“Really? I was hoping to see some of your art works, or at least some that you admire.”
He would like nothing better, but he did not want to encourage the man further today. “Perhaps another time, but I thank you for coming and delivering your gift to Miss Sterling.”
Dunstan nodded and followed the duke out of the room. “Good day, Your Grace.”
“Good day, Lord Dunstan.”
Edward waited until he heard the carriage drive off and reentered the parlor. He threw the drape back and stared at the painting. It was a lifelike depiction of Lucinda’s parents, but as he looked, the more he saw. Foxton had one hand on his wife’s shoulder and the other was behind his back with a tiny square of paper peeking out from behind him. Lady Foxton was sittingwith her arm crossed over her body to cover her husband’s hand at her shoulder and in her lap. Her other palm lay face up with a lock of hair placed in the middle, complete with the pink ribbon.
Curious, he studied the painting more closely. Confident brush strokes, glorious detail, and he even put a baby’s basinet in one corner with a baby’s rattle on the floor. His way of including Lucinda by hinting she was there too. A lovely detail that he was sure Lucinda would be happy with. Even if her views on the artist were cooling, he could not dispute the quality of the work.
Should he send it to Lucinda? How would Lucinda receive it now? Perhaps it was better to wait until Stafford could give them all some better news. He thought it would be good to have some peace and quiet, but he did not like it, not at all. No music drifted from the parlor up to his study. No barking from that infernal dog of Marianne’s. Not the tone of his mother ordering the servants around. No morning discourse with his brother Tony, who barely tolerated him. He had to admit he was lonely.
This matter needed to be resolved so that he could have his normal life back. It seemed he had just had a revelation. No matter how much work he did, or how busy he kept himself, he now knew he did not want to be alone. If Tony married Lucinda, which, from what he had seen of their cow eyes for each other, was a real possibility, he would be alone again in this huge house.
They would not live here. They would want to have their own house, and he would give Tony a choice of unentailed properties attached to his dukedom as a wedding present. That would mean he would only see his family during the season, if they came at all, that is. His sister Marianne and his mother no doubt would, until Marianne married. After that? He dared not think about it.
Tony waited inCharles’s parlor. He had rarely entered this house. There was no need. They always came to Warrington House. Looking around, he could see the finishing touches that only a woman could bring to make a house a home. It was a very nice house and on a good street. His other brother Thomas lived around the corner. At least, that was when they were all in town.
His brother entered the room looking perplexed and then alarmed.
“What has happened? Edward is not…”
“No, everyone is very much alive.” His brother was terrified of inheriting the dukedom. He knew how much work it was and wanted nothing of it, preferring to tinker with his little experiments and marveling over animations.
“In that case, sit and I will get you a drink.”
“No. There is no time. I need you to come with me no questions asked.”
“No questions asked? I have to tell my wife I am going out and she will want to know where.”
Tony frowned. “Tell her you have been summoned by Edward.”
“She will want to know why.”
“Tell her we do not know.”
“This is all very peculiar, Tony.”
“I know, but if you could indulge me this one time.”
Charles studied his brother for a moment, then nodded. He pulled the bell cord and when a footman appeared, he asked him to relay a message to his wife. Once done, they hopped into the waiting hack and sped off.
“All right, can you tell me now what the hell is going on?”
“We are not going to Warrington House. We are going to… another place. We need your expertise, and no one must know about it.”
“Tony, I really do not like the sound of this.”
“You will be perfectly safe. We need your expertise, for reasons that will be made clear.”
“I certainly hope so.”
When the hack stopped, they alighted and walked a block down the road.
“You are not dragging me to some gambling hell, are you?”
“No. Now, be quiet, will you?”
