A Brother's Duty

by Kelly Anne Bruce

  Chapter Sixteen

  Elizabeth looked down at her dress and wanted to cry. It was her most beautiful dress the one that she saved for special occasions. She had thought that the formal ball at the Castborough house party would be one of those occasions but she felt anything but special after this dreadful experience with the Marquess of Holgrave.

  Several soft knocks fell against her door and Elizabeth turned away from the mirror. “Yes?”

  “It is your Aunt Judith, dear. May I come in?”

  “Yes, of course,” Elizabeth moved toward the door but Aunt Judith was already coming in. “Well, look at you, you look a sight better than last night.”

  “Thank you,” Elizabeth replied with a weak smile.

  Aunt Judith had been so understanding the night before. She had not asked a multitude of questions as her father had this morning.

  Once more Elizabeth was so grateful for her aunt, her only connection to her mother. Elizabeth’s mother, Mary, had died when Elizabeth with seven years old. Aunt Judith had come to take care of Mary while she was ill, bringing Lettie and her brother, Joseph with her.

  She had essentially been raised by Aunt Judith as her father had been quite busy with his work in the Parliament. Although Elizabeth often wondered if he tried to keep busy because of the pain he felt in losing his beloved wife. Either way, her aunt was as dear to her as a mother would be. Elizabeth had always felt loved and she was quite grateful to Aunt Judith that she never felt less important than Lettie or Joseph.

  “Now, I understand that you might still be upset about last night.” Aunt Judith looked at her with raised eyebrows.

  Elizabeth still wanted to go home to Kent but she had been unable to move her father. He’d been adamant that they stay in Castborough.

  “Yes. Father spoke to me earlier. He understands my desire to leave, but explained it is impossible to do so. Although, he has assured me that everything is fine… with Lord Holgrave, that is.” Elizabeth sighed. “I will go to the dinner tonight as Father has asked.”

  Aunt Judith fussed with Elizabeth’s sleeves puffing them up a little as she said, “It would be good for you to show up. The gossips will have nothing to say when you appear happy and carefree.”

  Elizabeth could not help but laugh. “That is very true. Gossips being what they are, proving them wrong before they can actually speak their desires is tantamount to stilling their tongues.”

  She still wanted to go home but proving her steel to the ladies who had laughed at her last night was almost as important to her. Aunt Judith took a step toward the door. “Your father will escort you to the ballroom.”

  When Elizabeth and her father arrived in the ballroom they were immediately met by Lord Holgrave.

  “Good evening, Lord Southwick,” Lord Holgrave said before turning to her. “Good evening, Lady Elizabeth. How are you this fine evening? You look quite lovely, indeed.”

  “Fine, thank you,” Elizabeth answered coolly.

  “May I speak with you briefly?” Lord Holgrave asked.

  Before Elizabeth could answer her father said, “Yes, I think that would be agreeable.”

  Elizabeth looked back at her father with a mixture of anger and apprehension. While she had agreed to be present tonight, she had not wanted to be forced to be polite to the eldest son of the Duke of Castborough.

  “Thank you, sir.” Lord Holgrave nodded and offered her his arm to Elizabeth. He led her to the doors up to the garden.

  Lord Holgrave walked slowly down one of the paths. “I am truly sorry for upsetting you last night. I had planned on leaving the table where you saw me. By the time the hand was over, you had left and I could not find you to explain.”

  Elizabeth was not sure if she believed him, so she simply nodded.

  He stopped and turned to her. She could see his face in the shadows as he smiled down at her. His smile seemed sincere, though it did not quite reach his eyes.

  “Can you ever forgive me? I am truly sorry.”

  “Yes,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “I suppose I could do that.”

  Lord Holgrave took both of her hands in his and drew her closer to him. She smiled shyly at him expecting him to apologize again. Instead, he pulled her closer and before she knew what was happening he was brushing his lips across hers.

  She was stunned at first. It was not her first kiss, there had been a few chaste kisses from nervous young men before, but this was different. There was something more as Lord Holgrave moved his lips over hers, an urgency that she had not encountered before.

  A moment later she felt his hand slide up to the nape of her neck and his kisses became more demanding and she put her hands against his chest to push him away.

  “No, Lord Holgrave, we must not,” she told him.

  He stepped away and chuckled. “Yes, that is just what I thought.” And with that, he spun on his heel and left her in the garden. Alone.

  Elizabeth stood on the garden path in shock. Everyone saw her leave the ballroom with Lord Holgrave. For her to walk back in alone would be quite noticeable. She started back up the path, perhaps she could slip through the hall door that Lord James had shown her the previous night.

  Suddenly, she stopped. Not returning to the ballroom could cause as much gossip as returning alone. If Lettie happened to come looking for her they could return together. That thought gave her another idea, she could go to the refreshment room. It was possible that she could slip in unseen then she could act as though she had been there for several minutes.

  She had almost reached the house when she saw James enter the garden peering into the darkness as though he was looking for someone. She saw the exact moment that he spotted her, his eyes widened and his shoulders slumped in relief.

  “Lady Elizabeth, I am so glad I found you. Are you well?”

