The Wayward Heir Read online

  “Fine. We shall go to Brighton.”

  Chapter Three

  Philip closed his eyes sending up a silent prayer that Fallbrooke would eventually stop speaking. It did not seem to be a likely outcome, as the man had been talking since the moment they entered the carriage in London to set out for Brighton. Between Fallbrooke's constant conversation and the jarring movement of the carriage, Philip could barely think.

  “Are you even listening to me?”

  A long moment of silence stretched out until Philip sighed and opened one eye to look at Fallbrooke. “And what if I say no? Would you stop talking for a longer stretch of time than it takes for you to fill your bloody lungs?”

  “I see that you are in a sour mood again.”

  “I am not a sour mood. My head aches and I simply wish for a few moments of peace and quiet.”

  “Is it my fault you had too much whiskey last night?”

  “Perhaps not but I needn't be subjected to your infernal babbling.” Philip did not bother telling the other man that he had hardly drank anything the night before. The pain in his head had started while they were in Paris and he had blamed the drinks at the gambling club. He had hoped the pain would have subsided by now but it only seemed to have increased. He hoped several nights of good sleep in Brighton would help

  “Hmmm,” Fallbrooke commented. “It sounds like you need a keeper. Too bad you were not able to talk Juliette into returning to London with us.”

  Philip pinched the bridge of his nose praying that the piercing pain behind his eyes would lessen. Any hope that Fallbrooke would stop talking had already disappeared. He took a calming breath and then speaking slowly and carefully said, “I do not need a keeper. And Juliet did not come to England with us because I did not ask her to do so.”

  “I bet you are regretting that now,” Fallbrooke remarked with a knowing smile.

  “No, I do not regret it nor will I ever. Although I have to say I am regretting bringing you back from Paris.”

  “Holgrave, we have spent much time together and I admit most of it has been enjoyable but you have been nastier than a bawson since we left London for Castborough.” Fallbrooke stared at Philip for a moment and then sighed. “There is something wrong but it seems far too much work at the moment to discern the cause.”

  Silence fell over the carriage as Fallbrooke leaned back into the corner of his seat and turned to look out the window at the slowly passing landscape.

  Glad of the silence, Philip closed his eyes once more, holding a distant hope that if he feigned sleep that he might actually gain some rest. It was not long though that he found out that without Fallbrooke's constant conversation that his thoughts returned once more to James and Lady Elizabeth.

  Nigel Coombs' revelation the night before had been a surprise to him not because his brother and Lady Elizabeth had decided to marry. He had seen them together, there had been something there that Philip himself had never experienced. They were drawn to each other, somehow connected so it had not caught him as off guard as one would think.

  It had taken him merely a moment or two to recover. The news had not been what surprised him. No, it had been his reaction that had been a revelation. He had not expected the embarrassment that he had felt when Milling had mentioned how Philip had left Lady Elizabeth. When they had left Castborough all Philip had thought about was how he hated the disappointment on his father's face. And how James only reminded him of everything Philip had done wrong.

  For a very long time, he had little care for what people thought of him. He never really thought about the lasting effects of his leaving would cause Lady Elizabeth. The thought had truly not occurred to him and to be truly honest he had not cared. On occasion during the Paris adventure thoughts of James and Lady Elizabeth had popped into his head and as always, he had pushed them away. He drank more whiskey or followed Fallbrooke to a wilder party, anything to silence the thoughts that seemed to want to gnaw their way to the forefront. It had gotten more and more difficult to push those thoughts away. Hearing Milling’s crass comments in White’s had made Philip want to cringe.

  As much as he tried Philip could not silence the voice in his head, his brother asking, “What if someone had spoken to Henrietta like that?”

  Philip had been outraged. Their youngest sibling and only sister deserved nothing but respect and civility. He could not help but feel that Lady Elizabeth deserved no less. While he still did not regret leaving Castborough, it was becoming clear that in doing so he caused great distress to Lady Elizabeth.

  The throbbing in his head seem to intensify and he leaned against the back of the seat praying that the pain would subside. Philip closed his eyes knowing that he had some decisions to make.

  “Caroline!”

  Looking up from her book, Caroline let out a sigh before calling out, “Yes, Mother.”

  A moment later her mother rushed into the room. “There you are.” Her voice was exasperated and she looked worried. “Have you seen Simon and Miles?”

  “No, I have not. Is there something amiss?”

  Mother crossed the room and looked out the window. “It seems that your brothers have disappeared again.”

  “Would you like me to go find them?” Caroline offered, unable to ignore the distressed look on her mother's face. Her younger brothers were quite adept at getting into mischief.

  “Do you mind terribly?” Mother asked. “Since Mrs Addison left I have had the worst time with your brothers. They have been so mischievous.”

  Caroline looked down at her hands and smiled. The boys had always been mischievous. It was Mrs Addison that had borne the brunt of their antics and her strong hand that had kept the boys in check enough that Mother and Father had not seen the trouble they had caused. Mrs Addison had been gone only a few weeks and without her watchful eye the two boys were more than unruly. They had gone missing more times than Caroline could count. Their mother was surprised and distressed over the boys’ behaviour while she also tried to be a gracious hostess for the house party that had started earlier in the week.

