What in the hell was going on? Rook thought in disbelief. His sister was leaving, Clara had already left, Jack was nowhere to be seen, and as to his brother-in-law…well, he would have words with him very, very soon.
“You’ve ripped the leather on my portmanteau, you imbecile. I shall have you removed from this house and whipped.”
The shriek from Lady Minkworth, shattered Rook’s thoughts. But first, first he had a house full of guests to get rid of.
ΦΦΦ
That evening…late
Rook, Jack and Nathan were to be found in the study. Jackets and waistcoats had been strewn over the desk, and the men were slumped over various pieces of furniture. Rook had taken the chaise longue; his booted feet were propped up, and his head tipped back.
“What a goddamn awful day.”
Jack was on the floor, his back against the desk-leg, and a nearly-empty whisky cradled against his stomach.
“I’m fagged to death. It was actually worse than the, ‘let’s go and show your guests the stables day,” Jack drawled in agreement.
Nathan was nearly falling out of his chair. His arse teetered precariously on the edge of the seat – the merest push would upend him onto the floor.
“I hate myself and want to die,” Nathan murmured flatly.
“Lud, that’s doing it a bit brown, Nathan,” Jack remarked.
“Hmm,” was Rook’s response.
“Pour us another glass, Rook? The dog drank all mine,” Jack slurred from the floor.
“Haven’t got a dog, and if you want more whisky, you’ll have to get it yourself. After today, I gave most of the servants the night off. You know the way to the cellar…better than I do,” he muttered at the end.
Jack heaved himself onto his knees and swayed for a while. “Lady Minkworth pinched my bottom on the way out, you know,” he moaned pitifully. “Said it was the most fascinating house party she had ever been to.”
Rook snorted. “She told me that my ‘antics’ with Clara had been the best entertainment she had ever had. I pity her dead husband, if that is the case.”
“She told me,” Nathan interjected, “that I was a fatwit.”
“Hmm,” was Rook’s response again.
“Well, I’m glad someone had a good time.” With that pronouncement, Jack made a push for standing position and stumbled to the door. “I’ll get the decent stuff. We deserve it after today.”
He exited the door, shouting, “I heard that…” as Rook muttered something about Jack always quaffing the decent stuff anyhow.
His footsteps faded away, and Rook let out a long breath. All he had wanted to do this day, was to order his horse tacked and travel to London after Clara. However, as host and with Hestia gone, it was impossible to abandon his guests, and it had taken the entire day to see them disbursed. It was a wonder that he had any servants left after today. Even the squealer of a valet had managed to redeem himself, with his patient manner towards the departing gentry.
It was now very late; they were all too tired to do anything more than collapse in a heap in the study. The previous night’s overindulgence had caught up with them, and the ‘hair of the dog’ whisky was making them all yawn.
Hestia had been right: he had been a selfish bounder this week.Caught up in his own knot of trouble, he had ignored his sister’s misery. He gazed over at Nathan. He had known something was ‘off’ and had inconsiderately thought the problem would sort itself out.
“Nathan?”
“Hmmm,” the man replied distractedly, without looking up.
“You look awful.” That wasn’t exactly what Rook meant to say. He wanted to start off by laying into Nathan for making Hestia miserable. However, the man looked at the end of his tether. He obviously hadn’t shaved that day, and the dark jaw-line made him look gaunt; his eyes were shadowed and, although he was younger than Rook, he looked as though he had aged ten years in the last week.
“Do you still love Hestia?” Rook decided to keep the questions simple.
“God, yes,” Nathan replied. “How could you think otherwise?”
“Then, why are you treating her in this way? Ignoring her, ‘chatting’ with widows, drinking yourself to death? Hestia also informed me…” Rook shifted uncomfortably in his chair, “that you haven’t had ‘relations’ since Harry was born. That you no longer want her. Is this true?”
