Chapter Fourteen
“Unhand me, you overgrown baboon,” Edward mumbled into the handkerchief tied around his mouth.
At least the damnable thing was clean. After a grueling trip at a relentless pace, he finally recognized the outskirts of London.
Now, he was on familiar ground. About five hours ago, they untied the scarf from around his eyes.
Yet he was still tied up like a Christmas goose on a serving platter.
He was achy, miserable, and tired. None of that compared to the worry that consumed him over Pen.
She would have no idea what happened to him.
Not that he knew enough to write and tell her where he was or what was happening to him.
“If you give me your word…or a nod, that you’ll not scream like a banshee, I’ll untie the handkerchief,” the solicitor said. “At least, I don’t have to lie about you having a broken jaw any longer. I thought that the last innkeeper suspected something.”
Edward rolled his eyes. Of course, the man recognized that Edward was not there of his own free will. But the innkeeper ignored it, especially when there was a promise of two extra guineas for not remembering their stay.
“Whoa,” the coachman called. The horses slowed their relentless drive until they came to a complete stop.
“Now, I’ll untie you but only on the condition that you don't scream.” The solicitor glanced outside the window and sighed in relief. “We’re in time. His Grace hasn’t passed, so he’ll have an opportunity to tell you everything you need to know.”
Edward nodded. When the solicitor untied him, Edward moved his mouth, savoring the sweet relief of stretching out his jaw muscles. “Did you send a letter to Lady Penelope?”
He cringed slightly. “I wrote it but forgot to send it.”
Edward sneered as he prepared to take Hawksworth to task for his oversight. “Penelope doesn’t know what has happened to me.”
“You have my sincerest apologies. But there are more important matters to attend to.” Hawksworth’s voice turned a tad sheepish. “Shall we, Mr. Thornton?” The solicitor extended a hand toward the massive Palladium home behind him. “Welcome to Archer House.”
Edward stepped out into the sunshine, taking his first real breath in what felt like weeks, even though it had only been six days. A portly man stood at the top of twin curved granite staircases that led into the main entrance of the impressive home. It was grand but not ostentatious in any way.
As Edward made his way to the top of the stairs, the butler’s face broke into a grin.
“Welcome, Mr. Thornton. I’m Reginald Saxby. I’ve served as the duke’s butler for over thirty years. His Grace is waiting for you.” The man swept inside with surprising speed for his size. “I’ll have Cook prepare something for you to eat. But first, allow me to escort you to His Grace.”
Edward didn’t hesitate as he followed the butler up the main staircase to the second floor. By the looks of it, it was the family quarters. Up ahead, a set of double doors stood at attention along with two footmen. It had to be the duke’s private chambers.
The sooner he met this duke, the sooner he could find Penelope.
If the man had any decency at all, he’d allow Edward to take one of his carriages and return to her as soon as possible.
At the very least, the duke could post Edward’s letter.
He had composed it in his mind every hour since he’d been separated from her.
As soon as the butler stopped in front of the double doors, he waved an arm for Edward to enter.
“Would you bring a quill and paper? I must write to my…” Before entering the room, Edward paused as he struggled to define who Penelope was to him. He straightened up to his full height. She was everything to him. “I must write to the woman I am to marry.”
“Fiancée?” Reginald’s mouth dropped open immediately. “But Mr. Thornton, you’re already married.”
Now, it was Edward’s turn to be shocked as he took a step back. “Sir, I’m not married,” Edward protested. “My fiancée is still in Scotland, where I was rudely taken against my will. God willing, she’s still waiting for me.”
“I see.” Reginald nodded knowingly as he chortled. “Does your wife know about this fiancée of yours?”
Behind Edward’s back, the solicitor could be heard chuckling.
“Well done, Saxby. Quite clever.” Somehow, Hawksworth had crept up on him with a stealth that a fox would envy.
“But Mr. Thornton is mostly correct in his description. My attempts to get Mr. Thornton here might have been a tad against his will.”
Reginald nodded. “No need for confessions, Hawksworth. I don’t care how you did it. Just as long as Mr. Thornton is here, so the duke can see him. It is our responsibility to ensure the duke’s every wish is granted. It is all for the greater good.”
