“Is everything alright, brother?” Lady Rebecca asked.
“Why are you in a hurry to finish your food? Why do not you take things easy?” he asked.
Lady Rebecca looked at their mother and then back at him. She looked like she was about to say something but instead shook her head.
“Have you two arranged for your travel to Eltonwood?” asked their mother.
“Yes, mother. I have,” Lady Rebecca replied.
“And what about you?” asked their mother as she looked at Christopher.
“Mother,” he started. “Is it really compulsory for me to go? Why can I not stay at home with father?”
Their mother shook her head. “No, son. I shall stay at home with your father. I am his wife, not you. So you need to start making the arrangements.”
“Has father finally decided not to go to the fair?” Lady Rebecca asked eagerly.
“As the Earl of Barrington, he insists on making an appearance, but I really wish he would stay at home. He is not well enough,” said their mother.
“He also said something about wanting to host some business associates in the house a week after the fair,” said Christopher.
His mother sighed and shook her head. “Your father would cause his own sudden death with all this. He barely takes a rest and the physicians all warned against this.”
“I shall talk to him, mother,” Christopher said calmly. He reached for his mother’s hand across the table and caressed it warmly to calm her down.
“If it pleases you, I shall see to it that he does not go to the fair and you can stay at home with him.”
His mother gave him an appreciative smile before they continued their meal.
* * *
Several hours later, Christopher stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his cravat. He checked the time on his pocket watch and frowned, wondering why his friend was not here yet. He was interrupted from his thoughts when a knock sounded on the door.
“Enter,” he said, hoping it would be Benjamin but it was his mother.
“Mother, is everything alright?” he asked, turning to face her.
“I need to speak with you,” his mother said while going to sit on the bed.
Christopher frowned, seemingly knowing what their conversation would be about. Nevertheless, he sat on the bed beside his mother.
“Son, you do know your father’s health is unpredictable?” she started, and he nodded. “All we can do is hope for the best but at the same time, we must prepare for the worst.”
Chris frowned. “What is this about?”
“It is about you, son,” said his mother. “When do you plan to get married?”
Christopher inhaled. He had expected that. “I shall get married, mother. I am just not ready for it.”
“Why are you not ready? What else are you waiting for? You are twenty-seven, son. Do you wish to grow old before finding a reputable lady to settle with?”
Chris checked the time and stood up. “Mother, I need you to put your mind at rest and stop fretting over this. I shall find a good girl, soon.”
His mother also stood up to face him. “You are going to be an Earl, and it is important for you to get married as soon as possible. There are limitations to what your father can do at this time. Besides, once he knows that you have stepped in to embrace your responsibility, he will finally be able to relax.”
Before Christopher could respond, another knock sounded on the door.
“Enter,” replied Chris who was relieved when his friend came in. “Finally! What took you so long. I have been waiting for you,” Christopher said.
“I apologize,” replied Ben, walking to the Countess to take a slight bow. “My lady, how do you fare this evening?” he asked, removing his hat.
“Very well, son. Thank you. How are your parents?” asked the Countess.
“They are well on their travels and send their greetings.”
“That is good to hear. Well, I shall take my leave then,” the Countess said as she left the room.
Christopher heaved a sigh of relief which caused his friend to stare at him.
“What happened?” asked Ben.
“I will tell you all about it, but for now, let us go to our destination.”
When the two of them left the room and made their way down the stairs, Lady Rebecca met them on the final step.
“Are you going to the gambling hell again, brother?” she demanded angrily.
Christopher hushed her to keep her voice down. He did not want their mother to hear about where he was going. And unlike his mother, Rebecca did not like Benjamin, believing him to be a bad influence on Christopher. Christopher, however, did not see it that way.
“Why must you speak so loudly?” he whispered to her while Benjamin by-passed them both.
“Chris, if you do not come home on time tonight, I shall tell mother everything that you have been keeping from her,” Lady Rebecca threatened.
Christopher feigned his surprise. “And what have I been keeping from her?”
“The fact that you gamble every night. You sleep around with various women, some of which were actually my friends. Do you have any idea how many friends I have lost to your rakish behavior?”
Chris sighed and put his arm around his sister. “Your friends were too gullible and greedy, sweet sister. All they cared about was wealth and status. If you are losing such friends, I daresay it is a good thing. You do not need such friends in your life, lest they influence you negatively.”
“And what about you?” she asked, eyes widened. “Ben is not a good person. I do not know why you trust him so much.”
