“Since Papa has died and you are the eldest, you will be taking his place as Lord of all the lands our brothers and cousins rule. That’s what is said in this letter.” Lawrence flicked the paper in his direction. “And I fear that you will not have time to attend to Fairbanks County before…before…”
“I will not let my citizens have your head, my brother.” Shawn used a consoling voice. He rounded the desk and patted his brother on the shoulder. Then he leaned down and murmured in his ear. “You look exhausted, Lawrence. You are relieved of your duties here. Go get some rest and we will find somewhere for you to practice your music and your artwork unabated until you feel you have recovered.”
He felt he was given the ultimate reward for his decision to relieve Lawrence of his duties. His brother looked at him with such a look for gratitude that it almost brought tears to Shawn’s eyes.
“Bless you, my brother.” Lawrence could barely get out the words. He felt a huge burden lifted straight off his shoulders. “God bless you a thousand times.”
“Thank you. Now go. Get some rest.”
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Have you found a lady and had many children yet?
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CHAPTER THREE
A CHAT WITH GREGORY
Lawrence left in a hurry, not waiting until Shawn read the letter from the Prince Regent. He knew everything, from the looks of it. Shawn mumbled a few words of frustration, scanning the document. The Prince Regent was ordering him to get his affairs in order and bring Fairbanks County back to its former prosperity. All of the other counties in their small part of England were doing well under the rule of his brothers and cousins. Lawrence had apparently made some horrendously awful decisions.
He shook his head and dropped himself into the seat Lawrence had vacated behind the desk. In order for him to maintain the status quo, he would have to find a bride and produce an heir. It was politely worded by the Prince Regent, who was a friend and relative, of course, but still held the responsibility of making sure all noble families continued the bloodline. It was important to Shawn’s mother as well. She may be living in a quiet country mansion, but she kept her finger on the pulse of all family business.
There was mention of his closest cousin, who was given the next county over to rule, Lord Erinson, Master of Stremberry. The county name always gave Shawn pause. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out where they had gotten the name “Stremberry”. It was too close to strawberry for its own good. He always pictured a vast field of nothing but strawberries whenever he thought of Lord Erinson’s home district.
The Prince Regent was sending Lord Erinson, along with some of his top advisors, to help take some of the burden from Shawn’s back as he attempted to right the horrible situation his land suffered.
His eyes were drawn back to the section of the letter that made it clear he would need to attend the balls and parties to seek out a bride. The season had freshly started and there were plenty of ladies to choose from. He was to let it be known that he was looking, so that the anxious mothers in the land would flock to his door with their eligible maidens.
He grunted. It was not something he was looking forward to actually. He had unsuccessfully attended four seasons before giving up the task and only going to a ball when he was forced to do so. He wasn’t proud to be a member of the ton. The older he got, the more he realized that he wanted nothing to do with their politics and drama.
As the eldest son, he had known his fate from the very beginning. There was no time to grumble about it now. He would do what needed to be done.
The door swung open and James appeared. “Viscount Gregory Erinson, Master of Stremberry,” he said in a loud voice and stepped to the side.
Gregory swept into the room, looking delighted. He held out his hands to the Duke, who stood up and grasped both of them with his own. “Shawn! Good Lord, it is wonderful to see you again after all these years! You are looking well, considering you have just come from fighting!”
“Thank you, Greg. You are looking dashing yourself. Have you found a lady and had many children yet?”
Gregory threw back his head and let out a belly laugh. He had a sizable belly and a mop of curly brown hair on top of his head that shook when he laughed. “As a matter of fact, Shawn, I have! Two seasons ago, I laid eyes on the beautiful Lady Windingham, courted her and married her soon after! We have a child on the way. Thank you for asking.” He turned to gesture toward the door. “I have brought three of my best advisors, per the Prince Regent’s request.”
“I was just reading the letter he sent. I only just arrived.”
Gregory’s eyes opened wide. “That surprises me, my lord. I had not realized you were only just now arriving. You should be given some time to rest and get your bearings before we jump into business.”
“Perhaps you would like a drink? We can sit and talk about when we were children for a short time. I have reviewed some of the documents that my brother left for me and I’m not sure my people can wait very long for me to take action. They are on the verge of revolt as we speak.”
“I would love a drink, my lord. It was a very long ride in unkind weather. And I think you have been talking to your brother, of course. Lawrence may have exaggerated somewhat about the mindset of the citizens. They are all fully aware that you were not in charge for these past four years. Though they have been unhappy about the steady decline of comfortable living, they were simply awaiting your return. Did he say they were going to revolt and have his head?”
Shawn raised his eyebrows and looked at his cousin, astonished. “That’s exactly what he said, yes.”
Gregory shook his head, chuckling some more. He turned to head toward the door. “I will tell my advisors to sit tight and eat some pastries. We will talk for a bit.” He stuck his head out of the door, said a few words to whomever was standing on the other side, and came back to take a place behind the bar. “Allow me to serve you a good drink, my lord. What would you like?”