“See here, both of you,” Edward growled. “I’m not married. I am going to marry Lady Penelope Harrington.”
“Reginald,” a voice called from the chamber. “Is the boy here?”
The butler straightened and suddenly turned serious. “Yes, Your Grace. I’m showing him in.”
The doors swung open, and another set of footmen stood guard on the inside.
“Come in, my boy,” the frail voice called out again.
Whoever was in that room had a lot to explain. Edward didn’t hesitate and took a step inside.
An old man lay against a mountain of soft pillows that threatened to swallow him whole. As Edward stared at him, the old man stared right back. Finally, after several moments, a weak smile broke across the old man’s chapped lips.
“Edward, it’s lovely to meet you. I am your grandfather.”
“There has been a mistake. I’ve told your solicitor that fact for five straight days to no avail. I do not have a grandfather,” Edward said softly. His first intuition was to take the old man to task, but one look of the man’s pale skin and rapid breath, he tamped down his anger.
“No,” the old man said as he shook his head.
“I’ve verified it and double-verified it.
You’re my grandson. Your dear late father was my youngest son.
He perished first before I lost my eldest son, Henley, the Marquess of Bracken.
” He hmphed, then coughed. Once he had his breathing under control again, he motioned for Edward to sit beside him then directed everyone away with a wave of his bony hand.
“Leave us,” the old man commanded. One by one, the footmen left, then the butler.
Only the solicitor stood inside the door.
The old man waved his hand as if shooing vermin from the kitchen. “You as well, Adam.”
The solicitor nodded and bowed his head. “If you require my assistance, I’ll be waiting in the hallway.”
“Yes, yes,” the old man said, then shooed him away again. “Edward and I will be just fine.”
As soon as the door closed, it was just the two of them. Cautiously, Edward made his way to the chair beside the man’s bed.
When he sat down, the old man took Edward’s hand in his cold one and squeezed. “I’m thankful you’re here. I don’t have much time. Bad heart.” He chuckled, then coughed again. “I think it’s the good lord’s way of having me pay restitution for being such a stubborn old goat.”
Edward lifted his eyebrows. “Perhaps we should wait—”
“No, my boy. I’ve waited for this moment since I found out about you. I’m not going to wait another second. You’re my heir, and your life is about to change. At my last breath, you’ll become the Duke of Archer.”
Edward shook his head. This had to be the hallucinations of a dying man. “No, Your Grace. That can’t be true. My father was a tutor. My mother took in sewing.”
The old man’s face crumbled at Edward’s words.
“I’ve been so foolish.” He let go of Edward’s hand as he bent his head in defeat.
“I’ve wasted years thinking that my silence would make your father see the error of his ways.
But alas, I’m the one who’s finally realizing my foolishness.
” He lifted his head, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he fought back his emotions.
After a shallow breath, he continued, “Your father saw your mother at a frost fair and instantly fell in love. Once he told me about her, I immediately forbade him from having any contact with her. She was a seamstress.”
Waves of anger surged as Edward listened to the old man’s words.
“A seamstress who loved my father and me with her whole heart.” When the duke tried to respond, Edward raised his hand to silence him.
“There’s no need to tell the rest of the tale.
I can surmise that you banished my father for not abiding by your edict. ”
The old duke coughed and shook his head. “They ran away together. I thought they’d return after the money ran out. I had paid a solicitor and a barrister to have the marriage annulled and pay your mother never to see your father again.” The duke fought for breath, triggering a coughing fit.
Though the duke deserved to suffer for the tale he was telling, Edward could not sit by and let the old man suffer. He poured a cup of water and held it while the old man took a sip.
“Thank you,” the duke murmured as he lay his head on the pillow and closed his eyes.
After a moment, he continued, “They never returned. After a year, I tried to find them, but your father had changed his name to his mother’s maiden name.
As you can surmise, I never did find them.
It wasn’t until I saw the Duke of Kenbrooks and he told me about an amazing tutor that he’d hired for his son.
When he described how the tutor taught, it was similar to how your father would tell stories to his friends.
I suspected that the duke’s tutor was my son. ”
Edward couldn’t help but smile. He’d never recognized it before, but the way Penelope taught Miss Eloise’s students was very similar to his own father’s teaching methods.