Liam nodded.
“Apparently, he’s working on a special soldier. He said he couldn’t discuss much, but he did say‘he’s special, and we’ve almost healed the damage’,” he offered. “I wish he’d work on his own trauma of losing his twin.”
Penelope felt the same.
“Well, he’s a good man,” she admitted. “I just wish he’d settle down and be happy. Surely, Liam, there’s a family here with a woman who needs a husband. You’re a Duke. Can’t we find him someone of equal stature, and have him come home? We have soldiers too. He could work here and be close to his family.”
Liam shook his head.
“Penny, you know that we aren’t going to arrange a marriage. Poe is an adult, and I don’t think he wants to marry. Let alone, a lady,” he said.
She sighed.
Oh, she was well aware.
To that day, she’d never seen him with a woman, or heard him mention one. It was crystal clear that she wasn’t going to be getting any grandchildren.
The Seville gene pool was coming to an end.
“Please tell me he outgrew that silly fascination with boys,” she said. “When we sent him to that boarding school, I knew we were making a mistake. He came home gay.”
Liam clued her in.
“I’m pretty sure, Penny, that you don’t‘make someone gay’. I think he was just born that way, and I respect that. If we didn’t keep trying to shove women at him his whole young life, he may have come home after university in the States. Now, he has space, and privacy. We made a mistake trying to‘fix’him.”
She tsked.
“We were doing the best we could. He’s my only child now. I miss him. I only want what’s best for him. I’d be perfectly happy if he found a nice gentleman and came home. Gay or not, I just want to see him more.”
Liam slowed his horse down, so they were side by side. He knew something that would cheer his beloved Penelope up.
“We should take a trip. Why don’t we plan on making a visit? We can stay with him. He said he’s only got a few days left of therapy with this special soldier. Would you like to surprise him?” he asked.
That she did.
Immediately, Penelope smiled.
“Like to? I’d love to, Liam,” she admitted, happily. “I can’t wait to see his face when we show up. Hopefully, he’s not moved some man into his home.”
Liam stopped that.
“Penny, your uncle was gay. I don’t care if our son is gay, or if he has a lover. As long as Poe is happy, safe, and lives a long life, that’s all that matters. As for you, don’t be so cunt-ish.”
She laughed.
That did sound cunt-ish, didn’t it?
“You have a point, my love,” she said. “I just can’t help but want to protect him. The last time he was here, he took some things home, and I worry. I don’t think it’s healthy to stare at your dead brother’s things in your home. Poe needs to live. Hemmingway would want him to. Life goes on, even when we don’t want it to. Death isn’t the end. It’s a new beginning.”
He reminded her.
“Penelope, they were twins. They grew together in you, and they were as thick as thieves as children. We will never understand the ache that Poe felt when his brother was killed. That’s not something we can feel. For us, it was as parents. For him, though, it’s as if he lost half of himself. He can’t have his brother in his life, and I’m sure he does battle with that daily.”
She understood.
And agreed.
“You’re absolutely right, my dear. I need to not be that mother. If he brings home a fine gentleman, I’ll be just ashappy. I did hope we’d be grandparents one day. That ruffles my feathers a bit. I do love an itty-bitty baby.”
