“Oh, Robert.” Aunt Gladys nodded. “He’s studying Law at Oxford, isn’t he? A good boy, I always thought.”
“Oh good.” Adam laughed. “What good are men that can only claim to be good? I prefer men who are wild, or good at sport. Robert has never done much more than read and ride.”
“Now that’s false.” Aunt Gladys said. “I happen to have heard from Jeremy that Robert beat Earl Jameson himself in a friendly duel.”
“I suppose he did,” Adam said. “The problem with Robert is that his words cut enough. He scarcely has a need to take out a sword! My brother has a temper that’s rather like a volcano. He doesn’t always explode, but if he does, he has the power to move continents and shake oceans.”
“The two of you seem to have a rivalry,” Caroline commented.
“Well, as to what his feelings are for me, I cannot say. He is, of course, my brother and I will never speak ill of him to any but my closest friends.”
“I did not know I had the honor of being your closest friend,” Caroline smiled. “Given your big and colorful reputation, I wonder if this is an honor I can accept with an easy conscience.”
Adam laughed. “My character isn’t half as bad as my reputation, Lady Caroline. But it is more than I can say of other lads I know, whose reputations are seldom a tenth of their real character.”
“Well, real character is eventually revealed.” Aunt Gladys said.
“Yes, to the misfortune of those poor ladies who marry a righteous man and then find out he’s quite the sinner.” Adam laughed.
“Ah, but let us not forget that many a man will marry a woman thinking her to be an angel sent to save him, only to find out she’s not quite what he thought she was,” Caroline said.
“I can attest to that!” Aunt Gladys smiled. “Why, Jeremy almost made the unfortunate choice of..."
With a look of horror, Caroline squeezed her aunt’s hand, and with wide eyes, beseeched her not to say a word.
Adam’s eyes sharpened with curiosity. “Well, what is this unfortunate choice?”
“Oh… I do not wish to slander the girl by having Aunt Gladys reveal her name.” Caroline said. “I only advised Jeremy against marriage to a girl whose character I felt lacked that delicacy and goodness that are prerequisites of a happy married life.”
“And Jeremy listened to you?” Adam asked scornfully. “He must not have loved her much if mere words could change his mind.”
“It wasn’t words so much as actions,” Caroline said. “Once his eyes had been opened to her behavior, Jeremy saw that this particular lady had more than a few habits he had previously been blind to. I suppose another girl might feel guilty about breaking his heart. I felt no pity for the girl, though.”
“Is that so?” Adam smiled.
“Caroline saved my Jeremy from a disastrous mistake.” Aunt Gladys said. “I’ll always be thankful to her for it.”
“It can’t have won her much admiration from the girl, though.” Adam laughed.
“Oh, that girl! She’s a snake in disguise.” Aunt Gladys said.
Uncomfortably, Caroline spoke, “Enough, Aunt Gladys. I do not want to discuss her actions much further.”
“But she is quite shameless!” Aunt Gladys said. “She swore to Caroline that she would destroy her life and such vulgar language she used! Not very lady like! Not only that, she tried to spread rumors about Caroline. Luckily, I was able to go to her and stem them at once. I threatened to speak to her father about her antics, and the lies that she had fed Jeremy as she courted both him and another gentleman at the same time.”
“But this is fascinating!” Adam said. “I must have been out of the country. I would not have missed such excellent gossip otherwise.”
“Let us change the topic, Aunt Gladys,” Caroline said again. “I cannot bear this anymore. She does deserve a second chance perhaps now, she has changed completely.”
Chapter 2
A New Duke
N ot two weeks after the pleasant gossip of that day, Adam Watts found himself back home, at the estate of the Duke of Westhamshire. It was not a happy visit for it marked the funeral of his oldest brother Richard, who had been killed in battle across the seas.
As Adam drove his carriage up the courtyard, he reminisced about the many hours he and his brothers had spent together in these very gardens. His heart was heavy as he walked into the parlor, where his mother sat weeping, and his older brother Robert stood next to her, gently consoling her.
