Chapter Five #2
Gathering his hat, he waited for the pair to leave the carriage.
Once they did, he followed a short distance behind.
Once in the grand hall, he bid them both good night and bounded up the stairs two at a time to his chamber.
He found a fire burning low in the hearth, and in the bedroom he found the bed turned back and his night clothes laid out on the bed.
As usual, Frazier saw to his needs, knowing he liked structure in his life.
Walking back out into the sitting room, he poured himself a brandy. He carried it back and after taking a healthy swallow, Charles began to change out of his clothes, after which he climbed up on the bed and picked up a book from the bedside table and began to read.
He found his eyes heavy and unable to stay focused on the words before him.
It took every effort to read the book on the Roman Empire.
He should know it. The book was similar to others; this one simply had a spin on where they landed and when.
The author was doing the Romans no favor by how he wrote.
Others had written about this before, but were easier to read.
It was almost as though the author wanted the reader to find fault in his work.
Charles was surprised a publishing house would print this in its current form.
It obviously hadn’t been well edited, and the author wandered off the track all the time.
Finally, he set the book aside and picked up the brandy snifter. He swirled the dark amber liquid and raised the glass to his lips and swallowed. The brandy was smooth going down, so he drank until the glass was empty. He lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes.
*
Two days later while they were on their way to the country, Charles thought he’d been here before.
Had he really been here or did he see it in a dream?
Things really looked familiar as they drove down the drive to the house.
A lot of memories came back to him. Why didn’t Arthur recall them?
They were twins after all. Perhaps Arthur didn’t remember because he lived here all his life.
The memories Charles recalled were that of a young boy.
One who was shunned by his classmates because he was different than the rest of them.
Arthur even joined in the taunting, but had told him later when Charles asked him about it that if he hadn’t, they would have turned on him as well.
Charles saw no point in reminding his brother of those times.
Walking into the entrance hall, Charles felt a rush of memories. He and Arthur were running around here, being chased out by the housekeeper. He passed his hat and coat to a waiting footman.
“Do you want Frazier to come and show you to your wing?” Arthur inquired.
“Thank you, no. I can find my way. I remember the house very well.”
Arthur ran a hand through his hair and briefly looked at his wife. “Just ask any of the staff should you have a problem.”
“I shall, but I doubt I’ll need anyone’s help.”
He ascended the stairs to the family space and finally found the hallway leading to his wing.
It was sealed off by two heavy oak doors.
He walked through them and found his way to the staircase leading to the bedchambers.
His was in a corner and was larger than any of the others.
He walked through the door and found Frazier putting away some of his shirts in the dressing room.
“You really did find your way.”
“It wasn’t hard,” Charles replied.
Frazier nodded as he shut the drawer. “You remember then.”
“Yes, but I don’t understand how that’s possible. I was a mere babe myself.”
“The mind is a strange thing,” Frazier replied.
“Yes, it is.”
“Are you hungry, my lord? Should I have a tray and tea brought up for you?”
“Yes. That would be nice. While you’re doing that, I’ll go explore. Have the trays taken to the small drawing room. I can’t imagine being too long. I know where everything is.”
“Very well, my lord,” he said and quickly left the room.
While he was waiting, Charles began by walking through the rooms. There were two dining rooms, one that was quite large and the other was one for having tea or breakfast. As he walked, he made his way to a music room.
A baby grand piano sat just off to the side with a small table next to it with sheets and sheets of music.
He would have to take advantage of this.
It was calling his name. Did he dare? One short piece would be enough to satisfy and by the time he finished, the food ought to have arrived.
He sat down at the keyboard and gently lifted the cover from the keys.
Warming up with some scales, Charles then went directly with a tune he had heard some time ago while still living on Wight.
Someone living in the village had been playing it with their windows open to enjoy the nice day.
He remembered standing and listening to the person behind the curtains.
That had been ages ago, one of the few times he went to the village as his needs were usually taken care of. People talked, just like they did in London and probably would here as well. He tried to ignore the fact that people thought him an oddity of some sort.
His brother hadn’t thought him an oddity.
He’d taken him along while they had been in London.
Arthur wasn’t embarrassed by him. He was learning what his brother Charles was all about and trying to accommodate him.
Arthur was a quick learner and after the encounter at the MPs’ dining room, knew what made his brother uncomfortable.
Having someone else besides Frazier who understood him helped.
Finishing the tune, Charles closed the cover over the keyboard and rose to his full height.
He wished his mind would slow. There were always more than one or two thoughts going on in his mind.
It had been that way all his life. Walking and sometimes playing piano calmed his mind, but other times nothing seemed to help.
Writing had a calming effect on him as well.
He wanted to pay a call on his sister but needed some advice on how to do it.
Since she was his sister, did he just show up at her door, or did he send her a note telling her of his intentions?
He could ask Frazier which he should do.
Sending her a request sounded like the best way to handle the situation.
If he just showed up, he might be sent away by staff.
Arthur would be a better person to ask. He knew their sister quite well.
She lived close by but Charles wasn’t sure where.
Hearing sounds coming from near the front, Charles walked in the direction of the sound and voices.
As he approached, he noted a pair of footmen leaving.
He made it to the smaller drawing room. Yes, there was food placed on platters and plates alike.
He looked around, but found no one, not even Frazier.
Walking over to the table, he picked up a plate and began making his selections.
There were so many delicacies to choose from.
Cold smoked salmon, cheese, warm bread. He also found a plate with roast chicken.
He was so hungry it was too hard to choose, so he took at least one of everything in order to see what he liked best. The salmon was mouthwatering.
He was sure it’d been caught in Scotland because every time he had salmon this good, it had come from Scotland.
The cheese was sharp and pungent like Stilton should be. He immediately wondered if it was made locally or if Arthur made cheese on the estate. He vaguely recalled someone talking about the cheddar made there, but that was years ago, and he couldn’t be sure.
He heard someone behind him and turned to look and find Frazier, his valet, walking in. “His Grace would like to know if you will be joining them for dinner this evening.”
“I suppose it would be best if I ate with them. It would save Cook from having to prepare separate meals.”
“She’s used to doing large dinners and with little notice,” Frazier said.
“That may be, but even to eat the same as my brother and wife, it would be seen as a slight. I will, for now, join them.”
“Very well, my lord. I’ll go tell Cook to expect three.”
Charles nodded, but his attention was not on dinner; it was on the food in front of him.
He tried everything and then spied a piece of marmalade cake on a plate to one side.
It was his favorite. Frazier always made sure people knew that when dining out.
He wasn’t too fond of trying different sweet desserts.
Once finished, he placed his napkin to one side and rose from the table.
As he had plenty of time until he needed to get ready for dinner, he decided to go outside for a walk.
Frazier still hadn’t unpacked all his things, and he didn’t want to begin digging through things, making the valet irritated.
Going down the stairs to the main entrance, Charles walked out the front door.
The sky was overcast, but he didn’t think it was too serious looking.
He walked down a path which led to the formal gardens.
There was a maze, which he knew he’d have to try.
Flowers were everywhere. From roses, peonies, lavender, the scents were unmistakable.
He was amazed by how precise some of the shrubs had been trimmed.
It took a master gardener to create some of the spectacular shapes and keep them up.
Charles had always preferred the Japanese miniature trees and had spent a lot of time learning from a man on Wight. He nurtured several of his own but had given them to the master when he knew he was leaving, afraid they might get damaged in the long journey.
For his part, the Japanese master had given Charles four starter trees for him to start once he made it to his destination. It was one of the things he waited for Frazier to unpack.