Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

“ T his is an incredible first step. Have faith. I assure you that you will see what I saw.”

Amelia spoke confidently to Richard as he waited in the grand foyer of the estate. His nerves were crackling like burning logs, and he was all too aware of his pulse in his temples and chest. Apprehensive was a polite way to describe his panic and discomfort. Still, he honestly would do anything to please Amelia after everything that had happened with Isaac.

Even if that meant meeting with Hugh.

The knock came on his door a moment later, and Richard stiffened. He could not be convinced this was going to go amicably, but he’d promised Amelia he would be on his best behavior. My how the tables have turned there.

The butler answered the door, and Hugh was escorted in. They met him at the center of the entry hall, and his half-brother gave a polite bow of his head before standing straight once more.

“Hugh,” Amelia began, “thank you for coming.”

“It is my pleasure. In all honesty, I was shocked to receive your invitation but enormously pleased nonetheless.”

Hugh smiled openly at Amelia before turning toward Richard. The grin died as Hugh found Richard less enthused about his arrival. It remained quiet for a time, and then Amelia cleared her throat, knocking Richard in the ribs gently.

It forced an abrupt groan from Richard, and he sighed when he acknowledged what his wife was asking of him.

“Hello,” The Duke said, his tone plain. “Thank you for coming. We have planned for tea and a light repast in the drawing room. After you.”

Richard gestured down the hall, and Hugh nodded with a tight smile. He set off in the direction to which Richard pointed, and Amelia was quick to take up a brisk walk behind him. Richard silently admitted to himself that he was dragging his feet.

In the drawing room, Amelia took her place on the settee, her favorite spot, and Richard sat next to her while Hugh sat down in the chair just across from them. The servants started them each with a cup of tea, but it was only Amelia who drank hers while Richard and Hugh simply held onto their cups without moving.

It was the most awkward silence that stretched on nearly to the point of humor but then continued in fashion, which only pulled the hilarity out of the moment. Richard kept his eyes pointedly directed at the contents of his cup, refusing to look up at his half-brother.

“I am quite happy with this new brand of tea,” Amelia said to fill the quiet. “It was a recommendation from Lady Charlotte. She is an excellent purveyor of the drink. What about you, Hugh? Are you much for tea, or do you prefer coffee like my husband here?”

Hugh cleared his throat, and on reflex, Richard’s eyes swung up to find him. The man offered a polite smile, nodding as he finally took a sip and then set it down.

“It is delicious, Amelia. And I will admit to being a bit of a tea connoisseur myself. Though, my betrothed would argue that she has the better palate.”

Richard stiffened. There were several parts to that string of sentences to which he responded less than gladly. Had he really called his wife by her first name? He knew that they had spoken, however, and Amelia had made it a point to tell him of the exchange once more just yesterday.

Hugh was also apparently getting married in the near future, and that was quite the nugget to drop so unceremoniously.

“You’re getting married?” Amelia asked happily, her teacup rattling slightly as she set it down on the saucer.

“I am, that is, my beloved is aware that I plan to ask for her hand in marriage. We have taken to calling each other betrothed already, though the banns have not begun yet.” Hugh took another sip of his tea and then forced his stare to Richard with concerted effort. “Actually, I was quite hoping that I might obtain your blessing on the arrangement so that I could put forth the banns to be read.”

“Why should it matter if I give you a blessing? You are free to wed as you are of age. I assume that your mother has agreed to it all as well.”

The look of disappointment in Hugh’s expression was not well-hidden. He either lacked the skill to maintain a stoic demeanor or was not of a mind to hide his feelings. Which would be both refreshing and unusual.

“Yes, Mother had blessed the marriage with her acceptance, though I am still uncertain if she will even live to see it.” Again, Richard was taken aback by the raw frankness of Hugh’s words. “I thought to ask for your blessing because you are family, the reigning heir of the Knight line. Your opinion matters to me.”

Richard wanted to scoff at that. He wanted to be the type of man who brushed it off and saw through Hugh’s act to get into his good graces. Still, the truth of the matter was that Hugh was offering something he needn’t, and his brother had also taken on a particular risk and discomfort to be here.

He was trying.

And Richard had promised Amelia that he would do the same. Even more, he wanted that more than the old part of him wanted to hold onto a grudge. It was time to let the past go, for all of their sakes.

“Before I give my blessing,” Richard began, “I’d like to hear what you told Amelia when you met her that day. She did an excellent job reciting it for me, but I’d like to hear it from you if I could.”

Hugh’s eyes widened, and he swiftly nodded, scooting to the edge of his seat. “Of course. Firstly, I must say that I did not know how poorly Father mistreated you. It was kept from me by my mother, likely in an effort to shield me from the horrors.”

Nodding, Richard swallowed hard, still uncomfortable with open talk of his past. “Go on.”

“Mother has fallen ill, as you have likely heard. It appears that she had taken to a similar practice as many of those who fear they are not long for his world. She had come clean about past mistakes and regrets, the foremost of which was leaving you, according to her own words. She has told me that she attempted to take you with her, but Father beat her for it. Which was hardly the first time, also per her confessions.

“I have seen the old scars on her body, and I have found it impossible to disbelieve her. I was too young to understand the gravity of the situation. I apologize for that. While it may be a viable excuse, it still must have been highly unpleasant to have seen me treated so differently from you.”

Richard could read a man well. He could ferret out the truth behind lies or, at the least, see that he was being swindled. Hugh was not showing any of those classic signals. He spoke in earnest, and the overwhelming relief that washed over him at knowing that his stepmother and half-brother had not merely abandoned him was nearly too great to withstand.

