Chapter Four
Charles and Arthur sat in front of the desk of Jeremy Smith, the family solicitor. Smith had wanted to not only meet Charles in person, he had news to share with him.
“You’ve written three rather successful books. Have you ever considered where the royalties were going?” Smith inquired.
“Royalties? No. I signed a contract which is good for three more years, I believe. I’ve never seen any royalties from any of them.”
“Your father set up a bank account in your name and that’s where they’ve been sent. Your father’s name was on it of course, but when he died, Arthur’s name replaced your father’s.”
“If you want, I can have my name taken off the account, Charles,” Arthur said.
“No. No changes need to be made,” Charles replied.
Smith picked up a black ledger book from his desk and handed it to Charles. “This is a full accounting of your royalties. It is up to date as of the end of last month.”
Charles began to leaf through the book, holding it where Arthur could also see it. He tried not to reveal his emotions as this was far more than he ever imagined. “This is for the first three books?”
“Yes, it is. Nothing has been taken out.”
Looking at Arthur and then Smith, he tried to find the words. Finally, simple words left his mouth. “This is a tidy sum.”
“It is,” Smith replied.
“Thank you for showing me this. Can I expect a copy each month?”
“If that’s what you wish.”
Charles shook his head. “Only if money goes out, and any deposits which are made.”
Charles sat back and listened as Smith and his brother went over other matters.
He couldn’t get his mind to focus on anything else.
He’d never had his own money. Denton had always taken care of his needs through money his father regularly sent.
He even made sure Charles had pocket money for the times he did go to the village.
If something was more than he had, Charles simply had it billed to Denton.
“Charles?”
He glanced over at Arthur. “Yes?”
“Are you ready to go?”
Charles nodded. “Yes, whenever you’re ready.”
“If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know,” Smith said, extending a hand to both brothers.
“I’m sure I will once the shock has worn off,” Charles said. “Thank you.”
The pair walked out into the sunshine and headed to their waiting carriage. Charles would have preferred to walk to Parliament, but his brother insisted they’d get there just as quickly by taking the carriage. He climbed in after Arthur and sat. “Are we going to your office?”
“Yes. I thought first we might have lunch in the Parliament dining room. The food is superb, and after that we’ll go to my office and check on what I might have missed.”
“Do you miss it when you’re away?”
“This is my first session, but I do enjoy it. Ask me that question in a year or two when I’m more seasoned,” Arthur replied with a grin.
“I won’t forget.” He wouldn’t either. Charles had a memory like a steel trap which had so far proven to be quite useful in his life.
The carriage pulled up in front of the buildings which housed Parliament.
This was a first. He climbed out ahead of Arthur and waited on him.
He glanced up at the imposing sky. When they had left the house, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue.
Now a storm seemed to be approaching. He hadn’t paid attention to it when they left Smith’s, probably because he was in a daze as they walked out.
Walking beside Arthur, Charles took his surroundings in. There were people walking in and out and when they did enter, it became more apparent that there was so much more to where laws were passed than he ever imagined.
“Let’s go to the dining room first and get something to eat,” Arthur said.
Charles nodded as they made their way through the crowd. He was hungry but hoped it would be quieter in the dining room. He disliked crowds, always had.
He was not prepared for the large number of people inside the dining room, though it was quiet considering the multitude of men having lunch and discussing whatever it was men in Parliament talked about outside the chamber.
The tables were closer together than he liked, but if he had to guess, they were trying to accommodate a larger number of guests.
MPs with their wives, or businessmen. Charles knew he had to be careful and ignore what might be going on around him or he’d find himself fleeing.
They were seated at a table in the middle of the room, one of the few empty tables available. Arthur gave the young man their drink and food orders and he quickly disappeared.
“I hope you’re okay with what I chose. Their steaks are memorable. Most popular item, I believe,” Arthur said.
“Yes, that is fine. I haven’t had a steak in a long time and that was when my first book had been published,” Charles replied.
