The pace of his strokes increased and as his climax claimed him, Francis whispered into the dark, “I love you, Poppy. If you give me your heart, I will give you the world.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
His parents might have been out of town, but Francis still had family members in London whom he could visit when he felt the need for company.
The morning after his night with Poppy, Francis had the need to speak to someone whom he could trust. Someone who might be able to offer him counsel. A confidant to hear his plans for the future and give him their blessing.
He should be talking to his brother Will, but the relative to whom he was closest was his cousin Gideon Kembal, the Marquis of Holwell.
The Mowbray House footman left Francis alone in the downstairs foyer while he went to fetch Gideon. As soon as the man departed, an unsettling silence descended over the empty space.
Mowbray House, in busy Berkeley Square, was never usually quiet. The Kembal family were effusive to the point of being outright rowdy. Francis had never known the place to be so still. It was as if someone had died.
Perhaps everyone is out for the day. Or maybe I am still getting used to not being around people.
The warehouse was remarkably quiet at night, with only the occasional loud singing from a group of drunken sailors on their way back to their ship to disturb the silence.
“Francis. Forgive me for having kept you waiting.”
He turned, frowning as Gideon made his way down the stairs. Even the footfalls of his cousin’s boots barely made a sound. The expression on Gideon’s face was one of grave concern.
Sweet heavens, has someone actually died?
Gideon glanced over his shoulder at the footman who had followed him back downstairs. “Go talk to the kitchen, tell her that Mister Saunders and I shall take a light meal in the upstairs drawing room.”
The footman hesitated. “Will my lord require several courses?”
Gideon waved him away with a disinterested, “I couldn’t care less what we were served.”
Francis, who had been hoping to share a private moment with his cousin and discuss Poppy, kept silent. Something was wrong. A terrible misfortune had befallen the family.
As the footman made his way down the servants’ stairs to the lower kitchens, Gideon led Francis up to the next floor.
Once they were inside the drawing room, Gideon closed the door. He turned the key in the lock, then sighed. “I’m sorry; none of us have been in circulation about town of late. We are all obviously saddened to have missed cousin Maggie’s wedding. But I’m afraid the Kembal family are not good company at this moment.”
Francis placed a comforting hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “What has happened?”
“It’s Mama.”
Oh, no. The Duchess of Mowbray and her daughter, Lady Augusta, were overdue to return from their long voyage to Italy. Had something terrible befallen his beloved Aunt Anne?
“She’s not coming home.”
His heart sank as he caught the gleam of tears in Gideon’s eyes. Francis waited. Those words could mean several things.
“Papa received a letter informing him that neither Mama nor Augusta would be returning from Rome. My mother has left my father. She is going to file for a formal separation.”
Francis swayed on his feet as the shock hit him. “I know this sounds unkind, but your parents are always rowing with each other. Perhaps this is just another of their arguments.”
The Duke and Duchess of Mowbray had taken spousal discord to the highest level. From the day they had met, they had fought. If there had been a national competition for marital combat, they would be its reigning champions.
As a young boy, he had found their outrageous behavior frightening. It left him puzzled. His own parents didn’t fight. The Kembal children, however, took it mostly in their stride. From an early age, Gideon had pressed upon him the fact that his parents’ disagreements were simply a part of life. The existence of six children spoke to them having at least some moments of marital harmony.
“No, she has left him. Said he pushed her away one too many times.”
“Oh, Gideon. I don’t know what to say,” replied Francis. What could he say? While there were socially acceptable ways to convey sympathy over a death or such loss, a marriage breakdown was something entirely different.
You didn’t leave your spouse.
