Kitty wiped the tears from her eyes. “Did you happen to bring another? I really would like to go home in something pretty if you don’t mind.”
Henwit!
“I’m giving you ten minutes to meet me downstairs. I’m on the road with or without you.” Willie turned on foot and walked out the room, slamming the door behind her.
Chapter 17
George’s senses were assaulted by the smell of horse manure and moldy hay. The weather had warmed considerably, not unusual for spring, which was apparently quite fortunate for his idiot brother.
“Henry?” he called.
One of the horses whinnied. He turned to the beast, which smelled like he hadn’t been washed in a number of day.
“Henry!” he called again, this time more assertively.
“George?” a voice called down from atop an elevated platform.
“Yes. It’s me,” George replied, looking up at the loft. A rickety ladder was all that stood between him and his brother. And judging by the poor craftsmanship and rotting wood, it would remain what stood between them since he had no intention of scaling that danger.
Henry peered down from his perch. He looked like hell. His face and hair was dirty and his clothes were a mess. Through the dirt, he had what looked like a black eye and a fairly swollen jaw. He didn’t look much better than the horse. But if he were no worse for the wear, then George considered it a blessing. “Come down from there. I’m here to take you home.”
“No.”
For a moment, George thought he answered no.
“I will not come with you. I’m staying here.”
Why, that little sot.
George rubbed his temples. He couldn’t be certain if it were the acerbic smell or his fool for kin that was giving him the terrible headache. “Whatever you are trying to do here – assert your independence, proclaim your manhood, whichever cause you are pursuing today, can we at least carry on in the carriage? I’m afraid I haven’t the stomach for this particular location.”
“I’m going to marry Kitty and you can’t stop me.”
“Yes, I forgot, declaration of unstifled love. Can you at least come down here so we can talk about this like men, not man and bird?”
“If I come down, then you have to promise to hear me out.”
“Henry, this is ridiculous-.”
“You always cut me off. You make up my mind for me and for once, Brother, I implore you to listen to what I have to say.”
George waved his hand in the air, dismissing the childish intimidation tactic. “Fine, fine. Just come down here so we can stop yelling already.” George wondered if Willie were faring much better with her sister. For her sake, he sincerely hoped she was.
Henry looked down, then started making his way down the ladder.
“Good,” George declared once his brother had two feet firmly pressed on the stable floor. “Let’s get in the carriage and go home. We can settle it all in London.”
“No,” Henry answered, not moving.
“I said, get in the carriage,” George commanded again.
“You can’t keep telling me what to do.”
“Yes, I can. As long as you keep acting as if you haven’t a brain in your head, then I reserve the right to act as that missing brain.”
“I’m not going with you. I’m going to marry Kitty.”
George needed to get back to Willie, to try and change her mind, to convince her to marry him. He did not have time to discuss the insipid Katherine Marks! “I’m not going to tell you again. Now, let’s go.”
“You’re just like father!” Henry shouted.
The words hit him like a slap across the face. “What are you going on about?”
“What do you have against Kitty? She’s a sweet girl and she loves me. I’m going to marry her.”
“First of all, I cannot stand her name. Secondly, I don’t trust her. You couldn’t possibly know someone you barely just met. You need to wait, find a woman you love and marry her. This girl, she couldn’t possibly love you for anything but your title and your money.”
George didn’t see it coming. The fist hit him with such force, he fell back, landing in a pile of soiled straw.
He saw stars, then the room gradually came back into focus.
Henry hovered over him. “Don’t ever say anything like that about my fiancé again.”
George made his way back to a standing position. He tested his jaw, shocked by the effectiveness of his brother’s punch. “You could have just told me you didn’t care for my opinion.”
Henry’s jaw was tense and his hands were balled into fists. “You’re just like him.”
“Who?” George spit on the floor, not surprised to see blood.
“Father.”
He shook his head. “I’m nothing like that man. You have no idea what you’re talking about.” George peeled off his jacket, shaking the straw and manure from it best he could.
Henry took a step forward. “How can you not remember? I heard you two fighting about that Willie girl. He said the same thing about her that you do about Kitty. Don’t you remember how upset you were? You would leave home for days at a time. You loved her, I know you did. But you gave her up because Father told you to.”
George tossed his jacket to the floor. “I didn’t give her up.”
“You did! I heard you! I was just a boy, but I remember. Things were never the same after that. You barely came home and you were never yourself again. We used to be brothers and you changed. All you did was drink and play cards and carry on with women you have no business being with. And now you don’t even do that. You drink and do whatever else with women you don’t love. Don’t take it out on me because you didn’t have the bullocks to stand up to Father.”
A mirror.
Henry was a few inches shorter, and a bit stockier in build, but he was for all intents and purposes, a mirror of himself at that age. He was angry, but not at his brother. He was angry at himself.
“Henry…” George took a seat on a nearby chair. “The things that you saw, they weren’t exactly as you remember them. The situation was much more complicated than that.”
