by Meghan Sloan
Chapter 7
Gabriel waited until a time when he knew that his parents would be out of the house. Viscount Derek Tattershall and his wife were very sociable people, so they were always going to other people’s homes for dinner or other various social engagements.
Gabriel had inherited their social side and he had enjoyed going around with his mother and father, soaking up the atmosphere. Percy was a lot quieter, preferring to be on his own in the corner and watching everyone. He was a little awkward, in that respect.
And he would prefer to stay at home as a grown man instead of following his parents to another visit to one of their many friends, which made it easier to get hold of Percy when needed - much like now.
Gabriel had to get the next part of his plan into motion and it would be easier to get hold of his brother if he was home alone. If either Derek or Adelaide Tattershall saw him, they would cause such a scene that Gabriel wouldn’t be able to step foot onto land that could be seen from the windows.
Gabriel waited until mid-morning and then made his way over, choosing to walk across the fields. In recent months, only having occasional access to a horse and carriage, Gabriel had ended up going on lots of walks. And, to his surprise, he actually liked it.
There was something refreshing about going for miles and feeling the wind in his hair. It had made him lose a few pounds around his middle, making him leaner than before, and Gabriel didn’t feel as puffed when he walked.
He did miss having his old life, but Gabriel knew it was his own fault. He couldn’t complain about the situation when he had put himself in it.
At this time of the morning, Percy would be taking a walk around the gardens. He chose to stay a little closer to the house, admiring the flowers. Gabriel had wondered how his little brother had managed to even have any friends when he stayed close to the house for the most part. It was no surprise that he didn’t really know how to talk to women.
But it always made it easier to lead him in the right direction.
Gabriel did feel a slight pang of regret for doing this - he was, essentially, using his brother as a pawn in his plans - but it did mean that Percy found himself a wife, something he knew his fatherwas pestering Percy to do. Percy was a sweet man, but incredibly awkward. Gabriel knew Derek was in despair over his son. This way, Percy found a woman who could be his wife, and it would make Derek back down over his demands for his heir to have an heir of his own.
It was cruel to use his brother in this way, but Gabriel knew it was for a good cause. Percy would thank him for it in the end.
Percy was out in the rose garden. He was very interested in the roses, to the point Derek had cordoned off a part of the garden just for Percy. Gabriel had never understood the fascination with flowers. They looked nice, but he had no patience to grow them.
Gabriel took a shortcut through the gardens and stepped through the archway of flowers into his brother’s little enclosure. Percy looked up from the rose bush he was tending to. He had his jacket laid over a nearby stone bench and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, his hair slightly tousled. Percy beamed when he saw Gabe.
“Gabe!”
“Morning, Percy.”
Percy put the pruning shears on top of his jacket and came around the bush. Gabriel accepted the embrace before stepping back and looking around him.
“This is looking really good. I’m impressed, Percy. You should have been a gardener.”
“Not really.” Percy blushed and gave a lopsided shrug. “It’s something that keeps me calm. Something I can control.”
“Maybe you should come and do my garden. I’m still finding my way around it.” Gabriel held out his hands, “We have some roses and they’re not kind at all.”
Percy laughed.
“They’re only kind if you’re kind to them. Knowing you, you don’t spare the shears and just chop away like a madman.”
“Well, if I do end up with a garden with no gardener, what do they expect?”
Percy was still chuckling as he went to the bench and picked up his jacket.
“Doesn’t Allen do gardening as well?”
“He does, but he’s no better than I am.” Gabriel shrugged, “And I need to have something to do. I just end up sitting around the house doing nothing. There are days when I need to be on the move. With my money extremely limited and my avenues of enjoyment cut off, I have to decide what I’m going to do with my time.”
“Well, if you will abuse what you’ve been given…” Percy rolled down his sleeves, buttoning them up at the cuffs, “then you wouldn’t be in this mess and I wouldn’t be the heir.”
It was known that Percy didn’t want to be the heir to the viscountcy. He preferred to be the second son and have a little more freedom. It allowed him to be quiet as much as he wanted and there was no immediate pressure for him to go and get married.