  “Yes, of course. I am sure that I can round them up in no time. They have probably gone down to the stable to see the new foals.” It was more likely that they were watching the gentleman racing their fancy carriages in the lanes beyond the stables. It would do no good for her to tell her mother, though. Not only would she be horrified to hear that the boys were in the middle of that, she would think it too scandalous for Caroline to show her face there as well.

  “Thank you, I am supposed to take Lady Halswood and Lady Weston on a tour of the gardens in the next hour.”

  “You go along,” Caroline said while making shooing motions with her hands. “You do not want to keep Lady Halswood waiting.”

  Mother sighed and raising her eyes to the heavens. “No, I do not. We are all still hearing about the time Lord Cullingham was late for one of her parties.”

  “That was two years ago, was it not?”

  Her mother moved to the door. “Yes, and he was only late because his carriage lost a wheel.”

  “Surely, he should have run through the streets of London so as not to be late,” Caroline said with a smirk following her mother out to the hall.

  “Clearly,” her mother answered and shook her head. They parted at the end of the hall.

  Caroline went into the kitchen to duck out through the east door. She hoped to avoid the guests in the garden particularly Lady Halswood. If she were being completely honest, Caroline had been avoiding the guests since the house party had begun. It was not a very large party so it had not been too great a task. When she did encounter a guest, she was as gracious and accommodating as possible, and if asked she obliged her parents to make an appearance at dinner or a party activity.

  A horse whinnied as she passed the stable and Caroline turned toward the stable door muttering, “I might as well check while I am here.”

  She had barely taken another step when the door open as she collided with someon
e coming out. Startled, she stepped back and tripped over her skirts. As she began to fall two hands shot out to land on her shoulders, steadying her.

  “Caroline?”

  She looked up into a pair of very blue eyes. Blue eyes she had not seen in years.

  “Philip! I did not know you were coming to the house party.”

  Apparently assured that she had regained her footing Philip released her shoulders and took a step back. “I had not known myself until a few days ago, Fallbrooke was invited by Lord Stratford's brother.”

  Caroline smiled thinking of her uncle, Robbie, her father's youngest brother, a man with a good heart. Her smile faded quickly though, as she recalled Philip's words. “Lord Fallbrooke? Did he accompany you?”

  “Did I hear someone say my name in vain?” A tall good-looking man with dark hair asked from the stable door.

  Caroline stifled a gasp and took a step back. “No,” she said quickly turning back to Philip. “I am looking for my brothers perhaps you saw them in the stable.”

  Philip looked from her default work before saying, “No, there is no one save the groom in the stables. Have you been looking for them long?”

  Caroline shook her head. “This was my first stop.” She looked past the stables more to ignore Lord Fallbrooke than anything “I suspect they have gone down to see the buggy races.”

  Philip followed her gaze. “Surely you are not thinking of walking down to the lanes by yourself?”

  Caroline opened her mouth to tell him that she was planning to do just that when Lord Fallbrooke swept over to her. Caroline stiffened seeing the man get closer to her.

  “I would be happy to walk you down there.” Fallbrooke reached out to take her arm. “I will show you a good time.”

  “I only want to find my brothers,” Caroline retorted pulling her arm away as she stepped back again. “I care not for your good time.”

  Lord Fallbrooke's face flushed with anger and Caroline expected him to lash out at her.

  “Simon and Miles?” Philip interrupted them by asking. “How old are they now? Seven and nine?”

  “Miles has just celebrated his twelfth year and Simon his tenth.”

  Philip shrugged and gave her a crooked grin. “Apparently, it has been longer than I thought.” Then to her surprise, he stepped over to the other man. “Fallbrooke, go down to the lanes to retrieve Lady Caroline's adventurous brothers.”

  Lord Fallbrooke looked to argue but Philip added. “We must be gracious to our hosts. I am sure that Lord Stratford will be quite thankful for keeping his sons out of harm’s way.”

  She thought Lord Fallbrooke's hesitation signaled his dissension but after a moment he nodded his head and turned toward the lanes. Philip called after him, “Two young boys, red hair, much darker than Lady Caroline's.”

  “I shall return with them posthaste,” Lord Fallbrooke said with a flourish of his hand and a deep bow and then disappeared around the stable.

  “I must admit I am surprised that he agreed to help.” Caroline was more than surprised after all she had first-hand knowledge of Lord Fallbrooke selfishness.

  Philip was still looking toward the lanes. “I knew he would not pass up the possible chance to do a favor for your father. He would like nothing more than to impress him. Doing a favor will get him a favor.”

  “A favor?” Caroline could not fathom what he could mean. “I am afraid I do not understand.”

  “Of course not, you are a well behaved young lady well instructed in the social graces. Fallbrooke, while certainly well instructed, is not well behaved and often needs a well-placed favor to get him out of scrapes here and there.”

  “Yes, I can imagine,” Caroline told him. She hoped the anger she was feeling was not evident but turned toward the house just in case. “Please tell Lord Fallbrooke to bring the boys to the house.”

  “I will go down to the lanes now to help him look.”

  “Thank you for your assistance, Lord Holgrave.”

