Page 99 of His Stolen Duchess
“Thank you for the refreshments, Lady Eastbeck,” Lysander said. “It has been a pleasure talking with you, and I look forward to never seeing you again. I’ll show myself out.”
Lysander left the conservatory and took a route around the house, back to his horse, instead of going through. He mounted his horse and rode from the estate.
There was somewhere he needed to be.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The afternoon was warm, but a thin mist had fallen over the churchyard as though placed there especially for Lysander’s visit. He stepped away from the carriage, walking toward the large wrought-iron gates.
The gates were open, and an arch curved between the walls on each side. Pale sunlight cut through the mist, but not enough to lighten the black metal. The walls were partly covered by lichen. A tall yew tree behind the wall had a raven sitting in it.
Lysander looked up at the bird, and it cawed at him.
“I don’t know your language, but your cawing sounds much better than the hurled insults of the colorful bird I have at home.”
Lysander shook his head as he walked through the metal arch. Was this what he had become? Was he a man who spoke to birds, knowing full well they couldn’t properly respond? At leasthe had only done so in his own company. It was when he started to do it in public that he needed to worry.
He left the bird behind, walking with his gloved hands behind his back to his younger brother’s gravestone. Each time he returned to the cemetery, he envisioned the looks on his parents’ faces as they stood before the freshly dug grave with the small basket inside. Even more vividly, he could recall the look his father gave him before they left the cemetery.
Perhaps that is not something I can forget, but rather, learn to live with.
Lysander went as far as he could on the path, then crossed the grass to the gravestone, making sure not to stand directly on top of the burial site. He crouched down to look at the headstone.
Augustus Cunningham, Beloved Son & Brother, 1792-1799
Lysander leaned forward and dusted some dirt from the headstone. He hadn’t ever brought flowers for his brother. There were flowers dotted around the cemetery in varying states of life and death, but Augustus’s grave didn’t have a place for them, nor would Augustus have wanted that. He had nothing against flowers, but Lysander knew his brother despite only spending seven years with him. He would have favored simplicity over adornments.
“Twenty-one years,” Lysander addressed the stone before him. “I can’t believe it’s been that long. I would have loved to have seen the man you would have grown into. You would have beena good man, I know that, and an even better brother. You were always a good brother, Augustus. I’m sorry I couldn’t find you in the water.”
Seven years!
That was all the time his brother had been given on this earth. Lysander closed his eyes and could hear his brother’s laugh. He had laughed a few times that day as he ran his hand through the water, leaning over the side of the boat. He’d flicked the water up at one point to splash Lysander. He couldn’t recall his brother ever being annoyed or angry. Perhaps it was the length of time or his fading memory, but he only felt joy when thinking of his brother.
Lysander could sense that he wasn’t alone, not in the ethereal sense, but in the very real, human sense. He stood up and turned around.
“I expected you to be here.” Thomas stood with his hat in his hand.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Lysander replied. “What are you doing here?”
“After how you were the other night, I thought you might need some company. I know today is the anniversary of his death. However, I expected you to come a little earlier. I’ve been here for a long time, waiting for you.”
Lysander chuckled. He’d never laughed at his brother’s grave before.
“Thank you for coming, Thomas.”
“I’m glad you’re doing better.” Thomas passed his hat from one hand to the other as he approached the grave. “I still can’t wrap my head around something like this. Only seven years old. The world can be so cruel sometimes.”
“Yes, it can. Although often, the world is not such a bad place.”
“You certainly sound in a better mood than when I last visited you.” Thomas clapped his friend on the back. “You almost sound happy.”
“I went to visit Lady Eastbeck this morning. I dealt with her.”
Thomas tilted his head to the side and raised one eyebrow. “And when you say, ‘dealt with,’ what exactly do you mean?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t harm her. I went over there and spoke to her about the situation, and I made it clear that if she doesn’t leave the country within a week, then I will be forced to take additional measures.”
“And?” Thomas asked.
