Page 71 of Unchaining the Heart of the Marquess
“It is not honorable for me to hold a title that I do not deserve.”
“I know that your mother and Mr. Tatham have hurt you, and they both deserve to be punished for their criminal actions, but your father does not. I know that you are upset, and rightfully so, but I want to make sure that you do not make any rash decisions while you are going through this difficult time. To relinquish your title on grounds of honor would not be best for anyone. Answer me this… Does your father deserve to be abandoned for another’s actions? What would happen to the people of your estate?”
Frederick sat and thought about the consequences of what he believed to be the more honorable course of action and found that he could not bear the amount of pain it would cause to all those concerned.
“Father has been blameless in all of this. Without me, Chescrown and Pentford would return to the crown to be bestowed upon another and generations of both families’ labors would come to naught, leaving many people without a place to go.”
“Does that sound honorable to you?”
Frederick closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “No, it does not. You are right, my friend. No matter how I may feel about my mother’s deception, it is too late to turn back now. I cannot abandon Father or our people to such a fate.”
Making up his mind, he arose and mounted his horse. The lieutenant followed suit, and they turned together toward Chescrown. No matter how he felt, he could not abandon his responsibilities, nor was he honestly certain that he wished to do so. Regardless of his bloodline, he was a nobleman to his very core. He could no sooner be anyone or anything else even if he were commanded to do so.
Blood or not I am Pentford. Blood or not I am Chescrown. Blood or not I am Frederick Hadley, son of Marcus and Aurora Hadley.“Blood or not…”
Chapter 34
Frederick and Lt. Buckworth returned to Chescrown. Buckworth took their horses to the stables, while Frederick headed toward the house. As he entered, he passed a mirror catching his reflection. He paused and studied his reflection looking for signs of Devon Tatham in his features. The perception he had had of himself had been a lie.
The eyes he had believed to be his grandfather’s and his hair that he had believed to be his father’s were now viewed in a different light. In all honesty, he did not look much like Tatham, except perhaps his jawline.
I must have gotten most of my looks from Sarah Evans.
Thinking about Sarah brought the Evans brothers to mind.I have uncles.He had never had an uncle before, and now he had more than he knew what to do with. He now understood Llewelyn’s references to his mother and why he had felt she was his justification for poaching Pentford lands.
To Llewelyn, he was hunting family lands as his nephew was the Marquess. We have the same color of hair and eyes, but I never noticed the similarities until now.
Turning away from the mirror he ascended the stairs and entered the room where he had last left Josephine. He found her alone, sleeping, and grew concerned that she had lost consciousness once more. He leaned over and caressed the hair from her face, examining her wound. His touch awakened her, and she gazed up at him with the ebony eyes that he loved so much.
“Frederick?”
“Yes, it is I,” he answered smiling, then bent and kissed her forehead before taking a seat next to her upon the bed.
“‘Tis good to see you returned. I feared that you might not after all that transpired here in this room.”
“I considered not returning, but I could never leave you or my family. ‘Tis love, not blood, that ties me to this land and the people therein.”
“I am glad that you were able to see that before doing something foolish like fleeing the country.”
“The thought had occurred to me. You should have seen Sorrento, Jo. It was beautiful beyond compare.”
Josephine smiled at him and reached for his hand. “How are you, Rick?”
“I do not know,” he answered honestly. “It was all a bit of a shock.”
“I should say so.”
“Of all the things I had considered my mother to be hiding, I would never have suspected this.”
“No, I do not think anyone would.”
Frederick sat studying her face for a moment. “Why did you come back, Jo?”
“I came back for…”
She was interrupted by a knock at the door. The Duke entered and walked to stand in front of Frederick. “Mr. Johnson informed me that you had returned.” He placed his hand on Frederick’s shoulder. “How are you, my son?”
Frederick shook his head. “In all honesty, Father, I do not know.”