“A whiskey straight will do me fine.”
Gregory poured the glass and gave it to the Duke. He talked as he made himself a mixture of liquors and topped it off with a slice of lime. “As for your brother and the citizens of your fine county of Fairbanks, you shouldn’t worry so much. Lawrence has a big heart and has been doing the best he can. He has tortured himself in his own mind, thinking the worst of the people. They don’t wish to see him dead. They just want you to take over your lands again. They want their luxuries back. They don’t want to work so hard for so little.”
Shawn nodded. “I understand.” He held the drink in front of him and stared at it for a moment. He could still hear the sound of booming cannons in the back of his mind. He tried not to hear it and took a swift drink. “Whatever would they have done if I had been killed in battle?”
Gregory’s eyes opened wide. “Don’t say such a thing, my lord! We will just remain grateful that you weren’t!”
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“You are the closest to the Duke’s age. Perhaps he will choose you.”
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CHAPTER FOUR
ONE OF FOUR
Elizabeth Dowling looked at her three sisters as they prepared to attend the second ball of the season. The beginning of the season was always very exciting, especially for those who were attending their first. For Elizabeth, it would be her fourth season and she had grown weary of searching for a husband halfway through the first. She kept at it, giving several men a second look, but thankfully, her father knew better than to match her up with any of them. When they had come calling for her hand, he had turned them away. Even the Earl of Braxton, which was very surprising. The Earl was a persistent man. When questioned, her father had responded that the Earl lived too far away. He didn’t want his eldest daughter traveling far away, never to be seen or heard from
again.
This had caused quite a stir in the house, not only because her sisters and mother thought it tremendously funny, but also a bit of unrest because that meant the other daughters were to wait their turn to be married off.
Elizabeth knew that it was her duty to marry and to marry well. She was quite sure that her beautiful younger twin sisters would catch the eye of two apt suitors during their first season. Why, the first ball had been tremendous. They had danced with every available bachelor and were already well on their way to becoming betrothed to someone or other. They would be Ladies before any of them knew it.
For now, the two of them were switching off, tightening their bodices, lacing up their boots, chattering excitedly about the return of the Duke of Worthington. He was now in charge of a great many lands, they said, because of the death of his father.
“I wouldn’t mind catching his eye,” Janelle, one of the twins, was saying, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “But I know he is quite old.”
“Old! He is but in his early thirties at most!” her third sister, Katherine, spoke up, turning her head from where she had been examining herself in the mirror. She looked back at herself after speaking, running her tongue along her teeth and pursing her lips, admiring her make-up job. “That’s not old. Lord Foundleton…now that’s old.”
Elizabeth pulled a brush through her long blond locks, picturing old Lord Foundleton in her mind. He was a craggy old boot, with skin like an elephant and hair to match. It made Elizabeth giggle to think he would flirt with the young ladies at the ball, which he did, frequently and without reservation.
“How rude,” she said with a smile.
“But true and you know it, sister.” Katherine gave her a returning smile. “You are the closest to the Duke’s age. Perhaps he will choose you.”
“Imagine that!” Jillian jumped up and down, clapping the brush she held in one hand into the other repeatedly. “I would be related to a Duchess! Would I get anything for that?”
“You would be invited to the most prestigious balls in the land,” Janelle exclaimed. “And so would I!”
“Yes, we would.” The two girls collapsed in giggles.
“You won’t be waiting that long to find your own husbands, I’m sure,” Elizabeth replied, still gazing at her reflection. She was the least pretty of her sisters, in her mind. She felt that her nose was too long and her eyes were too far apart. In reality, she was too hard on herself. She and her sisters all looked very similar to one another, their father’s strong genes coursing through each of them. He had been blessed with only one son and Julian was the eldest. He thanked God for that every time he was surrounded by his four daughters.
Julian kept a good eye on his sisters whenever they were at the balls. He knew that rakes were just as likely to attend as gentlemen. He was fiercely protective of his sisters.
Elizabeth thought about the return of the Duke. She remembered what the city had been like before he left. It had been very peaceful. In the two weeks since his return had been made known, it was as though there was a shift in the mentality of the entire citizenry. They were so grateful to have him back that the chaos and desperation seemed to dissipate into thin air. People were smiling again, expecting good things to happen in the near future. Under the Duke of Worthington, she was also reassured of security and comfort. He was known for his intelligence and strength of heart. He was a Herculean man with the looks to go with it.
She wasn’t about to set her sights on a man she knew she couldn’t get. However, the possibility of being called by the Duke was always there. It excited her, but at the same time, she kept the reality of her situation in mind. She was not as young as her sisters. In addition, there was always her lack of beauty and grace. She stumbled over her feet on the dance floor.
She had almost successfully talked herself out of going to the ball, but there was a little voice in the back of her head that told her she shouldn’t miss it. She had the feeling something exciting was going to happen. This wasn’t going to be a typical dance, even though mostly the same people were going to be there from last season.
