Page 13 of A Wicked Viscount's Stormy Affair
It was a shame, but George knew that things would never go back to where they were.
It was simply far too late for that now.
***
Gregory barely waited for the burial to be over before he grabbed hold of George’s arm to speak with him more privately. There were flames of anger dancing in his eyes, it was abundantly clear that he did not wish for George to be in London, and that all had not been forgiven.
“How did you find out?” Gregory demanded. “I did not think it best you know because Father never would have wanted us to fight over what has already been set in place. He would not want us worrying about the will now…”
George held up his hands in a surrendering gesture. “I am not here for any of that. I am not here to disagree with what had as already been written in the will. I have a wonderful life in Sweden, that I am not looking to change. I do not wish to return to London for anything other than a few days. I am only here to pay respects to Father, as I stated, and also to ensure that the estate and title transfers smoothly.”
Gregory’s eyes widened in surprise, but he seemed to stare at George for long enough to decide that he had to be telling the truth. “I see… well, everything will run smoothly. There is no need for you to worry about a thing. You can return to your beloved Sweden as soon as you can.”
George smiled. But it was a wistful one. There was a time when Gregory did not treat him with such disdain.
“I will, I…”
“Excuse me, gentleman.” A man in a crisp charcoal suit interjected before George could say anything more. “Since you are both together right now, I think this would be a good time to talk.”
Gregory’s face almost turned purple with rage. “This is the funeral. Not the time or place for any kind of conversation.”
George held his arm out in front of his brother, before he did something stupid. “Actually, I think this might be the perfect time. The sooner we get everything sorted, the quicker I can return.”
The temptation was clearly too much for Gregory. He wanted to be the only Harrington brother in London.
“Yes,” he declared as he stiffened his spine. “Maybe we should have a talk then. But please, let us wait until we have returned home for the memorial wake.”
The solicitor nodded in agreement.
Truth be told, this was not what George wanted. He had not been planning on returning to his childhood home, because he did not want to get swallowed up in the memories. That was not something he needed while in London, but it seemed like he had no choice in the matter. He was going to have to face all his demons.
But he supposed it would only make his time in Sweden that much more thrilling when he returned. He would appreciate absolutely everything that he had there, for what it wasnot.
***
George could not help but notice how different his father’s study looked.
The solicitor and Gregory had been in talks about the estate for a little while now, and while George wanted to pay attention, he did not find himself able to. The books had been moved, and the desk altered. The family portrait no longer hung on the wall. It was strange, and a stark reminder of how long he had been away…
“…the debts, I am afraid, are quite considerable…”
That caught George’s attention. He focused his eyes back on to the solicitor to hear what he had to say.
“The estate’s financials are not in a very good way, which is something we must discuss.”
“What do you mean debts?” George demanded, but he was not looking at the solicitor. Instead, his eyes were firmly fixed on his brother. It seemed like Gregory had not changed at all. He was still gambling and partaking in money wasting activities.
Rage bubbled up inside of George. This was why he should have been the one to inherit everything, because he never would have allowed things to go to ruin.
Why could his father not see all the mistakes that Gregory had made?
Why did things go the way they did?
But he quickly had to let that anger slide because all of this was no longer his issue. This was the exact reason he had left; it was no longer something he needed weighing heavily on him.
His life in Sweden was calm and he felt much more like he could control everything.
That, he preferred.
