Of love and deceit

Chapter Seven

Edward woke up with a throbbing headache. Groaning, he pulled himself into a sitting position. He guessed he had too much brandy to drink. Remembering the work at his father's study, he rose from the bed, pulled on his clothing, and made his way down for breakfast.

Sitting at the head table, he tried not to think about how lonely and cold it felt. "Good morning, Mrs. Anne" He greeted when he spotted the woman. "Mornin' midear" The woman held a cup of tea in her hands. "To help you relax" She patted his arm.

Edward hoped she wasn't aware of his drinking. Taking the tea, he took a good sniff. Chamomile. It had always soothed him. Mrs. Anne knew this. He took a large sip and could feel the headache fading already.

He finished his toast quickly and motioned to the butler that he was going to his father's study and, hence, should not be disturbed. The old man bowed.

He retreated to the study and started with sorting out the accounts. His father was a prudent and accountable man despite his lack of parental attributes, Edward observed. The stocks were well labelled and everything was in appropriate order.

The properties in London, Spain, Italy, and a few others seem to be in good shape. His father was wealthy. Flicking his dark hair from his eyes, he decided he was going to pay a visit to the family's lawyer just to clarify some things.

A knock on the door pulled his brows into a frown. He had given clear instructions about not wishing to be disturbed. " I presume I had made my instructions explicit, Mr. Jones" He glared at the butler.

"My apologies, Your Grace" The butler bowed, "a missive arrived for you, it's critical". Edward gestured for the letter to be dropped on the desk. The butler complied and left the study.

Turning it in his palms, he recognized the Eckhart's seal. Lord Hadley Eckhart was an old friend of his father's. Edward never liked the old man, he always looked scheming and devious to him. Hissing, Edward pondered on what the selfish man wanted.

Using a letter knife, he broke the seal and glanced through the letter. Something along the lines had him pausing for a while. Lord Eckhart entered into an agreement with his father? What for? Edward was alarmed. Lord Hadley was never up to no good. He had asked for an audience with the new duke of Heartland.

Good grief! What in the world would his father want with that devious man? Edward shuddered. It wasn't pleasant. He was willing to hear him out, though not because of his father, but Edward was hoping to cut whatever ties his father had with him. With this in mind, he rang for his butler. Lord Eckhart was getting a response.

A short chapter, I know 😂 but don't worry more is coming ☺️. Always remember to vote, comment and share😘.