  “My pleasure,” he nodded at her before walking away.

  Chapter Four

  “Holgrave?”

  “Yes?” Philip asked looking at the man sitting next to him.

  “I was asking if you wanted to play another hand.” The man held up his cards as further proof of the question. “You seemed not to hear me.”

  “Yes, my apologies.” Philip shifted in his seat. “It is this blasted pain in my head. Another hand would be a welcome distraction.”

  The man began the next hand as Fallbrooke added, “You clearly have not had enough to drink, Holgrave.”

  Fallbrooke thought it a joke but Philip’s head had continued to hurt since they had arrived at Stratford. He felt fortunate that he had, for the most part, been able to ignore it.

  Instead, he had been thinking about Lady Caroline Hadley. He had known her since she was quite young, quite possibly the same age as one of her brothers. She had been a wisp of a girl with fiery hair.

  Philip had been friends with her uncle, Robert. Of course, they had called him Robbie back then, in fact, Philip still did. But even at a young age, Caroline had shown herself to be quite confident and stubborn too.

  The memory of his summer at Stratford came to mind. It was a summer day when he and Robbie had decided to explore the countryside in search for the source of their ponds. Caroline had wanted to go but Robbie has said no that it was too far to walk, that she was too small and frail to go. Philip remembered clearly Caroline’s disagreement saying that she could walk that far and she had punctuated her argument with a frustrated stamp of her foot.

  Robbie had given in and she had been true to her word. She had kept up and never uttered a word of complaint even when it was clear that she was near exhaustion. Her uncle had pulled her up on his back and carried her the last mile or two back home.

  Fallbrooke brought Philip back to the present. “I had forgotten that you were acquainted with Lady Caroline.”

  Philip was about to explain that it had been many years since they had seen one another but Fallbrooke was still speaking. “She is a beauty. You think she will be overly grateful that I directed her brothers from the lane?”

  “It is doubtful,” Philip answered coolly. The look of anger on Caroline's face suddenly came back to him. “I rather think she was not too glad to see you.”

  “I am not surprised,” the other man at the table spoke up. Philip had nearly forgotten that he was there. “Lady Caroline has not taken part of any activities of the Season thus far.”

  Philip frowned. “Why not? She is of age, certainly.”

  “Perhaps she is betrothed?” Fallbrooke asked.

  “No,” The man shook his head and gave Fallbrooke a pointed look. “She was betrothed last Season to Nathaniel Lymington. I am sure the name is familiar. It all ended quite tragically, though, as you must know.”

  The name sounded quite familiar. “What happened?” He wanted to know more about Lady Caroline and her recent past.

  “Ask your friend,” the man said pointing across the room to where Fallbrooke was now speaking to several young ladies.

  “Fallbrooke?”

  The man nodded as he stood up. “Yes, he was mixed up with the whole affair.”

  Philip stared at Fallbrooke in surprise, by the time he turned back around the other man had gone. Pausing for a moment, Philip watched his friend across the room. To anyone else, Fallbrooke was quite engaged in the conversation but Philip noticed the furtive glances back to their table. It was rather clear to him at least, that Fallbrooke was attempting to hide something.

  It was not all that surprising given the trouble Fallbrooke was prone to get into. Philip joined Fallbrooke, smiling cordially at the ladies before saying, “Fallbrooke, I have a few questions when you have a moment.”

  “A moment?” Fallbrooke laughed, concentrating his smile on a golden-haired beauty who looked barely old enough to have left the school room. “Currently my moments belong to...” He looked at the girl with raised eyebrows
and a smirk.

  “Priscilla,” the young lady provided.

  “Miss Priscilla, yes. Quite right. My moments belong to Miss Priscilla.”

  Something about Fallbrooke's behaviour irritated Philip causing him to say, “Oh, I am quite sure that Miss Priscilla would be gracious enough to let me steal you away for a few minutes. Yes?” Philip smiled at her and she nodded.

  “But, I am quite busy, you see.” Fallbrooke protested but Philip was already ushering him from the room.

  They had barely walked into the library when Fallbrooke whirled on him. “What is so important that you had to drag me in here now?”

  Philip snorted. “As if you were doing anything truly important.”

  “I was getting acquainted with Miss Penelope.”

  “Priscilla. She said her name is Priscilla.” Philip corrected his friend, shaking his head in disapproval. “You cannot expect me to believe that you are interested in that young lady? You cannot even remember her name.”

  “You can believe I am interested in some companionship tonight.”

  Philip stared at the other man. After all, they had been through, it had finally happened, Fallbrooke had truly shocked him. “You cannot be serious.” Philip pointed toward the drawing room. “The girl is barely out of the school room.”

  Oblivious to Philip's irritation, Fallbrooke smiled and nodded. “I have a bet with Bannerman that I can persuade one of the chits into the garden for a late-night interlude.”

  It took Philip a few moments to realize that Bannerman was the other man at the table playing cards. “I have seen you do a lot of unseemly things but this…” Philip broke off shaking his head.

  Fallbrooke stared at him, before laughing. “I do not know what has happened to you. Ever since Paris, you have been different. Surely Juliette—”