Page 75 of A Tempest of Desire
His father set the papers down. “Told me what, precisely?”
Langdon felt a tilting of his world. Why was his father playing coy? There was no other explanation possible. “That I’ve lost my ability to recognize or decipher numbers.”
A shake of his head. “He told me nothing. I have watched you since shortly after you took your firstbreath. I knew something was amiss. I didn’t know exactly what it entailed. Your mother has watched yousinceyou took your first breath. She, too, is worried about you. I assume this situation is a result of the two trains colliding.”
He felt the tears burning his eyes. Christ, he was too old to cry. “Father, I feel as though I’ve lost half my mind.”
The Earl of Claybourne came out of the chair, around the desk, and was embracing his son so quickly that Langdon barely had time to register his actions. But he slumped against his father and welcomed his tight hold.
“There now, you don’t have to face this alone any longer.”
Strange, but after telling Marlowe, he’d stopped feeling as though he was.
He wriggled out of his father’s arms. “You could go to Parliament, bring a motion, a bill, to have me declared unfit to serve as heir and have Stuart named in my place.”
His father gave him a pointed glare. “Oliver, you are my heir. I suspect Stuart won’t mind helping. He’s a bit of an irresponsible scamp but he loves you.”
“There are times when I feel as though I’m going mad.”
“I think when we survive something horrific that our mind tries to find a way to protect us. I was there when my parents were murdered. In an alley, here in London. And yet I had no memory of it, not for more than a quarter of a century. When the memories finally returned, it was like being bludgeoned. I don’t know why you’ve lost numbers,but Idoknow you have always been a sharp lad. You will find a way through all this.” A corner of his mouth hitched up. “For me, that way was your mother.”
Langdon thought of Marlowe, but then she was mostly what he thought about these days.
The door opened and the Countess of Claybourne glided in. She abruptly came to a stop. “My God, you both look... unwell. What’s happened?”
The earl held out his hand. “He’s finally told me what challenge he is facing. It’s not as bad as we surmised.”
One of her hands joined with her husband’s while the other was flattened against Langdon’s cheek.
“What could be worse?” he asked.
“We thought you were dying,” his father said.
Langdon grimaced. “God, I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner.”
His mother, being the woman she was, took control, poured them each a glass of scotch, sat them down in a sitting area near the window, and announced, “You can tell us all the details now.”
Chapter 30
“I told my parents about this wretched condition I have,” Langdon said quietly once he and Marlowe were settled into his carriage.
He’d arrived right on time. Marlowe wasn’t at all surprised. He seemed to have no trouble at all reading the passage of time in the shadows. She supposed ancient man had done the same before clocks were invented. “Having met them, albeit briefly, and seeing how much they love you, I suspect they were extremely supportive.”
He looked out the window. “They were actually relieved. They’d already surmised something was amiss. They thought I was dying.”
“Oh, my God! Poor things. They certainly hid their fears well.”
“It’s what aristocrats do, Marlowe. We don’t show our emotions. Didn’t Hollingsworth teach you that?”
“He wasn’t expecting me to go out among the nobility. At least not among the proper nobles. What he expected me to know of the aristocracy, what hethought I needed to understand, was the way of the unfaithful husbands and the randy young swells. How to tell if a man would treat me with kindness or... misuse. That’s the reason he stayed close after we ended our association. He didn’t want me to choose poorly.”
“I don’t want you to choose poorly either, but I don’t know that I have it within me to stand by and watch while you choose at all. You might have to seek his guidance again.”
“I know. I’ve considered that. You and I haven’t many nights left. I know it will mean nothing if I tell you how many, but it will be soon. I have enjoyed being naughty and taking some time away from responsibilities.”
“I think some might argue regarding your definition ofnaughty.”
“Not if they saw what you and I get up to.”
