Chapter 26
“Papa? What is this? Blakeney told me not to disturb you and tried to keep me out, said you had urgent business, but—is this Mr. Sherbrooke? Is he your urgent business? And this other gentleman?” She stopped.
“Is everything all right? Did Mr. Sherbrooke bring you bad news?” She saw the young man was staring at her.
She cocked her head to the side. “I do not understand, I—” Her voice fell off the cliff.
She stared from Ryder to Alex. “What is going on here?”
Alex, no Graham—he had to accustom himself now to thinking of himself as Graham, not a bad name, just not his, not really, but it was.
It was. He was Graham Hepburn now. He stared at his sister, Eugenie, older, thirty, Vicar Piercebridge had said.
She was tall, statuesque, beautifully gowned in elegant silver showcasing pale soft shoulders, diamonds at her throat and in her ears.
Her thick black hair was swept back from a center part, thick bunches of curls falling against her face.
She had the look of him, yes, her eyes, not blue, but light gray like his father’s.
She was his sister, his sister. He said, barely above a whisper, “Eugenie?”
She frowned at him. “I do not know you, sir. You may address me as Lady Eugenie. And just who are you?”
Graham studied her face closely as he said, some humor in his voice, “Evidently I am your brother Graham.”
“My what? My brother? Come, don’t be ridiculous, that is impossible!” She waved her fist at him. “Graham and Simon are dead, eleven years dead, do you hear me, nothing heard from either of them. So many men my father sent out to search for them, but nothing. They are dead, do you hear me?
“Father, you cannot believe this young man to be Graham?” She didn’t wait for her father to speak, whirled back to Graham.
“You look nothing like Graham. You are an abomination, a fraud, an imposter, you are despicable, do you hear me? You’re here to convince my father you’re a long-lost son, but you’re really here to try to take what is mine—”
“Eugenie.” Vereker’s voice was whip sharp.
She heaved a breath, stared at Ryder, and couldn’t help herself.
“You, sir, I knew my father expected you, all of it a mystery, but obviously you are in on this swindle, are you not? Look at you, dressed like your betters, but you don’t fool me, you’re in on this fraud with him, pushing this ridiculous person off on my father—”
“Eugenie! That will be enough. You will be quiet.”
Eugenie gulped an angry breath, took a step toward Graham. Vereker grabbed her arm, gave her a shake. “You will attend me, Eugenie. Now, look at the young man—it is your brother, Graham. No, do not shake your head, look at his eyes. LOOK AT HIS EYES.”
It seemed like an hourglass had emptied before she whispered, shaking her head, “His eyes? They’re just eyes. No, he looks nothing like Graham, nothing. It can’t be Graham, he disappeared, he and Simon were gone, eleven years gone. They’re trying to deceive you, Father.”
“Yes,” Graham said slowly, “I was gone, but thankfully not dead. I was living with Mr. Ryder Sherbrooke, who is not a sharp or a fraud. He is my guardian, for eleven years now. He came with me to support me. Believe me, he is not here to convince your father to recognize me.”
Eugenie shook off her father’s hand and walked slowly to Graham. She stopped directly in front of him, stared up at him. “You are a stranger. You look nothing like the Graham I remember.”
He smiled down at his older sister, but not all that far down for she was tall, deep-bosomed, quite lovely, really, her father’s gray eyes.
“Well, evidently I am Graham,” he said slowly, taking in her face, so many hints and whispers of his own.
“Actually, Vicar Piercebridge said I have our mother’s blue eyes.
You’re beautiful.” He raised his hand, touched his fingers to her white cheek.
Eugenie hiccupped, and fainted dead away. Graham caught her.
Vereker said without ever taking his eyes off his son, “She has always fainted when alarmed or shocked. It began when she was a little girl and a garden snake tried to slither under her dress. She will revive quickly. If she isn’t too heavy, just hold her and she will be herself again in but a moment. ”
Vereker rubbed his large, graceful hands together.
“If you would not mind, my son”—ah, how he relished the sound of that—“now that we’ve had our Drury Lane drama and once your sister has revived, we will dine.
