The Earl's Nemesis Page 5

  “Where has he been all this while and why was he banished?”

  Luanne sighed. “Terrence had always been so rough even while we were children. He was always beating either myself or Barton. He was defiant and would not listen to anybody. One day, I made him angry and he beat me severely,” she explained. “The mark is still on my back. It was just us children at home and the servants tried to stop him but he was so strong. Barton could not hold him off as well. When father came back, he was so angry with him, he sent him out of the house. Then he never came back again until now.”

  Theodosia was quiet as she listened to all this.

  “Did you try to look for him after he was banished?” she asked.

  “Yes, father did everything he could. He was found, but he refused to come home. He said he didn’t have a family.”

  “He seems really dangerous and determined,” Theodosia stated.

  “Yes, he is. I am surprised that he has not changed at all. He is back to take father’s properties. You see, while he was the black sheep of the family, Barton was the good son of the family. There has always been this bitter rival between them. He is envious of Barton because father loved him best among us three. But that is understandable. He is a good person and very hardworking. You will love him if you get to know him.”

  Theodosia sighed. Some minutes later, she was the only one in the room and was thinking about all that had happened. Luanne was helping with her hair when they heard noises coming from somewhere around the house. Then they were not sure, so they decided to take a look.

  Terrence had seemed like a good man. He was a tall, heavily built man. He also had this unkempt beard below his chin. There was something about him which she couldn’t understand. But then there was the family resemblance. The three shared the same brown hair and pointy nose. He had behaved like a gentleman when he kissed her hand but what set him off was the way he had spoken to Barton.

  Her mind went to him, she felt sorry for him and hoped he was alright.

  Throughout the day, she neither saw Luanne nor Barton until the night came when she had come to her room.

  “Are you awake?” Luanne asked, stepping in

  “Yes, I am,” she replied, rising to a sitting position. She had been so bored throughout the day from being alone for a long time.

  Luanne came in and sat beside her,

  “Sorry, I was away. Was busy with some things in the study since Barton is nowhere to be found.”

  Theodosia frowned. “Could he have left with your brother?” she asked.

  “No, I doubt that. The servants said he had left later when Terrence left. He must have gone somewhere to clear his head. He always does that whenever he needs to think.”

  Theodosia felt bad. “I am so sorry.”

  “Oh! Nonsense! There is nothing to be sorry for, dear. I am here to bid you a goodnight,” Luanne said with a smile.

  Minutes later, they said their goodnight and Luanne left. After she left, Theodosia was finding it difficult to sleep. She checked the time on the wall, it was some minutes after ten in the night. She had spent most of her time that day, writing to her mother about her new home, sleeping, and reading, and now she couldn’t do either again. Maybe she could take a walk, she thought, and stood up. Looking out from the window, she could see how inviting the stars and the moonlight was, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a walk in it.

  ***

  Barton entered the house after riding for a while. He felt really tired. He had spent almost all the day riding around town just to clear his head after the whole thing with his brother. He was really angry then but now, spending some time alone had managed to get rid of the anger.

  He walked into the drawing room and sat down, giving off a loud sigh. He was certain that Terrence would never back down easily. He would try to do everything to get what he wants. The only thing he could do right now, would be to get married to Theodosia as quickly as he could. He had to tell her in a way that would not frighten the young lady but how would he do that?

  His thoughts were interrupted by a movement on the stairs.

  “Anne?” he called out but there was no response.

  “Luanne, sister is that you?” he called out again. This time, the movement stopped.

  Could it be Terrence?

  With this thought, he sprang on his feet and dashed out of the drawing room only to come face to face with Theodosia who looked as if she had just been caught doing what she ought not do.

  “Forgive me, my lady. I didn’t know you were the one,” he apologized.

  “Forgive me, Lord Barton, I never knew you were here. I apologize.”

  They both stared at each other for a while before looking away at the same time.

  “What are you doing out of bed, if I may ask? For it is late. I assume you should be sleeping.”

  The lady nodded. “Well, I spent most of the day sleeping and now I am unable to get anymore sleep. I thought I could take a walk around.”

  “Well, you must not go about alone in the dark, my lady. Especially now that my brother is around, I cannot guarantee your safety.”

  Barton wished he hadn’t said that for now, the lady was looking really terrified.

  “I don’t mean to scare you, it is just a way of cautioning you to be careful, my lady. If you wish to take a walk, I will gladly accompany you.”

  “Well, I would hate very much to bother you, my lord,” Theodosia started.

  “Oh no, it will not be a bother, I assure you. Besides, it will give me a chance to apologize for everything that happened this morning. Certainly, you have some things on your mind to say.”

  The lady smiled. “Very well, then.”

  After taking a walk in the garden for a while, the two finally sat on one of the seats that were in the garden.

  It was a beautiful night, and the stars made it even more colorful. Theodosia found herself at ease in her company and she soon realized that he wasn’t as scary as she had thought.

  “So, you slept most of the time today?” Barton asked.

