A Promise of Tomorrow (27 page)
Read A Promise of Tomorrow Online
Authors: Rowan McAllister
time later, they were cleaned and dressed as well as they could be, and they left the lodge and headed back to town. They collected Kyle’s things, purchased food for their journey, and hired the horse without incident. James remained a short distance off, mounted onPercy, as Kyle made the necessaryarrangements, hoping no one would notice the sad state ofhis clothes. UsingJames’s name, it took Kyle no time at all to find a horse, and shortly thereafter, they were ontheir wayhome.
They set a slow pace, as Kyle was a little sore, and James couldn’t help a wicked grin every time his lover grimaced, knowing he was the man responsible. Even so, it took less than three hours to reach the gates of Kentwood, and by the time they reached the courtyard, Anna, Andrew, and Ellis were waiting for them on the steps to the house.
As they approached the group together, he began to feel nervous over the receptiontheywould receive, thoughAnna dispelled the feelingas soonas theydismounted.
“Uncle, Mr. Allen, welcome back! We can’t wait to hear your news,” she said with her usual cheerfulness, and he was relieved to see her lookingconcerned but happyto see them.
The grooms had come running at the sound of hooves on the drive, and soon Percy and Kyle’s hired horse were led away to be cleaned and pampered.
As they approached the steps, Andrew extended his hand to Kyle and said, “Yes. Welcome back, Allen. We were… concerned for you.”
James could not read anything from his nephew’s tone or his expression, but Anna had asked him to give Andrew time only yesterday morning, and he consoled himself that one day probably did not constitute enough time for his nephew to get used to the idea ofhimand Kyle together.
“Yes, my dear. You’ll hear all about it
after
I’ve had a chance to bathe and Allen has had a chance to rest,” he replied. At her disappointed pout, he promised to be down as soon as he was fit to be seen, and she sighed in resignation, turned, and shooed her brother before her, headingfor the drawingroom.
“Welcome back, Mr. Allen,” Ellis said after the twins had gone inside, then he turned to James with an enigmatic smile and said, “I hope allis now as it should be, mylord?”
James raised an eyebrow at the smile but replied simply, “Yes, Ellis, thank you, all is now well. Will you have baths drawn for both of us and send Edwards to me? Mr. Allen has been unwell and will rest in his roomthis afternoon, so would you please send up a tray in case he becomes hungry?”
Kyle looked like he would protest, but James cut himoff. “You need your rest, Allen. It’s been a long three weeks, and we’ll have plenty of time to talk later.” He gave Kyle a pleading look, and the youngmansurrendered.
am
a little tired,”he said.
They both headed up the main staircase while Ellis went to see to his master’s wishes. They were alone in the hallwhen they reached Kyle’s door, so James took the opportunity to pin his lover against it and kiss himsoundly. He broke away after footsteps sounded on the servant’s stairs, and he bid Kyle good afternoon with a twinkle in his eye and a smirk that promised more to come later.
After Edwards got him settled in his bath, James sent him to check on Kyle. When his valet returned, he was informed that Kyle had fallen asleep in his bath, confirming his earlier suspicions that his lover had been hiding the extent of his fatigue. Edwards assured him that Kyle was no longer in danger of drowning and was, even now, tucked into his bed for the afternoon.
When James finished his own bath without falling asleep, Edwards helped him dress for dinner, and he descended the stairs with a strange mixture of joy and unease twisting around in his stomach. When he reached the drawing room, he found both his niece and his nephew pretending to read books, evidenced by the fact that Andrew’s was upside down and Anna dropped hers the second he appeared inthe doorway.
“I believe the subject of my education is one we’ve already covered, Uncle, though Mrs. Holt is in the kitchens if you would like to ask her,”she harrumphed.
“No, no need for that,” he said, chuckling. “All right, my little imp, I won’t tease you any further. I’ll tell my tale if you pour me some ofthat lovelytea.”
She rushed from her seat to comply and settled on the couch next to himas he sipped.
“I apologize for leaving you so suddenly yesterday. After our talk that morning, I received word from an old friend in London that Mr. Weir was on the run fromthe law and his creditors and that Mr. Allen might be in danger from him.” He paused at their shocked expressions and sipped his tea before resuminghis narrative.
“When I arrived at the boarding house where Mr. Allen was staying, I found Weir on the ground with a broken head and Allen nearby in shock.” The twins didn’t need to know Kyle had been unclothed at the time; the story appeared to be distressing enough for them.
“No, he was unhurt. He bested the blackguard with nary a scratch,” he answered proudly. “I decided that it would be best if Allenweren’t involved ina scandal, so I took Weir myselfto the chief magistrate and turned him over. He shouldn’t be back to bother any ofus again.”
“Oh, that’s good news. Who would have ever guessed we’d have such high adventure in our quiet little lives,” Anna said with a flushinher cheeks that worried him.
“Hardly high adventure, my dear. And criminals aren’t as romantic as they seem in novels, Anna. Allen could have been truly injured by that man, and severalfamilies have lost their fortunes to his treachery,”he felt compelled to mention.
“I know, Uncle, but you have to admit it was exciting,” she murmured in a somewhat chastened tone, though he wasn’t sure he could believe it.
“Yes, Andrew, at least for the time being. He needs time to rest and recuperate, and the position his aunt found for himwas not ideal; he won’t be going back there,” he answered, watching his nephew closelyfor anyhint as to what he was feeling.
“Oh, that’s wonderful news. I’mso glad. He didn’t seemat all happy there,”Anna said before dropping her voice to a whisper and grabbinghis hand. “I’mhappyfor bothofyou, Uncle.”
