“He’s driving me to distraction,” Lady Danford huffed. “He’s spouting that god-awful poetry he writes. All that education to write bad poetry.”
“A quality education,” Nathaniel quipped.
“You had the same, and you didn’t turn out that way,” she grumbled.
Thanks to his father’s propensity for gambling away every shilling they possessed, Nathaniel had been head of the family at sixteen. He had been forced to grow up fast and figure out how to rebuild the family fortunes. It left little time for poetry. “Who is the young lady?”
“Sophia Townsend. She is the prettiest girl in the county, until she opens her mouth.”
Nathaniel’s bark of laughter filled the room. “So I take it you don’t approve.”
“The girl is a twit.”
He fought the urge to chuckle further. “Townsend? Would she be related to Miss Anne Townsend?”
“Anne is her older sister.” Lady Danford eyed him speculatively. “How do you know Anne?”
“I happened upon her on my way here,” he said casually. He didn’t need another person making note of his inability to get from one place to another without getting lost.
“She gave you directions to get home, didn’t she?” Lady Danford cackled.
Nathaniel felt the heat rise in his face again. Hell, this was worse than when he was a child. “I did
not
get lost.”
His grandmother rolled her eyes. “Where did you find her, then?”
“At the Fairy Steps.” He flicked a string off his sleeve. Truth be told, he’d wanted to find the steps first, hoping for a moment of peace before going to the Lodge and facing his demons.
“She must be hiding from her sisters again.”
Good to know he wasn’t the only one who hid from his family. “What’s wrong with this chit that Tony is interested in, if her own sister hides from her?”
“I’ll let you decide when you meet her.” Lady Danford motioned for a footman. “Bring tea and wake Tony. A good dousing of cold water should do the trick.”
“He’s still abed?” Tony had obviously been spending too much time with gentlemen. “Things will be different when I get him to Town.”
“And you call Tony a dreamer.” Lady Danford’s tone was acerbic. “He’ll be out every night with the rest of the young bucks.”
Nathaniel sighed heavily. Tony’s spending habits were eating into the cushion Nathaniel had worked hard to build with his investments in the textile business. If Tony wasn’t going to contribute, he’d have to marry well. “What are this girl’s connections?”
“Her half brother inherited the title, but doesn’t support his sisters.” Lady Danford had a white-knuckled grip on her cane. “I have no patience for such a lack of responsibility.”
Nathaniel had no doubt she would use her cane on this missing brother if she could. “Who is he?” He’d been so distracted by his meeting with Miss Townsend that he hadn’t connected her to
that
Townsend family. Surely she wasn’t related to—
“He’s a baronet. Sir John Townsend. The family is very old.”
Nathaniel set down his teacup with a rattle. Hell, it couldn’t be. All the way up here?
“Mind the china, Son. I have no desire to replace it.”
What did he do to deserve the continuing irritation that was Sir John Townsend? Or his relations? Sir Walter, the elder Townsend, might as well have put the gun in his father’s hand after winning everything Nathaniel’s family had. Sir Walter had died before Nathaniel could confront him with what he’d done. Now Sir John was bent on continuing down the same path as his father. Nathaniel couldn’t allow that to happen. He couldn’t let another man suffer what he’d seen his father suffer at the hands of Sir Walter, not that Sir John seemed to be experiencing the same success his father had.
And Tony’s marriage would join the Townsend family to their own. Over his dead body.
“Are you sure he’s not providing for his sisters?” Nathaniel didn’t know why he felt the need to try to salvage something of Townsend’s reputation. The man couldn’t be so bad as to not take care of his own family. But perhaps Townsend was following in his father’s ruthless footsteps.
“I’m unsure of the particulars, but Anne brought her sisters to Beetham five years ago with nothing but the clothes on their backs,” Lady Danford said. “God knows what would have happened if I’d turned them away. They lease the old gamekeeper’s cottage on the estate.”
His jaw tightened and hatred chewed at his stomach. “I only hope that it’s not too late to stop the engagement.”
“Had she a dowry, it would be a good match.” Lady Danford sipped her tea thoughtfully.
“Not to that family.” Nathaniel stood and paced the room. He flexed his hands, itching to punch something.