  “Oh, yes, that I did. I was bored. You were not around and your sister was somewhat busy. I did some reading but then, I slept when I could find nothing else to do.”

  He chuckled. “I apologize for that. I shouldn’t have run off like that. I promised you that each day here will be interesting, and now you had to get bored. Would you forgive me?”

  Theodosia smiled. She liked his humility. “Of course, my lord. I know that seeing your brother must have caused an awkward moment, and it is understandable if you need some time alone.”

  He smiled. “I appreciate your understanding.”

  “Of course. I know how families can be difficult most of the time.”

  He raised his brows. He seemed surprised. “You do?”

  She smiled and nodded. “Of course. I mean, how many fathers would give their daughters away on gambling?”

  He smiled. “We have never spoken about that.”

  “Yes, I actually never wanted to talk about it for I keep imagining what you must think of me.”

  “Nonsense. I do not think of you at all, I mean, not that I do not think of you, I have a very good thought of you and not in any way you may have presumed.”

  Theododisa burst into laughter. What he just said right now didn’t make any sense but she could tell that he was making effort to be nice to her.

  He colored. “I am sorry, but you understand me?”

  “I do,” she replied with a chuckle. “Well, now that I have raised it, what was on your mind the whole time about me?”

  He frowned. “Well, I still do not see why your father would decide to give someone as beautiful as you away just like that. You are very beautiful and I feel that any man that would have you is indeed lucky.”

  Theodosia found herself blushing uncontrollably. Everything he was saying was making her really happy.

  “So why did you come that day? How did you hear of the whole gambling thing?” she asked.<
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  “Well, as you know, your father is our family lawyer. I was in a dire need of a bride. I need to get married before my next birthday so that I can have the properties that father has left to me; failure to do that will mean that I lose everything to my treacherous brother, this is unacceptable. My servant came over to your place and heard everything that your father had said…”

  “Oh, I remember,” replied Theodosia. She had just remembered the servant that had demanded to see her father on that very day. “I took him to see my father and when we both heard what he said about giving me away, I couldn’t see him again.”

  “Yes, he came to tell me that he had found solution to all my problems. So that was how I came and your father was really drunk that day, thus I won.”

  Theodosia shook her head; she was somehow relieved after everything he had said.

  “I am sorry that he did that to you,” he continued. “You deserve so much more.”

  She looked up at him and smiled. He really knew how to make her happy. “You are so kind, Lord Barton,” she said. “So, what about your brother?”

  He shrugged. “The truth is that, I am afraid of my own brother. I have always feared him while we were children and now, seeing him again, I could see that he has grown even worse. He has always been selfish and bitter. He would never stop until he gets all those properties.”

  “But you can stop him, right?” she asked.

  “Yes, the only way to stop him is by getting married to you. But I do not want to force you into doing what you are not ready to do.”

  Theodosia smiled. “You brought me here for a reason and with the way you and your sister have been very kind to me, I will be happy to spend some time with you and get to know you, then we can talk about when we want to get married.”

  When Barton heard this, he couldn’t believe his ears.

  “You are not joking, are you?” he asked to be sure.

  “Of course not,” Theodosia replied and before he could stop himself, he took her hands and kissed them.

  “Thank you.”

  She only smiled.

  “So, can we go in now, I feel it is getting cold and I do not want you to freeze out there,” he said, and she nodded.

  “I was hoping you would say no so I may have to carry you again,” he joked, and she laughed. He liked hearing her laugh, it made him feel really good.

  “I should thank you for last night. I heard I fell asleep in your arms,” she said as they were now walking back inside. Her arm was tucked in the hollow of his.

  “Oh, yes you did. You must have really enjoyed being in my arms, you slept like a baby.”

  She blushed. “That was really embarrassing for me. I merely closed my eyes and the next thing I knew, it was morning.”

  He laughed. “Well, it was my pleasure and feel free to do so again anytime. You were as light as a feather.”

  “So would you have dropped me if I were to be heavier?” she teased.

  “Of course not, I would have simply woken you up,” he replied, and they both laughed.

  Finally they were standing in front of her room.

  “Thank you so much, Lord Barton. I enjoyed every minute at the Opera and the moments we had out there.”

  He smiled and bowed a little. “It was my pleasure. Do have a beautiful night, my lady.”

  He waited until she opened the door and closed it behind her. Then he proceeded to his room as well.

  Minutes later while he lay in his bed, he kept thinking of the wonderful moments he had had that night. Somehow she had made all the bad memories of the day vanish completely with her smile, her presence and her charm. There was something about this lady that he was finding irresistible and the more he thought about it, the happier he became.

  Chapter 8

  Interesting Things

  Terrence smoked heavily from the cigar in between his fingers as he lay on the bed. The inn wasn’t all that comfortable, but it was better than not having anywhere to stay. He was furious, and he needed a plan. He was certain that Barton would never let him have those properties easily, but he would take them by force. If only he knew the lawyer that was in charge of the whole thing.

