Two could play this game of silence and Freddie was not about to give in first.
Tobias leaned forward, his chair creaking. He inhaled as if he was about to speak and Freddie held his breath. A beat passed. Tobias exhaled and nodded to Simon.
Freddie frowned; he’d been sure Tobias had been going to make some utterance, that he’d been planning to but that he had somehow been prevented from doing so. It had been this way for years and Freddie had always assumed it was because his brother was far too lofty a person to speak to mere mortals such as himself and his brothers, but perhaps that wasn’t it. Was it possible that Tobias had a problem with his speech, one that stopped him from being able to converse easily? Tobias seemed so put-together, so powerful and influential that it didn’t seem possible and yet… And yet, Freddie knew the way the world saw him: friendly, carefree and always up for a laugh. He had been hiding his weaknesses for years and, as ridiculous as it sounded, it was possible Tobias was hiding something behind his gruff exterior. He studied his brother’s face, searching for answers, but all thoughts of his brother’s possible problems disappeared at Simon’s words.
‘As heir to the dukedom, your brother believes it is time for you to take up your responsibilities as the Earl of Blackmore.’
‘What?’ he squeaked. He cleared his throat, his skin burning. ‘What?’ he repeated, far deeper than he normally spoke, proving his masculinity. Not that they’d questioned it, but still, a man did not want to squeak like a chicken when presented with bad news.
‘With Sebastian’s passing, his roles and titles have now passed to you.’
An invisible cord was wrapping around Freddie’s neck; swallowing was impossible. ‘What duties are these? Sebastian has been gone for years. They can hardly be urgent.’
‘His Grace has been taking care of things in Sebastian’s absence in the mistaken belief that Sebastian would one day return to the family fold. Now that his death has been established…’
‘Has it though?’ Freddie broke in. He and Edward had yet to present their thoughts on Sebastian’s death to Tobias. Edward had taken to going out a lot more and Freddie had taken to doing the opposite. Balls and entertainment didn’t provide the same satisfaction as they had done in the past. It seemed pointless to stand there talking to people he didn’t overly like about topics that didn’t interest him. It was nothing to do with seeing Emily dance with lots of men who weren’t him; that was totally irrelevant. Besides, he still hadn’t resolved how he was going to speak to Emily the next time they met and he needed that clear in his mind before they next engaged. Regardless of the reason, he had seen little of Edward in the last week and when he had, they had not spoken of Sebastian.
Tobias sighed and shifted in his chair. He shared a glance with Simon and nodded.
‘His Grace is convinced that the news of his passing is accurate.’
‘But…’
‘Lotte.’ It was one word, ground out with no explanation, but Freddie had grown used to the nuance of his brother’s speech and he knew what Tobias meant. Sebastian couldn’t be alive because he would never have left his daughter to the care of his four brothers, unless there was no other option.
‘What does this role entail?’ he croaked. If it meant he’d have to read a lot of reports, then Freddie was not the man for the job.
Simon droned on, outlining the main duties. There were a couple of smaller estates belonging to the Glanmore title. The income from these fell to the duke’s heir, but the downside was that they needed to be maintained. Doing so would almost certainly require reading and writing correspondence. Freddie was torn between confessing that hecouldn’t do it or waiting and failing his brother at a later date. His limbs were leaden, as if a heavy blanket were being slowly laid over him until he couldn’t lift his arms. He glanced down and was amazed to see that he was still in his relaxed position, one foot balanced on his knee. He may look like a man without a care but inside he was drowning.
He couldn’t possibly take over these duties. Even if he got a man of business, which would eat into his funds, he’d have to explain to that person that he couldn’t read or write. Telling Emily hadn’t been as bad as he had feared, but he wasn’t about to confess it all to a stranger. The temperature in the duke’s study began to rise; Freddie tugged at his cravat, wishing he wasn’t wearing one. ‘I do not think…’
Simon held up his hand before Freddie could go any further. ‘We are aware that you do not care for such responsibilities, but we still need you to take them on. It is time.’
Freddie gripped the arm rest, the wood biting into his hand. He’d love to drag Simon out of the room and have this conversation with Tobias instead. Simon wasn’t a member of the family and had no right to throw himself into the situation with the word ‘we’.
‘Speaking of time, should I not be given some to think about this?’
Simon sighed. ‘Freddie, you have had enough time gadding about town enjoying yourself. It is time to grow up.’
The heat of the room intensified. Freddie gripped the arms of his chair to stop himself from doing something foolish, like leaping up and ripping Simon’s patronising head from his shoulders.
Tobias coughed.
Simon glanced at him quickly and nodded again. ‘Obviously, in the event of the duke having a male child, the estate and titles will revert to His Grace’s heir and you will be relieved of the burden of having to receive the income as well as the respect given to the title of earl.’
Simon may as well have punched him in the stomach. ‘Heir?’ was all the response he managed.
Simon’s lips thinned as if he was tired of dealing with such an imbecile. ‘Your brother hopes to marry soon.’ The world stopped. He did? Of course he did. Everyone knew he was interested in Emily; it was only Freddie who, with his inconvenient infatuation with her, was blinkered on this topic. His brother hadn’t been around any other women recently; marriage to Emily was the only logical step. ‘Should that union be blessed with a son, he will, of course, become your brother’s heir.’
‘Marry soon? Heir?’ These words were the only ones this news allowed him to say.
‘Obviously, there is currently no engagement at present, which is why it is time for you to take on the role. I will organise all the relevant documents to be brought to you for your perusal. You will no doubt want to organise visits to the properties…’
‘Man of business.’
Freddie and Simon turned to look at Tobias, who was frowning fiercely at his right-hand man.
‘Ah, yes,’ continued Simon, seemingly unperturbed by Tobias’ annoyance. ‘Your brother suggests you hire a man of business in order to help you with the more onerous parts of managing these properties. I will arrange for interviews to be set up. Do send me your schedule so I can organise a time at your convenience.’
