Three years and a couple of months prior...
Felix hurried through the corridor, attempting to find his older brother before it became too late, for if the news were to spread in mere minutes, anything could transpire. He never once entertained the thought that such information would leave Daniel cool and composed, especially when it concerned Joan Thistlewaite.
"Ladies, might you have chanced upon the sight of my brother, Lord Daniel Gray?" he inquired promptly, addressing three elegantly attired and beautiful women who were familiar to him. They had cast their glances his way as the younger of the Grays passed by, yet they had no inkling where his brother could be.
As Felix turned on his heel, his eyes met the gaze of the ball's host, Lord Dalgliesh, who was rushing toward him with a frown etched on his countenance. Upon reaching Lord Gray, he ushered Felix to the side and spoke in a pressing yet hushed voice:
"We had to escort your brother outside the residence. Lord Gray caused a commotion by engaging in a physical altercation with Lord Mallard, resulting in a black eye on Mallard's countenance, apparently over Lady Mallard's affections. Unfortunately, it is bound to turn into a scandal as the number of onlookers was rather high."
Felix pursed his lips in response, prompting the lord to press on, "Your brother also seems to be highly inebriated, for he threw his gloves into Lord Mallard's face, declaring they shall duel come the morning. I implore you, Lord Gray, to find your brother and attempt to make amends, for this might end up badly for everyone involved."
"Thank you, Lord Dalgliesh," Felix nodded, "it appears I have a task at hand to attend to. Now, if you'll excuse me."
Lord Dalgliesh also nodded in response and graciously stepped aside to allow Felix to pass with swiftness. As he hastened through the corridors and the ballroom, the scrutinising glances and murmurs of the Newcastlean aristocracy brushed against his form, yet he paid them no heed. His sole focus was on a singular objective - locate Daniel and ensure his safety until his pain subsided.
Regrettably, upon reaching the stairs outside the Dalgliesh's residence, Felix discovered nought but the shattered glass decanter in myriad pieces, and his brother was nowhere in sight. Felix muttered a curse under his breath and resolved to make his way homeward, likely the place which Daniel would come to first. Though he harboured a foreboding sense that a lengthy night lay ahead, as his brother was of a rather intense disposition, and where there's tension, the potential for sparks arises. And of course, Daniel required no assistance in turning those sparks into all-consuming flames.
Rose's countenance revealed that the older of the Grays had indeed returned home, and it had been only a few minutes since Felix missed him.
"He's in so much distress, my son," their mother said solemnly. "Please, Felix, don't cease looking for Daniel. I worry about him so much!"
Felix, burdened by the weight of the situation and what was to come, lacked the heart to disclose the full extent of Daniel's wound to their mother. With a heavy sigh, he ventured into the streets of Newcastle, cloaked in the chill of the heavy night. Numerous establishments awaited his scrutiny for any sign of his older brother's presence, and with each one proven not to be the one, his apprehension only intensified.
Verily, brother, I trust you haven't met your demise at your hands due to some bloody wench, especially when there are so many women who would willingly bring you joy, Felix mused. You may be a troubled deuce, but a deuce nonetheless, and this affliction of yours shall pass ere long.
Then, an idea seized his thoughts.
Mayhap I've been searching amiss all this while. Perhaps, in his nadir, he has become more resolute in confronting his troubles... in a manner befitting a Gray.
There were a few establishments of such nature, and alas, in one, he finally found Daniel dozing in a chair.
"Verily, brother, could you plunge even deeper?!" exclaimed Felix as his gaze fell upon Daniel's unfastened breeches, revealing his modesty.
His words roused a scantily clad woman in the bed next to the chair. She wiped her eyes sleepily, then regarded Felix with a frown. "His lordship fell asleep right after I sucked off his Thomas - I still demand my compensation."
Felix regarded her with an arched eyebrow, considering that his brother must be some bull if he managed his cock to remain upright even in his current condition. "Here and now get lost," he instructed the woman after handing her a few coins. He then turned his attention to his slumbering brother, rousing him with a brisk clap to the face.
"Wake up, you foolish clod, wake up!"
