“I understand. Can you take me through Parliament?”
“Yes, of course I can.”
Glancing out the window to his right, Arthur spotted some houses mixed with smaller offices. Officially, they were in London.
Right then, there was a change in Charles’s mood. He was somber, watching with keen interest at what they passed. Never saying another word, his jaw seemed to set as though he was full of questions but refusing to ask Arthur anything further. As they neared the house, he only got more tense.
Arthur kept an eye on him as they traveled through London. When the carriage pulled up in front of the house, Charles jumped out and onto the street before Arthur even knew what was happening. Frazier was there to guide him to the front door.
“Your Grace,” the butler greeted him.
“This is my brother, Charles.”
The butler nodded. “His rooms are ready whenever he’d like to settle in.”
Suddenly, Daphne appeared. Sam could be heard in the distance calling to her. “Charles, it is so nice to meet you.”
“Do you have children?” Charles asked.
“No, not yet. That’s Sam, my parrot. Would you like to meet him?”
Charles gave her a look of horror at the thought of such a creature living in the house among humans. “No, I do not wish to meet him.”
“Very well. Just let me know when you want an introduction.” She locked eyes with Arthur, as if not knowing if she’d done something wrong.
Charles grunted. “I should like to see my rooms.”
His valet, Frazier, came out of nowhere. “Come. I’ll show you. I think you’re going to love them.”
Charles said nothing, nothing to Daphne or Arthur. He didn’t even try to make eye contact. Instead, Arthur nodded and watched as the pair walked across the hall.
“I guess this is a huge change for him,” Daphne said. She stood next to Arthur watching his new-found brother disappear up the stairs.
“Yes. I can’t even imagine. He’s lived in one place and now he’s been uprooted and moved.”
“Would Denton not let him stay on for a while? Just until Charles got used to the idea of moving.”
Arthur shook his head. “He couldn’t get rid of Charles fast enough. If he had stayed, it would have come at a price.”
“Greedy man?”
“From what I could see, yes.”
“Is there anything I should know?” Daphne asked.
“He’s moody. We were having a nice conversation and then he shut down.”
“Oh, my. But like I said, he’s been through a lot. Everything is new.”
“Just beware. I’m not sure how he’s going to act.”
Daphne nodded. “I will. Let’s just give him some time to acclimate.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” he replied. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go through correspondence.”
“There were some packets brought from Parliament for you to review. I put them on your desk.”
“Thank you,” he said, bending down and kissing her. “It’s nice to be in familiar surroundings.”