“Thank you, Hugh.” The Duke held back nothing from his tone, allowing his brother to see him for his truth. “I was furious and brokenhearted for years, thinking that neither of you saw me as worthy of joining you. I only possessed the excuse of age to a degree, and I wish I had simply told my father I wished to go or asked you about it all those years ago. It appears that many of the mistakes that have haunted me are the result of lack of communication.”

Amelia did her best to restrain a laugh by masking it with a cough, but Richard picked up on it regardless. He turned toward her, narrowing his eyes playfully.

“Yes, it appears that is a weak spot of mine.”

Blushing, his wife hid her smile behind a sip of tea but then turned to him and gazed in a way that openly showed her affection. It was still an odd thing to be on the receiving end of, particularly with his past being what it was.

“It is a fact of life, it seems. I have been not so much better than yourself at communicating with my mother or Father. Even Mother has been quite awful at it. It has been the only upside of her feeling unwell. And I say that terrified that she might leave this earth while I am away.”

“We should come to visit her then. Join her this time in a meeting of family and friendship before she is called home.”

Hugh’s eyes welled up, glassy and shimmering. Richard could see the hearty bob of his throat as he swallowed, forcing down the swell of emotion so that he didn’t openly sob. Reaching out a hand, the Duke offered it to his brother—a gesture of understanding.

When Hugh took it, Richard smiled, shaking once before using the hold to get them both to their feet.

“It is good to have you back,” he locked eyes with Hugh, “Brother.”

“I truly look forward to re-establishing our connection, Richard.” Hugh nodded, smiling as his stare remained lit with unshed tears. “And it would bring Mother nothing but joy to see you again. She has spoken fondly of the times in our youth quite often as of late. A comfort while she is in pain.”

An air of seriousness gripped Richard, and he furrowed his brow as he stood there with Hugh. “What of her care? Does she have a fine doctor seeing to her?”

“The best that is available outside the city and closer to Blackford.” Hugh’s smile was tight now, dampened by reality.

“That is not nearly good enough. The Dowager Duchess will be brought with the utmost care to Heartwick. We have the room, and the finest physicians in London can take care of her.”

Hugh’s mouth dropped open in shock, and it wasn’t until Amelia stepped forward and offered a kind hand on his shoulder that he closed it once again.

“Are you sure?” He shook his head.

“We have already discussed it prior to your arrival. I had suggested as much, and Richard said he would think on it. It appears that the matter has been quite settled,” Amelia replied, a slight giggle behind her words.

“I am so grateful, Richard. Immensely. Infinitely!” Hugh laughed, the tears breaking free at the surge of emotion, though pleasantly, this one was joy.

“You are incredibly welcome, Hugh. I am sorry that it has taken me this long to finally learn the truth and make right the rift between us.”

“You and me both, Brother. I should have come soon. Mother should have talked sooner. But we are here, and in a moment like this one, I choose to embrace the gratitude for at last coming together and for your magnanimous generosity.”

As the swell of warmth and family took over the room, lifting everyone’s spirits to the rafters, Richard looked between his wife and his brother. They were both relationships that could have been so destroyed by his lack of communication and action. He, too, would be highly grateful for them for the rest of his days.

“Would you like to stay for dinner, Hugh? We have asked the cook to prepare a favorite of Richard’s from when he was young. I am sure you’ll remember it too. Roast pheasant with spiced?—”

“Chutney,” Hugh finished. “Oh, that would be delightful. I shall have to call Sophia from the hotel to join us.”

“Oh, please do!” Amelia exclaimed.

“Sophia.” Richard smiled. “I take it that this is the young woman to whom I will be giving my blessing.”

“It is.” Hugh smiled, and Richard now understood the look of romance in his eyes that, before Amelia, he would have missed. “I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

“I look forward to delivering my good wishes in person. And allow me to send a carriage for her. London is too busy for her to be walking alone.”

“You are too kind, Richard. But I will accept under the appreciation of someone besides myself looking out for Sophia’s wellbeing. She is a delicate thing, and I hate to think what could happen to her.”

“Any way I can be of assistance, Brother, I am happy to provide it.”

Amelia leaned against Richard’s arm, smiling up at him before trading glances between the two men in the room.

“A family dinner. What a perfect way to end the evening. It has been far too long since I enjoyed one.”

Turning toward her—and not caring a lick for how obvious his affections were for her—Richard wrapped his arms around Amelia’s waist and gazed down at her, love beaming through his stare.

“Then we shall make it a tradition. The winter holiday, the Season, we will come together for each one. As a family.”

Amelia’s eyes welled up, and she did nothing to stop the tears—a favorite feature of his. She was never afraid to show her true self, to let the strength of her emotions be known. It was beyond admirable.

“That sounds lovely, darling. And perhaps, someday soon, our family will be growing.”

Richard smiled, no longer afraid or repelled by the prospect. “If you are open to the experience, dearest, who am I to stop you.”

“Absolutely no one, given my current standing.”

Both Richard and Hugh laughed, and the Duke leaned down to place a chaste kiss on her lips.

“In all things, Amelia, I am at your disposal and forever in your debt. Painting a bright future for you will be my greatest accomplishment.”

“That,” Amelia smirked, winking, “and clobbering a wild Earl.”

“What?!” Hugh chuckled through the utter surprise.

“That, Brother, is a story for over dinner.” Richard opened up his arm, gesturing toward the door. “So we best call for Sophia so that she does not miss it.”