Chapter Five

Stephen scowled to himself as he sat back in his chair, only to get to his feet again and begin to pace up and down the drawing room. He had been waiting for Lord Hampton to arrive for the last few minutes and thus far, no one had come to the door. He had not had a note from Lord Hampton telling him he would be tardy – or would not attend at all – and no servant had appeared with the calling card of the gentleman either.

Where is he?

There came a quiet rap to the door and Stephen turned at once, calling for the servant to enter. It was not a servant, however, but his sister who stepped inside at once, her chin lifting and her eyes boring into his.

“Caroline.” Stephen gazed back at her steadily, all too aware that she did not want his presence at the house. She had made that much very clear in the last few days but Stephen was undeterred. He would not be removing back to the estate.

“There was something I had thought to tell you, though given your odious behaviour these last few days, I reconsidered whether I ought to do so at all.”

“Odious?” Stephen arched an eyebrow. “Caroline, all I have done is sit in this room with you when gentlemen come to call.”

“Oh, you have not simply sat there, as well you know,” came the sharp reply. “You have said something to every gentleman who has sat here, something which immediately makes him believe that you are displeased with his company and that should he continue to come to call upon me or the like, you would not grant it!”

Stephen shrugged. “The gentlemen who have come to call thus far have all been rather displeasing.”

Caroline threw up her hands. “There is nothing about them that is displeasing!” she exclaimed, as Stephen rolled his eyes. “The first, Lord Bathgate, does not have the title you think is required for the sister of a Duke, is that not so?”

Stephen’s lip curled. “He is only a viscount.”

“And Lord Henstridge was a gentleman who spoke too loudly about his fortune,” Caroline retorted, coming a little closer to him. “Though he has a superior title to Lord Bathgate and the fortune to go with it!”

Stephen looked away. “He is arrogant.”

“Do you not think that I would be able to make these decisions for myself, brother?” Caroline asked, her tone dripping with ice. “These gentlemen are only coming to call on me. They are not asking to court as yet and, should they ask, I would be able to say either yes or no depending on my own consideration of the gentleman.”

Stephen snorted. “It is my responsibility as your brother to – ”

“It is not. I have a chaperone already, I thank you.” Caroline eyes sharpened. “Lady Rutherford is a good deal more agreeable than you. She certainly would not have insulted Lord Gregson in the way that you did!”

With a heavy sigh, Stephen tilted his head, choosing not to argue with her about what he had or had not said. “What is it that you came to say to me, Caroline?”

His sister’s eyes flashed. “I do not know if I have the desire to tell you now,” she stated, as the door behind her opened and Lord Hampton, without introduction by the butler, walked in. “I – oh! Good afternoon, Lord Hampton.”

“Lady Caroline.” Lord Hampton inclined his head and with a smile still on his face, turned to look at Stephen. “Your Grace.”

It was the first time that Stephen had set eyes on his friend in some years. The gentleman had not changed at all, though the ease of manner was not something Stephen appreciated. The way that he smiled made Stephen scowl, as though Lord Hampton believed that he had done nothing wrong in stealing Caroline to London in the manner that he had done.

“Lord Hampton.” Hoping that the tone of his voice was as cold and unbending as he intended, Stephen’s jaw tightened. “Do excuse me for a moment, my sister was going to say something to me and – ”

“Oh, Lord Hampton does not have to step out. I am sure that he is already aware of this.”

“Aware of what?”

Caroline gave him a small smile, though her eyes remained cold. “Violet is here.”

A tremor instantly ran through Stephen’s frame, his feet rooted to the floor as heaviness settled into every part of him.

“You saw her?” Lord Hampton asked, as Caroline nodded. “I did hear that her father and sister were in London but I did not know that she was present also.”

Caroline nodded. “Oh yes, she is certainly very present indeed. I did not speak to her myself but to her friend, Miss Chesterton.” Her gaze slid back towards Stephen. “Do you know that she was back in the shadows of the ballroom?”

“The… the shadows?” Stephen stammered, aware of the crack in his voice as he struggled to contain his emotions. “What do you mean that she was in the shadows?”

“As a wallflower might be,” came the reply. “Miss Chesterton did not tell me that she was there, of course. It was only that I noticed her and asked Miss Chesterton who it was standing so far away. Miss Chesterton hesitated but informed me that it was Lady Violet. I believe that Lady Violet did not want to come to speak with me but it was not because of her dislike of me or any such thing.”

“Then why?” Lord Hampton asked, taking the question from Stephen’s mind. “Why did she stay back?”

“Because,” Caroline replied, quietly, “she is afraid of what my reaction will be to her. After all, she did cause my brother a great injury and now, no doubt, fears that I will respond to her presence in a less than jovial manner.”

“It would be just as she deserved if you did,” Stephen stated, taking in a deep breath and letting it fill his chest. “I do not know why she would expect anything else from you. To speak to her in such a way – or even to give her the cut direct – would be more than justified.”

