“I suppose I will have to take that then,” Southwick said with another laugh and clapped James on the shoulder before leaving the two brothers alone in the library.
“Well, thanks a lot for that,” Philip said the exasperation clear in his voice.
“Thanks for what?” James shrugged.
“For what?” Philip repeated. “For telling him that you would talk to me about my future.”
“Why would that bother you?”
Philip pointed toward the hallway. “Because he is pushing for a wedding announcement. He wants me to marry his daughter, that is why!”
“I thought you and Lady Elizabeth were getting along quite well,” James replied.
“Lady Elizabeth is fine if you like that type.” Phillip snorted. “I may just have to marry her to get Father off my back but I am not going to rush into it. There are so many other women in London.”
James clenched his fists at his sides if only to keep from slamming them into his brother’s heartless, vain face. “You do not want to marry her?”
“Lawks, no,” Philip said with disgust. After a moment, he smiled. “She is not totally without her attributes, though. I am quite sure she would make a fine wife and a suitable Duchess of Castborough. I certainly would have no trouble bedding her, that is for sure.”
It was James' turn to be disgusted. He turned away from his brother and walked to the window and looked out to the garden. “Perhaps you should just be honest with Lady Elizabeth and end your courtship now.”
“What would the fun be in that?” Philip asked with a laugh.
When James turned, he saw that Philip was slouched in one of his father's large upholstered chairs. James was further infuriated to realize that he had been correct in his thoughts that Philip was only having fun at everyone else’s expense. “So this is your way of getting back at Father?”
Philip shrugged. “Father forced me to return from London and he and Southwick have pushed Lady Elizabeth in front of me a dozen times a day since the party started.”
“So you would punish Lady Elizabeth for what our father and her father have done?”
“You think it is all their doing? You think that Lady Elizabeth has no interest in setting her cap on me?” Philip asked in a mocking tone.
James did not know how it had happened but he had suddenly found himself in the middle of a conversation regarding Lady Elizabeth. Ever since his conversation with Matthew and his errant thoughts regarding his brother's death James had tried to steer clear of Philip. In fact, the only reason he was in the library at all was to write a letter to the University in regard to continuing his law studies. He had decided he would leave for Cambridge at the end of the next week. He was now thinking his departure would happen much sooner.
With a sigh, James held up his hands in front of him. “Philip, really I have no thoughts on the matter. You will do what you want regardless of what anybody says to you.”
Philip only chuckled.
James was at the door when he stopped and looked back to say, “I only hope that you figure things out before you do end up getting your neck broken.”
Chapter Thirteen
“What does Lord Holgrave have planned for tonight?” Lettie asked Elizabeth as she finished her hair.
“I do not know,” Elizabeth told her pausing as she added one more pin to hold an errant curl in place. “I suppose I will have to go downstairs and see for myself.”
Lettie smiled at her through the mirror. She was smoothing down the skirt of her lavender dress adorned with white ribbons and ruffles at the bottom. “I do have to say that I am quite surprised at Lord Holgrave’s behaviour.”
Elizabeth frowned. “How so?”
“Pleasantly surprised,” Lettie said holding up a hand to calm her friend. “He has been so very attentive. I had originally thought that he would be arrogant and dismissive of you. I am quite happy that he seems to appreciate you as he should.”
“I had not wanted to admit it but I had thought he would be the same especially given that first night and how he had acted that I should feel lucky to even be in the same room with him.” Elizabeth had nearly gone to her father that night to tell him that she could not go through with a marriage with such a selfish and conceited man. The next morning, however, Lord Holgrave had seemed like a new man. He was kind, caring and seemed truly interested in her thoughts on many subjects. “It has been lovely seeing him disprove my early assumptions.”
“That sort of thing does not happen often. I am glad of it,” Lettie told her and gave her a quick hug.
Elizabeth squeezed Lettie's hand. “As am I.”
As they walked to the door to head downstairs Lettie asked, “Where was Lord Holgrave today?”
“I am not sure. I did not see him this morning before Lady Haltham’s tour of the rose garden.” Elizabeth shrugged. “I suppose he may have gone to the stables with the other gentlemen. I have not seen him since last night at dinner.”
Elizabeth frowned remembering she had seen some of the other gentlemen back in the house right after lunch but Lord Holgrave had not been among them. She knew that he was still keeping company with Lord Fallbrooke and that the two of them had a penchant for getting into trouble. Perhaps he and Fallbrooke had gone riding again.
She was not overly concerned about Lord Holgrave as she had not even missed him during their day apart. It was only that there was an odd niggle in the back of her mind that made her feel uneasy as they walked into the drawing room. The room was full of many smaller tables for the card party that Lady Henrietta, the Duke of Castborough’s daughter was hosting.
Elizabeth looked around the room and spotted Lord Holgrave across the room at a large table. “Oh, there he is. Do you suppose we should go over and greet him?”
“I do not see why not,” Lettie said matter of factly.
