Page 3 of Vanquished by a Viscount (Tales from the Brotherhood #3)

One

I t was uncanny how Charlie could be of two entirely different minds about the same occurrence simultaneously.

On the one hand, as the carriage he’d taken from London into Kent sped down the drive of Hawthorne House toward the imposing, Jacobean mansion, his heart and his hopes lifted at the thought of seeing his beloved sister again.

It would be the first time he’d seen Barbara since her wedding to Lord Robert Hawthorne, Earl of Felcourt, at Christmas the previous year.

On the other hand, his arrival and stay at Hawthorne House as part of the grand house party Barbara was throwing meant that, after seven long years, Charlie would reside under the same roof as Gray once more, if only for a month.

Charlie sighed and slumped against the carriage window as he gazed out at the impressive house and the gardens that were visible from the drive.

Hawthorne House was lovely and its grounds extensive and well-kept, but he hardly saw any of it as the carriage hurried on to what he was certain could be his doom.

He wouldn’t have come at all if Barbara hadn’t begged and pleaded with him to assist her in her first grand event since becoming the Countess of Felcourt.

Barbara hadn’t said anything about Grayson being at home at Hawthorne House, but Charlie knew from a few subtle inquiries via The Brotherhood that Gray was in England, for a change, and that he had plans to spend his summer in his family home.

As much as he dreaded the prospect of seeing his former lover turned bitterest enemy again, he could not deny the thrill of excitement that tickled both his heart and his body.

He and Gray had been forced to endure each other at Christmas, of course.

It would have been impossible for Charlie not to play a key role in the marriage festivities, since he and Barbara were each other’s only family, without encountering Gray.

Lord Felcourt, on the other hand, had an immense and sprawling family.

There always seemed to be more Hawthornes about than anyone could accurately number.

While the majority of them were in their late childhood and early adult years, Charlie knew good and well that Gray was a grown man with an adult’s interests and activities.

All the same, he and Gray had successfully spent the minimal amount of time required in each other’s presence, and had spoken hardly ten words to each other through the entire week of wedding festivities.

Charlie very much doubted they would be able to repeat that luck at a house party set to last an entire month. He would inevitably be asked to say more than simply, “Does the bride not look beautiful?” and “Pass the salt” during the next thirty-one days.

He told himself he was put out about the whole thing.

He insisted in his correspondence with Barbara leading up to the event that it would be best for all if he and Grayson were kept out of each other’s presence for the most part.

He shared with his friend Dr. Elias Pettigrew, who, as it turned out, had also been invited to join the party, that he could not have cared less if Gray were at Hawthorne House or in Hindustan.

But as the carriage pulled around to the grand front door, to be met by a small but neat line of servants ready to see to his needs, Charlie’s heart beat faster and danced around his chest at the prospect of catching a glimpse of his old lover soon.

“Charlie! You’ve arrived at last,” Barbara said, practically skipping down from the open double doors leading into the magnificent house, where she had stood watching his arrival.

Despite now being one-and-twenty and a married woman, Barbara still had the gentle appearance and youthful glow of a young and spritely girl.

Charlie unlatched the carriage door and practically leapt down to the gravel drive in his joy of seeing his sister again.

She ran to him and leapt into his arms, and Charlie spun her around before setting her on her feet and hugging her as he had when she was a mere child.

“Barbara,” he greeted her with genuine affection, his heart light. “Marriage suits you.”

Barbara made a scoffing sound and slapped Charlie’s arm playfully, but she could not quite meet his eyes, and her cheeks turned a curious shade of pink.

Charlie made a note to investigate possible reasons for her reaction even as she said, “I always knew it would, of course. I have played the role of lady of the manor for years at Downham Manor.”

“And a very good job you did of it,” Charlie said, stepping back so he could hold his sister at arm’s length and look at her. “The entire household is lost without you. Mrs. Cloverdale can barely manage without you.”

“I write to her frequently,” Barbara reminded him.

“I am certain you do,” Charlie said with a smile.