  One thing he was also certain of was that his father had not left anything for him. How would he? When he had banished him since twelve. He would have his vengeance by selling every single thing his father had left behind.

  Barton had not changed one single bit. He was still acting like the dutiful boring son that he had always been. Well, one thing had certainly changed, and that was the beautiful lady he had seen—Theodosia. She was indeed beautiful, and not only would he take everything from him, he would make sure he has the lovely damsel as well, including his sister.

  “I am not certain that Luanne would want to support me,” he said to his servant, who had come to the inn with him.

  They had secured the inn that night for he was really angry that Barton hadn’t even offered him a place to stay. Well, probably because he didn’t ask.

  “I believe it is expected if she doesn’t want to have anything to do with you. The last memory she had of you was that of pain. I believe if you can convince her to forgive you, maybe she will,” said Ron. He was a young lad in his early twenties.

  Terrence scoffed and rose up to a sitting position. “I cannot go back empty-handed Ron, I have been planning this for months. There is nothing at Lottingburgh for us. Everything we need is right here. I just need to know what to do.”

  Ron sighed. “Excuse me, my lord. I need to go feed the horses.”

  “You can go.”

  Ron bowed slightly and exited.

  Terrence checked the time on the wall, it was close to midnight. He was too angry to catch any sleep. Perhaps, if he could get some sleep, things would be easier, he thought. He was thinking on this when Ron rushed in abruptly.

  “What is it?” he asked angrily.

  “My lord, I think you need to come see this,” said Ron. “I think we just got a solution to our problem.”

  Terrence frowned but out of curiosity, followed Ron. Ron knew better than to deceive him or raise a false alarm.

  They walked out of the room and went towards the bar. The place was not as crowded as it once was. Now, there were fewer men drinking, smoking and cursing. The lady at the bar was also dozing off little by little.

  “What exactly did you call me here for?” he asked Ron as they stood close to the wall.

  “Those men, there,” said Ron close to his ears.

  Terrence looked at the angle where he pointed. There were two men sitting close to the wall in their opposite direction. One was fatter than the other, both they both seemed dead drunk.

  “Listen to their conversation, I heard Barton mentioned twice,” Ron said.

  When Terrence heard this, his curiosity grew, and he paid attention to the men.

  “Do you not think that wha’ ‘e’ did was stupid?” asked the fatter one, belching loudly.

  “Aye, ‘Twas really foolish. Do you not know how beautiful the daughter is? And she was given to Lord Barton, in just a game of gamble!” said the second one.

  “Now, Parrish is heart broken. His loss,” said the fatter one, drinking more.

  “I heard the old Barton left a will,” said the other.

  Terrence walked closer to them to hear more.

  “A will?” asked the fatter, wide-eyed.

  “Heard he left nothing for the older brother,” replied the other.

  “Wait, a minute. There are two Barton brothers?” asked the fatter one.

  “Aye. You do not know this?”

  “No, I do not. Where is he? Apparently he does not stay in this area.”

  “No, he does not. He was sent away by the old Barton years back. Heard he killed his sister…”

  When Terrence heard this, he got angry but maintained his calm. He was now sitting behind both men, listening.

  “Killed his sister?” the other asked in horror.

  “Aye.”


  “But how could he kill his sister? Who is the other sister in the house?”

  “How drunk are you? They have two sisters.”

  “Oh, I see. So about this will, do you know what is inside it?” the fatter one asked.

  “Aye. Mr. Parrish said the old man left a condition that his properties be given to the older brother if the younger one fails to marry before his next birthday.”

  Terrence’s brows were raised as he heard this. Could this be true or were these two so drunk that they knew nothing of what they say?

  The fatter one gasped. “This explains why Parrish has been cold these days.”

  “Aye. He feels he has been duped. Such a wealthy man left with his daughter for free, and even with everything, he would gain the properties and he would have nothing except debts. He is wallowing in debts.”

  Unable to keep quiet any longer, Terrence stood up and moved to the men’s table.

  They both looked at him in surprise.

  “Who are you?” the fatter of the two asked him.

  Terrence smiled and signaled to Ron to bring more drinks for the men. “Someone who is interested in your discussion, gentlemen,” he replied.

  The men exchanged glances but shrugged.

  Ron came over with two cups of drinks which he handed to each man.

  “So, I couldn’t help but listen your conversation,” Terrence said. “Pray tell me, everything you have said, is it true?”

  The men nodded. “Aye, ‘tis true. Parrish can prove that himself.”

  “Parrish? Pray, where can I find this Parrish?”

  The fat one smiled. “Buy us one more drink and I will show you personally.”

  Terrence smiled and signaled to Ron. “Get the men more drinks, Ron. The night is getting more interesting.”

  ***

  Parrish spat angrily, cursing under his breath as he folded yet another letter. This was the third letter he had gotten that day, asking for the hand of his daughter in marriage. He was really angry. Why were they all showing up after he had given her away? Or were they just trying to mock him?