Page 14 of Tempted By the English Marquis
When Richard wouldn’t meet his eyes, Gideon’s mind immediately went to the worst of places. Someone was dead. The house had burned to the ground.
Then he remembered that this was Richard. His shameless, gambling fool of a brother. He let out a tired sigh. “How much?”
Richard’s head shot up. “What?”
“How much have you lost? And to be more precise, how short are you on the loss? I can cover a hundred pounds tonight, but that’s about my limit. I shall have to see my banker in the morning to make up the rest.”
He got a whimpering snort in reply. “For the first time in my life, I wish to god I had lost at cards. At least I would know what to do about it. But no, it’s not me. It’s Papa.”
Gideon’s heart skipped a solid beat. Was their father dead? While Gideon was wining and dining with friends, had he suddenly become the Duke of Mowbray?
Please Lord, anything but that.
He narrowed his eyes at his brother. There were protocols in place for if and when that unfortunate event occurred. The details were not all clear in his brandy-impaired mind, but his brother coming and getting him was most certainly not part of the plan.
Richard cleared his throat. “You know that Papa—”.
“Is not dead?” said Gideon, interrupting him.
Richard startled. He frowned, then to Gideon’s relief, seemed to finally catch on. “No. No, he’s alive. It’s just that . . . oh.”
A frustrated Gideon leaned across the carriage and took his brother firmly by the shoulders. “What?!”
“You know we have been expecting Mama and G home from Italy? And that Papa has been sending a footman down to the docks each evening to see if their ship has arrived?”
“Yes,” replied Gideon as a heavy, sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.
I knew I should have taken supper when it was offered.
“Well, tonight Papa went down to the docks himself. He took a huge bunch of white roses, wrapped up in a silk ribbon, with him. It was quite the sight. Dare I say, romantic.”
Gideon gritted his teeth. Richard fancied himself as a bit of a storyteller, and one often had to suffer through his long-winded tales before being granted the merest nugget of information. “Go on. And the scantest of details would be appreciated.”
Richard hung his head. “They weren’t on the boat. But Mama had sent a note. I haven’t actually been able to read it, but the gist of it is they are not coming home.”
“What? You mean, for Christmas? That’s a pity. I was hoping they would make it back in time.”
“No. Not coming home as in they’re staying permanently in Rome. As in, Mama has left Papa.”
The carriage slowed to a halt, but Gideon’s mind kept on, racing at a fast clip. His mother had left his father.
His fingers shifted, taking hold of the lapels of his brother’s jacket. At first Gideon’s grip was light, then it firmed.This isn’t happening.
“That’s impossible. Please tell me it is. I mean, she was in a bit of a mood when she and G sailed for Rome, but that’s Mama.” He let go of his brother as Richard rose from his seat and opened the door of the hack.
“Come inside and see for yourself. When I left earlier this evening, Father was still curled up in a ball on the floor of his study.”
They stepped out and onto the pavement of Berkeley Square. While Richard paid the driver, Gideon glanced up at the front of Mowbray House. The elegant early Georgian mansion was his family home. His sanctuary. A place of light and laughter complemented by the lush, tree-lined gardens which sat opposite it in the middle of the square.
Gideon pondered the future of his safe, privileged existence. After tonight, would he still recognize that world?
What the devil is going on?
ChapterEight
The instant he set foot onto the black-and-white-checkered tiled floor of the foyer, Gideon’s blood chilled. It was quiet—eerily so. He turned to Richard. “Where is everyone?”
Richard nodded toward the staircase. “When I left about an hour ago, Matthew and the girls had taken up a spot in the small sitting room on the third floor. They don’t as yet know exactly what has happened; they just know Papa got some very bad news. I volunteered to go and find you.”
