Page 5 of An Enchanting Kiss (Captivating Kisses #5)

“W hat!” Rupert roared, seeing both the butler and housekeeper wince. Reining in his emotions, he asked, “When did this happen? How old is the child?”

“It must have been close to five years ago,” Mrs. Bowers said. “His lordship arrived with a babe. One look at her, and I knew she had to be his. Most babes are bald, but this one had hair black as night and the same pale blue eyes his lordship did.”

A chill ran through him.

“A woman was with them,” Bowers continued. “Lord Cressley told me they would be going to Crestbrook the next morning.” The butler shook his head. “They left—and we never saw the babe again. His lordship said not one word about her in all these years.”

“I only know her name was Celia because I went up to see the woman who was caring for her,” Mrs. Bowers added.

“I asked if she needed anything. Her name was Newton. She was a bit frightened. When I asked if she might be the child’s mother, she grew weepy but told me no, that Celia belonged to another. ”

“And this Celia has been at Crestbrook all these years? Did Lord Cressley ever go to visit her?”

“No, my lord,” the butler said. “He never left town for Crestbrook, and Mrs. Bowers and I have been in service for many years. His lordship always remained in town.”

“You can tell me nothing more of the child then? ”

Both servants sadly shook their heads.

He wondered why Ousley had not mentioned the child. Then again, the solicitor might not have known of Celia’s existence.

Edwards, the vicar, arrived, and Rupert took him to his brother’s study. No, his study. He was still trying to comprehend that he was now a titled lord, in possession of a fortune.

And a niece.

“I had visited with Lord Cressley,” Edwards informed him. “He knew that he was dying. The viscount gave me instructions regarding his service. His lordship wished to be buried here in London.”

“Yes, my brother had a great affinity for town,” he said non-committedly. “When do you suggest we hold the service?”

The clergyman said, “Two mornings from now would be acceptable,” and they set the time for ten o’clock at St. George’s, with burial to follow.

He knew he should put a death notice in the newspapers, and so after the vicar left, Rupert quickly wrote out the information they would need, asking Bowers to see it delivered.

“I am off to notify Mr. Ousley about my brother’s passing,” he told the butler.

“Shall I have your carriage readied for you, my lord?”

The question startled him. He realized he no longer needed to take a hansom cab since he had a carriage and fine team of horses at his disposal.

“Yes, please do so. Let me know when it is ready.”

Rupert spent the next few minutes looking through the desk drawers, seeing if could find anything of value or interest. He found a few copies of some of the documents Mr. Ousley had gone over with him jammed haphazardly into drawers.

The military had influenced Rupert greatly, and he winced seeing how disorganized Perceval had been.

He would need to clean all of this out and organize it in some fashion once he knew what he had .

The trip to his solicitor’s office did not take long, and the clerk greeted him by name when he appeared.

“Good afternoon, Major Cummings. Did you forget something this morning?”

Grimly, he said, “It is Lord Cressley now,” causing the clerk’s eyes to widen.

“Yes, my lord. I will inform Mr. Ousley that you are here.”

The solicitor saw him immediately, expressing sympathy for Rupert’s loss.

Eyeing the man, he said, “You know it is not a great loss to me. My brother and I were too many years apart to ever have become close, especially with no mother to help us bridge that age gap. All I wish now is do right by the title and my tenants.”

He told Ousley when the funeral services would be held at St. George’s and requested that he have copies of all pertinent documents, sharing he had found some in the viscount’s study but that everything was terribly disorganized.

“I will keep records going forth with military precision,” he assured Mr. Ousley. Then Rupert added, “There is another matter I wish to discuss with you. About Celia.”

He watched but saw no recognition in the solicitor’s eyes.

“I am not familiar with that name, my lord. You are the only person named in Lord Cressley’s will. Is this perhaps some distant relative you have become aware of?”

“She is my brother’s child.”

Ousley gasped.

“Illegitimate,” he said, then sharing all he had learned from the Bowers. “What are my responsibilities toward the girl?”

