“Can I go to Parliament to watch?” Charles asked.
“Of course you can. But first we need to get to London,” Arthur replied.
“Yes, I am ready.”
“Excellent,” Arthur said.
“We go by boat to the mainland, and afterwards we’ll head to London,” Charles said.
“That is correct,” Frazier said, trying to reassure any doubts or fears Charles might have.
The threesome started to walk to the cottage Charles had been living in. The wagon was being loaded when they walked by. Charles slowed down to observe how the men were progressing but quickly caught up to Frazier and Arthur.
Finally, they came upon the carriage.
“Do you wish to say goodbye to Denton?” Arthur asked.
“No, he probably wouldn’t see me. He doesn’t seem to like me, so we can leave immediately.”
Arthur hated the fact that Charles had lived his life in a bubble, always being protected from the possibility of someone taking advantage of him. With time and his brother’s acute awareness, Arthur was determined to see he overcame his anxieties. He could make inquiries about Charles seeing a new doctor and see if that might help. That was not something he would push. Right now, they needed to build trust between the two of them.
It came to him that he hadn’t inquired about the money Charles seemed to be earning from a publisher. He had to have written a book to receive that kind of money.
They left Denton’s estate in Arthur’s carriage. Speaking further with Denton proved to be impossible. Arthur was turned away. He shook his head and climbed into his carriage. Charles sat across from him. He was looking around the interior of the coach. Arthur wasn’t sure if he was considering bolting or just taking everything in.
“Are we going directly to London?” Charles asked.
“No, I thought we’d find a place after we’ve crossed.”
Charles looked notably nervous. “We mustn’t stop, except to rest the team. We must reach London today.”
“Is there a reason?”
“I do not like being idle. Staying at an inn would make us idle.”
Arthur nodded as though he understood. He knew his brother had idiosyncrasies and he would have to learn them, or at least be patient with him. “Very well. I’ll tell the driver as soon as we’re crossing.”
“Thank you,” Charles replied.
“You must tell me if you’re not comfortable with anything. At least until I know your ways.”
The conversation completely took a turn. Arthur understood this was a way Charles managed some conversations. “Tell me about Roxanne. What is she like?”
“You will like Roxanne. She and her husband live close by in Kent. She’s very kindhearted and will do anything for you. She’s older than us by a couple of years.”
“So that makes me the youngest.”
“Yes, it does,” Arthur replied.
They were waiting for the coach to be loaded onto the barge that took people and items to Wight. He would give his man the new orders. The last thing he wanted was for Charles to get out of sorts.
Once he returned to the carriage, he found his brother with notebook in hand, furiously scribbling away. He wondered if it were some sort of journal he kept.
“Are you planning to write another book?”
“Yes. Soon.”
“What was your previous book about?” Arthur asked. He didn’t know and wasn’t sure how many there were.
