His housekeeper ferried in his breakfast. He was not really a good trencherman, which his cook despaired of, but the toast, preserves, sliced cold beef, deviled kidneys, and strong black coffee were today consumed without any hesitation. He asked his housekeeper to call for his stallion to be saddled, and went upstairs to change into riding clothes.
A little over two hours later, despite it still being early hours, Lord Stanton was indeed prepared to welcome the duke to his study to talk about a matter of business with him. In fact, the earl was gushingly pleased to see him, and offered him a glass of some very fine brandy. Brandy which Ethan suspected he had not paid any duty on.
“Now, what can I do for Your Grace?” he eventually asked.
“You can give me permission to marry your second daughter, Lady Verity, who has accepted a proposal of marriage from me, with the proviso that I adopt her sister’s son, Thomas,” Ethan drawled.
He did not think much of a man who would discard both his daughters as if they had no value at all, because the elder had borne a child out of wedlock. Ethan believed that Oscar would have eventually done the honorable thing and married Verity’s sister if he had lived long enough to deal with the matter. But that disastrous drunken carriage race had taken his friend’s life, and left him with only a slight limp and a few scars.
If only I had not bloody interfered.
He knew there was no legal way that Thomas could inherit his title or his main estates, but he could educate him at the finest institutions and settle a smaller unentailed estate on him, provide him with a generous allowance, and buy him a commission if he was militarily inclined. If Thomas should prefer a Parliamentary seat, or a parish, then he had both in his gift that could suit him when he was old enough.
Finished with his shocked spluttering, the earl straightened. “You wish to marry Verity?”
“I have said so,” Ethan said, with polite indifference. “Is there a problem?”
The earl grimaced. “I…you might not be aware of it given that you have stayed away from the social scene for a couple of years, Your Grace, but…I…” he tugged on his cravat. “My daughter’s reputation—”
“I am aware of her selfless bravery and loyalty,” he said, “It has much bearing on my offer. It is rare to find such qualities in a lady of the ton.”
Ethan knew the force of his personality, and that many were easily intimidated by him. Verity had been so brave to stand up to him and refuse to abandon Thomas, and also insist on progeny from their marriage. And she had been totally correct in both matters, even if they had not been what Ethan had wanted to hear. He had been captivated by her strength of character, and intrigued to feel her willing response in his arms, even returning his kisses and caresses. To his mind, she would make a most suitable wife.
The earl, as if still in a daze, drank another glass of brandy before answering, but was very fulsome in his agreement to the marriage, and promised to attend the parish church with his countess at eleven o’clock in three days’ time.
Exiting from the earl’s home shortly after, he mounted his horse and trotted along the country road. There was much to be dealt with, given the unexpectedness of Thomas and Lady Verity. Not for the first time since daybreak, he glanced at the overcast sky.
Are they my redemption?
No mystical voice answered him, and a rough sound of amusement escaped Ethan.
The next thing he needed to do was to send extra help to get Kellitch Hall ready for his bride. His housekeeper had only kept on a skeleton staff, and much of the house was shut up. After his injuries and Oscar’s tragic death, he had kept to the country and only ventured to Town for sessions in the House of Lords. He had not stayed long, and had refused any society invitations, exiling himself to the hall.
He could not expect Lady Verity to come to a manor this severely understaffed. Cleaning maids and temporary waiters and men of all work could be obtained from the nearby town, at a price. They would not be very skilled, but the harvest was in, and there was little work for those casually employed. Many would jump at the opportunity in the hopes of being taken on permanently.
So, to the small town he headed next. He expected that the mayor would be just finishing his second breakfast, and possibly attending to some minor matters. He would know who might be available, and send them up to the housekeeper. The matter was quickly resolved with promises for workers to be sent to his hall immediately.
Ethan remembered that the town had an excellent dressmaker, and he made it his business to send a letter for her and her assistants to visit Lady Verity’s cottage so that she could have something suitable to wear for her wedding day. From what he recalled of her first appearance at the hall, her riding habit had been rather dour and shabby, and from what he knew of women—and he had a lot of experience with them, he admitted—they liked to look nice for special occasions.
His last visit of the day was to the vicar. He could have decided to drag that invertebrate to his chapel and force him to perform their marriage there. That would necessitate considerable cleaning and decoration to make it fit for the wedding. It could be done, but he thought that hypocrite should be obliged to marry Lady Verity to the highest noble in the county in his own church. The very church that she had been driven from, with Thomas in her arms. And if the vicar choked on his words, then the curate could marry them, but married they would be, and if it could be done sooner than three days, he would wish it so.
Ethan resisted visiting Verity in her cottage; she needed some time to come to terms with the idea of marriage and all it would entail. That was best done alone. He returned to the hall and went to the nursery to visit Thomas. The boy was creeping around on the floor, and at times he would grab onto the edges of the small chaise and try to stand. The nursemaid used words to encourage him, and as Ethan watched he felt a deep agony inside his heart.
It is you, Oscar, who should be seeing this.
Walking away from the boy’s chortling, Ethan went downstairs and outside to the lake, stripping from his jacket and shirt as he went. Tugging off his boots, he dived deep into the waters of his lake, drowning away the guilt and pain stirring deep inside.
While he would move onto the next chapter in his life—an unexpected chapter—he would never allow himself to forget his best friend had died and the reason for it.