Now he had been thrust into a position he didn’t want. Gabriel wanted the title of heir, mostly because of what came with it and mostly because he knew he could handle the pressures of being the heir better than his brother could. Percy would get eaten alive at social engagements with everyone using him.
Isn’t that what you’re essentially doing? Using him?
I’m giving him an opportunity to have a wife. There’s a difference.
“I take it Mother and Father aren’t here right now.”
Percy scoffed. He finished his final button on his cuff and shrugged into his jacket.
“You know perfectly well they’re not here. They left yesterday.”
“I honestly didn’t know. I don’t keep up with their social calendar anymore.”
“Well, they’re in Woodbridge right now. Something about Aunt Sally’s birthday garden party.”
“And you didn’t go yourself?”
Percy rolled his eyes.
“You know perfectly well that Aunt Sally gets on my nerves. She thinks that it’s fine to tease me about my interests, and all I want to do is shout at her. Father understands, so I choose to keep my distance.”
“After being in her company multiple times, I understand.” Gabriel shook his head. “I don’t know how Mother and Father put up with her.”
“Because she’s a widow and apparently very lonely,” Percy grunted. “They don’t want her to be alone.”
Which Gabriel thought was ridiculous. Their father’s sister had been widowed for the last ten years and she had two children of her own. Two daughters who had left to marry as soon as they were able. Neither of them spoke to their mother, which Sally did lament about on many occasions.
She kept asking why her daughters hated her so much. Gabriel knew; Sally was so overbearing that she had to control everything. Her daughters, Gabriel’s cousins, didn’t like being questioned over everything or pushed towards people their mother thought suitable, so they left as soon as they could with husbands they had chosen.
Their family was just a mess.
“She’s hardly lonely when she’s got so many of her siblings around her,” Gabriel muttered. “She’s the one with money to spare even after she dies, and yet Father has to pay for her because she complains about having to do things herself. It’s like dealing with another child.”
“You’re just bitter because Father cut the wrong person off.”
Gabriel sighed.
“I suppose I deserved it. I pushed my luck too much. But I’m going to turn that around.” He came around the bushes and tapped Percy on the shoulder with his fist. “I’m going to show Father that I’m not the pathetic failure he declared me to be. Among the many other names he called me that night.”
“That’s good, but…” Percy frowned, “what are you up to, Gabe?”
Gabriel grinned.
“You’ll see. I’m still putting some of these plans into action.”
“It’s not going to be one of your schemes that falls by the wayside, is it? You’ve never been able to stick to anything in your life.”
“Hey! I thought you love
d me, Percy.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m blind to your flaws.” Percy folded his arms. “I don’t think it’ll be enough to make Father give you back your title, though.”
“Are you worried that I’ll become the heir again?”
“I’d rather be the spare. Less pressure on me to do anything.” Percy made a face. “After experiencing what you’ve been through in the last six months, I can see why anyone would be tempted to be wild.”
Gabriel laughed and looped his arm around Percy’s shoulders in a brief embrace.
“I’m glad you’re on my side.” He stepped back and picked up the pruning shears from the bench. “I take it Mother and Father are pushing for you to get married.”
“And then some. I’m so tempted just to tell them to shove it.”
“I thought you said you wanted to get married.”
“I do, but…” Percy sighed, “no woman wants to be in talks with a man who can’t hold an interesting conversation or show some kind of initiative. And the women Mother has found for me are not exactly...well, I want to feel something more than just…”
“A spark of something should be there between you,” Gabriel murmured.
“Yes. Enjoying a woman’s company is one thing, but if there’s nothing there between us, that just makes things a lot harder.”
“I hear you.”
Gabriel understood more than he realised. That made him pause. He always thought he’d found a spark of sorts with the women he had enjoyed the company of privately, but now he knew it was simple lust. It wouldn’t last beyond basic instincts. Had he been trying to find the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and got it completely wrong?
After what had happened and with society still ablaze with the rumours, it would be a miracle if he got a marriage at all.
An image of Cassandra floated through his mind, and Gabriel shoved it aside. Now was not the time to be thinking about her. Not for him.
“It’s not easy finding the ‘spark’, as you call it.” Gabriel ran a hand through his hair. “For me, it was just an illusion. They disappeared almost as soon as I saw it.”