One was going to stand out: The Duke of Worthington. His very presence was going to change the atmosphere. She wasn’t the only one anxious to see him again. Moreover, the chance that she could get a dance with him – even just one dance – made going to the ball worthwhile.
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He signed his name on her card twice.
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CHAPTER FIVE
AT FIRST SIGHT
It was the first of many balls that Shawn would be forced to attend and he found himself standing off to the side, watching the lords and ladies sweeping around the dance floor in some of the finest fashions Shawn had seen in a long time. He felt a little out of date with his attire, as he had been off the market for some time. In fact, he wouldn’t be back on if it weren’t for the damnable Worthington name and his responsibilities to his title. Now that his father was gone, he would have to pull the family back together to reclaim their former glory. At least here in this part of England, he would.
He scanned the dancing ladies. Each had merit of some kind, but none of them grabbed his heart. Many of them were very young. He wasn’t interested in a scared waif, nor did he want a wife with no brain in her head. Snobbish and arrogant were also characteristics that would turn him away.
In the first twenty minutes, he’d been surrounded by ladies and their unforgiving, unrelenting mothers, trying anxiously to make his heart flutter. He’d signed on to dance with several of them. Nevertheless, he’d done so in an effort to get them to leave him alone, not because he had any particular interest in any of them.
His hiding place near a tall plant in a corner of the grand room did nothing to deter the anxious mamas. He saw one coming his way only moments after feeling content with his new spot. He sighed inwardly, plastering a smile on his face to greet them. The woman was surrounded by four daughters. All of them gazed at him with wide eyes and openly excited expressions. He bowed to each and kissed their hands. They curtsied prettily.
“Your lordship, please allow me to introduce my daughters to you. This is Jillian, Janelle, Katherine and Elizabeth.”
“How do you do?” Each of them blushed prettily. He had to give the lovely Lady Dowling her due. Her daughters were some of the finest beauties he had seen in the entire room so far. He would be hard pressed to find another four young ladies who could match the beauty of these sisters.
“You have very fine-looking daughters, Lady Dowling.” He nodded approvingly. He thought for a moment that the Lady might faint dead away at his compliment. She giggled non-stop, covering her mouth with her hands and blushing a deep red. He bit back a large grin. He looked at each of them.
“Do you have your dance cards, ladies?”
“Yes, your lordship.” Suddenly there were four dance cards shoved in his direction. He signed each of them, taking special notice of Elizabeth’s card. He could tell by her face that she was the oldest. It wasn’t hard to notice the contrast between a woman and a young girl. Her twin sisters were obviously fresh to the ton and her other sister had a look that told him she was also fairly new to society. He would guess it was probably her second season. The oldest looked to be about ten years his junior. That wasn’t too bad, he supposed. She was still in her prime for bearing children. And she was as beautiful as her sisters.
He signed his name on her card twice.
* * *
As they walked away, Janelle and Jillian were overflowing with excitement for their sister, seeing that he’d signed the card twice. Katherine was quiet, her face red and flushed. Lady Dowling was the only one who noticed. She said nothing. She believed in her heart that Katherine would marry a man who would lift her status beyond that which she’d had growing up. There was no title in their family, but they had the wealth needed to satisfy any man by providing a hefty dowry
. Her confidence in her middle daughter didn’t seem to rub off on Katherine though. She looked dismayed by the Duke’s interest in Elizabeth instead of excited.
When she was only a few feet away from the Duke, Elizabeth spotted a man heading her way and her heart sank. It was Lord Draper, Earl of Braxton. She pulled in a deep breath and steeled herself, knowing that she would not be able to get out of dancing with him, even though her father had already rejected his marriage proposal. She wasn’t impressed by his appearance and had to bite her tongue not to be forthcoming about it. He had a tall figure, narrow in the shoulders and even narrower in the mind. She didn’t enjoy conversing with him any more than she enjoyed his spindly arms around her when they danced.
She painted a smile on her face while at the same time glancing to the left and right for an escape route. She saw none and braced herself.
“Lady Dowling,” he greeted her, bowing low. “May I put my name on your dance card? Perhaps you are free for the next dance? I find myself without a partner and the song will surely be masterfully played.”
She didn’t see how she could refuse, as the next dance was not filled on her card. She pressed her lips together in a tight smile. “Thank you, Lord Draper. It would be my pleasure.”
As he was leading her out onto the dance floor, she glanced over her shoulder in the Duke’s direction and caught him staring at them. His face looked none too pleased. Her heart jumped a little in her chest. Could he be jealous? Surely not. They had only just met and he was the Duke of Worthington, ruler of the entire Fairbanks County and now all of the other providences his family owned, as well.
Regency Romance: More For A Duke (The Fairbanks Series - The Familial Adventures) (CLEAN Historical Romance) Page 2
