When Callie turned to him, eyebrows raised, Gordon shrugged. “Mere chance that I happened to be in London and captain of Ashton’s latest steamboat. I just drove the boat. It was Kirkland and his friends who risked their lives boarding the kidnappers’ vessel, and it was Ashton in the engine room who got so much speed out of his ship. That man is wasted as a duke. He’s a really first-class engineer.”
“You are definitely telling me more about this orelse!” Callie said threateningly, her eyes like wide golden coins.
Gordon smiled wickedly. “I look forward to finding out what your ‘or else’ will look like.”
Callie laughed. “So do I. Lady Agnes, what other tales do you have to tell of my husband’s adventures?”
Lady Agnes considered. “The only really dramatic one I know is that he used his most excellent marksmanship to save the lives of another of my boys and his wife. And there’s a story about a cellar in Portugal.”
“I’ve heard about the cellar,” Callie said as her thoughtful gaze returned to Gordon. “I’m not going to write my memoirs; I’m going to have to write yours.Terrifying Tales of an English Gentleman!”
He rolled his eyes in schoolboy fashion. “Such a book would never sell. As I’ve told you, I’m always an accidental and cowardly adventurer.” Wanting to change the subject, he asked, “Lady Agnes, you always are in touch with theton.Neither of us have had news of our families in some years. To begin with, are our fathers still alive?”
The headmistress shook her head. “No, Lord Stanfield died about two years ago. Callista’s brother Marcus is now Lord Stanfield and he seems to be quite a pleasant young man.”
“My father’s passing is no loss to humanity. I’m glad to know my brother hasn’t turned out like him,” Callie said tartly. “What about Richard’s father?”
“Lord Kingston died about a year ago. His heart failed, I believe.”
Gordon regretfully let go of his fantasy of confronting his father and telling him what an appalling specimen he was. But that anger was old and easily released.
“So my oldest brother, Welham, is now Marquess of Kingston. I’m sure that’s making him very happy.” Gordon made a mental note not to go near the family seat, Kingston Court. He had no desire ever to see Welham again. Welham and Julian, the sons of the first Marchioness of Kingston, had both been coarse and difficult, though Welham had been worse, having the arrogance of an heir.
“From what I’ve heard, the newest Lord Kingston annoys everyone.” Lady Agnes thought a moment. “I don’t recall hearing anything about your younger brothers, which presumably means they’re alive and well.”
There was a better chance of developing a decent relationship with his younger brothers. Their mother had been generally pleasant to her three older stepsons, and with luck her boys would have inherited their mother’s temperament, not their father’s.
The next brother in line after Gordon was Eldon, the youngest was Francis. Gordon could barely remember their faces, but they’d be young men in their twenties now, so he probably wouldn’t recognize them. Maybe someday he’d look them up.
Lady Agnes said, “It’s late in the day to continue on to London, so why not spend the night here? I’ve plenty of guest rooms and they’re used regularly by my old boys. Emily and General Rawlings will be here for dinner, and I know they’d like to see you.” She glanced at Callie. “They are my partners in running the school.”
“Would they be as agreeable as you’ve been?” Gordon asked warily.
“I expect so. You’ve come up as a topic of conversation now and then over the years. They’ll be glad to see that you’ve not only survived but are flourishing.”
Callie looked a question at Gordon. “Unless you wish to get back to London right away, I’d be happy to spend the night here. With luck, I’ll learn more alarming stories about your wild youth.”
He chuckled. “How could I deny you such a treat? Thank you, Lady Agnes. We’re happy to accept your hospitality.”
She’d been the challenge he’d feared most. Instead, she’d made his apologies easy. He wondered if that meant other attempts at redemption would be more difficult than expected.
He hoped not. He was growing fond of doing things the easy way. Callie made everything easy, and he liked this new turn his life had taken.
Chapter 35
“Look at the way the leaves are changing color. Green and beautiful and also golden.” Callie stared out the carriage window, entranced by everything she saw. It had been fifteen years, after all. “I didn’t know that I liked having four seasons until I didn’t.”
“Washington had four seasons,” Richard pointed out.
“Yes, but they weren’t English seasons. They were too extreme, and Jamaica was mostly very hot.”
He chuckled and caught her hand to draw her back onto the seat beside him. “You’re leaving nose prints on the window. You might feel a little less fond of having four English seasons when icy gales are blasting down from the North Sea.”
She batted her lashes at him. “Why do you think I got married? It’s your job to keep me warm all winter.”
He laughed and tucked her against his side. “I’ll do my best.”
She rested her head against his shoulder. “We can be very silly. You might have noticed.”
