabeth looked up at the older woman, her eyebrows furrowed. “With whom?”
“With me!”
Elizabeth looked up to see her cousin and closest friend, Leticia Stewart standing in the drawing room doorway. “Lettie! I did not think I would see you for another few weeks.”
“I did not think so either. Joseph was called away unexpectedly and he thought it best if I came back here.” Lettie sat down on the settee next to Elizabeth. “He shall meet us at the house party at the Duke of Castborough’s in Surrey.”
“The Duke of Castborough?” Elizabeth asked.
“Has your father not mentioned it?” Lettie asked as she picked up a biscuit.
“No, he has,” Elizabeth said slowly. “He only mentioned that it was a house party not that it was being held by the Duke of Castborough.”
Lettie tilted her head as she looked at Elizabeth. “Is that a concern for you?”
Elizabeth looked over to make sure that Mrs Gibbs had closed the drawing room door behind her when she left. Then she put her hand over her mouth and raised her eyebrows. When she lowered her hand, her voice came out in a whisper.
“Not two days ago I overheard my father speaking with someone about Philip Repington, who just happens to be the heir to the Duke of Castborough. I did not hear the entire conversation but from what I gathered my father is in favor of a match between Philip Repington and myself.”
“How exciting. Philip will be the duke one day and that means that you will be a duchess.” Lettie said clapping her hands in excitement.
“I believe he is currently the Marquess of Holgrave. Perhaps I should meet him before I start planning the wedding, though.” Elizabeth bit her bottom lip and tilted her head to the side.
“You do not seem all that pleased,” Lettie remarked.
Elizabeth sighed and bit her lip again. “I have not met him but I have heard much about him. It seems that the viscount is known for his gambling and drinking. Behaviour such as that is not the least bit appealing to me.”
“Aren't they all, though?”
“I suppose…” Elizabeth agreed. She picked up her teacup and turned to her friend. “Yes, I suppose it would be wise to actually meet the man before I assume that he is shockingly loose in the haft.”
Lettie giggled. “Yes, I agree.”
Chapter Five
“There you are!”
James turned to see his sister coming into the garden. “I did not realize that you were looking for me, Henrietta.”
Henrietta shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing. “Oh, it was not I that was looking for you. Mother was looking for you earlier. She said that she had looked all over the house but you were nowhere to be found.”
James squinted back at the house. “Yes, well, I escaped the chaos early. I had planned on having my tea in the drawing room this morning but there was a battalion of servants in there moving furniture and making quite the commotion.”
Henrietta nodded. “Mother has planned a large dinner for Philip tonight. Most of the guests will have arrived by either this afternoon or early evening.”
“For Philip? Of course,” James grumbled under his breath. It should not have been a surprise to him that his family was going to such lengths for Philip, but he was irritated all the same.
“Oh, James, you know how disappointed Mother was when Philip did not come home from London. She has been planning a special dinner for him for weeks.”
“Yes, I do know how disappointed she was.”
It made James even more vexed that their mother was so eager to see Philip. It seemed no matter his behaviour his older brother would still be indulged and fawned over. Last week, James had comforted his mother as she was near tears that Philip had not come home to Castborough since January. He should have known then that Philip would get an enthusiastic welcome.
James had offered to write to his father to let him know that Mother has been upset. He had posed the idea as being concerned about Philip's safety but his mother had refused. She claimed that she did not want to worry Father during his important time with Parliament. James had suspected it had more to do with coddling Philip and now he was sure.
Before his anger spiraled out of control James turned to Henrietta and smiled but he guessed it looked more like a grimace.
“Please tell Mother that I am on my way to the stables and that I will come back to the house within the hour.”
Henrietta stared at him for a few seconds before saying, “I will, dear brother. I will leave you alone now to brood in silence.”
James' scowl cracked enough for him to grin briefly. “Well, I thank you for that, you are quite considerate.”
“I do understand your annoyance, but I dislike seeing you so affected by it,” Henrietta looked up at him concern in her eyes.
