Again, his brother shrugged as though this was of very little consequence. “What does it matter?”
“I – I would have said something to him.”
“Which is, mayhap, precisely why I did not tell you.” A quirk pulled at William’s lips. “You would have stormed over to him, no doubt, and ruined what you are currently building in how society views you.”
Nathanial scowled. “That matters not.”
“Yes, it does.” Accepting the glass of brandy from the footman, William gestured for the man to give the other one to Nathanial. “I know what you have been doing in your attempts to have society no longer think of you as ‘the beastly Duke’ and in that regard, I can see that you have been making some progress which is an excellent thing, I must say. I would not want you to do anything to ruin that. Not when it has taken you so much effort.”
Nathanial snorted, a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. “Do you truly think it has taken me so much energy?”
“I do notthinkit has, Iknowit has,” his brother countered, chuckling. “You are a man who is entirely inclined to his own company. You do not like to have the company of others. You are not desirous of conversation and the like. Rather, you would prefer to sit alone in your study and read as much as you wish, without interruption. Is that not so?”
Something stirred in Nathanial’s heart. Something unsettling and uncomfortable and taking a sip of his brandy, he let the liquid burn gently down his throat before he answered. “I do not know if that is the truth, brother,” he said, slowly. “I have always been inclined to my own company, that much is true, but whether it is because I truly wish for such a thing or because I have simply become that way due to my own choices, I cannot say. It is not something that I wish to continue on with, however and now that I consider these last few weeks, though I am still eager for my own company at times, I can say truthfully that I am finding a little more enjoyment in what is being offered to me here.”
William’s eyebrows lifted. “Is that so?”
“Yes, it is.” Nathanial took in a breath and then smiled. “Though I should mention that a good deal of that is thanks to Lady Amelia.” Seeing the curiosity on his brother’s face, Nathanial chose to be truthful. “She offered to aid me where she could, offered to come and speak to those near me or to interject where required so that I would not appear as dark and brooding as I truly am! She has been able to help many a young lady continue on a conversation with me and has, on more than one occasion, saved me from my own foolishness.”
“Goodness.” William’s astonishment brightened his features. “I had no knowledge of this. I must say, this improves my consideration of the lady all the more!”
“As it should,” Nathanial admitted, aware of the twinge in his heart over his brother’s interest in Lady Amelia. “LadyAmelia is the very spirit of generosity. There is a kindness about her which I have never seen in anyone else. Without her, I am sure that I would have ruined myself here in London already. Society would have called me the ‘dreadful, beastly Duke’ or some such thing, and I would have returned to my estate without any thought of returning.”
His brother smiled gently. “Then I am glad that you have stayed,” he said, quietly. “I do think this is good for you, brother, though you might not be particularly pleased to hear me say such a thing. I have seen our mother’s happiness in this also, as I am sure you have.”
“I have.” Nathanial let out a slow breath, letting himself relax just a little. “Perhaps you are right. I would, no doubt, have done something foolish had you told me the truth at the time. I – ” His gaze caught on another gentleman as he entered the room and in an instant, his frustrations soared all over again, anger beginning to bubble in the pit of his stomach. “And now, it seems, fate has decided that the very gentleman we are speaking of is to appear.”
William frowned and then turned, just as Lord Wilcox strode a little further into the room, his chin lifted and his gaze roving around the room as though he were deciding which person was best suited to his company. His gaze settled on Nathanial and then shifted to William, only for a smirk to catch the edge of his lips. Turning on his heel, he walked to the opposite side of the room… and Nathanial’s ire roared to life.
“Be still.” His brother reached out, setting one hand on Nathanial’s chair. “I can see that you are already irritated by Lord Wilcox’s presence but you must not permit yourself to be so. We are going to be in company with him very often, I am sure. Why then should we permit ourselves to be frustrated by his company?”
“Because when he speaks evil it ought to be called out for what it is,” Nathanial replied, darkly. “I will not have people speaking ill of you.”
“Yes, you will.” William chuckled, surprising Nathanial with his reaction. “You cannot always protect me, brother, though you are kind to think that you must do such a thing.”
Nathanial frowned. Was that what he thought? What he believed, deep down? Was he of the mind that he ought to somehow save his brother, even though they were both full grown men?
“I appreciate your desire to quieten Lord Wilcox, truly,” William continued, though his tone was quieter now. “But the best thing to do in this situation is to remain silent and ignore him. Let him speak his insults. The only person who gains darkness and the society’s chagrin will be him.”
In his heart, Nathanial knew that this was so but all the same, his irritation grew as Lord Wilcox looked over at them again. Picking up his brandy, he threw it back again only to then slam the glass down hard on the table, frustrated beyond measure that he could not seem to find a way to remove his anger from himself. “Perhaps I shall take my leave. Mayhap – ”
“Did you know that I sent Lady Amelia a very large, very colorful bouquet of roses?”
Lord Wilcox’s voice was loud enough for Nathanial to hear and with the sharp look which the man sent to him, he was certain that it was meant to be heard by both William and him.
“I said something which upset her, though I do not think that I said anything wrong,” Lord Wilcox continued, laughing harshly as he spoke. “It was done just to please the lady, which I am sure you can all understand.”
This sent a ripple of laughter around the room though Nathanial looked away, his jaw tightening as he fought the urge to rise to his feet and stride out of Whites. He did not needthetonto become aware that there was any difficulty between Lord Wilcox and himself. No doubt there would be questions as to where it came from and, Lord Wilcox being the sort of gentleman he was, would, no doubt, use it as an opportunity to make himself appear quite excellent and without fault while adding to Nathanial’s ‘beastly’ reputation.
“Lady Amelia was defending Lord Highcroft!” Lord Wilcox exclaimed, throwing one hand out towards William. “Can you imagine it, gentlemen? A young lady coming to the aid of agentleman?”
Nathanial’s jaw tightened all the more and even William shifted in his chair, frustration settling across his face, his eyes narrowing though he kept his gaze away from Lord Wilcox.
“A Marquess need not be defended by alady,” Lord Wilcox laughed, as the mirth in the room rose all the more. “It was quite ridiculous, I must say. What a fool you must feel, Lord Highcroft!”
“I do not feel at all foolish,” William replied, turning in his chair and looking directly at Lord Wilcox though he did not rise from his chair. Nathanial noticed that his brother’s hands were white, gripping the arms of the chair as he spoke as he too felt the very same anger spiraling within him. “Lady Amelia is free to say whatever she wishes. I would not prevent her from speaking her mind.”
Lord Wilcox chortled. “Of course you would not. But, then again, you are not the sort of gentleman to have any strength of character… given that you have a lack of strength in your frame. I suppose the two go alongside each other, do they not?”