“Oh, Richard!” His mother cried. “He was always so brave and so foolish! He died saving an entire battalion. Another man would have let the soldiers die and saved his own life.”
“Another man would have not the moral character our Richard did,” Robert said. “He was the best of us, mother, I only hope I am able to match his many virtues in the days to come.”
“You will have to.” His mother replied. “You are now the inheritor of the Westhamshire estates, and the title, Duke of Westhamshire.”
Adam watched his brother, wondering if there would be the slightest pleasure or spark of happiness in his eyes. After all, Richard’s untimely death had resulted in a vast fortune being handed to Robert.
But Robert’s eyes had nothing but grief in them as he said, “I would exchange every last honor to have one more day with my brother.” Looking at Adam, he said, “Adam, I know we’ve had our differences. I know I’ve said things that cut you to your heart in the past. But now I see that it was foolishness and pride that kept me on that path. I promise you that I will be better from now. The loss of one brother has opened me to the virtues of the other.”
Overwhelmed, Adam hugged his brother, “I promise the same.” He said. “We are here for too short a time to have such petty rivalries as we did.”
The door to the parlor opened, and young Arabella Watts entered. Adam nodded to his younger sister, noting that even her mourning dress was of the latest cut and that from her hair to the rouge on her cheeks, she had taken pains to look good even as she grieved.
That is if she grieved at all.
“Come, Mother," she said. “The visitors are waiting to see us and pay their respects. The Earls of Yorkway and Debenshire are here too.”
Ah, Adam smiled to himself. So that explained the dress and the powder. Arabella had been trying to catch the eye of the Earl of Yorkway since she had turned eighteen. She would not let something as inconsequential as the funeral of her brother stop her, apparently.
When Robert said with some force, “The others can wait, mother needs to compose herself.”, Arabella’s large eyes swam with tears.
“I only meant,” she said, “That we must stay together as a family, and show a stiff upper lip in these trying times.”
“Oh, Bella.” Robert hugged his little sister. “I’m sorry if I’ve been beastly. Of course, that’s what you meant.”
Arabella gave a satisfied smile as he hugged her, and Adam wondered how Robert’s high esteem of his little sister would be affected if he could see it. Sometimes, Adam was amazed that his entire family could be so blind to Arabella’s blatantly selfish ways. She had plenty of charm and to those who were above her in station, she only showed this part of her personality. To those whom she considered her inferiors, however, she would show the full measure of her arrogance and her selfishness.
Adam, as the youngest of three sons, had always been looked down on by Arabella, which is why he saw through her.
“Come, Adam.” Robert extended a hand to him as he led his family outside. Reluctantly, Adam followed the still smiling Arabella.
***
All Robert wished to do was go back to his studies at Oxford. However, his mother had soon vetoed that. As duke, he had found more than one duty begging for his attention. With the help of his brother’s solicitors, he soon threw himself into the arduous task of managing his vast estates, as well as contributing to governing the villages that fell under his duchy. It did not help that he inherited the title during a, partic
ularly bad year for the crops. He was kept busy managing the taxes and governance, as well as rushing from one ball to another that his mother deemed “absolutely necessary to keep the name of the family.”
It was no secret to Robert that his mother wished for him to marry soon and produce an heir- but every ball he went to seemed to Robert an utter waste of time. All the women he met seemed replaceable and replicable. Everywhere, the same conversations, and the same gossip, with different names attached. He found himself growing very impatient.
“You cannot be anxious, Robert, and you must not judge these women so!” His mother exclaimed. “You have to marry one of them!”
“I would be glad to if they were not all lacking sorely in one attribute or another. If I find a woman with beauty, I soon find that she lacks character. If I find one with character, I find that she lacks the social skills that are necessary for being a Duchess. If by a miracle, I find a woman who has all three, I soon find that she is engaged or already married.” Robert laughed.
