Milton ignored his son and told her, “There are no saddles for females.”
The man really was determined not to be accommodating. It was becoming laughable, but she refrained and simply said, “No matter. A walk will do.”
Richard took her arm and got her out of there before anything more unpleasant occurred. She sensed his tension. He was bristling, actually.
“That was difficult?” she guessed as he led her outside.
He started down the long drive, away from the house. No demonstrations for his father planned for this walk apparently.
“He can’t even be civil to you! He was never this obnoxious or unpleasant before. Of course he always got furious when one of us broke his rules, but after administering the punishments, he went back to ignoring Charles and me, or just treating us normally.”
“What do you mean by ‘normally’? The way a normal parent treats his children?”
“No, not that. If he cared about either of us, he never showed it. His attitude was more like he’d treat a guest in his house, cordial, but without any sentiment. I wonder if the gambling debts I saddled him with pinched his pockets a little too much and have turned him this bitter. This place was never run-down like this before I left home. He was never, ever extravagant back then. We never had the best of anything, in fact he did harp on expenses from time to time, but we didn’t live like paupers either. It must bite hard, that he’s had to let the place get so run-down.”
Richard turned them around to head back to the house. She hated to see him so upset and felt a strong urge to hug him.
Instead she quickly said, “Perhaps your father is being so unpleasant because he just doesn’t believe us.”
“Or he’s guessed why we’re here,” Richard said with a groan.
That thought worried her as well. “Do you really need to extend this in order to visit with Charles? Can’t you arrange a visit with him after we’ve accomplished our goal?”
“Indeed, I actually tried to get into my father’s study last night while he wasn’t downstairs, before I came to your room. It was locked. And one of the footmen suddenly appeared, as if he’d been hiding in the shadows, and told me my father wasn’t in there. The damned fellow could have told me he wasn’t even home, but he didn’t.”
“You think the contract is in there?”
“That would be the most likely place. If a servant continues to be stationed outside the study, I’ll have to attempt access from the outside through a window. He had a locked floorboard under his desk as I recall.”
She chuckled. “He locked the floor?”
He grinned with her. “Actually, yes. He had a box that fit under the floorboard, and a keyed lock was set into the board, so it can’t be lifted without the key. But he was fanatic about not leaving money around for servants to steal, so that’s not the only place to look. One of the drawers on his desk also has a key lock. For that matter, all three of the top drawers on his bedroom bureau have locks, as does the little chest he keeps his watches in. And come to think of it, there’s even a locked door inside his clothes room.”
“It’s not for a bath?”
“No, there’s a separate room for his bath on the other side of the wardrobe. Charles and I always wondered what he kept in there, but we never found out. We were punished once for being in his bedroom, so we never went there again.”
She groaned. “How on earth are you going to obtain that many keys?”
“Wasn’t planning to. I brought a set of tools that can serve as keys.”
She had no clue as to what he meant. “Oh?”
“Jeremy Malory, James’s son, offered them to me before we left London. They belonged to his wife, Danny. Jeremy said his father suggested the loan.” Richard snorted with a shake of his head. “There’s something absolutely wrong with James Malory helping me.”
“Why? He’s a nice man.”
“The devil he is. Did you know he used to be a pirate?”
“I’d heard joking references to it, but I didn’t believe it.”
“It’s true.”
“How do you know?”
“Gabby’s father saved his life long ago and told me the whole story.”
“Go on with you.” She laughed. “I’m still not believing it.”
“I suppose you wouldn’t believe I used to be a pirate, too?”
She laughed harder, couldn’t help it. But since her amusement wasn’t amusing him, she choked it off and tried to present a serious expression. And failed.
He ended up rolling his eyes at her and adding, “Would you believe I was a treasure hunter?”
That was too intriguing to scoff at. She gave him a curious look. “Really?”
He no longer looked annoyed with her and nodded. “My old captain is enamored of treasure hunting, always has been, and has finally made it his only occupation.”
“Have you ever found any treasure?”
“Enough for me to continue to find the chase extremely exciting. Ask Gabby. My captain is her father.” They’d reached the house, but instead of opening the door, he glanced down at her and asked, “Do you really like to ride?”
“It’s one of my passions.”
“One?”
She blushed. Definitely a poor choice of words around him. But she was saved from answering when he turned abruptly at the sound of a coach approaching the house.
“Charles?” she wondered.
“I hope so.”
And in fact his brother bounded out of the coach before it quite stopped and engulfed Richard in a bear hug. “What are you doing here?” Charles exclaimed. “I thought—”
Richard quickly cut him off. “I’ll explain this visit later.”
“And Julia?” Charles gave her a smile. “Does this mean—?”
“Yes,” Richard said, eliciting a delighted laugh from his brother.
Julia managed not to frown. Richard wasn’t going to confide in his brother about their charade? But then she guessed that he simply didn’t want to take the chance of being caught there on the porch discussing it. It would take quite a bit of explaining.
The door to the coach hadn’t stopped swinging, but as soon as the coach came to a full stop, a small hand pressed it still and a young boy stepped down. A handsome boy who very much resembled his father, but looked quite reserved now, and confused.
