Read Online Cavendish Brothers 01 - An Unintended Journey by Catherine Gayle - Free Book Online
Authors: Catherine Gayle
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administrative details were not in favor of such an occurrence. “But the banns—”
Milne returned and bowed to them all. He passed a slip of parchment over to Danby—the very same slip of parchment he’d taken off with just before the Goddards had joined them in the study. “The special license, Your Grace.”
Danby smiled at his butler, took the license, and held it up for Wesley and Mr. Goddard to see. “There will be no need for the banns.”
“ But…how?” was all Wesley could manage. He raised his eyes to Mr. Goddard, who merely shrugged his shoulders with a half smile. The man seemed in a daze, even more so than the daze Wesley was currently experiencing.
Danby squinted at the pair of them. “The Archbishop of Canterbury is a close personal friend. He owed me a few…er, favors, shall we say? I recently called them in.” He shuffled the stack of papers from which the special license had been pulled and resettled them on his desk. “Now, if you’ve no further objections, I suggest you see to asking your betrothed to marry you, as there is no time to waste. Milne will show you to your chamber and then assist you in finding Abby. I trust you can determine how to do the rest.”
Without awaiting Wesley’s confirmation, Danby stood, nodded, and quit the room.
“ Did all of that really just happen?” Goddard asked. “He truly offered Abby a dowry of five thousand?”
Wesley nodded. Not only that, but Danby had granted Wesley the use of a smaller estate in Yorkshire. Well, insisted that they move in there so that he could get to know Abby might be more accurate. Still, he’d given them a home. He’d given Wesley a means of providing for Abby—something he wasn’t certain that Tristan would have done. No, he was certain, but of something else entirely: Tristan would have left him to his own devices. Danby had even offered his support, should Wesley wish to pursue politics more fully, despite their differences of opinion.
“ Well—” Goddard pushed up from his chair and glanced over at Milne, then back at Wesley— “I suppose he’s right. You ought to find Abby and get started with this. You’ve got some things to explain to her.” He headed out the door.
Things to explain. Yes, he had plenty of those, as well as numerous things to beg for her forgiveness. “No time like the present,” Wesley muttered beneath his breath.
“ Quite true, sir,” Milne put in from the doorway. “I daresay you’re making this more difficult than it needs to be, not that you asked for my opinion.” He gestured for Wesley to follow him.
He hadn’t, but there were countless other things in his life he’d never asked for either. “Very well, Milne. Lead the way.” Wesley stood and followed the butler through a series of corridors, up two flights of stairs, and all the way to the next stage in his life.
7
Wesley had searched what felt like the entire castle for Abby with no luck.
Milne had directed him to the East Wing, but she wasn’t there. Mrs. Goddard had informed him she’d gone off to explore, though she didn’t know which direction she’d gone.
Her brothers had been utterly useless in directing him—they’d been busy settling themselves into their own rooms, so they didn’t realize she had left.
Wesley had wandered helplessly through the castle grounds, asking every random servant he came across for guidance but finding none. He even ran into an auburn-haired young lady who must have been one of Danby’s granddaughters—quite literally ran into her, actually. If the duke had his way, surely Wesley would discover the girl’s identity before too much longer, but now was not the time for such things.
“ Pardon me,” he hastened to say, taking the young lady by the shoulders and setting her back to rights. “I am terribly sorry. Are you all right?” But before she could answer him, he rushed on. “I wonder if you’ve seen a young lady about. Brown hair? Not too tall. All in
Milne returned and bowed to them all. He passed a slip of parchment over to Danby—the very same slip of parchment he’d taken off with just before the Goddards had joined them in the study. “The special license, Your Grace.”
Danby smiled at his butler, took the license, and held it up for Wesley and Mr. Goddard to see. “There will be no need for the banns.”
“ But…how?” was all Wesley could manage. He raised his eyes to Mr. Goddard, who merely shrugged his shoulders with a half smile. The man seemed in a daze, even more so than the daze Wesley was currently experiencing.
Danby squinted at the pair of them. “The Archbishop of Canterbury is a close personal friend. He owed me a few…er, favors, shall we say? I recently called them in.” He shuffled the stack of papers from which the special license had been pulled and resettled them on his desk. “Now, if you’ve no further objections, I suggest you see to asking your betrothed to marry you, as there is no time to waste. Milne will show you to your chamber and then assist you in finding Abby. I trust you can determine how to do the rest.”
Without awaiting Wesley’s confirmation, Danby stood, nodded, and quit the room.
“ Did all of that really just happen?” Goddard asked. “He truly offered Abby a dowry of five thousand?”
Wesley nodded. Not only that, but Danby had granted Wesley the use of a smaller estate in Yorkshire. Well, insisted that they move in there so that he could get to know Abby might be more accurate. Still, he’d given them a home. He’d given Wesley a means of providing for Abby—something he wasn’t certain that Tristan would have done. No, he was certain, but of something else entirely: Tristan would have left him to his own devices. Danby had even offered his support, should Wesley wish to pursue politics more fully, despite their differences of opinion.
“ Well—” Goddard pushed up from his chair and glanced over at Milne, then back at Wesley— “I suppose he’s right. You ought to find Abby and get started with this. You’ve got some things to explain to her.” He headed out the door.
Things to explain. Yes, he had plenty of those, as well as numerous things to beg for her forgiveness. “No time like the present,” Wesley muttered beneath his breath.
“ Quite true, sir,” Milne put in from the doorway. “I daresay you’re making this more difficult than it needs to be, not that you asked for my opinion.” He gestured for Wesley to follow him.
He hadn’t, but there were countless other things in his life he’d never asked for either. “Very well, Milne. Lead the way.” Wesley stood and followed the butler through a series of corridors, up two flights of stairs, and all the way to the next stage in his life.
7
Wesley had searched what felt like the entire castle for Abby with no luck.
Milne had directed him to the East Wing, but she wasn’t there. Mrs. Goddard had informed him she’d gone off to explore, though she didn’t know which direction she’d gone.
Her brothers had been utterly useless in directing him—they’d been busy settling themselves into their own rooms, so they didn’t realize she had left.
Wesley had wandered helplessly through the castle grounds, asking every random servant he came across for guidance but finding none. He even ran into an auburn-haired young lady who must have been one of Danby’s granddaughters—quite literally ran into her, actually. If the duke had his way, surely Wesley would discover the girl’s identity before too much longer, but now was not the time for such things.
“ Pardon me,” he hastened to say, taking the young lady by the shoulders and setting her back to rights. “I am terribly sorry. Are you all right?” But before she could answer him, he rushed on. “I wonder if you’ve seen a young lady about. Brown hair? Not too tall. All in
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