“I introduced you to twenty-three women whom I thought were perfectly acceptable.” His mother said with a sigh. “In Earl Yorkway’s ball alone, I introduced you to three women.”
“Ah yes, one told me with a giggle about how she had never read a book in her life, and never intended to,” Robert said. “The other was gossiping about a poor soul who had an unhappy marriage. I found that conversation to be in very poor taste.”
“What about the third!” His mother asked.
“Well, perhaps my patience was a bit thin that day,” Robert said, “But by the time she had finished telling me all about herself and her many, many virtues, all I could tell her was, “Virtue in excess is a vice!”
Chapter 3
Huntington Manor
“O h, I’m so glad you’re finally here!” Aunt Gladys clapped her hands together in joy as Caroline’s coach pulled up. Caroline’s mother and her younger sister Emily both emerged, while Caroline stepped out last, dressed in a yellow flowery dress.
They were to stay a month at Aunt Gladys’ country manor, the Huntington Estate. The manor was a large house, with a pleasing awning, and large sloping gardens dotted with lobelias and carnations. At the gates, visitors were greeted by the famous fountain, with its statue of Orpheus playing his lyre, while a shadowy Eurydice could be seen underwater. The estate had not always been so beautiful, but Gladys and her husband Huntington Clarke had tended it well. Over the years and under their loving care, the estate had now blossomed to one of the most beautiful in all the county.
Caroline’s own family had not one tenth of the wealth her aunt did, but her aunt and uncle had never let that come between them. The summers of her childhood had been spent running around the estate, jumping into the lake bordering their land, and reading books in the magnificent library Uncle Huntington had created. Those had been some of the happiest days of her life, and indeed, Caroline felt just as close to them as she did to her own parents. With a big smile, Caroline greeted her aunt and her cousin Jeremy as they welcomed them.
“Sister!” Caroline’s mother hugged Gladys and gave her a big smile. “It is always a pleasure.”
“Look at you, Emily! How you’ve grown!” Gladys chucked Caroline’s sister under the chin. “And Caroline, oh I haven’t talked to you since that most delicious conversation we had with Adam Watts. That was more than six months ago, wasn’t it?”
A shadow passed over Caroline’s face. “Yes.” She replied shortly. “Will you excuse me, Aunt Gladys? I will go up now to check on our bags.”
Aunt Gladys watched her slip inside the manor, a little puzzled. Cousin Jeremy spoke what she was thinking, “What happened to Caroline? Not like her to run away from us so soon.”
Caroline’s mother only shook her head, while Emily said, “I am not entirely sure, but I do know that every time Adam’s name is mentioned, Caroline ducks away.”
“Oh.” Jeremy looked confused. “She and Adam were childhood friends. Do you remember how he used to be here all summer, Emmie? You and I used to get along well together, but Adam and Caro were always the ones leading our little group to new adventures.”
“I do remember,” Emily smiled. “Which is why it is even more surprising to me that she shuns him so.”
“I say!” Jeremy exclaimed. “You don’t think... it isn’t possible that Caroline has fallen for his charms?”
Caroline’s mother rushed in to defend her. “Of course not! Caroline knows Adam’s reputation. While he isn’t quite wicked, he isn’t a man to be completely trusted with a lady’s heart. She would never fall in love with him.”
“Oh but women are attracted to rogues, Aunt Aurelia.” Jeremy pointed out.
“Well I watched her with Adam six months ago, and at least at the time, she did not seem to have any feelings for him.” Aunt Gladys said definitively. “In any case, we’d do better to ask Caroline about her behavior rather than wondering and making up reasons that might be completely wrong.”
Agreeing on this, the party moved inside, and the conversation moved on to better topics.
From the window upstairs, Caroline watched them. Her heart felt heavy, and fear coiled in her stomach. She had met Adam again after that day with Aunt Gladys, and the memory of it made her feel weak.