Elizabeth's unease grew as they neared the table. Lord Holgrave was sitting with Lord Fallbrooke and several other young ladies. By the time she realized that there were no empty chairs at the table, they were too close to walk by as though they had been heading to another table.
Lord Holgrave looked up at her. “Yes?”
“Good evening, Lord Holgrave,” Elizabeth said quietly thankful that she did not stammer or stutter she was suddenly so nervous in front of all the others.
“Good evening,” he said but barely looked up from his cards.
Lettie tugged on her sleeve and Elizabeth slowly turned away from the table confused as to Lord Holgrave’s strange behaviour. Lord Fallbrooke said something behind them and the ladies at the table all began to laugh. Elizabeth made the mistake of looking back to see several of the women looking at her and whispering to each other.
Lettie hooked her arm through Elizabeth's and said, “Do not listen to them. They are like vultures if you drop a scrap they will swoop in and jump on it. They like nothing better than to gossip about everyone else here.”
Elizabeth shook her head slowly. “I do not know what just happened.”
“I have no idea why Lord Holgrave was so rude to you, but he certainly was.” Lettie squeezed Elizabeth's hand. “Can I get you anything?”
There was more laughter from Lord Holgrave’s table. Elizabeth shook her head. “No, I think I just need a few moments. I think I shall go into the garden and get some fresh air.”
“Would you like me to come with you?” Lettie asked her.
Elizabeth sighed. “No, thank you, though. I will not be long. I promise.”
Elizabeth hurried from the drawing room as she suddenly felt as though she might cry at any moment. She crossed the lawn and ducked into a private spot she had seen earlier that day when Lady Haltham had led them through the gardens. It took some searching but she found it, a single bench hidden behind the hedges.
Dizzy with confusion, Elizabeth sat down covering her face with her hands. She had no idea what had come over Lord Holgrave as he had been so sweet and considerate this past week. Marrying him was still not
her first choice but she had begun to hope that it would not be as disastrous as she first thought. Now she did not know what to think. It did not help at all that she was horribly concerned about upsetting her father or insulting his dear old friend, the Duke of Castborough.
Regardless of how much she tried to calm down, she began to cry anyway. She dabbed at her eyes as best she could without a handkerchief. She was about to stand up to figure out a way to quietly get back into the house and up to her room when a pair of shoes came into her view. She looked up to see Lord James standing in front of her.
“Are you well?” He looked at her intently, concern growing on his face.
“Yes,” she said her voice cracking with emotion. “It is nothing, please do not mind me.”
Lord James seemed to debate his next move for a moment and then he handed her a handkerchief and said, “You seem quite upset and I am afraid I do mind that quite a bit.”
“Thank you,” she said taking the handkerchief. “I am afraid I am being a silly girl.”
“I highly doubt that being silly would cause you to be this upset.” Lord James gave her a gentle smile. “Does this have anything to do with my brother?”
Elizabeth nodded. “I am just embarrassed. I clearly misunderstood Lord Holgrave's intentions.”
Lord James gestured to the other end of the bench. “Do you mind if I sit down?”
“No, of course not,” Elizabeth answered moving over to leave space between them.
“I am quite sure that you misunderstood nothing. My brother can be quite selfish and immature. He oftentimes has little regard for other people's feelings.” He shook his head. “I am very sorry that he has hurt you.”
Elizabeth dabbed at her eyes again and cleared her throat gently. It was so difficult for her. Lord Holgrave had been so awful to her and here was Lord James being truly sweet and caring. She shook her head. “Please do not feel sorry for me I will be fine.”
“I am sorry about his behaviour and I hope I did not upset you further,” James said standing up to look at her.
“No, you have been very sweet,” Elizabeth said standing up too. “I think I would like to go to my room now.”
Lord James took a quick look around the garden. “Yes, we should not linger, lest someone come along and get the wrong idea.”
“I had not thought of that,” Elizabeth admitted. “I am usually very vigilant about such things. I do not know what came over me.”
“Come with me and I will show you the hall door so you can go straight to the stairs and not encounter anyone on your way.”
Elizabeth sniffled and nodded trying not to cry again. “Thank you. You have been very kind.”
Chapter Fourteen
Lord James opened the door and pointed down the hallway. “The stairs are right there.”
They were on the opposite side of the house from the drawing room and unless someone left the party to retrieve something from their room no one would see her.
“I cannot thank you enough for your assistance,” Elizabeth told him. She dabbed at her eyes again and then realized she still held his handkerchief. She held it out to him. “Oh, I almost took this.”
He held up a hand and shook his head. “No, please keep it. You are in greater need of it than I and I have more than I will ever need.”
Elizabeth nodded and began her walk down the hall because for some reason that final kind gesture had made her cry once more. She went straight to her room, hurrying but not so much as to alert anyone that anything was amiss. A lamp was already lit and Elizabeth thankfully sat down on the edge of the bed.
A moment later her door opened and startling Elizabeth before she saw Aunt Judith appear in the doorway.
“Elizabeth, I am sorry I did not mean to frighten you. I heard your door close. Why have you returned from the card party so early?”
Elizabeth did not want to talk about it. “I have a bad headache and need to lie down for a while.”