Arthur absentmindedly ran his hand through his hair before he spoke. “That is quite a long time. I’ll ask Daphne to put steak on the menu so you can have it at least a couple of times a month.”
“Please don’t trouble her with something so unimportant.”
“Trust me, it’s no bother. Daphne is still finding her way as duchess, and this is one area she seems to enjoy.”
“What would that be?” Charles asked.
“Making sure the household is at its best, the meals the best. In fact, you’re in for a treat. When we’re in Kent, she makes a point of serving new dishes she might want to serve at some soiree we might be having.”
“The two of you have a unique relationship. You complement each other very well.”
“Thank you, Charles. That means a lot. You’re very observant.”
“I’m told it’s one of my redeeming qualities,” Charles replied with a lop-sided grin.
“An excellent quality to have.”
Trying to keep the noise in the room from overwhelming him, Charles realized he was going to have to work hard to accomplish that.
He hadn’t told anyone about it since he left Wight.
He didn’t want people making a big fuss over him.
It was something Frazier had tried and tried to help him with.
Every time he felt he couldn’t take it, people in general, he slipped away.
He sometimes took long walks, other times he went to one of his hiding places on the estate.
If he was going to stay with Arthur, he would need to find places he could retreat to in times like this.
“Have you ever been to Tattersall’s?” Charles asked his brother.
“Yes, quite a few times. Have you been?”
“Once.”
“We could go if you want to pick out a horse. If not, I have several for you to choose from in Kent.”
An older man arrived at the table with their lunch while another poured each of them a glass of wine. Charles held his breath until they left. It was getting harder and harder to sit with all the noise, but he was determined to.
“I think I’d like to see what you have first.”
Arthur picked up his glass of wine and took a swallow before cutting into his steak. Rare to perfection. “Roxanne’s husband Graham has some exceptional animals, though I’m not sure what he has available. It might be a good idea to see what he has.”
Staring down at his food, Charles nodded. He cut a small piece of steak and pushed it around on the plate. “That sounds like a good idea as well.”
Watching his brother push his fork around on the plate, Arthur couldn’t help but wonder if he wasn’t particularly fond of rare meat. “If the steak isn’t cooked the way you like, we can have it sent back.”
“No, that isn’t necessary.”
“It’s no problem. They won’t mind.”
“It’s perfect,” Charles replied. He speared the piece he’d cut and popped it into his mouth. Arthur was right. It was tender and quite delicious. He nodded his head after swallowing.
Just then a fellow MP happened upon their table. He was an older man and quite boisterous. Charles wasn’t sure if that was his personality or if he’d had a bit too much wine.
“You never said you were a twin,” the man said loudly.
“Yes, I am. This is my brother, Lord Jameson. Charles, this is Perry Young, Earl of Blackshire.”
“A pleasure, Lord Jameson. I expect we’ll be seeing a lot more of you. Do you live in Kent as well?”
Arthur interrupted. “He does.”
The man turned and loudly spoke to an adjacent table about Arthur and Charles being twins.
It was more than Charles could bear. Without a word to Arthur, he stood and walked out of the dining room as fast as he could.
He didn’t stop until he was back outside in front of the Parliament building.
The sky was still a foreboding shade of gray, but the skies had not opened up.
He stood there trying to catch his breath and decide what to do next.
His instinct told him to walk. Walk he did. He crossed the street and disappeared down one of the side streets. The longer he walked, the better he felt. He knew he had to get his aversion to crowds or small gatherings under control. Arthur was left having to explain why his brother left.
Before today’s incident, he and Frazier had been working on just that.
He would put himself in situations such as looking in a shop.
The results weren’t always what they’d hoped for, but he had made some progress.
Today’s incident had been caused in part due to the boisterous man who visited their table.
Charles knew there were lots of men in the world like that one, and that he was going to have to get used to being around them, especially when in town.