You will meet your sister’s husband, Donner Oxbridge, Viscount Morley’s son.
Graham, Mrs. Sample, our cook, is still here and she will be flying from the kitchen to hug you until your ribs crack.
” He looked over at Ryder. “I owe you everything, sir. I am in your debt forever.”
Ryder merely smiled. “I was the fortunate one. Graham has been mine for eleven years. There is a great deal to tell you.”
Vereker nodded. “After dinner, we will talk.” He threw back his head and laughed, a full-bodied, joyful laugh that filled the room.
Blakeney said from the doorway, “Ah, a perfect day, my lord, beyond perfect—a wondrous miracle. When Lady Eugenie revives, you will dine on Cook’s splendid boiled knuckle of ham.”
A man’s curious voice came from the doorway. “What is this? Why are you holding Eugenie in your arms? My lord, what happened?”
Vereker said, “Donner, Eugenie naturally fainted at the sight of her brother Graham, newly returned to us.”
He turned to Ryder and Graham. “Donner Oxbridge, this is my son Graham and his guardian, Mr. Ryder Sherbrooke.”
Donner cocked his head to one side and said in an admiring voice, “I knew you were arriving this evening, sir, and I wondered why. I was eager to meet you, for you are famous, anyone who is anyone knows your name. You are a man who has more illegitimate children than is proper by any measure and you managed to convince your wife to live next to them as you continue to procreate more, year in and year out, without pause. It is quite astounding, sir. A pleasure,” and Donner Oxbridge hastened to shake Ryder’s hand.
Ryder smiled at the pleasant-faced man. “I have not heard that particular explanation of all my children in a very long time. At my age, I will take it as an accolade and bask in my immense virility.”
“Sir, you mock me. It is a serious matter, producing child after child with such ease and facility when many men, through no fault of their own, are unable—” He stopped, grinned.
Vereker said, “That was well done, Donner.” He added with a smile to Ryder, “Donner is our resident jokester. Blakeney, I see you rubbing your hands together. Fetch my finest champagne for the dinner table for our celebration. Graham, give your sister into Donner’s care.”
Donner grabbed a fast-recovering Eugenie from Graham, stumbled, then straightened.
“Looking at you closely, I see your eyes are those of Lady Madeline’s.
I have admired her portrait. You have finally come home.
Welcome.” And Donner extended a hand, nearly dropping Eugenie.
“She is an armful, and isn’t that wonderful? ”
“It is indeed,” said Vereker.
He gave Graham a bow. “My lord, I am pleased to have a brother-in-law, equally eager to know what happened to you all those years ago. Don’t worry about your sister.
When she is startled or taken off guard, down she goes.
Ah, my love, I see you’re recovering so I will plant your lovely feet on the floor, all right? I’m holding you steady. Can you stand?”
Eugenie nodded, stood tall. She drew a deep, steadying breath, shook out her skirts.
She looked from her father back to her brother and back again.
“Very well, you are Graham. Your eyes are indeed our mother’s eyes—there has never been a blue color so vivid, so startling, all remarked upon it when you were born.
So, it appears I am no longer an only child.
” And she laughed. “Dinner awaits. We mustn’t be late or Mrs. Sample will punish us with dried scrambled eggs for breakfast. Come.
” She took Donner’s arm and marched out of the library.
Graham smiled at the slender man in his formal evening finery, his brother-in-law, gave him a bow, and marveled he’d been able to hold his wife in his arms. He was fine-looking, his face narrow, a full mouth of teeth.
His hair was so blond it was nearly white.
He supposed he was in his early thirties.
He looked a bit bemused. Well, who wouldn’t be at the unexpected return of the prodigal son who had no memory of anything at all? ”
“We are having champagne to celebrate Graham’s return?”
“Yes, indeed, Donner. This is the best day of my life.”
Donner said without hesitation, “I would have thought Eugenie accepting my marriage proposal would be the best day.”
Vereker laughed, clapped his hands he was so excited, shouted. “Blakeney, alert the household, Viscount Whitestone is home!”