  “How did you know that I was out here?” Elizabeth was so surprised she almost forgot how upset she was.

  “Your friend, Lettie, approached me. She said that you left the ballroom with my brother and that he had returned and that you had not.”

  Elizabeth nodded and looked away. “Yes, he said that he wanted to talk but then he seemed to get angry and he left me alone in the garden.”

  “Are you sure that you are well?” Lord James was looking over her as though she had been injured. “Did he hurt you in any way?”

  “Hurt me? No, he did not. I do not understand.”

  James was looking at her strangely.

  “I am sorry perhaps I could just go back inside,” Elizabeth said and began to walk past him, wanting the night to be over quickly.

  Before she can get far, Lord James gently grabbed her arm above her wrist. “I am sorry, Lady Elizabeth, I think you might want to tend to your hair first.”

  “My hair?” Elizabeth asked suddenly remembering Lord Holgrave's hand at the nape of her neck.

  Lord James looked sheepish as he gestured to the back of his own head. “It is a bit mussed.”

  Elizabeth's cheeks were burning. She turned away from him fearing how he must think her a light skirt.

  “It is all right. I will escort you to the library and then enlist help.”

  Elizabeth wanted to argue with him but she realized that he was right. She followed him into the house and then to the library where she fairly cowered behind a large chair.

  “I will be right back,” he said and then left her alone. The room was in shadows having only one lamp lit near the desk. If someone happened to come in the room, it was possible they may not see her standing in the corner.

  A moment later the door opened and James' sister came in. She looked around and saw Elizabeth behind the chair.

  “Lady Elizabeth, my brother said you may need some help.”

  “Yes, but I thought he would get my cousin, Lettie.”

  Lady Henrietta nodded. “He had thought the same thing but we thought it would be less obvious if I came instead of Lettie.”

  Lady Henrietta had already come up behind her a
nd had started removing pins from her hair. “We will get this taken care of straightaway.”

  “Thank you,” Elizabeth said softly. “You must be thinking the worst of me right now.”

  Lady Henrietta's hand stilled for a moment and then went back to tending to Elizabeth's hair. “Of course not, I think we have all had our share of unwanted advances. I am just glad that you are unhurt.”

  “I am quite fine, thank you.” Elizabeth felt like she was repeating herself but it was getting harder and harder for her to believe it. She was not sure what to say after all Lord Holgrave was Lady Henrietta’s brother.

  “I have never seen James so furious.” Lady Henrietta adjusted some curls over Elizabeth's ears. She moved to face Elizabeth, squeezing her hand briefly. “You look lovely. Shall we get back to the ballroom?”

  “Yes, I think so,” Elizabeth nodded. She was determined to act naturally. It was Lord Holgrave’s behaviour that was suspect, not her own.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Lady Elizabeth, may I have this dance?” James stood next to her at the edge of the dance floor.

  Elizabeth smiled at him calmly. “That sounds lovely. Thank you.”

  Lord James led her out onto the dance floor just as the music began. She easily fell into step with him and they began to move about the floor.

  It had only been a few minutes since she and Lady Henrietta had come back into the ballroom. Lady Henrietta had made a big show of laughing and talking with Elizabeth as they returned. She had been almost immediately surrounded by a small group of people including Lettie, Lettie's brother, Joseph, and Beatrice as well as two of Lady Henrietta's brothers, Lord Matthew and Lord Evan.

  Her worries about the Castborough family thinking ill of her had been put to rest quickly, to her relief. Lady Henrietta’s reference to unwanted advances put all her worries aside.

  Elizabeth had been surrounded so quickly that she had not even known if any of the gossips were doing their usual whispering. As for Lord Holgrave, Elizabeth did not know whether he was on the dance floor or in the ballroom at all.

  She dared not look for him, lest someone think she was hoping to catch his eye. Least of all, she did not want him to discover her looking at him and misinterpret her intention.

  Feeling a little calmer Elizabeth suddenly was reminded she was dancing with Lord James. She could feel the heat of this hand through her glove.

  “Are you feeling well?” James asked her, his eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

  Elizabeth looked up at him. “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  “You suddenly look a little flushed.”

  “Oh, I suppose the ballroom is a little warmer than I expected.”

  “Do you need to rest for a bit?”

  “No, I am rather enjoying dancing.” She almost added that she felt safer out on the dance floor where she could not see or hear the people talking. There was the added blessing that it was unlikely that Lord Holgrave would approach them.

  When the song ended Lord James took her back to where most of her friends were waiting.

  “Thank you for the dance, Lady Elizabeth. I hope you will save me another,” he said with a deep bow.

  “Yes, of course, Lord James.” She looked up at him hoping he would understand the full meaning of her next words. “I cannot thank you enough.”

  “Your smile is thanks enough.” He smiled gallantly before walking away.

  “Lady Elizabeth, may I have the next dance?” Joseph offered his hand.

  “Thank you.” Elizabeth had not danced with Joseph since they were fairly young. When they first learned to dance, their teacher would make them all dance with each other. She smiled at the thought of dancing with her cousin again after all this time.

