Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

“ G ood shot, Duke Warren.” Lord Peter said, admiring the target Luke had just fired into.

“Thank you, Lord Peter.” Luke smiled at the young man, forcing himself not to glance up at the castle behind them.

It was the day after he had found Emily crumpled on the ground. He was with Duke Emberly and his younger brother, Lord Peter, shooting in the grounds.

He had not seen Emily since he had lain her in the bed and been ushered from the room. She had not joined them for dinner or breakfast that morning. Is she all right?

He wanted to ask, but bit the words back. He shook his head, trying to focus on the task at hand. Duke Emberly was reloading his own gun.

“I will bet you a guinea that you cannot match Duke Warren’s shot, brother.” Lord Peter grinned at Duke Emberly.

Luke was surprised as the older man shook his head and laughed. “Do you think so little of my skill?”

“Perhaps I just think rather a lot of Duke Warren’s.” Lord Peter playfully prodded his brother, who made a playful swot back at him.

The teenager danced out of the way, sticking his tongue out at his older brother. Luke’s chest twisted as he watched them. It was clear they both adored each other. That there was respect and yet also so much playful camaraderie.

His thoughts turned to Rodger, and he felt a prickle of irritation. Emily’s crumpled form ran through his mind once more, and he clenched a fist. I told him she was his responsibility.

He found himself turning towards the castle, and managed to stop himself. He glanced away and met Duke Emberly’s gaze.

“And what do you think, Duke Warren? Do you think I can make the shot?” Duke Emberly asked, his eyes flitting briefly from Luke’s to the castle.

Does he know? Should I ask him? No. I cannot. Luke forced himself to smile. “I would not dare to presume what you are capable of, Duke Emberly.”

The Duke let out a soft laugh. “Very diplomatic, Duke Warren. I shall take the bet then.”

A moment later, there was a loud bang and Duke Emberly had matched Luke’s own shot.

Duke Emberly turned to face his brother. “That is a guinea you owe me, brother-mine.”

“Very well, a gentleman always pays his debts.” Lord Peter threw his brother a coin.

Duke Emberly caught the guinea and tucked into his coat pocket. “Do you think you can match our shots?”

Lord Peter shook his head. “No. Not yet anyway. Natalie probably could – though do not tell her I said that!”

“Do not worry, your secret is safe with us.” Duke Emberly said, miming locking his mouth and throwing away an invisible key.

“Your sister shoots?” Luke asked, canting his head towards the teenager.

Lord Peter nodded. “Yes. She does pretty much everything I do. And she always insists she can do it better.”

“And can she?”

“Some things. But not everything.” Lord Peter shrugged. “I am a better rider than her. And better at archery.”

“Do not get him started, Duke Warren. The two of them are fiercely competitive.” Duke Emberly shook his head, and Luke could see the affection in his eyes.

Lord Peter glared at his brother. “You are just as competitive.”

“When occasion arises, I suppose I can be.” Duke Emberly grinned. “Though it is hardly a competition if I always win.”

Luke laughed at the look of outrage on Lord Peter’s face.

“You do not always win!” Lord Peter exclaimed.

“I win often enough.” Duke Emberly shrugged. “Besides, you should respect your elders. We are wiser.”

“Some elders might be, but you are not.”

“Impudent wretch.” Duke Emberly growled affectionately, pulling his brother towards him and ruffling his hair. “I’ll show you.”

“Get off me.” Lord Peter laughed, and pushed at his brother. “Duke Warren will think we are entirely uncultured. I bet he never does this to his brother.”

“That is because Lord Baine is probably less annoying than you are.” Duke Emberly teased.

“I do not know about that. Little brothers do have a tendency to make themselves a nuisance.” Luke found himself saying, thinking of the times Rodger had done something ridiculous. Like letting a young woman almost die in his care.

His amused exasperation turned to anger and he forced it away. He had already spoken to his brother about it. After the dressing down I gave him, I doubt it will happen again.

“It is testament to the strength of an older brother’s will that we put up with it.” Duke Emberly said, releasing his brother and grinning at him.

Lord Peter dusted himself off and straightened his clothes. “You love me, dearly brother.”

“Of course I do.” Duke Embery replied, and then glanced down at his gun. “Speaking of younger brothers, will Lord Baine not be joining us?”

