Page 76 of An Earl's Christmas Seduction
“In the churchyard. The church where you were found,” her mother said, and Amelia smiled.
“I thought so, Mother, I know you don’t believe me, but I really did hear Rupert’s voice tonight. I lost the locket, but perhaps I was meant to. He told me to be happy, and to let him go. He saved me by bringing me into the church to shelter. It was his final gift,” Amelia said, and her mother smiled.
“If you believe it, Amelia, then I won’t doubt it, either. But heed his words. If that’s what he wants, you should honor it. Now, it’s time you got some sleep. The doctor told you to rest,” she said, and she leaned forward and kissed Amelia again.
Amelia closed her eyes, glad to have her mother at her side. There were times when they did not always see eye to eye, but to know her, to love her, and to know she was loved by her was something she would never take for granted.
“Thank you, Mother,” Amelia whispered, her eyes growing heavy, as she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Chapter 25
Edmund was waiting in the hallway for Nicholas as he came down the stairs. The rest of the guests were in the drawing room, the sound of voices echoing behind the closed door. Nicholas had lost all track of time, though it was surely close to luncheon, his stomach rumbling, even as he had little appetite to eat.
“We should talk,” Edmund said, and Nicholas nodded.
“We should, yes,” he said, indicating for Edmund to follow him along the corridor to the library.
Closing the door behind them, Nicholas offered his brother (a strange word to use it felt) a glass of brandy. Edmund took it, gulping it down in one and sighing.
“I must say…I can’t quite take it in,” he said, as Nicholas poured himself a glass, swirling the liquid to release its aroma, and breathing in heavily.
“You knew you were adopted,” he said, and Edmund nodded.
“I did, yes, but my mother… Lady Thornton, was always rather vague about the matter. I never asked enough questions, or rather, my questions went unanswered,” he said.
“But how do you feel about it? I always thought it was strange that my father paid your school fees and gave you an allowance. He always said it was a matter of encouragement. He delighted in hearing your progress, of your academic achievements. He was proud of you. But I understand now, of course,” Nicholas said, taking a sip of brandy.
“I was scared of knowing where I came from. I used to invent stories about it. I was the son of a sea captain or the product of a highwayman. In my darker moments, I imagined I’d been abandoned by a poor street girl on a doorstep. But I never imagined what the truth actually is,” he said.
Nicholas shook his head. He still could not quite believe he had a brother; a real brother. He had always thought of Harry as something of a brother, and certainly he had been a good and loyal friend, even as the course of their lives had run very differently. Nicholas had shut himself away, a recluse, though not voluntarily.
He had preferred to keep others at arm’s length, fearful of the rumors surrounding him, rumors now to be laid to rest. Edmund was an academic, studying at Oxford, and with ambitions to a professorship. They were different, but, in many ways, they now found familiarity.
“I certainly didn’t, no. But… well… it is what it is. And I’m glad of it,” Nicholas replied.
He held no hostility towards his brother. He wanted them to be friends; just as they had been before any of this was revealed. Edmund nodded.
“I am, too, but it’s going to take some time to get used to it. I’m sure you feel the same,” he said, and Nicholas nodded.
“I do, yes. But I’m sure, given time, we can come to an understanding. You should have an income from the estate, and all the rights and privileges associated with the title,” Nicholas replied.
Edmund smiled.
“I don’t want any of that. It wasn’t mine to begin with, though I’ll always be grateful to your father for what he did for me,” he replied.
Nicholas raised his eyebrows. He had expected his brother to demand whatever recompense was his due. The estate owed him as much, even as Nicholas admired his brother for not having such expectations. He was the son of an earl, and, if anything, he had been the one cast aside, denied the rights even a second son should have enjoyed.
“I see. Well, what do you want?” he asked, and Edmund sighed.
“Clara,” he replied.
Nicholas raised his eyebrows. He had thought his brother and Isobel to be a match, if any was to be made. But he had seen the two of them together, and there was no doubting the spark between them, even as this revelation had changed a great deal between them.
“My cousin… our cousin,” Nicholas said, and Edmund nodded.
“Yes, I know… but I didn’t, did I? We didn’t? We’ve been talking…” he said, and Nicholas smiled.
He would not come between them. Nicholas had learned how fragile love could be and how easily it could be taken away. He wanted his cousin to be happy and his brother, too.