“Because he is smart and he knows what he’s doing. Look Rebecca, I shall be back in the midnight hour. And I have faith in you to not tell mother,” he said before kissing her on both cheeks and leaving with his friend.
* * *
The two men got to the gambling hell an hour later. It was a place Christopher loved visiting. The drinking, gambling, and women were all the things that got him excited about the place.
The gambling hell was located in a dark alley at the center of the city. It did not matter if you were a man of nobility or if you were a pauper. All these did not matter at the gambling hell. Both a pauper and a gentleman could gamble together as long as they had money and guts.
While Christopher liked the drinks and the women, Benjamin loved to gamble. He was the best gambling man Christopher had ever known. They had met about a year ago at a ball and he was the one that had brought him to the gambling hell for the very first time. Somehow, they have managed to become best of friends and Benjamin helped Christopher unleash his wild side.
The smoke of cigars as well as the poignant smell of wine filled the entire room as they entered. They took their usual spot at one corner of the gambling hell while a waiter came to tend to them.
“So, mother thinks I need to settle down,” Christopher said as he drank from the bottle of absinthe in his hand.
Benjamin smiled. “Then you must get married.”
“To who?” Christopher asked bewildered.
“I suppose you can pick someone from all those numerous ladies that shamelessly throw themselves at you.”
Christopher scoffed and shook his head. “No, I cannot. All they care about is wealth and titles. I wish to go to the Christmas fair and try my luck.”
Benjamin smiled. “Are you quite certain that you are ready to settle down?”
“Yes, I am. My father’s health is not what it used to be and I need to be more responsible.”
Benjamin picked up his cup. “Well, then let us cheer to a positive outcome.”
“You shall accompany me to the fair will you not?” Christopher asked him pointedly.
“Of course. Who else would be your right hand man?” said Benjamin. They both laughed and drank.
“Your sister still does not approve of me,” Benjamin said as he lite a cigar and began smoking.
“She does not know you the way tha
t I do,” Chris replied. “You should have gotten used to that.”
“It has been a year already, Chris. Why does she not like me?”
Christopher shrugged. “Maybe because you made a pass at her sometimes ago. You should not have done that.”
“I was just trying to be nice and friendly since she looked so lonely. Besides, at the ball, I did not know she was married, and we had yet to become friends then.” Benjamin replied. “That incident actually led to our friendship, if I recall very well.”
“Still, she is my sister and that makes her your sister by association. You need to be patient with her and show her that you are not a bad person. Besides, how could you not know that she was married?”
“I was drunk, Chris! Surely, that should serve as a genuine excuse for my behavior. It happens to just about everyone. Anyway, if I had not done that, there was a possibility that we would never have met, so I do not regret it.”
Christopher laughed. “Give her some time. She will come around. She still thinks you are a bad influence on me.”
Benjamin smiled. “I know. That was pretty evident before we left your place. And to be fair, I only introduced you to this ‘bad world’. You were the one who took full advantage and got involved heavily in drinking, gambling, and women. I just wish I knew how to make her like me.”
“Why do you care about that?” asked Christopher.
“I care about your family and your sister is part of it,” Benjamin replied.
“Or perhaps, you like my sister,” Christopher joked.
“Not in the way you think,” Benjamin replied, puffing out the smoke.
Christopher shrugged. “Just give her some time, she will come around.”
* * *
Lady Rebecca Egerton
Rebecca checked the time on the long-cased clock by the staircase. It was close to midnight and her brother was not yet back. She sighed. He was lucky that their mother was sleeping, or she would surely be crossed with his tardiness. Did not he say he would be back by midnight?
She stood up and strode to the window to see if he had arrived. She hoped that once he came back, she could talk some sense into him without his friend around.
Not that she had not done that several times before, but most of time, he had always come home drunk and would forget whatever was discussed the next day.
Rebecca held no trust for Benjamin and could not understand why her brother picked him to be his best friend. She and Christopher had always been close since childhood; practically each other’s best friends.
He knew most of her friends, but he did not have friends of his own. His only other best friend from childhood was their cousin, Jeremy who was no longer in England, but had relocated to Spain about four years ago.
For four years, Rebecca was her brother’s confidante, that was until the previous year when they had gone to a ball together. Benjamin whom they had never met before tried to ask her for a dance but she had politely refused.
