Fortunately, he knew most of the people who had congregated at Green Park that morning, and word would soon spread.
“Indeed, if you would like me to make an introduction…” he added, but just then, a fast-moving figure caught his attention, and he saw Lady Worcester rushing past him.
“Judith, Judith!” she called, waving her fan.
Aaron’s head whipped around just in time to see Judith dropping the satchel of bird food he had given her and running toward her stepmother.
He noted with surprise that she had been talking to a gentleman, and he squinted to see who it was, but the sun glared down, making it difficult to discern the figure. However, the man looked familiar…
Was it… No, it couldn’t be. The man turned away then and walked in the opposite direction, disappearing into the crowd. Aaron dismissed the thought, his attention instead taken up by the increasingly hysterical Lady Worcester.
“Excuse me,” he said, leaving his friends behind and joining stepmother and daughter. “What’s happened?” he asked, his concerned eyes darting from Lady Worcester to Judith and back again.
Instinctively, he placed a hand on Judith’s back, hoping the gesture might soothe her.
“A messenger has come. Your brother had an accident at Eton.”
“An accident?” Judith repeated, all color draining from her face.
Aaron felt her stagger and pressed his hand more firmly against her back to support her.
“Is he badly hurt?”
“Apparently, he fell during a riding lesson and broke his leg. There are scraps and scratches. He is in a lot of pain,” Lady Worcester explained, her words tumbling out one over the other.
“We must go to him!” Judith exclaimed, her voice a mix of determination and anxiety.
“That is what I said as well. The letter said not to worry, that they only meant to inform us, but I cannot bear the thought of the dear boy alone at Eton, in pain, without anyone from his family there to comfort him. Indeed, I would prefer that he came home until he is recovered,” Lady Worcester said.
“I would like that too,” Judith agreed. “We must collect him.”
Aaron had been watching the two of them quietly until now, but he knew he had to speak up.
“I am uncertain that you will be able to accomplish this. Lady Worcester, you are not his mother, and you, Lady Judith, are merely his sister. It is Oliver who is his guardian. If the school thinks that he should stay, it may be difficult to bring him home.”
“This is ludicrous,” Judith snapped, clenching her hands into fists. “We are his family. We should be able to take him out of school if we wish.”
Aaron felt uncomfortable being confronted with the harsh realities of their patriarchal society, but the fact was that theman of the house, be it the father or the brother, was the one who had legal custody over the child. Unless…
“It is true. I am in full agreement with you. But I am familiar with Eton’s headmaster. He is… shall we say, of the old sort. He will stick by the rules, which state only Oliver can remove the child or his appointed stand-in. I would like to accompany you to Eton if you will let me.”
Lady Worcester nodded at once. “Of course. Do you believe you being familiar with him will help?”
Judith looked at him expectantly, and Aaron took a deep breath, bracing himself.
“I must return to my manor and retrieve the necessary papers,” he said, earning curious glances from the two women.
“Papers?” Lady Worcester echoed, her eyebrows raised.
Judith tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
He cleared his throat to explain. “Oliver left a letter that gives me control over his affairs, signed by a barrister.”
Lady Worcester gasped sharply, and Judith’s eyes went wide.
“You are in charge of the estate? Officially?” Judith gasped. “You are not just doing him a favor by looking out for me?”
“You are guardian over John, then. And… everything else,” Lady Worcester said, though she sounded more surprised than upset. Judith, on the other hand, wasn’t pleased.
