Page 23 of Deceiving an Earl
Chapter Seven
“Why are we doing this?” Ashland asked, as Oliver maneuvered his curricle down the path toward Eton.
Oliver had tried to give Ashland as little information as possible, while still convincing his friend to go with him. But Ashland hadn’t been a solicitor for nothing, and he was starting to ask questions that Oliver could no longer avoid.
“Lady Fieldhurst asked me to speak to the headmaster regarding her son. Apparently, he’s very close to being expelled from the school.”
“From Eton?” Ashland fell silent for a moment. “I don’t believe I know of anyone who has been expelled from Eton. The school has always been able to set their lads straight. Especially a future earl.”
Oliver hesitated, but there was really nothing to do but tell the story. “He’s already the Earl of Fieldhurst. His father passed a few years ago, and the young earl feels that he doesn’t need Eton, now that he has risen to the title.”
“Ha!” Ashland chuckled and shook his head. Ashland had been learning how to be an earl for the past several months so he knew what needed to be done and how foolish young Fieldhurst was being. “So what are we to do about this?”
“Talk to the headmaster.”
“And what? Convince him to take the ungrateful lad back? Sounds to me like he needs a switch to his backside.”
Yes, well, Oliver felt the same way, but the boy wasn’t his son and it wasn’t his call to make.
Suddenly Ashland turned toward him. “I wasn’t aware that you knew Lady Fieldhurst.”
Oliver kept his expression impassive as he trained his eyes on the road before him. “Were you even aware that a Lady Fieldhurst existed until a few minutes ago?”
“You’re skirting the question.”
He was.
“You’ve never mentioned her to me.”
“There was no need to.”
Ashland sat back, but Oliver knew that was not the end of his questioning. His friend was thinking, and that was often not a good thing.
Ashland had been very reluctant to take on the duties of the earldom, but Oliver had walked him through it and, while Ashland wasn’t fully comfortable in his new role, he was becoming more enamored of it.
They drew up to the school, and a boy came out to take the horses’ leads as Ashland and Oliver headed toward the doors.
The headmaster was waiting for them, as Oliver had sent word ahead that they were coming, although he had not told the man why.
They were ushered into his office and offered tea, which they declined.
“Lord Armbruster, it’s been a long time. And I see you are still tight with Lord Ashland.”
Ashland seemed surprised that the headmaster was aware of his very newly inherited title, seeing as how Ashland had not even known he was in line for it until the former earl had passed away. But Oliver knew that it was imperative for the headmaster to be aware of all of Society, since he was the one to educate its most illustrious sons.
“We are still friends, yes,” Oliver said.
The headmaster—Charles Godfrey, was very old, since he had been headmaster when Oliver and Jacob had attended Eton and had appeared very old back then—folded his hands on his desk and smiled at them. “To what do I owe this honor?”
“I have come on behalf of Lady Fieldhurst.”
Immediately the smile faded, and a shuttered expression fell over Godfrey’s eyes. “It is highly unusual to speak to someone not of the family about a student.”
“I understand these are unusual circumstances, but as you know, the young Fieldhurst does not have a father to speak for him, and apparently Lady Fieldhurst has already tried speaking to you.”
Godfrey seemed to squirm in his seat, and Oliver thrilled that for once the tides had turned andhehad made the headmaster squirm instead of the other way around.
“As I told Lady Fieldhurst, there is nothing I can do for young Fieldhurst. He must serve out his suspension.”