Lady Danford carefully set her teacup down. “I thought you let that go, Son.” She watched him closely, her face soft with understanding.
“Justice must be served.” His voice was hard.
“What justice? Your father took the cowardly way out. He killed himself.” Lady Danford’s tone was cold, emotionless.
“Townsend forced him to when he lost everything. For that there must be justice.”
“Oh, Nathaniel, what have you done?”
Nathaniel winced at the disappointment in her tone. The past ate at him like acid on skin. “I’ve given Sir John a taste of his own medicine. He is determined to repeat his father’s mistakes” He stared out through the window at the garden. Devoid of leaves, it was as desolate as he.
A wrinkled hand tugged at his arm. “This is beneath you, Son.”
“I had to stop Sir John before he ruined another man.” Before he caused a good friend to shoot himself to escape his problems and left his family destitute. Nathaniel’s hands tightened into fists. “I’ll take Tony back to Town with me. Distance will cure any emotion he feels for this young lady.”
Lady Danford sighed. “You can’t stay longer?”
He winced. “I only came because you implied an emergency. Besides, you’ll be in Town in a few months for the Season.”
“I’ve not decided yet.” Lady Danford shot him a meaningful look.
He looked back at her, startled by this sudden revelation. The London Season was Lady Danford’s favorite time. He always looked forward to having his grandmother at the town house in London. “You won’t miss a Season in London. You thrive on the gossip.”
“I’m getting too old and stiff for the long carriage ride, dear.”
Nathaniel watched his grandmother. She moved slowly. Her face was etched with deepening lines. Her shoulders had a slight stoop. He’d never thought of his grandmother as old until today. Panic clogged his throat and he had to clear it before he could speak. “Are you sick?”
Lady Danford laughed. “I’m just old, not sick.”
At that moment, Tony burst into the room. “Nathaniel! You’re here? Why?”
“Good to see you, as well. I’d say you look a bit worse for wear.” Nathaniel took in his brother’s wrinkled linen and lack of a coat. His hair was a mop of uncombed curls. At least he had shaved. “Didn’t bring your valet?”
“Still the stick, I see. I’m sorry I’m not up to your usual standards.” Tony slumped into a nearby chair and grinned. “Still, I make this look good.”
“I was hoping university was going to make you realize your place in the world,” he said dryly. “What have you been doing here at Beetham?”
“He didn’t get in until almost dawn,” Lady Danford grumbled. “Woke the staff trying to get into the house.”
“What is there to do at that hour in Beetham?” Nathaniel said.
“Shared a pint with the locals.” Tony ran his fingers through the tangle of his hair. “I repeat, what brings you here, dear brother? I know you didn’t come all this way just to see me.”
There was a bitterness in his tone that Nathaniel didn’t understand. “I’m not allowed to visit our grandmother?” Nathaniel raised an eyebrow.
“You never leave London.” Tony glared at his grandmother. “I suspect you told him about Sophia.”
“Yes, she did.”
Tony slouched lower in the chair. “I think I may have found my future wife. I’ve a mind to paint a picture of her.”
“Paint? You?”
“It has to be better than the poetry,” said Lady Danford.
Tony frowned. “It’s not that bad.”
Nathaniel laughed. “Why did you stop writing?” Tony had a tendency to flit from interest to interest, never staying too long. Currently he was supposed to be studying law.
“I couldn’t get anyone to publish it. But Sophia inspires me. Such a beauty.”
“Let’s be honest here. Tony, your poetry is awful.” Lady Danford waved the maid over with the tea tray. “You need a focus for your life.”
Tony raised his chin defiantly. “I have a focus. Sophia and my art.”
Nathaniel sighed. Once again it was up to him to be the responsible one, the voice of reason. “And do you propose to support this woman with your art? Have you given any thought to her connections or fortune?”
“I don’t care what her connections are, nor that she lacks a fortune,” Tony said. “It’s not as if we need the money.”
“The lack of fortune is a material issue,” Nathaniel pointed out. “With your spending habits, we’ll be in the workhouse in no time.”
