Chapter 5

George's heart raced as he stood outside of the church, knowing that this was the moment he had been waiting for, trying to plan, and wrap his head around, ever since he left Sweden.

His father's funeral, the time to face his twin brother once more.

But also, the time to make sure everything passed on smoothly from his father to Gregory. Remembering his purpose helped a little, but the nerves were still very much there, zig zagging in the pit of his stomach.

This was not going to go well, and he already knew it.

But that did not mean he could avoid it. Sebastian would never forgive him if he had brought him all the way to England, just to not fulfill his duty.

Matthew had written to him for a reason. He needed to be here.

So with one more final, deep breath. George gathered himself up and stood tall, ready to tackle this moment.

He pushed open the door to the church, to see crowds from the London elite, talking and sharing condolences. The funeral had not yet started so he was not late, thank goodness, and he would not have to spend a lot of time exchanging false sincerities with people he had left behind so long ago.

Unfortunately, the crowds did not continue to talk, nor allow him to slip in without any eyes upon him as he had planned. George always liked to stand on the sidelines for a moment, to get a lay of the land. To see who was talking with whom and how everyone was behaving.

But the silence hung heavy in the air as everyone looked at him, until it was permeated by whispers.

"What is happening here?"

George swallowed hard as he heard his voice. It was incredibly familiar, but there was a newness to it as well. Something George had never heard from Gregory before. A grandeur which felt incredibly misplaced. Especially to George.

"Oh my!" Gregory's eyes almost popped out of his head in surprise as he ran his imploring gaze up and down George. "You are… here?"

George nodded. "I am here. It is my father's funeral."

He could not stop himself from being icy with Gregory. It was not fair that Matthew had to be the one to let him know that his father passed away. Gregory would never have let him know.

Gregory's hands balled up into fists, but he kept them to himself. He must have learned his lesson this time around. He must have decided that it was better to behave in the way that was expected of him in front of the ton.

This also suggested to George that he had not been drinking which was a relief. Perhaps they would be able to get through this with some dignity and give their father the send-off that he deserved. Even if George had been hurt by his father's actions, he still wanted him to get the calm, considered funeral that he deserved.

"I… I simply had no idea that you would return for the funeral," Gregory declared through gritted teeth. "You did not send word that you would be able to make it. I have not made adjustments for you."

George offered him a pleasant enough smile and a one shouldered shrug. "I thought I might arrive before any letter, so there was no need. I most certainly do not need any adjustments made for me. I am simply here to say a final farewell and to pay my respects to Father."

George watched intently as his brother glanced around at everyone in attendance. It was very clear that he wanted to make a good impression on the people around him, he wanted to fit in these days, and leave his past behind him.

But how much of his past had been left behind?

Did Gregory still spend far too many nights in seedy bars? Gambling and making a scene whenever he could? Wasting money and losing it as if he had an infinite amount?

He certainly hoped not, but it was hard to imagine that the man could change. Not when he was so deeply intrenched in bad behavior.

But maybe learning that he would get the title, getting exactly what he wanted, had shifted something within him and he had grown up. George could only hope so.

"Well, it looks to me like the service is about to begin." George pointed towards the other side of the church, thankfully dragging all the attention off himself. He simply wanted to sit in a pew at the back of the church, while he said a final farewell to his father, just as he had suggested.

His words had the desired effect, and everyone took their seats at long last, but George could almost feel the room abuzz with gossip. Even if the members of the ton were not able to talk at the moment because it was time for the vicar to pray for his father's soul, he could feel the eye contact and the electrical excitement buzzing in the air. The words were on the tips of everyone's tongues, and they simply could not wait to get a chance to let it all out.

But George did not care.

The gossip and judgement were things that he most certainly did not miss. In Sweden, he did not have to put up with any of this, as long as he kept his head down and worked hard. He did not need to worry about being a disgraced lord who did not inherit his father's estate, despite being in line for it.

He jutted his chin out and held his head up high, thinking only of his father and the wonderful times he'd had with his family before everything went wrong. George lost himself in the nostalgia, smiling to himself because he truly did have some good memories. Even with Gregory…

It was a shame, but George knew that things would never go back to where they were.

It was simply far too late for that now.

