Page 153 of Ironvine

Charles

“Bloody hell, raining again?”muttered Brandon, pulled his cloak over his head as they exited the village pub, The Fang and Feather. “We’ll be drenched by the time we get home.”

Charles mounted his horse. “It’s a good thing I didn’t drink very much.”

Brandon mounted his own horse. “I have a good feeling about this venture. I’m pleased we are doing this together.”

“I am as well, my friend. New beginnings. I think it’s very brave what you’re doing, pushing for a bill against slavery.

Brandon adjusted himself in his saddle, straightening his back. “It cannot go on. We must do what we can, make our voices heard.”

“G’night to ‘ee, sirs.” A voice came from the darkness, and a hand reached out and stroked his horse’s neck. “My lord.” Her lips curved into a sharp smile.

“Ella, I told you no.”

She’d served him and Brandon their food and drink the three hours they’d been here tonight, and she’d kept trying to flirt with him, but he’d ignored her. He’d had her several times last year before he’d gone off to London to meet his brother for the season’s festivities.

Before Georgie turned his world upside down.

“Makin’ sure, milord.” She licked her lips. “Wouldn’t want you to regret nothin’ is all.”

“Regret what, exactly?” asked Brandon.

She put a hand on her hip. “Not havin’ me, o’course,” came her reply on a rolling laugh.

Charles’s horse stamped impatiently. “I’m a married man now, girl.”

“All the more reason, sir.”

“Get back inside. Your punters are waiting for you.”

She scowled at him, turning her back, shooting Brandon a smile and a bow, making her ample bosom practically fall out of her dress. “G’night to ‘ee sir.” She waited, hands at her waist, her gaze darting between the two disinterested men. She did not get any response.

“Cor! The two of you, what a waste.” She rolled her eyes and sashayed back into the Fang.

“Married, but still in demand, I see,” laughed Brandon.

“Aye, but what exactly is in demand here, my coin or my cock?”

“I’d wager on both.”

“Imagine, those days are over.”

“Disappointed?” said Brandon

“No, and that surprises me. It was a way of life for me, to do what I want when I want. It’s how I was raised. And now so much is utterly different. My father is gone, my brother, I have the title and the estate all to myself, and most importantly, but most importantly, Georgina is my wife.”

“You’ve always enjoyed her company.”

“Brandon, I cannot do without her. It’s rather taken my breath away.”

“Charles, you are a wiser man than I was as a new husband. When I came home after the shipwreck, I would spend many nights here at the Fang to avoid truths at home, to avoid Justine, and to find my old self once more, because the old Brandon was such a roaring success. But there was a problem with that thinking.”

“Which was?”

“I was not my old self, and I never would be that man again. And I’d come to realise that the old Brandon was a superficial boy. I finally let him go and allowed myself to discover new things. Better things. And I embraced the woman who is both my dearest friend and my lover.” Brandon tilted his head. “You’re in love with Georgina, aren’t you?”

“I am.”

---