She had been walking on the moors along her house when Adam had appeared, as if by magic, riding on his horse. On seeing her, he had dismounted and walked with her. Delighted to see him, she had asked him how he had been.
“Terrible,” Adam replied. “I haven’t had a moment of peace since Richard died, Caroline.”
Caroline had nodded, her heart heavy with his loss. “I’m so sorry, Adam. I’d met Richard once before, and he seemed like a very brave and chivalrous man.”
“He was,” Adam said, his eyes looking suspiciously wet. “My brother was a great man. With him gone, I’ve been thinking over and over about my own life. What am I doing with it, Caroline? Richard had a meaningful life. He died saving an entire battalion of men. My older brother Robert is the duke now and do you know, he’s poured himself wholeheartedly into his work? He does not waste time with frivolous occasions like balls. He works hard at making the estate better, he even works hard at improving the lives of the common men who are dependent on him. Richard went to battle, and while Robert did not, he is doing a lot of good in the world nonetheless. As for me, if I were to die tomorrow, what would become of it? Who would say one good thing about me, other than that I was cheery and drank well?”
“Oh, Adam!” Caroline exclaimed. “That is no way to talk. You must take heart. Your brother was a good man, but as for you, you are hardly yet more than a boy. In time, I am sure that you will grow into a man who will make him proud.”
“Do you think so?” Adam asked, rubbing one fist against his eye. “Oh Caro, I do not feel any different now than when we were eight, and running all over the Huntington estate. Do you remember how Jeremy’s nanny used to scold us for tearing our clothes while climbing trees?”
Caroline laughed. “Yes, I do.”
“You even tried to patch up my shirt once, and ended up poking me with the needle.” Adam laughed. His eyes, though, were still full of grief.
Overcome by sympathy, Caroline had put a hand on his shoulder. “Adam, take heart. I remember the boy you were then. While I don’t completely appreciate the wild ways you have now, I do think that the fact that you can introspect this way points to your eventual maturity. You can and will become a good man if you work hard.”
“I have never worked hard in my life,” Adam said. “I have never seen a reason to. I’m only the third son of a duke, Caro, but believe me, where riches are concerned, my family is so well placed that I need never lift a finger all my life. As for society, well, I have friends willing to raise me a toast everywhere I go. Only now, when I need to talk to somebody, I seem to have none at all. None of the girls who so beguile me with their wits could have an honest conversation with me.”
“Oh, Adam.�
�
Adam had turned to her, and his dark eyes had been brimming. “Except you.” He had said.
In her sympathy, Caroline had been blind to the way he looked at her, but now, there was no mistaking the gleam in his eyes. “Adam.” She said, taking a step away. “Let us head back home, shall we? I’m sure mother will be delighted to greet you with tea and scones.”
“You’re trying to avoid me,” Adam said. “But I won’t be denied. Caroline, I cannot help the feelings overwhelming me right now. I feel as though I have been a fool.”
“Adam, you should stop speaking before you are an even greater fool.” Caroline tried to warn him. She did not wish to reject him outright for she had never seen him as anything but a friend. In fact, she saw him more like a brother. The prospect of romancing him turned her stomach.
“But Caroline, you must see that I am serious.” He said.
“Adam, I know you. In high spirits, more than once, you have proclaimed yourself to have feelings for women that vanish after a night’s sleep.”
“This is different,” Adam said, grasping her hand.
Caroline, shocked, tried to push him away.
“You will listen, Caroline! I love you so! I have known it all my life, I think, but I have been a fool and cavorted with women instead of being the man you deserve.”
“Adam please!” Caroline exclaimed. “Do not say another word, lest you embarrass both of us.”
“I have to say it.” He had gripped her even tighter. “You must listen!”
“No, I must not,” Caroline said. “I am leaving, Adam. Believe me, I wish I could reciprocate. I know you will make a good husband to a girl someday. But today is not that day, and I am not that girl. I am sympathetic to your loss, as any respectable woman would be. Please do not misinterpret my sympathy.”
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