Percy chuckled.
“I’m sure the ladies will be delighted to hear that. Although I’m sure there’s one lady in particular who will argue that.”
“If you’re talking about Jessica Gibson, she seems to think there’s a lot more going on.” Gabriel sighed, “The woman believes that if she keeps bothering me, she’ll get me to realise that we’re meant to be together.”
“I presume you led her on?”
“I told her that I wasn’t looking for anything permanent. She knew what she was getting into.” Jessica was not as innocent as she made herself out to be to her family. “I’ve spoken to her father about her consistent pestering, but I doubt that’s going to stop her.”
Hopefully, the man would follow through with taking Jessica away from Ipswich. Then Gabriel could breathe a little more easily. It was his fault, if he was being brutally honest. He should have made things clearer, or not target Jessica as a mistress. But hindsight was not useful now.
“I did warn you that getting involved with her would be a bad idea. She’s…” Percy tapped his head, “she’s missing a few things up here.”
“Now I wish I had listened.” Gabriel sat on the bench and patted the seat beside him. “Anyway, it’s about women that I’m here.”
Percy groaned.
“If you’re in trouble with one again, you’re going to have to deal with it yourself. I’m not getting involved.”
“It’s not like that, Percy. Come and sit down.”
Percy hesitated, but he did take a seat. Gabriel handed him the pruning shears and crossed his legs at the ankles.
“I’ve found someone who would be a perfect bride for you. She’s young, obviously unmarried, and very pretty.”
Percy’s eyes widened. Then they narrowed.
“This isn’t one of your lady friends, is it? Because I don’t want to be paired up with someone you’ve known intimately.”
“No, of course not. She’s far too bright to get involved with me.” Gabriel felt a stirring in his gut and cleared his throat. “I’ve spoken to her about you in passing and she was curious. She’s asked about you quite a bit since I first mentioned you. I think she would be keen to meet you.”
There it was. The light in Percy’s eyes. He was curious. But then his expression turned wary.
“You’re not doing this to toy with me, are you?”
“Why would I do that?”
“You’ve done it before.”
Gabriel bit back a retort. He had teased his brother in the past, but never about this. Even so, he understood why Percy would be unsure; he had been caught up with some of Gabriel’s machinations in the past, and that hadn’t turned out well for either of them. Percy would be nervous about approaching something that involved Gabriel.
“I’m not messing about this time, Percy.” Gabriel sat forward. “She really does want to meet you, Percy. She’s interested to know more about you.”
“Hmm.” Percy’s eyes narrowed. “What’s her name? And how did you meet someone who is even remotely respectable?”
“I’m hurt, little brother. You think I can’t meet someone who is respectable?”
“Not the people in your social circle, Gabe.”
“You mean my former social circle,” Gabriel grimaced. He didn’t want to be reminded of the people he thought were his friends but who had then deserted him when he lost his social standing. “Her name is Cassandra Seton. And we just bump into each other when I go into Ipswich. She’s friends with Emily Barrington.”
“I know Emily.” Percy’s cheeks reddened. “She’s...a very pleasant young woman.”
“Well, Miss Seton is a pleasant young woman as well,” Gabriel grinned. “And she’s keen to make your acquaintance.”
“I...I’m not sure what to say about that.” Percy swallowed and peered curiously at his brother. “I’m surprised you haven’t approached her yourself. You do with any attractive woman, which is why finding a bride for me is more difficult than normal.”
“I go for women who are a little more...experienced,” Gabriel bit back a wince as a knot built low in his gut. “Miss Seton is far too sweet for me. So how about it, Percy? Do you want me to arrange a meeting?”
“I...I suppose.” Percy looked hopeful, and then skeptical. “What’s she really like? Does she even exist?”
“Oh, she exists.” She most certainly exists. “And I know you two will get along really well.” Gabriel rose to his feet and brushed himself down. “Come on. Let’s sneak inside and get a drink. I’m sure Charles will allow us to have a little something.”
“A drink at this time of the morning?”
Gabriel winked.
“I won’t tell if you won’t.”
#
“What about this one?”
Emily held up a fabric of pale pink. Cassandra inspected it and pursed her lips.
“It’s a nice colour, but not on you.”