Daniel groaned as he stirred from his slumber, using his hands to dissuade his younger brother from disturbing him further. "She married him, Felix. That excursion of hers to Edinburgh? It was all a ruse - they eloped," he spoke, still only half-awake
"That bloody cunt didn't deserve you, brother," Felix exclaimed with agitation. "Now, come to your senses. You created quite a spectacle at the ball with your fit of jealousy, and the challenge to a duel with Mallard was the pinnacle of it all."
Daniel's head fell to the side once more, prompting Felix to survey the dimly lit room. His eyes fell upon a jug, and upon closer inspection, Felix discerned that it held plain water. Without further hesitation, he splashed it over Daniel's countenance, causing him to stir, cough, and open his eyes slightly.
"Why can't you leave me be, damn it?!" the elder of the Grays inquired with anger.
"Because it's breaking dawn, brother," said Felix almost nonchalantly. "I'm here to take you home and prevent further folly of yours."
His remark made Daniel frown, and he opened his eyes fully. "Folly of mine?! She betrayed me, and I shall repay her with much worse! I will dispatch the bastard she took as a husband!"
Felix's older brother's bloodthirsty words, spoken as the heir to the duchy, merely prompted a smirk from Felix.
"Nay, you won't."
"Aye, I will!"
"Nay, you won't," Felix dared to contradict him.
Daniel swallowed and pursed his lips before speaking, "Felix, a considerable number of people bore witness to my words and presence at the location. I shan't flee nor rescind the challenge; I am no fainthearted man. Now, you can stand as my second, or I shall enlist the assistance of some inebriated fellow from this very tavern."
It took Felix a protracted moment to reflect, followed by a sigh of consent. "Very well, I shall be your second. However, I implore you to refrain from spilling any blood, Daniel. I am aware of your ability to aim with deadly precision, and Mallard is but a scholar. I doubt the man has ever held a pistol in his hand."
Daniel said nought, only lowered his gaze to the grimy floor. It appeared as though he were pondering his younger brother's words when he at last shattered the silence:
"How do you do it, brother? How can you have multiple partners and not fall in love? Is your heart made of stone?" he inquired in a subdued voice.
"Because I engage with women with whom no expectations could be harboured," Felix elucidated slowly. "Besides, I have one partner at a time for a prolonged period - there's no better satisfaction than having your woman's desires figured out. Yet once the other party commences harbouring sentiments, it's a signal for me to find myself a new one. I'm not looking to settle down anytime soon."
Daniel inclined his head in comprehension, yet a discernible ache manifested in his eyes, revealing a depth of emotion. "But she kept giving me hope and promises, behaving as though she had fallen for me. And I am a virtuous man, Felix. An aristocrat of noble lineage, titled, desiring to make her my wife... Why would she replace me with someone of Mallard's sort?! What does he possess that I don't?"
It was evident that the anguish Daniel was experiencing was genuine, as were his heartfelt affections squandered on an undeserving paramour. Paramour, for Joan Thistlewaite's intention was to mean nothing more to him, just as Daniel was no more than an ardent paramour to her, merely keeping her bed warm and occupied until she secured the man she had initially sought.
Felix sighed and scratched his forehead, visibly affected by his brother's demeanour, though it was wearing on him. "Verily, brother, I acknowledge that as an heir to the duchy, the whole world seems to revolve around you, but you can be a rather insufferable prick at times. You tend to forget that for every good man, there are ten better men, and for every better man, there are another ten best men. Do you perceive the direction of my discourse?" he inquired, crossing his arms over his chest.
Daniel's brows arched. "That I will never be enough?"
"Nay, only that you cannot take a woman's love for granted, as there's ample supply of suitors for her. And I won't believe for a moment that there weren't signs of Joan being rather reluctant toward the idea of your union, only you were blind and deaf to actually discern and hear them."
A protracted silence settled between the men.
"Why is my cock exposed to the open air?!" Daniel exclaimed all of a sudden, as he took notice at long last.
Felix chuckled. "Apparently, you allowed a tavern wench to suck yours truly off."
Daniel frowned as he began to button his breeches. "Was she at least comely?"
