The two brothers made their way through the halls and stairs and found Daphne had dinner ready in the breakfast room. Fruit, cheeses, a roasted chicken, and bread made up the light meal.
Daphne had been sitting waiting on them. She smiled when she saw the two brothers. It would be easy for a stranger to mistake one brother for the other at first glance. Charles, however, sported a beard and longer hair than Arthur. If he was clean shaven like his brother, it would take a minute to try and determine who’s who.
“Are you nervous about the meeting?” Daphne asked.
“No, more curious than nervous,” Charles said.
“We’ll get through it tomorrow. Nothing will be resolved, and I’m sure that’s going to make Lady Agnes unhappy.”
“I have a wicked idea if everything goes their way. I will move to the cottage and Lady Cathryn will not get to live in the main house like I’m sure she wants to. Make her live humbly and maybe I’ll be able to get the truth out of her.”
Both Arthur and Daphne smiled at his words. “That’s mean, Charles, but I like it,” Daphne said.
“I’m surprised at you, Daphne. I would have thought you would want her living here,” Arthur said.
“Tricking a man into marriage. She deserves it. Perhaps a month or so in the cottage might humble her.”
Charles broke off a hunk of bread. “I was thinking more like a year, maybe two.”
“Charles!” Daphne exclaimed with a laugh.
“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Arthur said.
“Maybe Lady Cathryn will have a change of heart and reject her sister’s idea,” Daphne said.
All he could do was hope something like that might happen. The idea of being with a woman for the rest of his life that he was forced into marrying made his stomach churn. It was trickery plain and simple. He even thought of finding somewhere to stay on the estate unseen from all. Let them think he’d gone off on one of his days or weeks-long walks.
“That would be nice, but somehow I don’t see it happening,” Charles said.
“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow,” Arthur said. He cut a piece of cheddar and bit into it.
Everything was going to come down to tomorrow. Charles knew his life would come down to what this meeting brought.
Chapter Eight
Charles rose earlythe next morning. During a sleepless night, he decided to ride early enough that Arthur and Daphne wouldn’t be up. Walking straight to the stables, he waited as a groom saddled the bay.
He headed to the lake. While there on his and Arthur’s ride a couple of days earlier, he noticed there was a wide stream that fed into the lake, surrounded by woods. For some reason, he had been drawn to it and imagined perhaps he played there.
Once he arrived at the lake, he began to walk his horse on the bank. He was looking for something but had no idea what. The farther he went, the more his surroundings changed. He urged the bay on. Finally, they came upon the opening to a cave. It wasn’t a deep cave, if you could even call it that. The entrance was hidden by vines and overgrowth.
He dismounted and took a look inside. It was dark inside even with pushing aside some of the vines. It wasn’t huge and didn’t seem to go anywhere but he could make do. What he needed to do was gather supplies and some food. Always be prepared, and if things didn’t go well later, he would have a safe place to go. Luckily, it was warm out during the day and the nights were not bad to sleep outdoors.
When he walked into the house again, he noticed a carriage sitting out front. Their guests had arrived. Early, but they’d arrived nonetheless. Rather than go and change, he walked intoArthur’s study where four pairs of eyes regarded him. Daphne was the only one not present.
“Did I have the time mixed up?” he asked, looking at his brother. Arthur was standing by the fire, and his look was not a happy one.
“No, you don’t have the time wrong.”
“Yes, come and join us, Lord Charles,” Lady Agnes trilled. “May I present our solicitor, Mr. Brown.”
Charles glanced at his brother for an explanation. Not getting one, he spoke on his own. “Why would you need a solicitor?”
“To represent Lady Cathryn and our family.”
“The only male relative lives in America, and her father and brother are on the Continent,” Mr. Brown said.
“So their parents left them with no one to act as their protector?” Arthur inquired.