His nephew looked like he was about to say something when Ellis arrived to callthemto dinner. Andrew rose and followed himout without another word, and James was left wondering what he had intended to say.
At dinner, he went into greater detail about their adventure, leaving out the best parts, of course. Anna sat and listened with rapt attention, joking with him and asking questions, while Andrew remained markedly silent and pensive. Kyle did not come down to dinner, and though he worried, James decided it was better not to disturb him.
After dinner, Anna played for them while he and Andrew sipped their port. They played a few rounds of Whist with Mrs. Holt before she and Anna retired early, leaving himand Andrew alone. In the uncomfortable silence that followed, he suggested they retire to the libraryfor billiards, and Andrew readilyagreed.
During their second game, and not inconsequentially, their third glass of port, Andrew set his stick down and cleared his throat. Part of James hoped that he and his nephew were now going to clear the air betweenthem, while the other part hoped that theyweren’t.
He feared what his nephew might think, and he didn’t want to risk losinghis nephew’s respect, but Pandora’s boxhad alreadybeen opened, and there was no going back to the way things were. He needed to know where his nephew stood, even if the answer tore his heart out, but he wanted the young man to come to it in his own time, so he waited as the silence stretched betweenthem.
“Uncle, I’ve been thinking a great deal over the last two days,” Andrew started, thensighed. “Damn, but this is uncomfortable.”
James had to chuckle at that, and Andrew joined him with a rueful grin. As he watched, his nephew took a deep breath and started again.
“It isn’t any of my business, really, this thing between you and Allen. It isn’t anyone’s business but yours, in truth. Mother and Father taught us that if you aren’t hurting anyone, you should be able to think however youchoose. Theywere discussingthe Churchat the time, but I think the same rule applies. I won’t say that this wasn’t a shock, but I suppose I willget over it intime.”
Andrew paused, picked up his port, and finished the glass in one gulp, then cleared his throat again and looked James in the eye. “You are still one of the finest men I know, Uncle. I love you and because I love you I want you to be happy.” The last was said in a rushofwords, as ifhe were embarrassed to saythem.
“And I am blessed with having some of the finest men
I
know within my own family,” James said over the lump in his throat. He held out his hand to his nephew to shake like men, though in truth he dearly wanted to hug the young man like he did when he was a boy. “Thank you, nephew. I can’t say how much those words mean to me.”
Andrew shook his hand, still looking a little embarrassed, then picked up his stick to continue their game. Theyplayed a while longer in silence, allowing themselves to settle after their emotionally charged conversation, and James decided it was probably time for himto say good night and check onKyle. Whenhe set his stick down, however, Andrew had another surprise for him.
“Before you go, Uncle, there is something else I’ve been thinking on these past two days that I would like to speak with you about, ifI may,”he said witha speculative gleaminhis eyes.
Andrew picked up his glass and refilled it halfway, leaned against the wall nearest him, and swirled the contents of his cup. Watchingthe liquid inhis glass and purposefully
not
lookingat James, he said, “I believe I’ve decided that I should perhaps expend a little more effort with regards to my inheritance. To that end, I believe it would benefit me greatly to be more involved in the workings of the estate here at Kentwood, to learnat your knee, as it were.”
James watched with a bemused smile, and his nephew stood away fromthe walland began to pace the room, gesticulating as if he were ona stage. “As mother is always saying, it’s hightime I stopped wasting myself in aimless frivolity and learned more about the duties and responsibilities ofmybirthright.”
Here he paused and looked back at James from under his eyelashes, a mischievous smile playing about his lips. “When the time comes, hopefully in the
far
distant future, I will, of course, want my own man to help me run the place. Jackson, your steward, is, I’m sure, a very fine and capable man, but he
is
getting on in years and will want to retire before too long. I think it might be best if we found a man whomwe both can agree on to be his successor, someone of good breedingwho is loyaland trustworthy. Sucha manis a rare find indeed these days. Perhaps we should even look for someone my ownage so that we maylearnthis business together.”
When James’s smile widened, as he began to catchAndrew’s meaning, Andrew continued, “Now, I know that it’s said to be bad business to employ your friends, but I think the risk is well worth the reward in this case. I couldn’t oversee all of my friend’s training, as I will be back at Cambridge, and I must visit my father’s estates as well, but I’m sure you could serve as well in my place. And, as my friend, he will of course be invited to join us on family trips and holidays should he choose.”
At that, James couldn’t help but chuckle. He was tempted to say his nephew was being rather high-handed, but as it was all to his benefit, he decided to hold his tongue.
Andrew tried to give himan arch look, but the quirk of his lips ruined the effect. Clearing his throat, he said, “As I was saying, he may travel some with me and the family, so I see no need to find a permanent place for him in the neighborhood just yet. I dare say we could find room for my friend in the Hall, at least for the foreseeable future. And after Jackson retires, well, the steward’s house may come empty, but I see no need to rushthe manand his wife out ofit if theydo not wishto go. Don’t youagree?”
“I will of course pay his salary from my own allowance until suchtime as he takes up officialduties onthe estate. Perhaps Jackson himself could provide some input as to what salary his deputy should receive.”
ThenAndrew waved his hand dismissively and said, “But these are allmatters that canbe ironed out over time, I think. Myfriend has obviously been a little ill of late and needs time to rest and get his strength back. It would be ungenerous of me to put him to work before he is fully recovered, if indeed he chooses to accept the position I amoffering at all. Perhaps you could mention it, Uncle, the next time you speak to him, and we can discuss it and decide upon the details whenI amhome for Christmas?”