And he would not return to either home.
Chapter Sixteen
“Matthew? What are you doing here?” John looked up, startled, when the servant announced his cousin’s presence.
“Is your father at home?” Matthew asked.
John furrowed his brow. “Father is away on business. He has not yet returned. Do you need him?”
“No.” In fact, this would be easier if his uncle were not at home. “And Isabelle?”
“She’s calling on her friend.” John was staring at him even more steadily. “I expect her back soon.”
“I need a place to stay,” Matthew said finally.
“Has something happened to the townhouse? Are you all right? Is Diana all right?” John was instantly concerned, and while Matthew appreciated it, it did nothing to make him feel better.
“The townhouse is fine. Diana is fine. I simply need a place to stay for the night.”
John narrowed his eyes at him, a searching look on his face. It wasn’t often that he had anything but a happy or playful grin on his face, but when he was focused, he often knew far more than he should. Or rather, he could deduce far more than he should.
“Of course, there is room for you here. But what is the matter? What has happened that you cannot stay in your home?”
“It is nothing to trouble yourself with,” Matthew replied, turning toward the door so that he could make his way upstairs to one of the many extra rooms and have some time to himself.
“You have come here to find a room to sleep in rather than stay at your own home. You are worried that my father or sister would know that you are here. Surely there is something that I should be troubling myself with,” John retorted. “What is it?”
“There’s nothing.”
“Matthew, I have known you far too long to believe that.”
“I would appreciate a little privacy if you don’t mind,” he retorted.
“You’re being ridiculous. Clearly, there is something the matter, or else you would be at home. And it is clearly not related to business, or you would be seeking out my father to discuss it. If the business is not in any trouble and the townhouse is not in any trouble, then are you ill? Or Diana?”
“No one is ill. Now, can you see about getting a room prepared for me?”
Again, John narrowed his eyes but rang a bell, and a servant entered the room almost immediately.
“His Grace shall need a room,” John instructed.
The maid bobbed a deep curtsey to them both and then scurried out of the room, presumably to prepare a room for Matthew.
But John was not done. “You’ll need to tell me something.”
“It is… I have not had time to consider it myself,” Matthew sighed.
“Then perhaps it is best if you discuss it with a friend. I may be able to assist you when it comes to dealing with it. Perhaps I can help you with some ideas of what to do next.” This time John sounded calmer and more reassuring, but that was not enough for him now.
Matthew very much doubted that, and he very much worried just what John would think if hedidtell him what had happened and why he was upset.
Would it change anything? What would John think of the whole thing? John, who treated just about everything as a joke and a game, would he see just how important all of this was?
“Diana does not want to have children,” Matthew revealed finally, though he couldn’t look at his cousin as he said it.
And then he strode out of the room, determined to wait for his chambers to be ready in the hall rather than staying in the receiving room with John.
He had hoped that the next morning would bring some level of clarity. That it would tell him what he needed to do. But it did not seem to help. He still had no idea what he would do next. No thought of how he would fix this situation, and even as he put on the clothes that John had thoughtfully sent to his rooms, nothing seemed to make sense.
