The Angel of an Astronomer by Sande Linda Rae

Author:Sande, Linda Rae
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Twisted Teacup Publishing
Published: 2020-02-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Two Letters

Meanwhile, at Bradford Hall

Ben took a seat at the desk in his study and unfolded the two letters he had received nearly a week ago.

To say it had been a surprise to hear from his godfather, Milton, Earl of Torrington, would have been an understatement, except that he had opened and read one from his brother, Benedict, Earl of Wadsworth, just the moment before, and was therefore prepared for the older earl’s letter.

Remembering how he had reacted then had him feeling rather embarrassed. He had cursed his godfather, yelled an obscenity in the direction of the ceiling, thrown a pen across the room, kicked his desk, and decided he wouldn’t have anything to do with his brother for the rest of his life.

Now... now he understood.

He reread the letters and gave his head a shake, deciding perhaps his brother wasn’t a gap stopper.

Dear Ben (or Sir Benjamin, I should say),

I hope this letter finds you settled in your new home and happy with life in London. I know you will be once the telescope is installed and you’re spending your nights stargazing again.

I hope your days might be spent in pursuit of what I have been unable to achieve.

I know this will come as no surprise to you, but I have given up hope of ever siring an heir. The issue has proven to be a point of contention with Sylvia, and I have lost her and her good graces, perhaps for the rest of our lives.

Therefore, my dear brother, it falls on you to carry on the Wadsworth title once I am in the grave.

Knowing you are unfamiliar with London and the Season and all that is expected of an aristocrat, I made sure the house I purchased on your behalf is next door to one in which a young lady of impeccable credentials lives with her twin brother. Their parents, the Earl and Countess of Torrington, are of an age when they no longer wish to pursue the entertainments of London but are satisfied with a life in the country. They do want their daughter married, however. And they would like her to remain close in proximity to her brother, at least until he has secured a wife.

I have been in contact with Lord Torrington on the matter, and he assures me he will write to you with an offer.

Do not groan, brother. Do not curse me (although I am quite sure I will hear it all the way here in Suffolk when you do read this), for I am doing you a Favour.

Marriage to Lady Angelica will provide you with a dowry on which you two—and your children—can live more than comfortably for the rest of your lives and still provide her with security for when you, too, are in the grave. My daughters’ dowries, which I expect to have to begin doling out in a few years, will not allow me to support you in the manner you have come to expect, and you deserve to live a life beyond your new dome and modest income.

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