“Did you love her?” Henry asked.
“Yes,” George answered without hesitation.
“Don’t you think it’s possible that I feel the same thing for Kitty? She’s all I think about. From the time I wake up in the morning to when I go to bed. I know her breeding is less than impeccable and she can come off a bit flighty at times, but that is what I find so endearing about her. I love her and I want to marry her.”
“But why did you run off? What were you going to do?”
“You forbid me from seeing her again. What choice did I have? I thought we could go to Chesterton. From there, Scotland is only a half day’s ride away. I thought if we could just marry, then you’d have no choice but to accept her. And then you’d come to love her, like a sister of course.”
George reached into his waistcoat pocket and pulled out the signet. “What about this? You tell me you can be left to make life changing decisions, but then I find out you’re playing cards again.”
Henry reached out and took the ring, then placed it on his small finger. “Is this how you found me?”
“Thankfully. I sent the solicitor to meet you at Chesterton. I also went, but we had an accident and were delayed at another inn a few hours from here. One of the guests tried to sell this. Thankfully, someone recognized the seal as mine.” He leaned over, propping his elbows on his knees. “Your rooms were empty. You took everything you owned. However, did it get to the point where you had to sacrifice your signet ring?”
Henry sat on the ground across from his brother. “I still owed some money. It’s an old debt, but I didn’t feel right marrying Kitty while my past was still chasing after me, haunting me for all those mistakes I made. I wanted to be done with it. Before I left, I gave them everything I had, paying them in full. I grossly underestimated how much they’d take from me. But still, I
thought we could make it straight through to Chesterton. It was a long haul, but if we could just get there… But, the ice storm put a damper on my plan. I told Kitty I’d been robbed, but that wasn’t true. I needed to sell something, and the most valuable thing I had was my signet ring. I tried to find a buyer. There was a group of younger men, they didn’t look particularly wealthy, but still they declined. I thought that was the end of it. By then, I’d been relegated to my current residence here among the horses, and on my way back, one of them attacked me from behind. He took the ring from my finger.”
“The man who had your ring said he won it in a card game.”
“Well he would, wouldn’t he? He couldn’t very well admit to taking it from me after he beat me, now could he?” Henry looked down. “Did you believe him?”
“No. He said he won it playing Whist and I knew that couldn’t have been true. That was never your game, and even you wouldn’t have trusted playing with a partner you didn’t know.”
“Thank you for not doubting me.”
George inclined his head toward his brother. “Does Kitty even know about your trouble with cards?”
“Of course. She knows everything about me.”
“Everything but what you just told me?”
Henry hung his head. “I couldn’t bear to face her if she found out that I’d lost a fight.”
“You said she loved you no matter what. If you truly believe that, then you should have no difficulty telling her the truth.”
“It’s not her reaction to the truth that worries me. It’s my weakness that I’m embarrassed of. I’d rather she not believe her husband-to-be can’t stand up for himself.”
George understood such insecurity all too well. There was nothing worse than letting a woman know that you were just a man and not invincible after all. “You’ll have to tell her. There is no place in a wedding bed for lies.”
“Does this mean you give me your blessing? Brother, I want your support.”
George nodded the affirmative. “I do support you. You would never evoke Father’s name if you really didn’t mean what you said.”
“I apologize that I stooped so low. You’re not all like him.”
“More so than I care to admit,” he confessed. “Besides, it’s not me you have to worry about. Miss Marks’s sister is here. She accompanied me from London.”
Henry jumped to his feet. “Oh no! Kitty told me what a shrew she was. That woman is hell bent on making sure nothing ever happens to Kitty, good or bad. I was lucky we met how we did – she’d snuck out of the house to take some air around the park.”
“That sounds about right,” George muttered under his breath.
“However did you two meet?”
“It turns out we are old friends.” It was a version of the truth, but it was enough for this situation.
Henry looked momentarily confused, but was quick to recover. “I’m sorry I hit you.”
George casually waved it off. “It’s quite all right. I deserved it.”
“I’m not certain you did.”
Maybe not for anything he’d done to Henry, but he was certain he deserved it for one reason or another. George stood up, futilely dusting off his pants. He was literally covered in shit and couldn’t help but think that was a fair representation of how his day was going. “Well, we need to hurry if you plan on professing your undying love and devotion to Miss Marks and convincing her sister not to have you drawn and quartered. I’d like to get on the road back to London before sundown.”
*
Willie held her sister’s hand as they made their way toward the coach. Fortunately, she’d just enough in her reticule for the coach to London and one meal for each of them. They were in the southwestern part of York. That meant they could make it back to London in a little over a day’s time if they went straight through.
“Kitty!” a man’s voice shouted from across the yard.
The women turned to the voice in question. Willie didn’t have to ask, she knew immediately who it was. The resemblance to his brother was startling.
“Let’s keep going, Kitty,” she warned.
Kitty did not listen. What girl would?
“Henry?”
