Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
“Icannot believe the time has come already,” Nora mused silently to herself as she walked down the street.
It was shaping up to be a lovely day, with the morning gradually ticking by, graced with warm weather and a peaceful atmosphere. Nora had promised to see her brother before he departed and was now on her way to his estate, relishing the quiet walk there.
She already missed him greatly , not fond of the idea of being apart from the sibling who had watched over her all her life.
But she was also eager for the freedom his absence would bring. She would finally be able to take control of her courtship and meet regularly with suitors without the overprotective glare of her older brother.
Upon arrival at his estate, which was only ten minutes away from their father’s, she noticed that his servants were already placing his luggage on top of his carriage.
“Ah, dear sister. Have you come to wail how much you will miss me in my arms?” Cecil grinned, poking his head through the doorway.
Nora let out an undignified scoff as she walked towards him, smiling and nodding in the direction of the staff who greeted her with a call of “Good morning.”
Once she was by his side, she swatted at his arm, rolling her eyes at his dramatic wince.
“I am sure you wish that were the case. However, I cannot wait until you are far away from me. It is so hard to think with all your nagging,” she stated.
Cecil stuck his tongue out at her, and she did the same immediately, then burst into laughter moments later, her heartwarming when he joined in with deep chuckles.
“I will miss you. Do you promise to be safe?”
“As safe as one can be in a foreign land,” he declared, glancing back at the door.
“Do not forget your manners. Be polite whenever you meet a local and do not shy away from asking for directions before you begin to roam around with their livestock.” She grinned, squealing when he playfully swiped at her.
“Oh, the irony of your words. I have a better sense of direction than you do. You spent a ridiculous amount of your childhood lost in the maze in the garden of our childhood home,” he remarked with a snarky tone.
“It was very confusing and scary!” Nora exclaimed.
“The hedges only went up four feet! A simple hop would have helped you figure out where the exit was. I had to ‘rescue’ you each time you went in there, and you never stopped going in,” Cecil said, fondly exasperated.
“I cannot wait for you to be gone,” Nora sniffed, turning away.
“Of course, I am sure.” Her brother laughed, his eyes once more returning to the door.
He seemed distracted. As though he was waiting for someone or something, which was strange because he was about to embark on a journey that would last weeks. Who could he be waiting for?
“I cannot wait to be at sea. It is meant to look even more beautiful when you are sailing upon it than when you observe it from land,” Cecil sighed.
“Where will you go first?” Nora asked, curious about his plans for his grand tour.
“Rome. I have a friend in Italy who has sworn on his life to show me around all the most beautiful places – and introduce me to the most beautiful women as well.” He shifted out of Nora’s reach as she took a swing at him.
“I should’ve known you were particularly excited to break the hearts of unsuspecting damsels,” she jeered with a look of disapproval.
“I can’t help that I’m so charming,” he shrugged, smiling coyly.
“Your vanity shall be your downfall,” she tutted. “Where will you go next?”
“France. I look forward to visiting the museums and mingling with pretentious artists who are stricken with the grief of their unique talents.”
Nora perked up. “Will you bring me souvenirs? From every place you visit?”
“Of course. How else will I gloat about my experiences if I have nothing to show for it?” he gave her a mock blank look before reaching out to tap her nose with the tip of his finger.
He often did that when they were much younger, in a bid to rid her of whatever upset plagued her young, fragile heart.
Growing without a mother had been hard, but Cecil and Valerie had done their best to ensure that Nora would not miss her too much.
Since their father felt his efforts were better spent gambling and drinking with his peers while boasting of wealth he did not have, the siblings relied on each other for support.
Since Nora and Cecil were close in age, they did almost everything together.
Nora had latched onto her brother like a young hatchling, following him around eagerly.
Their older sister, who had been raised in Scotland, Isobel, had noticed this trait and remarked on the similarity to her own childhood.
“I used to follow Graham around like that, too,” she had told them with a bemused smile when she visited them in Valerie’s estate after Valerie’s wedding.
“There was no tree he climbed that I would not attempt to raise myself into. I nearly gave my mother a heart attack each time she spotted my skinny legs dangling from below my skirts as I clung to a branch. I always wanted to go further, if it meant I could hold Graham’s hand again.
I missed him terribly when he moved to London, even more so when he got married.
I understood it was necessary that he follow his heart and start a family of his own.
But you will always be attached to your first family. They will always be special to you.”
Nora knew her sister was right. Cecil was the only one left by her side, which was why her life was not filled with the dark loneliness alongside her father.
But she knew she had burdened him too much.
He had given a large part of his life to caring for her, and she needed to learn to be independent.
Which was why she was excited for the freedom his trip would bring. She would find a suitor who was better than the first, and once she was engaged again, Cecil would no longer worry about her.