“Oh goodness,” Aunt Judith said and came to sit on the bed beside her. “Oh, but you have been crying. Are you sure nothing happened to upset you?”
Elizabeth shook her head and looked down. Aunt Judith must have done so too.
“Whose handkerchief is that?”
Before she could answer, Aunt Judith said. “That is the Castborough crest. Did Lord Holgrave do something to upset you?”
Elizabeth broke down again. “I do not want to talk about it. Do you think Father would consider leaving the house party and returning to Kent?”
“Why ever for? What about your courtship with Lord Holgrave? The agreement would be in jeopardy.”
“I no longer want to think about a courtship with Lord Holgrave.” Elizabeth's voice cracking. She added in a whisper. “I am so embarrassed. I just want to go home.”
“Shh, now. You get changed and we will talk about this in the morning after you have gotten some sleep.”
Elizabeth began to cry again. “Thank you, Aunt Judith.”
“It is quite all right, dear,” Aunt Judith leaned over and hugged her. “Quite all right.”
Chapter Fifteen
James sat at his father’s desk staring at the paper in front of him. He had heard back from Cambridge and would be resuming his law studies as soon as he returned to the institution. His reply was already written the only thing left to add was his date of arrival.
It was a bit of an interesting situation that he found himself in, as he had not told anyone about his plans in case there had been some reason he would not be able to return to the university. Now he would be telling his parents not that he was thinking about going back to university, but that the decision was made and that he was leaving in several days.
Choosing the best day to leave was becoming difficult, as well. He still believed that leaving Castborough was the best thing for him but he kept thinking about Lady Elizabeth. James was worried about leaving her at Castborough.
His brother was not being very nice and he did not believe his father nor her father were paying attention to any of the happenings. They were only interested in the fact that Philip and Elizabeth were courting. He hated that no one was listening to what Lady Elizabeth wanted.
“I want to know why she was so upset,” James' father walked into the library with Philip right behind him.
“How am I to know why the chit was upset?” Philip asked his tone clearly annoyed.
James watched as his father rounded on his older brother. “Do not call her that. She is the youngest child and only daughter of one of my closest friends. You will not embarrass me with such disregard for the feelings of my friends.”
Philip held up both of his hands and took several steps back away from their father. “Yes, of course, my apologies.” He bowed his head and looked away from their father.
James stood up at the desk. He folded the piece of paper in half and made a note to himself to come back to fill in the proper dates that were needed later.
He was almost to the door when his father said, “James, I want you to stay.”
James closes arsons were under his breath. “I am not sure I am going to be of much help with this conversation.”
“Lord Southwick came to me this morning and said that Lady Elizabeth left the party crying last night. When Lord Southwick tried to speak to her about it she only said that she no longer wanted to be part of a courtship with Lord Holgrave and that she wanted to go back to Kent. She wants to leave immediately.”
“Kent?” Philip asked. “Why would she not want to go back to London? That’s absurd.”
James sighed. “Probably because she was upset and embarrassed. She does not want to see anyone.”
Father narrowed his eyes at James. “What do you know about what happened last night?” Before James could say anything, his father added, “You were seen letting Lady Elizabeth in the hall door later in the evening. So, don't try telling me you have no idea. I just hope you have not added more difficulty to the predicament.”
&
nbsp; “Fine.” James shook his head and turned to his father. “I do not know exactly what transpired but I found Lady Elizabeth crying in the garden. She would not tell me what happened only that she was embarrassed. She stated that she must have misunderstood Lord Holgrave's intentions.”
Father groaned loudly. “Please tell me nothing untoward happened between the two of you in the garden, James.”
“Of course not, Father. I gave her a handkerchief and offered a route to her room to minimize her humiliation. Nothing more than that.”
The duke took in a deep, long breath and let it out slowly. “Philip, all I wanted was for you to think about settling down. Is it so difficult for you to act accordingly?”
“Think about settling down?” Philip asked his tone mocking. “That is why you dragged me down from London just to think about settling down? I could have done that from there.”
Father pointed a finger at Philip. “None of this would have happened if you had done as I asked when I was in London several weeks ago.”
Philip simply shrugged.
“It continues to amaze me how lazy and irresponsible you have become, but I do not know why. I have witnessed your behaviour long enough to be well aware. You need to be more responsible—like James.”
“Like James?” Philip snorted. “James is a coward.”
“A coward?” Father asked him.
“Yes, James only stays at Castborough because he is too afraid to go make a life of his own. He will always be here and as long as he is here you do not need me.”
“Well, I guess you better plan on staying around here for the forseeable future,” James said. He held the folded piece of paper in his hand. “This is a letter accepting a position in a course of study at Cambridge to finish my law studies. I will be leaving within a fortnight.”
Father was clearly surprised and James felt bad about that but he had had enough of Philip and this conversation. He turned to leave but gave Philip one final comment. “Nice try. You almost got the conversation to focus on me rather than you. You are the heir to the title, as you so often like to remind me. It is past time for you to act like it.”
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