Page 36 of Under the Seductive Ladys Charm
Graham rolled the pen between his fingers, walking it along them, then back the other way as he thought. “I have spoken to his brother, who is a good man from all I have gathered. He assured me that Lord Stanhope has reformed and made a better man of himself.”
“That depends on what sort of man he was before,” Randolph said with a snort.
Graham nodded. “Indeed. The Earl of Brunswick did not seem eager to go into detail. If he is like other men of society, I would say probably gambling or something relative to his stature.”
“Hmm. Gamblers are a tricky lot to reform,” Randolph said with a knowing look.
Graham put down his pen. “This is not getting us anywhere.” Graham stood up.
“You still going into town?” Randolph pushed off the wall and opened the door as Graham approached it.
With a nod, Graham confirmed, “I do need to go out. I may stop by Mrs. Lennox’s and see how Miss Browne is getting on.”
“Did you not just get a letter from Mrs. Lennox?” Randolph gave him a smile. “Do not get that crease in your forehead. I meant no harm by it. She seemed like a sweet lass when she was here.”
Graham slipped into the hallway with Randolph right behind him. He turned his head to look at his steward. “She is a dear young woman,” Graham agreed. “I just hope she does not hold how my sister has treated her against the whole of our family.”
“I doubt she would do that, Sir.” Randolph shook his head. “With you getting her that position with Mrs. Lennox, she should be praising your name.”
Graham sighed and rubbed his beard. “I do not care about praise. I just hope that I have somewhat made amends for not seeing what a wretched time she went through after her father’s death.”
“You could not have known, Sir.” Randolph was adamant, but Graham knew better.
He could not stand to look at Randolph’s earnest face at the moment. “I could have checked in on her.”
Randolph’s voice came to Graham even if he did not want to hear it. “I was not yet in your employ then but from all I have learnt, you were going through your own trials.”
Graham looked over at the man. “I was, but it does not relieve my guilt over not trying to stay in contact with them. Perhaps if I had assisted them, Miss Browne’s brother would not have gone to war at all. It would have removed the financial urgency that compelled him to leave his only sister alone.”
Randolph chuckled. “I do believe that no matter what I say you will come up with a way for it to be your fault.”
“See, you are learning my ways,” Graham said with a smile at his steward. “Speaking of learning, I have heard no rumblings of dissent among the staff, so I gather the housekeeper issue has been resolved?”
Randolph nodded and put his hand over his heart. “And I am very grateful too. That woman is scarier than a scarecrow on a stormy night.”
“Good thing we had you to put the fear of God into her then,” Graham said with a wink. They laughed then parted ways at the entrance hall. Graham gave the doorman a nod and a wave. “I shall return by the evening meal.”
“Right, Sir,” the doorman chimed back to him with a bow.
Out in the sunlit world, Graham breathed in the smell of the air. The wood that they were using to extend the stables held a deep and warm aroma that wafted over the driveway. It reminded Graham of the country estate and it put a longing in his heart that he pushed away.
The streets of London went by swiftly, which was a pleasant surprise after the never-ending delays during Graham’s last outing. The carriage bumped along and he sighed. London would never expend the money to simply fix the roads. Eventually, some wealthy family would get tired of potholes on their particular street or route and would indulge themselves by having them fixed. Graham found it just another notch of absurdity. Surely enough broken carriage axels warranted having the roads passable.
When they pulled off the road at Mrs. Lennox’s townhouse, Graham breathed a sigh of relief. The house was smaller than Graham’s own estate, but he had never looked down on her for that. He was not someone who kept up with how much larger his house was than those around him.
He left the carriage and cleared his throat as he walked to the door. Before he could even grasp the door-knocker, the door came open. He came face to face with Lord Stanhope and both of them stilled for a split second before breeding took over and Graham gave the man a slight bow. “Lord Stanhope, what an unexpected surprise.”
“I could say the same thing, Lord Easterly,” Lord Stanhope said with puzzlement. “Pardon me, but I really must be going as I have to meet with my brother.”
Graham stepped aside. “Of course. Do say hello to your brother for me, will you?”
Lord Stanhope’s eyes cut to Graham as he passed by. “Certainly, I shall.”
The man’s tone had been pleasant enough, but Graham had seen that instance of concern. It made Graham all the more interested in what Lord Stanhope had got into since returning from the war. He put it out of his mind as he turned toward the door again.
The doorman was waiting patiently. “Good day,” Graham said pleasantly to the man. “Will you tell Mrs. Lennox that I am here to see her?”
“Right away, Sir,” the doorman said as he waved Graham into the entrance hall. As soon as Graham was settled, the man rushed off to deliver the message. It really only took a minute before the doorman returned with a maid. “Follow Marlow here, and she will take you to the lady of the house.”