Both Caroline and Lord Hampton turned to look at Stephen who, despite the fact that he stood tall and gazed back at them without flinching, felt the weight of what he had said settle on his own shoulders. Was that truly what he would do if he saw Lady Violet again? Would he give her the cut direct? Would he refuse to even acknowledge her presence?

That would be just as she ought to expect, he told himself, as Caroline and Lord Hampton exchanged a look. After what she did in ending our engagement on our very wedding day, what else should Lady Violet expect from me but coldness?

“Do you never wonder what it was that forced her to do such a thing as that?” Caroline asked, as Lord Hampton rubbed one hand over his chin, his eyes settling on Stephen’s, clearly searching for something in his expression. “Have you never asked yourself what was so very serious that forced her to end your engagement on such a significant day?”

“No,” Stephen snapped, his hands instantly curling into fists as he looked from his sister to Lord Hampton and back again. “I have put that day – and the lady – away from my mind.”

“Though I would suggest that is not particularly helpful,” Lord Hampton replied, making Stephen scowl all over again. “Thinking about the lady and what happened without having any real understanding of her reasons will not bring you any contentment.”

Stephen sliced through the air between Lord Hampton and himself. “Do not think that you can tell me what I should or should not do in this situation, Lord Hampton! It is not a situation that you can understand.”

“You see?” Caroline shrugged and then spread out her hands either side as she looked to Lord Hampton. “This is what he has been like the last three years. He has never a word of kindness for anyone, not even when we are doing our best to sympathise or assist him in any way. There is only anger.”

Stephen could not speak such was the fury which ripped through him like a rushing wind. He realized that both Caroline and Lord Hampton had been speaking with one another about him and about the last few years since his wedding day and in knowing that came a great burst of anger. Caroline had no right to speak of him in such a way! And Lord Hampton had no right to be offering either Caroline or himself any sort of advice when it came to this circumstance. It was all entirely improper.

“I am glad to know that you will speak with her, Caroline.” Lord Hampton smiled at her as though Stephen was not present in the room. “Now, was there a particular reason you wanted me to come and call on you today, Lancaster?” He turned to look at Stephen with a slightly lifted eyebrow. “It was a little rude demanding that I attend here rather than you coming to call on me.”

“Rude?” Stephen spluttered, barely able to contain himself. “You cannot speak to me about such a thing! You stole my sister from my estate and dragged her to London!”

He watched, chest heaving, as both Caroline and Lord Hampton looked at each other, only for Caroline to let out a burst of laughter.

“Stole?” Caroline asked as Stephen’s chest tightened with anger. “Goodness, brother, of course he did not steal me. It is not as though he rode up to the house, demanded that I come with him with pistol drawn and thereafter, force me into the carriage to come to London for the Season!”

“It was she who spoke to me about it all,” Lord Hampton added, a broad smile on his face rather than any sort of expression of dismay or upset. “It is not as though I came up with the plan!”

“None of that makes it acceptable!” Stephen exclaimed, thumping one fist into the palm of the other hand. “This is not why I summoned you, Hampton! I - ”

“Summoned me?” Lord Hampton’s voice was suddenly very loud, filling the room as he interrupted Stephen. “I beg your pardon?” His chin lifted a notch, his eyes narrowing. “You did not summon me, Lancaster. You wrote to ask me to come to call and I attended you as you asked, since we are friends – though after three years, I am not certain that you wish to maintain any sort of friendship given that you ignored all of my letters and did not once write to me in all of that time.”

Blinking, Stephen took a moment before he responded. His friend was waylaying the conversation, though Stephen had the grace enough to realize it was not deliberate. Mayhap that had been too strong a word but Stephen did not give it much more thought. He had to get back to what he had been trying to say to his friend.

“Regardless of that, Hampton, you took my sister to London without my consent. Neither of you informed of these plans, instead, you simply took them on without hesitation.”

“Regardless?” Lord Hampton threw up his hands. “I tell you that I am uncertain about our friendship, I mention that you have not responded to me in over three years and the only thing you can say to that is, ‘regardless’?”

“That is not what I am trying to speak about,” Stephen responded, a little tersely. “As you have just heard me say, my sister - ”

“You would not have given your consent, brother.” Caroline folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. “Why should I even think to ask you something like this? It is not as though you would have agreed! You would have stated outright – as you already did – that you would find me a suitable husband. Yet again, you would not have given my thoughts and feelings even the smallest amount of consideration and instead, you would have reminded me that as my brother, you would take on full responsibility. It does not matter to you what I want. My feelings do not even come into your consideration. Instead, you think only of yourself and what you want so therefore, seeing that and refusing to let your selfishness be a part of my life any longer, I made the arrangements with Lord Hampton.”

Lord Hampton scowled. “And you are quite wrong to state that I did not inform you of my plans,” he said, making Stephen frown heavily. “It is not my fault that you do not read my letters. Tell me,” he continued, as a slow flush began to creep up Stephen’s neck, “do my letters go straight into the fireplace or might I hope that you set them aside to read at another time?”