It felt just a bit strange to see Barbara looking so grown up and certain of herself as she stood in front of an unfamiliar house. Charlie could still remember her at the age of eleven, when the physician had come to them to tell them their father was no more and when she had hugged him in relief.

“The entire Hawthorne family has been so accommodating toward me,” Barbara said, her voice as light and lilting as a wren as she turned to take his arm and lead him into the house.

“You know Robert has been the earl for only just over a year. His sister Charlotte did not think he should marry so swiftly upon inheriting the title and the estates that came with it, insisting she and their mother could manage everything on their own, but Robert professed that he was so in love with me he did not wish to wait another moment before making me his wife and expanding the family with?—”

Barbara stopped abruptly as they entered the cooler front hall of the house and turned to face him, cheeks even pinker than before.

“But I dare say you have no wish to hear about your younger sister’s married life,” she said, head lowered slightly.

Good God! That was the very last thing Charlie wanted to know anything about.

“How fares the Dowager Countess of Felcourt?” he asked instead to change the conversation.

“She writes to say that she and the three youngest Hawthornes adore Paris,” Barbara answered gratefully, taking Charlie’s arm once more and leading him toward a magnificent staircase.

Charlie glanced back to make certain the footmen knew what to do with his trunks.

“I adore Lady Felcourt and was quite anxious that she would leave me in sole charge of Hawthorne House so soon, but she insisted that she has friends she has wished to visit in Paris for some time and that I would not want her or the younger ones in the way for this, my very first attempt at entertaining.”

Charlie could not help but smile at his sister.

Barbara was still very young despite her title, and there was no telling what sort of a guest list she had put together for her first foray into playing hostess.

Her inexperience was a major part of why Charlie had been invited, he was certain, and it was most definitely the reason he had agreed to attend, despite Gray being there… somewhere.

“Lady Suzanne Cockburn and her companion, Lady Carolina Wilmore arrived yesterday,” Barbara chattered as Charlie subtly glanced around the front hall and up the stairs, in search of any sign of his former lover.

“It is a shame that Lady Suzanne’s brother, Lord Moreland, could not come, as I know the two of you are acquainted, but he and his friend, Mr. Creighton, have business on the continent, and they have taken young Lord Timothy with them for his first tour. ”

Charlie attempted to keep a straight face.

Ashton Cockburn and Billy Creighton were fellow members of The Brotherhood and committed lovers besides that.

It was as likely as not that they had gone on holiday to someplace like Spain or Italy, where they could be more open about their connection, although the fact that they had taken Lord Timothy with them might prove otherwise.

Then again, if Charlie remembered correctly, Lord Timothy was fast approaching manhood himself.

It was entirely possible Ashton was allowing his son the opportunity to discover which way his inclinations pointed in a relatively safe environment.

“Suzanne and Cary are quite happy to spend a few weeks in the countryside,” Barbara chattered on.

“I’ve made certain accommodations to the house to account for Suzanne’s blindness, but she insists she will do quite well without any intervention.

I’ve also invited half a dozen eligible young men to attend her and Cary, as well as the other ladies of the party, most of whom I knew at school.

But when I told Suzanne and Cary as much, they insisted they would not need any company other than their own. ”

Charlie pressed his lips tightly together to keep himself from laughing.

According to Ashton, while the friendship between Lady Suzanne and Lady Carolina had begun as a way for Suzanne, who had been blind from early childhood, to gain a degree of independence through caring help, it had deepened into an entirely different sort of bond that Barbara, in all her bright-eyed innocence, might not have realized could exist between two women as of yet.

The house party could be a rare occasion for the two women to enjoy each other’s company romantically without raising suspicions.

“Lady Eudora Sandridge was delighted when I shared with her the names of the gentlemen I have invited,” Barbara went on.

“She has brought her mother, Lady Sandridge with her as chaperone, and the two of them have determined that Lady Eudora will not leave Hawthorne House without a promise of marriage firmly in hand.”