Charles said to his son, “Come meet your uncle, Mathew.”
Richard knelt down and held out his arms to the boy. But Mathew was shyly hesitant, glancing at his father for guidance.
Charles smiled. “He’s my brother, Mathew. The only one I’ve got.”
The boy finally grinned in understanding and rushed forward. It was such a touching moment, Julia almost cried as she saw the tender look on Richard’s face as he held his nephew for the first time.
Then Milton opened the front door and, with a delighted smile, held out his arms to the boy. Mathew laughed and ran to his grandfather for a hug.
“Did you miss me?” Mathew exclaimed.
“You know I did,” Milton said, and took the boy inside the house.
Richard stood up slowly. “My God, pinch me, I didn’t just see that.”
Charles chuckled beside him. “I warned you he’s on his best behavior around my son. To Mathew, he’s everything a grandfather should be.”
Richard glanced at his brother sharply. “You mean the father we never had?”
“Yes.”
Chapter Forty-one
RICHARD WAS SOAKING WET as he sat beside his brother on the dock. Though he’d removed his shirt, water still dripped from his cutoff pants and down his chest and back from his wet hair. It wouldn’t take long to dry, the day was so warm.
He often used to share this peaceful setting with his brother when they were growing up. Stately, old trees dotted the area, and wildflowers grew in abundance beyond the manicured lawn. It had been easy to forget where they were if they didn’t look back at the house.
Richard had found out during l
uncheon that Mathew had never learned to swim, and he’d volunteered Julia and himself to teach him. The boy had politely declined the lesson, but wanted to come along to watch them swim, so they ended up going down to the lake anyway.
Charles had joined them. As Julia and Mathew walked ahead of them hand in hand, Charles explained to Richard, “He’s afraid of the water, so don’t be surprised if you can’t coax him in, even where it’s shallow. One of the gardener’s boys was drowning a few years back. He could swim well enough, but had cramped up or something, and Mathew, who had been playing on the back lawn, heard the boy’s screams and thought he could save him, when he couldn’t swim either! Father actually rescued them. He’d been on his way to speak with Mathew and was the only one near enough at the time to help. Mathew has declined all my attempts to teach him to swim since then. I blame myself, for not teaching him sooner.”
Richard was determined to teach the boy after hearing that, but Charles was right. Even though Richard had showed Mathew how much fun could be had in the water, and Julia had been a good sport to participate in that, he couldn’t lure Mathew in to try it. But in the end, Julia succeeded! She’d merely had to promise to hold him all the while, until he got the knack of it.
Watching how patient and gentle Julia was with the boy, Charles remarked, “She seems to have a way with children, doesn’t she?”
Richard had been thinking the same thing. But then Mathew had taken to her right away, while he was still quite reserved with Richard, not seeming to know what to make of an uncle he’d never before met. God, Richard thought, he’d missed so much in the nine years he’d been away.
“Give Mathew time,” Charles continued when he noticed Richard’s pensive look. “I’ve told him so many stories about you, all good, and I made sure Father never said a bad word about you in front of him. It might be your hair, since he’s never seen a man wear it so long. But it’s more likely your height that makes him a bit uncomfortable. He’s very self-conscious right now that he’s a bit short for his age. But with Julia, well, he doesn’t get much exposure to young women who aren’t servants. And I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he’s smitten!”
Charles didn’t need to make excuses for the boy. Richard knew you had to be around to gain trust and love, and he hadn’t been here, nor would he be in the future. And yet, this was the family he’d always wanted for himself, he realized with a profound sense of sadness. Woman and child frolicking, brothers sitting on the side watching, fun, laughter, a sense of togetherness, and it probably wouldn’t happen again. He and Julia would soon be leaving.
He hadn’t had a chance yet to explain to Charles what they were doing there. Milton had called them into the parlor when they entered the house, then they’d all gone into the dining room for luncheon. Milton had continued to amaze Richard because not once while the boy was present did Milton’s manner turn caustic or nasty.
Richard and Charles were far enough away from the activity in the water to speak privately, so he wasn’t surprised when Charles said, “Rich, what’s going on between you and Julia, and why are you really here at Willow Woods? Your behavior contradicts everything you told me at the inn.”
Now that the subject was at hand, Richard almost decided to give Charles the same account they’d given to Milton. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his brother, but the charade had to be kept secret and Charles wasn’t good at keeping secrets. But this was his brother, and Charles might even be able to assist them in finding the contract more quickly. At least he could shed some light on their father’s daily routine, which would aid Richard in his search.
Richard shook his head and gave his brother a brief account of the truth, ending with “He’s not exactly displaying any happiness over our upcoming wedding, and you’d think he’d be ecstatic, finally to be getting what he wants.”
“Then he simply doesn’t believe you, which doesn’t surprise me. Skeptical might as well be his middle name. But then he’s always been suspicious about anything out of the ordinary, and this is about as unexpected as it gets. You don’t remember that?”
“I’d gathered as much, though it means we just have to ‘perform’ more convincingly—or get the damn job done. Do you know where he keeps that contract?”
