AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The valet dressed me in my fencing clothes. With a splash of water in my face, I felt almost brand new… though not quite. More alcohol would be required for that. I ate my toast in two bites with a large glass of gin, my preferred liquor, which did the trick well enough.
Cavendish was waiting in drawing room. He was my best mate from Eton, and a fellow rake – though he hadn’t gotten up to quite as much trouble as I had.
“Marsden, you reek of gin.” He said, shaking his head at me.
I grinned, striding out the front door.
“No idea what you’re talking about,your Grace.”
He rolled his eyes. Back at Eton, I’d simply been William Thorne… and he’d been Andrew Ashwin, Lord Phillips. Now that we were both slightly elevated in society, thanks to the deaths of our dear (or not so dear) fathers, we found it amusing to make fun of each other’s titles.
I was never one for pomp or frivolity, and neither was Cavendish.
We arrived at the Opera House Buildings in Haymarket, the home of the best fencing school in London. We’d both trained here as boys during our breaks from Eton, and it was a little bit like returning home.
The closest thing I had to home, anyways… hell, I hadn’t been to Rosehill inyears. I’d left home when I was 13 to attend Eton, and since, I’d only been back once or twice.
The only place from my childhood I ever visited with regularity was my mother’s country estate… but I tried to avoid going there as much as possible.
“So, Marsden, are you going to tell me what you’ve been up to the last year?” My friend asked with a laugh, his saber poised and ready.
“I wouldn’t want to spoil the rumors with the far more boring reality.” I responded, as we moved back in forth across the fencing mat.
“Oh, so you’ve heard what they’re saying? You have bastards across Southern Europe, apparently. And I believe you seduced a famous opera singer in Italy. You took her virtue on a venetian gondola.”
I burst into laughter.
“So, it’s not true? I’m terribly disappointed, Marsden. Really expected more from you.”
“Well, the part about the opera singer is partially true, though I doubt she was a virgin. But the bastard part… well, that would be news to me.”
Cavendish spun, sending his spear into my arm. I grinned, recognizing defeat. I had always been good at sports, but Cavendish was the best.
“What about you, old friend? Still gallivanting around London, I imagine?”
He shrugged.
“Yes and no. Since my father died last year…”
I threw him an apologetic look, and he shook his head. We were both the first sons of dead fathers. We understood each other – and there was no need to discuss it further.
“I’ve had a lot of responsibility. More than I’d like, to be frank. My younger sisters need to be married, and my mother expects me to be the man of the house. As she should.”
“You could simply be like me, Phillips,” I said, calling him by his old title out of habit, “and say to hell with it all. Go off to France for a while, wreak havoc… it’s an opportunity uniquely afforded to gentlemen.”
Cavendish shook his head. We stepped off the mats and settled on the benches, removing our gear.
“It’s an opportunity uniquely afforded to gentlemen likeyou, Marsden. You have no sisters, no family reputation to uphold.” He was silent for a moment, and then he turned to look at me. “Your mother, she’s…” He trailed off, leaving me to respond.
I felt a twisting in my stomach, but I ignored it.
“Rather not discuss it.” I responded curtly, suddenly feeling the need for a drink.
Some topics, even with my closest friend, were off limits.
“Of course.” Cavendish responded, watching me as I unscrewed my flask.
“It’s a bit early for it, is it not?” He asked, raising his eyebrows as I took a deep swig. The familiar burn in my throat felt good.