Luke shook his head. “No, he wanted to remain in the castle and read.”

Rodger hated shooting at the best of times, but after yesterday he had refused to join them. Luke might have pushed him in other circumstances, but he was still irritated enough at him that he appreciated a little distance.

Besides, he will be around if there is any update on Emily. His chest squeezed as he thought of her, and he pushed the image of her away. I hope she is safe. They would have said if she was in danger. Someone would have mentioned. No news is good news.

“Ugh. He is like Marie. She always has her nose in a book.” Lord Peter’s voice jerked him back to the present. “Why read, when you could be outside doing things?”

“Reading is important, Peter.” Duke Emberly chided, but Luke could see the amusement on his face.

“I never said it was unimportant. Simply that I did not understand the appeal when there are other more interesting things to do.” Lord Peter crossed his arms and shook his head.

“Perhaps it is interesting to Lord Baine.” Duke Emberly shrugged, his eyes flitting to Luke.

Luke nodded. “It is one of his favourite things to do.”

“And I shall never understand it.” Lord Peter insisted.

“You do not need to.” Duke Emberly responded, calmly.

“On a day like today, it is much nicer to be out of doors.” Luke admitted, breathing in the crisp air.

The sun was high in the clear blue sky. Everything was clear, and a gentle breeze tugged at his coat. It was stunning. Almost enough to distract him from thoughts of a certain black-haired woman.

“You see?” Lord Peter gave his brother a triumphant look. “Duke Warren understands.”

“Everyone is different.” Duke Emberly said, but before he could say anything else an excited squeal sounded and a boy came running towards them. “Arthur! How many times have I told you not to run in front of people who are shooting?”

“Sorry, Father. But Aphrodite has had puppies!” Duke Emberly’s son was beaming. “I wanted to show them to Uncle Peter. Natalie and some of the girls are already there. Marigold says that she wants the white one but I want that one.”

“I do not think I will ever be used to being Uncle Peter. You make me feel so old, Arty.” Lord Peter shook his head and glanced at his brother and then Luke. “You do not mind if I go with him?”

“Of course not, though we will not join you. I expect it will be far too much of a crowd for Aphrodite.” Duke Emberly raised an eyebrow at Luke. “Unless you would like to see the puppies?”

Luke had been looking at the castle and at Duke Emberly’s words realised what he had been doing, and hastily turned back, his cheeks colouring slightly.

“I am happy to see them at another time.” Luke said.

“Come on, Uncle Peter.” Lord Arthur was tugging insistently on his uncle’s hand.

“Very well.” Lord Peter gave his nephew an impish grin. “I shall race you, last one there is a big girl’s blouse!”

“Hey! That’s cheating.” Lord Arthur yelled as Lord Peter began running.

“Not in front of the shooting!” Duke Emberly bellowed after the two retreating figures. “Honestly, how many times do I have to tell them?”

“I used to have do the same with Rodger. In some ways it was a relief when he discovered reading. He was forever inside, and I did not have to worry about accidentally shooting him.” Luke shook his head, remembering how he had tried to explain how dangerous what his brother was doing was to him.

It was a comical image, as he had only been young himself. He had felt so grown up though. How little I knew.

“Sadly, my own brood seems to have enough non-bookworms that they are perpetually getting up to mischief.” Duke Emberly sighed, but Luke could hear the affection in his voice. “I suppose it is the danger of having such a large family.”

“I do not know how you manage.” Luke found himself saying. “I struggle often enough and I only have to look after Rodger and my duchy.”

“Some days it is easier than others. And although my family has only grown, it is much easier to look after things now that I am older.” Duke Emberly ran a hand through his hair. “Though I have made plenty of mistakes.”

“Really?” Luke canted his head towards the man.

“Of course. I am only human, and more to the point, I was not even a man full-grown when I came into my inheritance.” A flash of pain crossed the Duke’s face, and Luke’s own chest squeezed. “It is a hard burden to bear, especially at such a young age.”

“How old were you?” Luke asked.

For a moment, he was worried that the other man would think his question impertinent. After all, most Duke’s kept well appraised of the inheritance of titles. It allowed them to keep alliances strong, to form new ones as needed. But it had not been until Luke was older that he had learned this.