“Do not worry about me. Philip will be, well, Philip. He always is and there is no escaping that. And I will be fine, as always.”
Henrietta laughed. “You are so serious. Please promise me that you will endeavour to enjoy yourself during the house party.
James found himself smiling at Henrietta, she was his youngest sibling and only sister, and he had always found it hard to say no to her.
“I will do my best.” He nodded back to the house. “Now go tell Mother before she tears the house apart looking for me.”
Henrietta laughed and began to move away, calling back over her shoulder, “If guests were not expected within the hour she would have already.”
Talking to Henrietta had calmed him down some, but only just. He had gone from angry to simply annoyed, although it was not that simple. His eldest brother was a lazy gadabout, time and time again he had acted irresponsibly and disappointed nearly everyone in the family and yet he was continually rewarded for his poor behaviour.
The worst part was that one day Philip would become the Duke of Castborough, their family and tenants would look to him for guidance and assistance. James could honestly say that he did not trust that Philip would ever be someone that any of them could rely on. Most of those who would need him, would not realize they could not trust him until it was too late. That part was a considerable concern for James.
He pushed through the gate into the stable. There on the fence was Philip's saddle all cleaned and shiny just waiting for him to deign to come down there. Without thinking, James pushed it off the fence so that it would land on the ground in the dirt and hay that covered the ground in the stall. He only wished it had been mud instead of dirt and hay.
He had a sudden thought of knocking Philip to the ground, too. It was everything he could do to not stomp on the saddle as he thought about the chance to get back at his brother for his attitude.
Voices coming closer to the stable broke James out of his thoughts. He turned quickly and walked out the far gate not wanting to be seen next to the fallen saddle. He quickly walked over to the fence and leaned against it, his elbows braced at the top as he stared across at the field of mares and new foals.
It was mid-morning and the foals were beginning to skip a little beside the mares, their spindly legs kicking out as they picked up speed. It did not take too long before James could feel the pent-up anger and frustration begin to drain from him. The carefree scene in front of him had given him a new perspective—at least until his next encounter with his brother.
After a bit James decided that it was time to go back to the house and face what was sure to be a trying afternoon and evening. For his mother, he would put on a happy façade, she deserved to enjoy this one evening before Philip caused more problems. He was almost to the house when he heard a carriage pulling up to the front of the house. James paused at the gate that led back into the garden.
He already knew that several guests were expected to arrive in the morning and afternoon, but something made James continue walking to t
he front of the house.
Voices reached him from around the corner of the house letting him know that there were several guests arriving. He came around the corner in time to see a young lady alight from the carriage. She turned back toward the carriage laughing at something presumably said by another passenger.
James caught sight of her and nearly lost his breath. She was beautiful, with chestnut brown hair that was shining in the late morning sun. Her smile lit up her face and James fought the urge to approach her. He knew, though, that he would need to go back into the house and wait for an opportunity for an introduction.
Feeling much better about the house party James went back towards the garden to return to the house. Suddenly, it seemed that the special dinner was going to be much more interesting than he had expected.
Chapter Six
“Oh, how lovely,” Lettie was standing by the large window.
Elizabeth crossed the room to stand with her friend. The window looked over an expansive and beautifully kept garden. “I had no idea. I had not gotten the chance to look out the window as we came through the countryside.”
They had only arrived at Castborough a few hours before and Aunt Judith had sent both Elizabeth and Lettie to their rooms to get settled and freshen up.
Down below they could see several guests in the garden, some sitting on stone benches while others wandered and talked as they looked at the flowers and hedges. Elizabeth watched for a moment wishing she could go join them.
“It is quite lovely.”
“Perhaps we could go down to the garden for a nice stroll,” Lettie suggested.
“I would like that very much but Aunt Judith informed me that she was coming up to talk to me.”
“Mother?” Lettie frowned. “What does she want to talk to you about?”
“I suspect she wants to talk to me about the house party. Or more likely regarding the conversation I had overheard concerning Lord Holgrave.” Lettie looked confused and Elizabeth added, “The Duke of Castborough's son, Philip.”
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