In Magician's Embrace [BOOK 1 of Price Family Saga]

50. Chapter (Lord Gray's Musings)

Historical Insight:

*In the Georgian era and throughout the 19th century, a visiting card was a small, formal card used by individuals to signify a social call or to express courtesy. These cards were an essential part of social etiquette and were commonly exchanged during visits or left at a person's residence when the visitor was not able to meet them in person.

A typical visiting card was small in size, about the size of a modern business card, and often made of sturdy paper or card stock. It would bear the visitor's name, title, and sometimes a short greeting or message. Visiting cards played a crucial role in the elaborate rituals of calling and receiving visitors, especially in higher social circles. They helped convey social status, manners, and respect within the rigid conventions of the time.

Daniel gazed upon his mother, her condition remaining unchanged. Serenity graced her countenance as she succumbed to the embrace of sleep, a stark contrast to her eldest son whose inner turmoil raged akin to a tempest. It was not solely due to his father's transgressions, but also his brother Felix, who, against all counsel, embarked on a solitary quest to find their wayward patriarch. Daniel could only hope that Felix would not find himself entangled in fisticuffs or worse, a victim of an untimely demise at the hands of their very sire. Left to shoulder the burden alone, he steadfastly refused to abandon his mother's side, leaving his delicate matter with Eliza unresolved... or so he thought, despite her being resolute in the decision she gave him.

He adamantly avoided causing a scandal, refraining from seeking the intervention of Bow Street Runners or, heaven forbid, the magistrate, despite the allure of such recourse. His father, in his eyes, deserved nothing less than the cold embrace of a jail cell, but Daniel couldn't be the one to put him there. Thus, he maintained a vigil over his mother, attending to all family matters within the confines of her chamber. A table was brought forth, laden with carefully arranged blank papers, quills, and inkwells, which were for nought in his case, as he couldn't grapple with penmanship at all. Damn, he barely could read, making perusing the post an immense ordeal.

The limitations imposed by his infirmity barred him from penning a letter, and he had no trusted confidant to whom he could dictate a heartfelt missive meant for her eyes only. Moreover, given Eliza's soured disposition, there was a significant chance that his missive would meet its fiery end within the hearth before she would even peruse it. Nay, he must engage her directly once more... or how many instances would it require for her to fathom that he genuinely held a profound affection for her and pursued justice for them both.

At the moment, Daniel longed to convey his sentiments, his intended apologies, and the means to disentangle the intricate threads of their existence to someone, anyone willing to lend an ear, for it weighed heavily on his conscience. The mere contemplation of their imminent meeting caused beads of sweat to form on his furrowed brow.

"Incomprehensible! I arrived with the intent to claim the mantle of Reginald's inheritance, and now it can all go to damned hell in these circumstances," he lamented aloud.