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Val started to awake as the carriage came to a sudden halt. He sat up, his mind struggling to let go of another vivid dream of the day of his accident. It took him a moment to determine that he was not still back at that time and that he was, in fact, safely back at his London home. The realization brought him little relief, as the dream had been a harsh reminder of why he had fled there in the first place.
Mustering a smile, he stepped out from the carriage. Frank and the footmen began unloading his belongings as he approached the door. To his surprise, it was his mother, rather than the butler, who greeted him. She flew into his arms, kissing his face as though he had gone missing in some war. In some ways, he supposed, he had.
“Oh, darling,” she said. “I am so glad that you are here.”
Val could not help laughing as he pulled back from his mother’s embrace to kiss her cheek.
“You sound as though I simply showed up unannounced,” he said.
The Duchess looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
“Of course, I knew you were coming,” she said. “But a mother never ceases her worrying.”
There was a brief silence as her unspoken words lingered in the air. She specifically would never stop worrying, especially while he was traveling by carriage. In her mind, the accident that had nearly killed him could very well repeat itself. He could not entertain such notions for long, though. Otherwise, he would never travel again.
“I am famished,” he said, desperate to lighten the mood.
His attempt was successful, as his mother beamed at him.
“I just called for tea moments before you arrived,” she said. “Come. Let us take it to the parlour.”
Val nodded, following his mother inside. Archington Manor looked exactly as he had left it, which should have been comforting to him. However, the memories of his time after the accident and before he fled to the far East remained the same, as well.
Many of them flooded back to him as he walked with his mother to the parlor. He shook them away, trying hard to not ruin his first minutes home with his mother. He hated London and everything about high society since the accident. But he adored his mother, and he wanted to enjoy his time with her.
The Duchess led him to the parlor sofa and patted the spot beside her as she sat. She served him some of the fresh tea and pastries displayed on the table in front of the sofa and then helped herself to some, as well. But no sooner than they had had a sip of tea did she set aside her treats and look intently at her son. He placed his saucer in his lap, laughing lightly at the strange look in his mother’s eyes.
“You can see that I am all right,” he said. “Now, will you please worry less, so that we can enjoy our time more?”
The Duchess nodded slowly, raising her eyebrow.
“I can see that you are physically unharmed,” she agreed. “But that hardly means that you are all right. Have you been taking care of yourself overseas?”
Val flinched. His dark brown hair was becoming unruly, as he had not had it trimmed in some time. He supposed he could have done a better job shaving, so that he looked less haggard after the long journey. And he was sure that the dark circles beneath his eyes lingered, even after his nap in the carriage. But he did his best to grin and nod.
“Of course, I have,” he said, glancing over at Frank, who had just joined them and stood at Val’s side.
Frank rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.
“I shall see to my duties, your Grace,” he said.
Val glared at him, though it was with nothing but affection. The man was more of a friend to Val than any other man in theton, and he was grateful for him.
The Duchess cleared her throat, clicking her tongue.
“This is why I wanted you home,” she said.
Val looked at her, bemused.
“Because I am not caring for myself?” he asked.
His mother nodded curtly.
“Indeed,” she said matter-of-factly. “And I want you to marry and find yourself a wife who can help take care of you.”
Val stared at his mother, trying to see if she was serious. When she did not budge, he pointed dramatically to the left side of his face.
“Perhaps, you did not notice, but that is never going to happen,” he said. “No woman would ever wish to marry such a hideous man.”