“Can we at least pretend to observe the appropriate manners of our station? I understand propriety is such an inconvenience, but really.”
George stepped out from behind Henry. “What are you doing?”
“We are making our way back to London.” She stopped and took a closer look at him. “What happened to your face? Why, your eye is bruised. Were you hit? Did someone hit you?”
“Long story, no time. Why are you taking a coach back to London? We have my carriage. That way we can discuss what’s transpired here and decide what’s next—”
“I believe this is where we part,” she interrupted. “I thought it best we book separate transport back to London. I wouldn’t want to burden you any more than we already have.”
“Kitty!” Henry shouted. “I love you!”
Kitty physically drooped, melting at his sappy declaration. Willie stepped between the two of them. “I believe we can have this discussion in London. And if you could please refer to her as Miss Marks and likewise Lord Wainscott…”
Kitty peaked around her sister’s blockade. “You lied to me. You said you’d stopped playing cards. You called it a demon and told me you’d beaten it.”
“Kitty, I can explain. It’s not what you think!”
“Did you lie to me?” she asked.
“Yes, but for a good reason,” Henry protested.
Willie bobbed and swayed to effectively come between them. “I think it’s best if we all go our separate ways.”
“Willie, what is the meaning of all this?” George shouted above the chaos.
Both Henry and Kitty shut up immediately and directed curious glances up at woman in the middle.
“Willie?” Kitty repeated. “Wilhelmina? Is he speaking to you? I thought we were the only ones to call you that.”
“Lord Chesterton, you really must start referring to me as Miss Turner,” she replied meekly.
Henry turned to face his brother. “This is Willie? The Willie?”
“Not now, Henry,” George warned.
“If not now, then when?” he asked.
“Later, in London,” Willie answered for him.
“I’m confused,” Kitty chimed in.
“My Lord,” Willie looked directly at George. “I need to get my sister back home. I believe we’ve successfully avoided any hint of scandal. She assures me that her honor is intact and as far as I can tell, she is being completely forthcoming with any and all pertinent information. Your brother was kind enough to disguise her identity, and considering your generous, yet in my opinion, completely unnecessary donation to the innkeeper, I believe we are not at any risk of further damage to her reputation. I advocate we immediately return to London and be thankful that we intervened when we did.”
George walked around Henry and pulled Willie out of the mix. “What are you doing?”
“We did what we set out to do. Now it’s time we return to London. My aunt will be worried.”
“Why are you being like this?”
“I’m not being like anything,” she hissed. “Why are you creating a scene?” Onlookers had started to gather to stare at the spectacle unfolding before them.
He raked his hand through his hair. “I think we need to talk about things.”
“There is nothing to talk about,” said stated resolutely, jutting her chin.
“Oh, I can think of plenty. You and I, my brother and Miss Marks…”
She felt a pain clench inside her chest. “There is no you and I, and there is certainly no Lord Wainscott and Kitty.”
“There certainly is. Did you forget? We spent the night together,” he said in a hushed tone.
“Yes, well, it was time we cleared the air about some of our past disagreements. I admit that we may have taken our reconciliation a bit far, b
ut at least we can stand to be civil to each other in case we ever cross paths again.”
George took her hands into his. “If?”
She quickly pulled them back. “I already jeopardized so much. If it weren’t for Mrs. Follmer, then who knows what would have happened. I’m happy we are at a better place than we were, but my diversion almost led to catastrophe.”
“This isn’t you, Willie,” he pleaded.
“It most certainly is. This is who I am now, who I’ve been for the past ten years. I cannot live my life impulsively, I must stay the straight and narrow and not deviate from my plan, which right now is getting my sister home and putting this whole sordid mess behind us.”
“Henry loves her,” he blurted out. “If you want nothing to do with me, then at least let’s take some time to discuss your sister’s future. I already gave him my blessing.”
Willie’s eyes narrowed. “Then you can take it back.”
“Why would I do such a thing? The two are in love. They went to all this trouble already, we might as well help them carry it through.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He was supposed to be on her side. “Your brother almost cost my sister her reputation.”
“Come on now. You even admitted to Kitty helping hatch this fool’s errand!”
“She was coerced by your deviant brother. He’s older and should have known better. What kind of gentleman runs off with a girl? He’s old enough to know what a scandal it would have caused. And the gambling, you said it yourself. He has a problem and I refuse to let my sister live a life of poverty, fearing for her safety because of his weakness.”
George raised his hand, pointing at her. “You go too far, Willie. My brother did have a problem, I assure you that he’s grown past it and would never do anything to hurt your sister.”
“Are you lying for him now? Or did he trick you, too?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. I implore you to come inside and let’s discuss this like two rational individuals instead of arguing like two fishwives in the middle of a courtyard.”
Absolutely not. She couldn’t go anywhere with him alone, to do so meant abandoning all logic. No, she needed to go back to London. She couldn’t afford to stay another moment.
Second Chance Marquess (Second Chance Series Book 1) Page 15