“Legally, none, my lord,” Ousley told him. “If this Celia is his lordship’s bastard, you can have nothing to do with her if that is your wish. She can be taken to a foundling home. I hear that Oakbrooke Orphanage is an excellent facility. ”

“No, I will assume responsibility for her,” he assured the older man, knowing he could never neglect his responsibilities to a blood relative, even if Celia might have been born on the wrong side of the blanket. “Are there papers to be drawn up regarding guardianship?”

They talked about the situation, and when Rupert left the solicitor’s offices, he knew he would see that the girl was educated and cared for.

By the time he arrived home, his brother’s body had been placed in the library, washed and dressed by his valet. Damsley now sat beside the body.

He told Damsley, “It is not necessary for you to keep vigil.”

“Begging your pardon, my lord, but I want to. From what I gather, his lordship ran off his fair share of valets over the years. I tended to him when the sickness began. I wish to see everything through until the end.”

“That is most admirable of you, Damsley. Do you plan to stay on in service to me? Or would you prefer to leave my household? I would be happy to write you a recommendation if that is your choice.”

The valet said, “I would be grateful if I could retain my position, Lord Cressley.”

“We will make our way to Crestbrook then once the funeral is held. I have very little to be packed. Once we arrive in Cumberland, I will see a tailor and have some civilian clothes made up.”

“I will see to his lordship’s things being cleared from your rooms, my lord.”

“You cannot sit with the body and do that, Damsley. Let Bowers and Mrs. Bowers handle that task.”

“Thank you, my lord,” the valet said, gratitude in his voice.

He spent the following day familiarizing himself with his new household, meeting all the servants.

The Bowers removed all clothing and personal belongings from the viscount’s rooms, asking Rupert what he wished done with the clothing.

Since he was much taller and leaner than his brother had been before he wasted away, he told them to distribute the clothes however they saw fit.

“Give them to other servants. Sell them. I simply do not care.”

The next morning, he breakfasted and went to St. George’s. He told Bowers to inform the staff that they were welcome to attend the funeral. The butler frowned deeply.

“If I may be frank, my lord, I doubt anyone will wish to go. His lordship was a harsh master, with never a kind word for anyone. The staff feared him.” Hesitating a moment, Bowers added, “I hope you will respect the feelings of the servants and not hold this against them.”

“Please let the staff know I would never do something such as that,” he assured Bowers.

He took his carriage to the church, Damsley asking if he might ride atop with the coachman to the church.

Rupert gave his permission, not wanting the loyal valet to have to spend his hard-earned coin to pay for a hansom cab.

When they arrived, the two entered the church together.

They were greeted by the vicar, and the valet took a set near the rear of the church.

Rupert went to the front, placing his palm on the closed casket.

“This is goodbye, Perceval. I am sorry we were never close. If I am fortunate enough to have sons of my own, I will do everything in my power to see they are close to one another.”

Having nothing more to say, he took a seat on the front pew and waited.

No other mourners came.

He knew the death notice had run in the newspapers because he had read them yesterday.

Surely, some friends of Perceval’s must still be in town even though the Season had already ended.

Yet not a single one took the time to come and say goodbye to him.

It let Rupert know just what a dissolute life Perceval had led, with no one to mourn him in the end but a distant brother with whom he never spoke .

He returned to his townhouse, Damsley accompanying him again. As he exited the carriage and the valet climbed down from the driver’s seat, Rupert said, “Thank you for coming to the service. I am certain it would have meant a great deal to my brother to have you there.”

“It was my duty to do so, my lord. Lord Cressley was a hard man, and his illness only made him more difficult. I doubted anyone from the household would come this morning, which is why I needed to be there.”

“Loyalty such as yours will not be forgotten, Damsley. Be ready to leave at dawn’s first light tomorrow.”

They parted, Damsley heading down the stairs to enter the house through the kitchens, while Rupert went through the front door. Sadness filled him, thinking of the life Perceval had wasted. He would choose to be a much different man from his brother.

*

They reached Kidsgrove, a village Rupert had not seen in many years. As a boy, he had liked to walk from Crestbrook to the village, going into the various shops and speaking with the owners. He wondered if any might still remember him, since he had been gone for a decade.