***

Gregory barely waited for the burial to be over before he grabbed hold of George's arm to speak with him more privately. There were flames of anger dancing in his eyes, it was abundantly clear that he did not wish for George to be in London, and that all had not been forgiven.

"How did you find out?" Gregory demanded. "I did not think it best you know because Father never would have wanted us to fight over what has already been set in place. He would not want us worrying about the will now…"

George held up his hands in a surrendering gesture. "I am not here for any of that. I am not here to disagree with what had as already been written in the will. I have a wonderful life in Sweden, that I am not looking to change. I do not wish to return to London for anything other than a few days. I am only here to pay respects to Father, as I stated, and also to ensure that the estate and title transfers smoothly."

Gregory's eyes widened in surprise, but he seemed to stare at George for long enough to decide that he had to be telling the truth. "I see… well, everything will run smoothly. There is no need for you to worry about a thing. You can return to your beloved Sweden as soon as you can."

George smiled. But it was a wistful one. There was a time when Gregory did not treat him with such disdain.

"I will, I…"

"Excuse me, gentleman." A man in a crisp charcoal suit interjected before George could say anything more. "Since you are both together right now, I think this would be a good time to talk."

Gregory's face almost turned purple with rage. "This is the funeral. Not the time or place for any kind of conversation."

George held his arm out in front of his brother, before he did something stupid. "Actually, I think this might be the perfect time. The sooner we get everything sorted, the quicker I can return."

The temptation was clearly too much for Gregory. He wanted to be the only Harrington brother in London.

"Yes," he declared as he stiffened his spine. "Maybe we should have a talk then. But please, let us wait until we have returned home for the memorial wake."

The solicitor nodded in agreement.

Truth be told, this was not what George wanted. He had not been planning on returning to his childhood home, because he did not want to get swallowed up in the memories. That was not something he needed while in London, but it seemed like he had no choice in the matter. He was going to have to face all his demons.

But he supposed it would only make his time in Sweden that much more thrilling when he returned. He would appreciate absolutely everything that he had there, for what it was not.

***

George could not help but notice how different his father's study looked.

The solicitor and Gregory had been in talks about the estate for a little while now, and while George wanted to pay attention, he did not find himself able to. The books had been moved, and the desk altered. The family portrait no longer hung on the wall. It was strange, and a stark reminder of how long he had been away…

"…the debts, I am afraid, are quite considerable…"

That caught George's attention. He focused his eyes back on to the solicitor to hear what he had to say.

"The estate's financials are not in a very good way, which is something we must discuss."

"What do you mean debts?" George demanded, but he was not looking at the solicitor. Instead, his eyes were firmly fixed on his brother. It seemed like Gregory had not changed at all. He was still gambling and partaking in money wasting activities.

Rage bubbled up inside of George. This was why he should have been the one to inherit everything, because he never would have allowed things to go to ruin.

Why could his father not see all the mistakes that Gregory had made?

Why did things go the way they did?

But he quickly had to let that anger slide because all of this was no longer his issue. This was the exact reason he had left; it was no longer something he needed weighing heavily on him.

His life in Sweden was calm and he felt much more like he could control everything.

That, he preferred.

"There are papers that must be signed, yes?" George said instead. "Shall we get that done now, while I am here."

It seemed meaningless now. Gregory was going to sign his inheritance papers to get what he had clearly wanted his whole life, to officially be the new viscount, and it was worth nothing.

But the process happened anyway.

George could hardly believe it, but he watched his brother sign the papers, then he did the same, before the solicitor left them alone to adjust to their new reality.

"What do you plan to do?" George demanded as he rose to his feet. "How are you going to overcome the debts?"

Gregory waved this question away as if it was nothing. "I have a plan, you do not need to worry about that." Gregory headed towards the door, ready to get back to the other guests who had attended the memorial party. "I am simply going to find a very wealthy lady to marry this season."

George could only watch as Gregory stalked off, leaving him behind with only worry in his heart. He wanted to head back to Sweden immediately because there was nothing left for him here in London, but he also was not sure how he could leave knowing that Gregory was still the irresponsible fool that he had always been. He did not want his family name dragged through the mud by Gregory, but now there was nothing he could legally do about it.