"Akin to a river hag marinated in fish oil for three days," Felix replied with a smirk.
"Blast it. I can't even recollect how I arrived here, let alone that there was some wench involved."
Daniel then attempted to rise but seemed so unsteady that Felix hastily moved to support him under his arms. He then swiftly proffered the now-empty jug to his elder brother, discerning the grimace etched upon his countenance, and momentarily endured the sounds of his sibling's retching.
"Do you recall where the duel is being held?" Felix inquired of his brother with caution.
Daniel took several deep inhales and sighed before responding, "There's an abandoned chapel near Springwell, a place Joan and I used to frequent. That's where I took her maidenhead," he sneered.
Felix snorted. "That's one detail too many, brother."
Upon their arrival at the designated spot for the fated duel, the sun cast its rays, and the Mallards were present with their second and Lord Dalgliesh. Upon seeing Felix and Daniel, a frown creased Dalgliesh's brow.
"I thought you would prevent him from coming to this duel," Dalgliesh remarked to Felix, who retorted, "You could do the same with Mallard; after all, you're his best friend to my knowledge."
The lord uttered no further words and proceeded to exhibit the pistols designated for this charade to both seconds for a safety review. Subsequently, it fell to Mallard to select his pistol first, with the other being taken up by Daniel. Both gentlemen stood with their backs turned to each other, poised to take three measured steps upon the signal from Dalgliesh. Following the cue, they were to pivot on their heel and discharge their firearms towards their respective opponents.
"Spare him, spare my husband, Lord Gray! I shall never wed you, even if you dispatch him, I swear!" Joan cried after Daniel, tears dampening her face.
So I'm Lord Gray to you now, he contemplated, feeling the pangs of pain upon his heart and conscience once more, yet he did not reciprocate with any comment, merely offering her a gaze for a fleeting moment.
Upon the signal piercing the air, both men shifted from their stances, and almost simultaneously, aimed their pistols at each other. Mallard fired first, completely missing Daniel. This momentary relief settled upon Felix, though he now faced the prospect of witnessing Daniel either jeopardise his life and standing, or refrain from staining his hands in a duel with an adversary of significantly inferior marksmanship.
Observing his brother's countenance contorted with pain, Felix also perceived that Daniel took satisfaction in holding the advantage in that duel. He took a deliberate moment to achieve a perfect aim at Mallard's heart. It was only when his finger upon the trigger began to tremble that it became apparent he might not shoot to dispatch him.
Then, a shot resounded through the air.
Behind Lord Mallard, there stood a tree with expansive branches extending in every direction. The shot, however, caused one of the branches to break and tumble to the ground. Joan cried out and swiftly rushed toward her husband, whose countenance now bore immense relief, and enveloped him in a tight embrace.
"You did well," Felix commended Daniel as he approached, placing his hand on Daniel's shoulder in a gesture of support. "You did nothing wrong. You hear me? All shall be well."
Yet Daniel's gaze remained steadfastly upon the couple, and when Lord Mallard locked eyes with him, Daniel inquired loudly, "Why would you accept a lady who has been in my company so intimately for the past four years? Pray, help me comprehend."
Lord Mallard deftly moved away from his wife, who still clung to his arm, and replied:
"I, too, was offering myself to other women, Lord Gray—we certainly aren't saints! We kept inflicting pain upon each other, perhaps hoping to dissuade ourselves from ever uniting for the most misguided reasons. Alas, I love Joan as she loves me, and where there is deep affection, there is also forgiveness. That's something you will have to accept and seek your match with someone else; someone who will return your affections in equal measure."
Daniel uttered no more words, merely sensing the gentle rush of wind delicately caressing his countenance, toying with his raven locks, drying the slight dampness in his eyes.
In this grand tableau, he perceived himself as a supporting player in someone else's narrative, employed and discarded once his role had served its purpose.
The scandal that unfolded dominated the local discourse for months, compelling Daniel to seclude himself within his chamber. He couldn't endure the mocking faces of those who made light of his folly. Yet, more than anything, it was the hushed solace within the confines of his chamber's four walls that facilitated his convalescence, albeit at a measured pace...