Page 26 of The Marquess Method (The Beautiful Barringtons 3)

Haven caught her deftly. “Christ, just wear your spectacles.”

Theo gritted her teeth, deciding right then and there she would continue tonotwear them if only to irritate Haven. “Here’s the wisteria.” She stopped before the vines with their purple clusters of flowers. “Lovely, isn’t it? Shall we return?”

“You never asked if I had a sister. Or anything else about me,” he finally answered.

“I’ll assume that since you only mentioned Jacinda over tea, there are no additional Collingwood siblings for me to contend with.”

“The Collingwoods are not nearly as prolific as the Barringtons,” he replied blandly. “There is only Jacinda. Not a bastard or a duke among the fold.”

She pretended not to hear the slur against Leo. “And an uncle.”

Haven had made no mention of bringing either his sister or uncle to London for their wedding. Maybe he thought, given the circumstances, their presence at the ceremony would be awkward. Though not as awkward as Lady Molsin’s little party was bound to be. Theo felt ill just thinking about it. At least if she didn’t wear her spectacles, she wouldn’t see the looks of pity and derision directed her way.

“Jacinda and Phaedra are about the same age,” Haven said. “She loves books. Reads constantly. The library at Greenbriar is fairly extensive, or at least it used to be.”

Theo assumed he meant before the previous Marquess of Haven had bankrupted the estate and sold off everything of value, including the books. Cousin Winnie had given Mama the entire story. Theo had listened at the door, unseen by both women.

“Due to,” he paused, “anillness, Jacinda resides at Greenbriar in the care of my housekeeper and cook, Mrs. Henderson.”

So Haven possessed someone who cooked and maintained his crumbling estate, which Theo supposed was something. At least when she was to be dragged from London, there would be a decent meal waiting. Drawing a small hole in the gravel of the path with the toe of her shoe, she said, “So your uncle resides at Greenbriar as well?”

“He does. Erasmus returned to England just prior to my father’s death. I was still traveling abroad.”

Theo’s brow wrinkled. She hadn’t known Haven had lived abroad. “Where was your uncle? Traveling with you?”

Haven gave her a half-smile. “Erasmus? No. He’s a sot. And a bit simple. Spent most of his life in a small village outside of Calais where my grandmother once owned property. He never married. I’d only met him once before I returned home.”

Dear God. Things just kept getting worse when it came to Haven. A drunkard for an uncle and a sickly sister. “He never visited?”

He paused beside her, taking a deep sigh. “They were estranged. My father and uncle. And twins.”

Theo tilted her chin to look at him, unable to stop her eyes from widening at this new bit of information. “Your father had a twin brother?” Surely if Cousin Winnie knew, she would have said so. “No one has ever mentioned him.”

“I doubt anyone knows or remembers. Erasmus always had a nervous constitution which kept him from attending school with my father. He stayed at Greenbriar until my father married. I’m not sure he’s ever been to London.”

“Very unusual.”

Haven just rolled his shoulders, the deep green of his eyes unfathomable. “It is. They were never close, their personalities very different. My father rarely spoke of Erasmus, and he only visited the one time. He’s terrified of the ocean. Ships and such. So, once he left England, the journey back was terrifying for him. And as I said, he and my father didn’t get along.”

“What was the cause of their estrangement, if I can ask? Aren’t twins supposed to be each other’s best friends? Always together?”

“Erasmus and my father both courted my mother, but she chose my father. He was a marquess, after all. Likewise, he wasn’t afraid of his own shadow or spouting off nonsensical things like his brother. My uncle’s heart was broken, I’m told, and he couldn’t bear to be in England a moment longer. He was given the small estate in France, was instructed how to manage things, and was left alone. We never visited. I’m ashamed to admit I forgot all about Erasmus until I received my sister’s letter.”

Very curious. “You lived abroad, then. Anywhere in particular?”

“I wandered for a time.” The low rasp of his voice scratched against her arms. “When I returned, Erasmus greeted me as I came up the drive, weeping with relief at the sight of me. He claimed the fairies told him I was dead.”

“Fairies?”

“He speaks to them. Or they to him. I’m never really sure.” Haven shot her an amused look. “Erasmus had braved the journey back to England, he said, to console my father over my death, though he didn’t return when my mother died, and he’d loved her. I think he probably ran out of money, more likely, and had no other way of getting any. The estate was in poor shape by that time, but Erasmus had nothing to go back to, and he was adamant about not getting on a ship again. I’m glad he was there for Jacinda. He loves her dearly. Nearly as much as his brandy.” Haven cast a sideways glance at her. “Though he will also drink gin, ale, scotch, or sherry.” His face hardened a bit. “My father preferred scotch.”

Theo digested the information, wondering at estranged twins who had both become sots. “You’ve done your uncle quite a kindness, I think.”

“He’s a sad creature. Lost. Harmless.”

“Were they identical twins?” Theo thought that must be difficult for Haven, to have a drunken uncle wandering about who looked like his father, twins or not.

“Yes.” Haven frowned, the small scar on his chin twitching. “But they aren’t alike. The hair is different. The cadence of their voice. Erasmus is nervous, like a frightened rabbit. Incapable of doing anything but shuffling around. Always hunched over. Wanders about drunk, picking violets for Mrs. Henderson, stealing my sister’s books. He reminds me little of my father, aside from the drinking. Of course, I never saw them together, save for the one time when I was a child.”

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