“Bring me different things. Treats. Books. Perfume,” she demanded petulantly, feeling a tad like the child he saw her as.
Cecil laughed and nodded. “I will do my best. If any of those things are too difficult to procure, I’ll bring you shiny rocks.”
“Only if they’re attached to necklaces and bracelets.”
“Listen here, you swindler —” he chuckled, once more glancing behind her.
She already knew what he was looking at, and her curiosity reached its limit.
“Are you waiting for something? Someone, perhaps? You’ve been distracted since I arrived.”
“Hmm?” he looked back at her and shook his head quickly. “Oh, well… you’ll find out soon enough.”
His answer was vague, and it infuriated her. Just as she was about to grab him and jostle his frame until he admitted what he was hiding, the butler joined them in the foyer and announced,
“Mr. Wightman, the Duke of Ironwell is here to see you.”
Nora felt shock run through her, rendering her body stiff as she turned to her brother.
“Ah, yes. Right on time —”
Scarcely had the words left her brother’s mouth when the duke waltzed in, looking like they were the ones in his house and not the other way around. Nora whirled around to face her brother, her eyes alight with suspicion and disbelief.
“Tell me, brother. What is he doing here?” she questioned quietly, sparing the duke a glance.
Cecil grinned sheepishly and stepped around her, going forward to greet the new company.
“Ironwell, you look as well as you did last night. Perhaps even better. Has the morning air done you some good?”
Godric gave him a deadpan look and sighed.
“Good morning, Wightman. I am here, as you requested. Where is that which you promised?”
“Ah,” Cecil clapped his hands and pointed down a hall. “This way, Your Grace. You too, Nora.”
Confused, Nora trailed after them as her brother led the way to a drawing room. He opened the door so they could walk in first, but the duke also paused at the doorway, nodding towards her.
“After you, Miss.”
Nora’s nose twitched in annoyance at the gracious airs he was putting on, but she still walked into the drawing room. Almost immediately, she spotted something out of place.
“That is new, is it not? I have never noticed it among your other collections,” she said, gesturing to a magnificent painting hung on the wall above the fireplace.
It was a beautiful piece, a landscape drawing of what appeared to be a garden with a singular apple tree that seemed to be flourishing and bearing fruit .
But strangely, the tree was surrounded by dying plants, and the dirt around appeared to have darkened significantly — as though the tree was taking the life out of its surroundings to survive.
It was haunting but still a stunning visual piece.
“Good eye,” Cecil commended his sister before shifting his attention to the duke. “As promised, a worthy offering as a sign of my gratitude.”
Nora turned as the duke stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the painting. His gaze roamed around it as he silently studied the piece of art, as though he were there to appraise its originality. After a few long moments, he stepped back and said,
“A worthy offering indeed. Thank you very much.” Godric then faced Nora, who was startled by his attention. “I do hope we can get along — civilly, at least. Even though neither of us wants this, the best we can do for ourselves is coexist peacefully.”
Confusion settled upon Nora once more as his words sank into her mind.
“What… what do you mean? What on earth are you talking about?”
Godric stared back for a moment before facing her brother with an expression of disbelief.
Cecil laughed nervously and took a step back as he glanced between them.
“Well, you see — it is rather funny when you think about it.”
“I do not appear to be laughing, brother. What have you done?” Nora demanded, folding her arms.
Barely ten seconds of her glare, and her brother relented, admitting sheepishly to the duke.
“I might have… forgotten to mention our arrangement to her.”
Godric scoffed. “Unbelievable.”
“It slipped my mind! Time has gotten away from me at an alarming rate lately. You know, with preparations for my journey and such. Speaking of which — I must take my leave now. Unfortunate, but I cannot afford to miss my shop!” Cecil said, standing straighter.
“But—” Nora tried to protest as he pulled her closer into a quick embrace and a kiss to her cheek before he ran out of the room.
Nora stared off at the empty doorway, confused and annoyed by her brother’s strange behavior. Then she faced the duke expectantly, raising an inquisitive eyebrow without speaking.
Godric, in turn, lifted his eyes to the ceiling, clearly wishing he were elsewhere at the moment. But Nora would not relent, clearing her throat and folding her arms stubbornly.
With a sigh of resignation, the duke said,
“I believed he would have told you, long before he requested my assistance. But then again, I suppose he intended to leave all his duties to me. Miss Wightman, in return for that,” he pointed at the painting.
“Your brother asked me to look after you for the duration of his grand tour. It is my understanding that you will participate actively in the season’s events.
I am to accompany you and keep you safe during those times, all the while temporarily inhabiting your brother’s estate. To be… close to you.”
He gave her a cool look, his dark eyes raking over her form swiftly as he added,
“As I said earlier, it is an arrangement neither of us orchestrated. But I am sure that we can coexist peacefully.”