Page 135 of Ironvine

“She heard me and turned. Her demeanour was hard as stone. It did not soften as it always would upon seeing me. It was gone. He’d destroyed it. She only said,‘Goodbye, Charles,’and entered her carriage. No smile, no embrace, no kiss. No endearments. One brief wave goodbye and she was gone.”

And his heart with her,Georgina thought.

He let out a deep breath. “When she returned the next month for her visit, instead of being overjoyed at seeing her again, I was only full of dread.”

“You were afraid for her.” Georgina went to him, her hand wiping his brow, settling against his face.

“I did not visit her in her chamber, I did not use the gib door ever again. I did nothing to stop it, nothing to help her. To comfort her in some way. I only receded. I learnt to never speak of her, pretend I had no use for her, just as Hugh had. I did what was expected of me. Thus, I’d collaborated with him against her. Makes me sick to this day.” That muscle alongside his jaw flexed.

“You couldn’t have possibly done anything differently. Think of it—he would have punished you or sent you away, never allowed you to see her again. You were just a boy.” Her hand went to his chest. “Did Hugh know? Did you ever tell him?”

“Oh, Georgie. I trusted no one in this house, and no one outside of it,” his voice was weary, raw. His gleaming eyes lanced her through her like a burning hot poker. One would have thought Charles Montclare, son of the Earl of Ryvves, had enjoyed an idyllic childhood, free of cares and woes, rich with abundance and glorious plenty.

“Truly she suffered, and you understood her suffering. You had compassion for her. So unlike your brother, who simply shed any unpleasantness from himself and carried on.” She stroked the sides of his face. “You must know that she did not allow it to destroy her. Her relationship with my father is a clear testament to that, is it not?”

He pulled away from her. “I am glad to learn she had happiness in her life, that happiness which she’d yearned for once upon a time in her youth. But to have it thus taken away from her, by marriage, by death…I only feel a profound sense of grief. I am grieving her all over again, and in a new way.” Charles swallowed hard, composing himself. “I only wish I could have shared that new happiness with her, known it, known her like that again…” He rubbed at his eyes. “Dammit…I cannot…” Suddenly, he stalked out of the room, his drink in hand.

“Charles!” She followed him out into the great hall. “Charles!”

Glass exploded and crashed. The large portrait of his father was covered in wine, the amethyst liquid streaming down the great long canvas. Splinters and shards of glass were everywhere, the heady scent of the liquor rising around them.

“You are nothing like him.” Georgina’s voice rose behind him. “Nothing.”

He stormed away. “It is all I know. He made sure of it.”

ChapterFifty-Eight

Georgina

The Dukeand Duchess were set to quit their estate within a fortnight’s time, and Brandon and Justine felt they should invite the Oakleys over to Wolfsgate for dinner before their departure.

Rather, Georgina had instilled the idea in Justine’s mind as another plan formed in hers.

She had invited Justine to Ironvine to help her make sense of the massive silver collection as well as offering ideas to redecorate and repurpose the many parlours on the ground floor of the house as well as redecorating the many bedchambers upstairs.

As they poured over tapestries and bedspreads, Georgina mentioned that she had heard the Duke and Duchess would be leaving shortly.

“Are they?”

“I feel I must invite them for dinner, being of the peerage, but as our mourning period for Hugh is not yet over, to host a party would not be…” Georgina watched her friend’s features for a response. “Of course, if it were hunting season, Charles at the very least would certainly have the Duke and Brandon and a few others over for shooting and the like, but now in July…”

Justine’s gaze shot up from the bedding they had been going through. She was positively stricken. “I hadn’t considered they would be leaving so soon. I thought we’d have many more weeks before…” She blew out a huff of air. “Ordinarily, Brandon and I would have considered such a thing immediately, but these past weeks he’s been consumed with a business matter and has been going to London and Bristol with regularity. And with the children, I…where is my mind?”

“Where it should be, with your beautiful babies.”

“I am so glad you mentioned it.”

Georgina took the tapestry from Justine’s hands. “All this can wait. Arranging such a dinner party is the most pressing matter. Do not fret, my darling, I can assist you with every detail.”

“As Brandon has just returned last night from London, I shall make haste and go home now and tell him that we absolutely must have the Oakleys to Wolfsgate immediately.”

“Excellent.” Georgina grinned as she gestured to the servant that Lady Graven would be leaving.Objective accomplished. Desired result achieved.“If you like, I could pen the invitations?”

“Yes, please, Georgie, would you? That would be an incredible help, I find that such a tedious, time-consuming chore.”

“Of course, my love.”

Having the Oakleys at Wolfsgate would be the most powerful way to get the necklace back from the Duchess. If that didn’t work, nothing would. As the Oakleys were leaving, there would be no more such opportunities, and she would not let it slip away. Especially now that the Duchess and Georgina’s friendship had progressed since her visit to Ironvine. This was the time to strike.

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