He caused a scene, greatly embarrassing her and gaining disapproving stares from the other guests. The situation was finally resolved when Christopher came to her rescue. It was later revealed that Benjamin had been drinking heavily after gambling with other men of the ton. The following week, Christopher brought him home to introduce him to the family and allow him to formally apologize to her.
That should have been the end of that, but since then, things began to change. Christopher started getting drunk, coming home late, and sleeping around with various women, many of whom were of the ton. All of these things were kept away from their parents as to not worry them while dealing with the Earl’s health.
Rebecca recounted the number of letters of apology she had written to her friends on behalf of her brother. Most of them decided to dissociate from her while others remained open to her as acquaintances. She also wanted to ensure that Christopher’s antics did not tarnish the image of the family and ruin them.
She had talked to him several times about Benjamin but it had always fallen on deaf ears. She did not want to bring this to their mother’s hearing, for fear of distracting her from caring for their father, the Earl. She already had enough on her hands.
Tired of waiting for her brother, Rebecca walked away from the window and headed to her room. Once there, she shut the door behind her plopped on the bed. Sooner or later, he will fall in love and get married, she thought as she settled into bed. Once he is married, he will cease this behavior and be a proper gentleman and be more responsible. He may even influence Benjamin to become a better person. With that hopeful thought, she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 3
Miss Ophelia Campbell
Ophelia strode to the mirror and smiled upon seeing how she looked. She was dressed in a red satin fabric with long sleeves that were decorated with lace ribbons. Her arms were covered in a pair of long brown gloves while her black hair was parted at the center. The rest of her hair was pinned on top of her head with a few loose curls on either side of her face.
“Do not you think that this is a bit too much,” she asked Emily who was standing beside her, admiring her handiwork.
“No, I think this is perfect. And you will look wonderful with your outer coat and bonnet,” replied Emily.
It was the night of the Christmas fair and the two of them were still in Ophelia’s room getting ready.
“Are you girls not done?” shouted her mother as she approached the room. When she came in, she stopped upon seeing Ophelia.
“Oh! Darling, look at you,” she said in a whisper. Ophelia could see the pride in her eyes. “You look so beautiful.”
Ophelia smiled. “Well then, I think we should be on our way.” They walked to the door where Martins helped them into their coats.
The three women made their way to the waiting carriage and rode to the Christmas fair which was in Eltonwood. Eltonwood was a town in between Havenswood and Westborough. People from all over London and within its provinces would come to grace the occasion.
As they rode, Ophelia could not help but feel a bit sad at the face that her father would not be joining them. She was not surprised. As her mother had stated before, it was not the first time, and neither would it be the last.
* * *
Christopher Crampton, Viscount Barrington
Christopher groaned as the loud knock on the door interrupted his sleep. He opened his eyes. “Who is there?” he asked in a hoarse tone.
Without any answer, the door opened and Rebecca came in.
On seeing her, he relaxed and shut his eyes. He waited for her to speak but nothing happened, so he opened his eyes again. She was looking down at him and she was not pleased.
“Is everything alright?” he asked.
“May I know the time you came in last night?” she demanded.
He frowned and sh0ok his head. “I’d rather you allow me to sleep.”
“That friend of yours shall be the death of you, brother! I do hope he will not be coming with us to the Christmas fair.”
Christopher sighed. He was feeling really sleepy and his head was banging, yet his sister was making things worse.
“Sister, can this not wait? It is rather too early to be pestering me.”
“It is noon!” she stated firmly, walking to his window and drawing back the curtains. The sharp glare of the afternoon sun hit Christopher squarely in the eyes and he winced in pain.
“I do not think my friend will be the death of me. I think you are in a better position,” he said as he squinted his eyes and rose from the bed.
Another knock sounded.
“Enter!” he said aloud and the door opened to reveal the house maid, Rosa. She was an middle aged looking woman in her early forties.
“My Lord. My Lady,” Rosa said as she curtsied before tending to her duty of cleaning.
“Rosa, is my bag packed and ready for the fair?” Rebecca asked the woman.
“Yes, my lady,” she replied.
Christopher realized he had ye
t to pack for the fair. He had completely forgotten to do so.
“I cannot believe that you forgot about the fair!” said his sister. “You do know we are going to be late if we do not leave on time.”
“Havenswood is not really that far,” Christopher remarked. “I need to pack and we just need to wait for Ben, and we shall be on our way,” he said quickly before excusing his sister out of the room before she could say something terrible to him.
A Lady To Redeem A Rakish Lord (Historical Regency Romance) Page 2