“I was sixteen.” Duke Emberly said after a moment, stroking the scar across his face. “In one night, my entire life changed. I went from the heir to the Duke. From brother, to father.”

Luke nodded. “When my parents died, I was only thirteen. I did not even have any time to grieve. Suddenly there were all these decisions to be made and everyone was looking to me.”

“It is hard.”

“How did you do it? You seem so at ease with all of it, like you know exactly what to do at any given moment. I wish I felt like that.”

To his surprise, Duke Emberly laughed. “I seem that way now, but it was not always like this.”

“It was not?”

“Of course not! I made mistakes, a great many of them.” Duke Emberly shook his head. “Warr- May I call you Warren?”

Luke felt a warmth through his chest at Duke Emberly’s suggestion. He had not had time for friends. Everyone save Rodger referred to him by his title. He did not trust himself to speak and simply nodded.

Duke Emberly gently squeezed Luke’s shoulder. “Now, as I was saying, I have not always been so at ease with my title. Nor my duties. I made many, many mistakes. But I learned from them.”

“I have always felt that to err was to bring ruin on everything.” His parents voices rang through his head.

Mistakes. Nothing but mistakes. Can you do nothing right or do you delight in shaming us? He had tried so hard to make the right decisions

“To err is to be human, Warren. I still make mistakes, even now.” “Fatherhood is a gift, but there is no manual. There is nothing that tells us how to be a good husband, a good Duke.”

Luke frowned. “But there are books on the subjects. Books on land management and such.”

“That tells us how to run things, not what it means to be a good person. We know our duty well enough, but that does not equip us with the skills to be a good person.” Duke Emberly shook his head.

“Is that not why we have the rules of decorum?” Luke asked, unable to help himself. “Propriety is what guides us, what keeps us separate from the beasts.”

“Propriety teaches us how to be correct, not to be good.” Duke Emberly gave Luke a piercing look and for a moment, he felt as though the other man was seeing him as he was. “There is a difference. A good man is not always a proper man.”

Duke Emberly’s words struck something deep within Luke and he found himself unable to look away from the other man’s gaze.

“What if I am not either?” he whispered.

“I would say that you are both, Warren.” Duke Emberly said and Luke felt something inside of him break at the man’s knowing look.

“How is she?” Luke blurted, unable to stop himself. “Em – Miss Pembleton, I mean? Is she well?”

Duke Emberly smiled broadly and shook his head. “Emily is recovering. She will need a few days of rest, but the doctor thinks she will be back to her full strength in no time.”

“That is good.” Luke nodded to himself. “Why are you laughing?”

“It is nothing, just… Well, I really should know better than to bet against my wife.” Duke Emberly glanced towards the castle.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Rose and I had a wager on when you would ask about Emily. And she has just won.” A clock chimed in the distance and Duke Emberly patted his stomach.

Luke felt a flush of heat in his cheeks. “You had a wager on when I would ask about Miss Pembleton?” What does that mean?

Duke Emberly shrugged, and jerked his head towards the castle. “We did. Seven guineas in fact. She is going to be so smug when I tell her.”

“You will not tell Miss Pembleton, will you?” Luke felt a pang in his chest and his heart began to pound.

Duke Emberly raised an eyebrow at him. “Why ever not?”

He opened his mouth, but found he did not have a good answer. He shook his head. “Consider it a favour, Duke Emberly.”

“Duke Emberly? I shall agree to your favour, but only if you stop calling me Duke Emberly.” The man gave Luke a hard look. “You have saved the life of one of my family members, let us consider one another friends.”

“Very well.” Luke took a steadying breath. “Emberly, I would be most grateful if you would not tell Miss Pembleton I asked after her.”

“As you wish.” Duke Emberly gave him a curious look, and Luke felt as though he knew something and was deciding whether or not to share it. “Though it is no bad thing to care for the wellbeing of another.”

Before Luke could say another word, the Duke turned and walked away, calling over his shoulder. “I am going to grab a bite to eat at the club, will you join me?”

Luke hesitated a moment, glancing towards the castle. She is well, you do not need to be here. And then he moved to catch up to Duke Emberly, trying to ignore the unsettled feeling spreading through his chest.