“I’m sorry, I haven’t a clue. All these years, he wouldn’t talk about you, and whenever I tried, he’d just get furious. I even brought up the contract after you first showed up and told me what Julia was going to do.”
Richard was given pause. “You told him you saw me?”
“No, of course not. But her plan didn’t sit well with me a’tall. I’m too superstitious, you know. Her declaring you dead would be like jinxing you so you really would die. I had to at least try to stop that by convincing him to release her from the contract. Of course, he fobbed off my reasoning.”
And with Milton’s suspicious nature, he guessed that Richard might be in the neighborhood to have prompted that plea? But Richard was not going to mention the trip to Australia that Milton had arranged, in case Charles was indirectly responsible for Milton’s finding Richard.
Richard still needed to know his father’s current habits and mentioned, “Father was out rather late last night. Is that typical for him not to be at home for most of the evening?”
“He spends time with a widow nearby.”
Richard raised a brow. “A mistress? Him?”
Charles shook his head. “Don’t think he’s keeping her, not that he could afford to. She lives comfortably on a small pittance and, apparently, enjoys his company.”
The idea that any woman could enjoy Milton’s company was ludicrous. “Must be something wrong with her, then.”
Charles chuckled. “Not really. She’s his age or thereabouts, and untitled gentry.”
“So she’s hoping for his title?”
“Possibly, or it could simply be she’s lonely. She frequently invites him to dinner, so a few times a week, Mathew and I eat alone. And every week or so he’ll come home late, so while you can’t really say she’s his mistress, they do probably share a bed occasionally.”
“You think he would marry her?”
“No,” Charles said, then added bluntly, “If she were rich, maybe, but she’s not.”
“Not enough money for him, how pathetic. You realize he’s always been obsessed with money?”
“Rather hard to miss, that. But do you know why? Yours wasn’t the first debt he was forced to pay. Our maternal grandparents were heavily in debt, and when they died soon after our parents married, every one of their creditors came knocking at Father’s door. Mother’s family actually thought Father was rich, so they wouldn’t let him out of that arranged marriage any more than he would let us out of ours. And actually, this estate has enough tenants that it would do very well if so much old debt hadn’t piled up. Mother ran up extreme debts, too. And Candice didn’t come with a dowry. Her father figured that marrying a duke’s daughter was dowry enough, and it was. That connection was all my marriage was about. You were supposed to fill the coffers again and pay off all the old debts.”
Richard winced. “And instead I added to them. Do you feel pinched with your home in such a deplorable state—due to lack of funds?”
“I have funds,” Charles said surprisingly. “The allowance that Candice continued to receive from her father after we married was doubled when Mathew was born and now comes to me, to make sure he never lacks for anything. The duke would spoil Mathew horribly if I let him, but I won’t let him.”
“Then you could have refurbished this place?”
“Yes. Easily. But then father would know I have money and consider it his. That’s not going to happen.”
Richard laughed. “Good for you. But Jewels is going to fix up the place—if we’re here that long.” Considering the subject, he was reminded of his conversation with Julia when they’d wondered why Milton hadn’t put Charles forward to fulfill the contract. Richard brought it up now. “Did Father ever ask you to marry Julia? Aft
er you became a widower?”
Charles chuckled. “Actually, he did about three years ago, when Julia was about to turn eighteen and you still hadn’t returned to marry her. He even tried to pull out the big guns, pointing out that Mathew, at the tender age of five, needed a mother.”
“You disagreed with that point?”
“Mathew had a nurse as well as a governess that I employed, two very motherly women who got so attached to him that they won’t leave now that he’s older! So he’s never lacked for women doting on him. But Father brought it up a few more times, carefully. Remember, he treats me with kid gloves now, so he never insisted I marry her.”
“You obviously refused.” Richard stared at Julia as he said it, and the beautiful smile on her lips as she spoke to Mathew. Richard couldn’t tear his eyes away from her, even as he added, “I take it you didn’t know what a beauty she’d turned into?”
“Oh, I did.”
That made Richard turn his attention back to his brother. “And you still told him no?”
Charles grinned. “He rarely asks anything of me these days, and never orders, so I don’t get to tell him no often, now that I have the guts to. I rather enjoyed it.” Then in a more sober tone Charles added, “Besides, I know why you didn’t want her. How many times you railed that you wouldn’t reward him for the hell he’d put us both through. I wasn’t about to give him the very thing you left home to deny him.”
“Thank you,” Richard said with a half grin. “It would have been quite a shock to come home to find her in the family. But enough about that. Tell me, why do you even still live here?”
Charles chuckled. “Well, one reason is because I do have a mistress nearby.”
“Leave with her.”
“I can’t. She has a husband, an old chap who pretty much became an invalid not long after they married. She’s a good, kindhearted woman. She won’t abandon him.”
“You love her?”
Charles’s warm smile was answer enough, but he said, “She’s grown on me—yes, I’m more than a little attached to her. It was just sex to begin with, but it’s been six years now that I’ve been seeing her. She’s not gentry, but I don’t care. I intend to marry her once her husband passes on. I love her enough to wait.”
That Perfect Someone Page 24