“I take it back. You’re a bigger snob than you are a stick,” Tony said. “You’ll have to increase my allowance after we marry. And provide the younger sister with a Season. I suppose the eldest is firmly on the shelf. You’ll probably have to provide for her as well.”
Nathaniel cocked an eyebrow at his brother. The man had it all planned. Except it was the vision of a boy, not a man. “Why would I do that?”
Tony looked puzzled that he should ask. “It would only be right given they have no other protection.”
“While it’s honorable that you wish to take care of these young women, do you think it wise to marry someone of such reduced circumstances?” Nathaniel fought to keep the edge of impatience out of his voice. His brother was acting like a child. “We were left nothing by our father. He had no entailed property. You must consider what income a bride will bring to the marriage.”
“You speak of dynastic marriage,” Tony said. “I would rather marry for love than live such a cold existence.”
“Poverty is a cold existence. Your young lady may not be suited for it. Unless you marry a fortune, there are few choices.”
“We aren’t poor.”
“Nor are we wealthy, though your brother’s investments and careful management have improved our circumstances,” Lady Danford said. “It’s time you did your part as well.”
“And doing my part is marrying someone for her fortune? Someone I don’t love?” Tony slammed his fist into the side of his chair. “That never made anyone in this family very happy.”
“Enough!” Lady Danford pulled herself up slowly from her chair with the aid of her cane. “Don’t assume that my marriage or that of your parents was less than it was. I loved my husband.”
Nathaniel studied the stubborn look on his brother’s face. “Tony, if you are serious about marrying this girl, then you have some decisions of your own to make. As of your birthday, your allowance will cease. Find a way to support your new family. Take your place with me in London. Practice law as you were trained to do.”
“Gentlemen do not work.” Tony jumped to his feet. “Nathaniel, be reasonable. Four months’ notice is not enough time.”
“All of us must attain adulthood at some point, Brother. Even you.” Nathaniel sipped his tea, ignoring the growing color in his brother’s face. “I suggest you think long and hard as to whether you can afford this young woman.”
“Grandmother—” Tony whined.
Lady Danford paused at the door. “Tony, I must agree with Nathaniel on this. The next move is yours.” The door closed behind her with a sharp bang.
Tony stared at the closed door. “She’s in a fine temper.”
Nathaniel shrugged. “With good reason, I think.” He had to know where they stood. “Have you proposed to Miss Sophia?”
“Not yet,” Tony mumbled.
Good. It would be a bit easier to extricate Tony if he hadn’t proposed. “But her family is expecting you to?”
“Of course.” Tony looked up. “This is madness. Why can’t I marry for love?”
“You can—just make sure she brings money to the marriage.”
Tony groaned and collapsed back in his chair. “I hate this.”
Anger bloomed as Nathaniel witnessed his brother’s petulant behavior. “You do realize who her father was, don’t you?”
Tony raised his head, his eyes cold. “I’m not an idiot. I don’t hold the children accountable for their parents’ mistakes.”
“Unlike me?” Nathaniel held his brother’s gaze for a long time, waiting for confirmation. While Nathaniel had borne the brunt of the stigma and cleanup after his father’s suicide, Tony had been protected from it all. He’d only been nine at the time, too young to remember the worst of it.
“I didn’t mean that.” Tony stood and started pacing in front of the fireplace. “I thought you’d be more supportive, especially given the nightmare that was our parents’ marriage.”
Nathaniel sighed. “If her relations were anyone else, I might consider, but not this family.”
“It was a long time ago, Nathaniel.” Tony sat across from him. “Do you really blame Sophia and her sisters for their father’s sins?”
Nathaniel studied his brother for a moment. How much should he tell him? He fought the urge to protect him, but decided against it. It was time for Tony to deal with the consequences of his choices. “Have you met Sir John, the brother?”
Tony shook his head.
At least he wasn’t moving in those circles–yet. “I caught him cheating at cards at White’s.”
“Does Grandmother know?”
“No one does.” Nor would they, if he had anything to do with it. “You certainly can pick them, Tony.”
“I had no idea!” Tony plopped back into his chair and draped one leg over the arm. “I still think you should meet the family. It will at least prove that the sins of the father have nothing to do with the children.”