Page 10 of Snowbound with the Scoundrel
Rupert shrugged.“My father wasn’t horrible to me or anything like that.But I’ve always known I was a disappointment to him.He prefers my older brother, Francis.”
Clarissa decided it would not be tactful to ask why he was such a tremendous disappointment to his father.“I see.If it makes you feel any better, my father is utterly horrible.He sold our house so he could take an around-the-world voyage.He’s a naturalist, you see.Not a very good one.”
Rupert frowned.“He sold your house?Where were the four of you supposed to live, then?”
Clarissa laughed bitterly.“That was left to us to figure out.Fortunately, Lady Milthorpe invited us to a house party, where Eleanor met the Duke of Norwood.Had they not wound up marrying, we would have been in a world of trouble.”
Rupert’s lips were bunched up in a pout.“I say, that’s bad form on your father’s part.Tremendously bad form, leaving you unprotected and whatnot.”
“I won’t argue with you there.”He had shut his locket and was starting to tuck it away.The metal had an unusual gleam under the dim carriage lights.“Say, what kind of metal is that?It doesn’t look quite like silver.”
“It’s not.It’s actually steel.”Rupert gave a rueful chuckle.“The first one she gave me was silver, but I managed to destroy it during my school days.I probably should’ve taken it off for the wall game, but you can’t leave anything valuable lying about at Eton.It’ll get nicked, sure as eggs are eggs.So, Auntie Im had a replacement made out of steel, and it’s held up much better.”
“Practical as well as kind.”Clarissa tried—and failed—to stifle a yawn.“I have a feeling I would have liked her.”
“I’m sure you would have done.But look at me, yammering on when you’re tired.I’ll let you get some rest.”
Clarissa didn’t deny it.She slumped back into the corner and pulled the cloak up to her chin.
But there was one thing she wanted to do before she drifted off.“Mr.Dupree?”
“Hmm?”he said, suppressing a yawn of his own.
She could not believe she was about to utter these words.“Thank you.For everything.”
“You’re most welcome, Miss Weatherby.”
Those were the last words Clarissa heard before she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter5
They arrived in Helmsley mid-morning.
Rupert yawned and stretched as he climbed out of the carriage in the yard of the New Inn.The earl’s estate was only about two miles from town, and Clarissa tried to insist that she would walk the rest of the way.Rupert would have none of it.He might’ve been tempted to try it had he been on his own.He had his cloak, after all, and having spent the better part of a week stuffed in a mail coach, God knew he could use a chance to stretch his legs.
But it was well below freezing, and Miss Weatherby was a bit under-attired for the conditions.So, he insisted upon renting a post-chaise for them to share.
They settled into an awkward silence in their new conveyance.Although they’d forged an unlikely alliance after being trapped together overnight, Rupert knew she was still upset with him over the rumpus in the press while he’d been abroad.He was going to make that right.He already had a couple of ideas as to where he should start.
But the sad truth was, too much water had passed under that particular bridge, and Clarissa Weatherby was probably never going to like him.Which was a shame.He quite liked her.When they’d been talking last night about his aunt and their mothers and their fathers… he’d felt as if she’d heard him.That they’d made a real connection, that she hadn’t been smiling out of politeness while thinking the whole while,how long until I can get out of talking to this idiot?
He surreptitiously watched her peeking out the carriage window, hoping to get a glimpse of Helmsley Castle, her face bathed in soft morning light.
She really was quite pretty in spite of the dull dress she wore.Brown was probably the most practical color for carriage travel.All the dust of the road and whatnot.But even in her sensible gown, Clarissa was pretty and clever, and she knew what it meant to lose your mother much too soon.It was a shame their betrothal hadn’t worked out.He had the feeling they would’ve done just fine.
Ah, well.You didn’t always get what you hoped for.
Rupert knew the truth of that old chestnut all too well.
He resolved to give Clarissa a wide berth during the house party.That was clearly what she wanted, after all.He could still work behind the scenes to make what repairs he could to her reputation.
The carriage pulled up to Helmsley Castle.It was the home of his old school chum, Lawrence, and a familiar sight.When it came to school holidays, if Rupert hadn’t been visiting Auntie Imogen, he had typically come here, rarely opting to go to the old family pile in Devon.
According to Laurie, there had been a castle on this site for nine hundred years, but most of the present structure had been built by Laurie’s grandfather.Rupert thought the previous Lord Helmsley had done a bang-up job of it.The castle had been built in what you might call a Tudor style, with a pair of octagonal towers flanking the front door and matching towers on each of the four corners.It had all the features you wanted out of a castle—crenellations, arched windows, a roaring fire in the great-hall-cum-dining-room, and every modern convenience a fellow could possibly wish for.
Best of all, it was home to the de Roos family—Lord and Lady Helmsley, Laurie, and his three brothers and two sisters.They were wonderful people, all of them, and Rupert was quite looking forward to spending Christmas here.
Inside, Rupert greeted the butler, Toddington, who had been with the family since Rupert’s first visit at the age of twelve.