  Elizabeth danced with Joseph, followed by Lord Matthew and Lord Evan, and Beatrice's brother, Andrew. It was comforting to know that she had so many old friends and apparently new friends too. She tried to not think about it, though, as it made her a bit emotional.

  “I think it is time for a refreshment,” Lady Henrietta announced. “Is anyone else interested?”

  “I would certainly like a cool drink,” Elizabeth agreed.

  Lady Henrietta linked her arm through Elizabeth's. “Then we shall investigate what Lucy has prepared for us.”

  As a group, they left the ballroom and headed across the hall to the dining room where the refreshments had been set up. Several people had just entered the dining room and their small group waited in the hallway.

  “I heard she was begging him to marry him and that is why Lord Holgrave left her in the garden,” a woman's voice could be heard. “I certainly do not blame him. Such wanton behaviour!”

  Elizabeth stared at her hands.

  A man laughed. “Judging by how long it took her to get back into the dining room, my guess it was not marriage that she was begging for. That is the wanton behaviour I think you mean.”

  Lady Henrietta gasped. The man looked through the doorway and blanched. “Lady Henrietta, I did not realize you were there.”

  “Apparently not, Crawford,” Lord James said, his voice like ice. “Perhaps I should have a discussion with your Aunt Agatha.”

  It seemed not possible but the man's face got even whiter. “No, that is not necessary. My comment was rude and unsavory. I shall watch what I say in the future.”

  “See that you do,” Lord James spat out.

  He turned away from the man and looked over at Elizabeth, their eyes meeting briefly before she looked away again. He suddenly turned away and disappeared down the hallway.

  She was too mortified to speak. Her reputation was unraveling before her eyes and she had done nothing wrong. If only her father would have agreed to leave for Kent this morning. He had no idea what he had done by making this alliance with the Duke of Castborough.

  Chapter Eighteen

  After an hour of searching, James finally found Philip in the stables.

  “What are you doing out here at this hour?” James demanded.

  “I have had enough of this place. I am heading to the Tavern in Carelton,” Philip told him standing next to his saddle with a bottle of whiskey in his hand.

  “Carelton? At this hour? You will be surely robbed by bandits.”

  Philip shrugged. “It is a risk I will have to take. I will not stay here a minute longer.”

  “Why? No one else to harass tonight?”

  Philip had turned to set the bottle on the ground but stopped to look at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “Lady Elizabeth. The entire ballroom is whispering about her. Some loud enough for all to hear.”

  “Oh that,” Philip shook his head. “That is really not my concern.”

  “Not your concern?” James asked incredulously. “It is your behaviour that has caused the gossips to begin chattering about her in the first place. She is humiliated.”

  “She is a scrabbling upstart who only came to Castborough because she wants to be a duchess,” Philip snarled.

  “Did you ever stop to think that as the daughter of an earl she was as pushed into the courtship as you were?”

  “I do not know why you are involving yourself in this. Perhaps you should go back to the house and follow Father around. You do it so well, so carry on with it.”

  “Perhaps I shall go back to the house and tell Father and his friend, Southwick, how you have mistreated Lady Elizabeth.” James turned to leave. Then he stopped, but did not turn around. “I doubt seriously either one will be happy with the news—especially Lady Elizabeth’s loving father.”

  “Yes, you do that. Be sure to let them know that the trollop did not act mistreated when we were kissing in the garden.”

  Slowly, James turned around, rage consuming him to the point he could hardly see straight. Before he could stop himself, he had swung out, his fist smashing into Philip's face.

  Philip staggered back. “What is wrong with you?”

  James lunged forward again. “I am sick to death of yo
u and your bloody awful behaviour. You are selfish and simply a horrible person. An embarrassment.”

  Philip stepped aside and they squared off. “At least I am not Father's errand boy,” he said reaching over and pulling a leather strap from the rack on the wall.

  “I have stayed at Castborough because I am proud of this family and what Father's title means to the family. You have no pride for anything.”

  “You are nothing but a coward,” Philip said whipping the leather strap at James. “You are just hanging on to Father's apron strings. You do not know what else to do.”

  James turned slightly at the last minute, the strap hitting across his shoulder, his jacket taking most of the sting out of the strike. “And you think your life in London is less cowardly?”

  Philip swung the strap at him in several quick motions until James grabbed the strap and lunged at his brother. Knocking Philip off balance they both went to the ground. James quickly gained the upper hand and held Philip down with a forearm to his throat. Philip struggled but James was too strong for him.

  “You are a disgrace to the Castborough title!”

  “What are you going to do now, brother? Kill me so you can be duke?”

  “You think this is what this is about?” James could not believe what Philip was saying. “I do not want to be duke!”

  “No?” Philip scowled at him.

  “No! This is about you and who you have become. We used to be close but I hate who you are now.” James screamed at him.

  “Is this where I apologize? I do not think so. Go cry on someone else. You only wish you could live the life I have in London.”

  “No, I prefer to live my life as a gentleman, which you seem to have completely forgotten how to do. You miss the importance of treating people with respect.”

  “I have gotten no complaints, save for yours,” Philip said with a mocking smile.