What felt like a stranglehold wrapped around Stephen’s neck. Lord Hampton had written to him, then? He had written to him about his plans for Caroline, for his intention to take her back to London?

If I had opened his letters and read them, then I might have known of it.

“Did you know that I would not read them? Is that why you wrote to me?” he demanded, seeing heat rise into the face of Lord Hampton. “Is that what your intention was? To use my lack of interest against me?”

Lord Hampton shook his head, a long, heavy sigh escaping him. “Your lack of interest says more about you than it does about my actions, friend,” he said, quietly, lifting his gaze back towards Stephen. “I wrote to you earnestly every month for the last three years. I did not know whether you read those letters or not but even though you did not reply, I persisted. I could not imagine the pain that you were enduring and I felt certain that the reason for your absence from society – and from everyone, in fact – was simply because you could not cope with the pain you felt. I wanted to be of aid to you. I wanted to help you, to step in where I could but you refused to let me in. When I wrote to Caroline in desperation, uncertain and worried about your well-being and your welfare, she replied to me, stating that she had never before seen you in such a frame and that she feared now what would become of you – and what her fate would also be. You may glare at me as much as you wish, I do not care. I confess that I wrote to your sister, and she to me, for many months, as did my very own sister. We have known your family for years and my worry as regarded your change of behaviour only grew. Of course I was going to help Caroline when she asked it of me! She had written to my sister the previous summer, stating how glad she was that she would be going to London and finally have her chance to regain friendships, make new acquaintances and make her own match, only for that hope to be stolen away by your own selfishness.” His voice grew louder and despite Stephen’s determination to state clearly just how wrong Lord Hampton had been in his actions, he slowly found himself shrinking inwardly. “The letter she wrote to me once you had made it clear that she would not be going to London was full of pain – a pain I could not endure reading about. When she asked if I would assist her in coming to London by herself, I could not refuse! You may not see the injury you cause, you may not see the suffering you bring but I did. Of course, I could do nothing but aid her in the hope of helping Caroline to escape the darkness that you had forced around that estate, that cave that you have retreated to. DO not think that you will gain any sort of apology from me, Lancaster. You may be a Duke now – and no doubt, you will expect me to refer to you as, ‘Your Grace’ given your status, but I shall not show you such respect.” Lord Hampton drew himself up, his face red and his eyes blazing. “You are not worthy of that sort of respect, Lancaster, not when you are nothing but a beast. You have taken your pain and wrapped it about yourself, forcing Caroline to share in it rather than do your duty to her as you ought. I am not sorry that I did what I did for her. I am not in the least bit regretful! Rather, I am glad – proud, even – that I came to her aid as I did. To my mind, my actions were justified. I will not apologise for them.”

Before Stephen could give even the smallest response, Lord Hampton turned and taking Caroline’s hand, bowed over it.

“Forgive me for my loud manner but it could not be helped,” he said, in a voice that was a good deal quieter than only a few moments ago. “Good afternoon, Caroline. I will see you again this evening, I am sure.”

“I will walk with you to the door,” Caroline replied, not even glancing at Stephen as he narrowed his eyes at her. “I do not think that there is anything further that is required to be said at this juncture.”

So saying, she took his arm and the two of them turned away, leaving Stephen standing, staring at them as they walked out of his presence without so much as a by-your-leave.

He opened his mouth to speak, to call them back, to demand that he be given an explanation, but nothing came out. His shoulders rounded, his spirits sank and slowly, he sat back down in a chair, a fresh heaviness settling over him.

That did not go as I had planned.

The words Lord Hampton had shouted at him continued to reverberate not only around the room but also in Stephen’s heart. He did not want to listen to them, did not want to even consider them but the more he tried to push them out of his mind, the more they persisted. Letting out a groan, Stephen put his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees as his fingers pushed through his hair. He had anticipated that Lord Hampton would walk into the room and would stand, his hands behind his back and his head lowered as Stephen had made it more than plain how little he thought of Lord Hampton’s actions. He had expected his friend to feel regret, to be humbled, to apologise profusely, but instead, Stephen had been left feeling small and inadequate.

It was not a feeling he appreciated.

Scowling, Stephen rubbed one hand over his face and let out a heavy sigh.

So. Violet is here. She is here in London… and I am going to see her.

That thought made his stomach twist with such a fierceness, he was forced to get to his feet. Going to pour himself a brandy, he realized with shock that he was trembling. A light shudder continued to pass over him and though he tried to fight it, though he tried to push it away, it lingered.

If even the thought of seeing Violet again triggered such a worry in him, then what would being in her company again be like? Stephen closed his eyes and swallowed tightly, hating the sensations that brought to him. At some point, in one moment, he would lay eyes upon the woman who had brought him so much injury and so much pain, and there was nothing he could do to avoid it.