At breakfast two days after his arrival, Richard was buttering a piece of toast for his father while the man in question watched his son's attentiveness with both amusement and affection. It was while the Duke of Exeter was protesting that there was no need for Richard to cut his toast into bite sized pieces when the butler, Mr. Worth, entered the breakfast parlour with the morning mail.
"Your Grace, there are some letters for you from tenants and from Mr. Townsend, the solicitor. Master Richard, you have a letter from a Lady Alexandra Whitlock." Mr. Worth said, depositing the aforementioned letters in front of the respective addressees.
"Thank you, Mr. Worth." Richard said and, when the butler had exited with a short bow, he turned to his father and asked, "Are you well enough to look after the estate? I don't want you exerting yourself too much. You need to rest as much as you can."
"I can certainly reply to a letter or two, son." George assured him, before stating, "You do not need to be as concerned as you are. I know better than to do anything that would strain me."
"That isn't true and you know it." Richard said sharply, before lowering his voice and speaking with a sudden vulnerability, "I won't have you leaving me before you well and truly must."
"Richard," his father whispered, reaching for his hand over a heaping pile of toast, "I do not wish to leave you before I am forced to, either. How does this sound? I had a meeting with Mr. Townsend scheduled for tomorrow. Would you like to sit with him instead? You need a little more experience, anyway."
"And you'll be resting while this meeting takes place?" Richard questioned with a raised brow.
"If I must." George agreed, although Richard was sure he was glad for the attention. "You'll have to tell me everything after you are finished, however."
"Who else will I seek advice from?" Richard brushed it aside, for it truly was a thoughtless question. His father was the wisest man he knew and he needed to learn as much as he could from him and as soon as he could.
"I'd have thought that you are pig-headed enough to listen only to yourself." His father teased, and Richard laughed along with him. The day George Kensington stopped joking would be the day Richard would be truly worried. Until then, they would both be able to push through the strife and remain steady.
They ate in silence for a while before his father asked, "Are you not going to read your fiance's letter? I'd have thought you would have pounced upon it and devoured it by now."
"Oh! I had actually quite forgotten about it." Richard said, finally recalling the letter. His mind had been elsewhere until his father had reminded him. If he had not been so distracted, he truly would have torn it open in a matter of seconds. "I'll read it now." He added, dusting off his hands and picking up the letter from in front of him, breaking the seal as gently as his anticipation allowed him.
Dear Richard,
I hope this letter finds you well and in good health. We are leaving for Exeter tomorrow and ought to reach no later than Saturday, even if the children are restless and you know they are.
Our departure is merely an excuse for my writing you, however. The truth is, you really must know that I am thinking of you, every day, and praying that you are alright. I don't mean alright in the way you pretended to be when you were in London, but truly alright. I know that it is unlikely and nearly impossible, but I still pray that you shall be someday. How else am I to meet with playful Richard, the one who tells me exaggerated stories of drunken escapades and encounters with thieves, back?
I shall see you as soon I may.
Yours,
Alexandra
He knew his father secretly wished for him to read the letter aloud but it seemed too private, too intimate, for him to do so. Instead, he folded and pocketed it, but not before glancing at the date. It was dated five days ago.
"She says she'll be arriving by Saturday, at the latest." Richard informed his father, eyes narrowing confusedly at George's groan. "What's wrong, Father?" He asked immediately.
"Richard, my boy, have you not realised that today is Saturday?" He asked, a resigned amusement in his eyes.
"It is?" He demanded, rising to his feet. "I must ask the footmen to make the arrangements now."
"Sit down and finish your breakfast before you do any such thing." George ordered sternly, "Michael is right outside the door and can hear you if you call."
"If I must." Richard sat down again, a little restlessly, before calling out, "Michael!"
The footman hurried into the breakfast parlour, bowing as he entered. "Your Grace, Master Richard."
"We shall have guests arriving today. Prepare three rooms on the first floor with a view of the courtyards, if possible." He instructed, for the courtyards were beautiful and he wanted Alexandra to see the best of his home. Such a thing might help him convince her to stay longer than necessary, after all.
"Certainly, Master Richard." Michael bowed, "Will that be all?"
"Yes." He said, and Michael left to do as told.
"Why three rooms?" Richard's father asked curiously for Richard had only told him about Alexandra, Kit and Cassandra, not the children.
"Lord and Lady Hawthorne have two children— a girl, Juliette, and a boy, Henry. The third chamber is simply a precautionary measure, in case the children don't sleep in with their parents."
"It appears you sometimes do think of everything." His father complimented, and there was a wistful pride in his tone. "I must say, I look forward to meeting the girl who has so securely captured your heart when I thought the task was impossible."
Richard smiled, although his father didn't know just how true his statement was.
There was the sound of the hooves of horses crunching against the gravel path outside, and Richard's heart leapt in his chest at the thought that, perhaps, Alexandra had arrived. He stood immediately, without waiting to be called, ignoring his father's teasing comment about how Alexandra was able to accomplish the impossible and tame him.
A few moments later, Mr. Worth entered and confirmed Richard's assumption that it was, indeed, Alexandra and her family. "Come, Father. I shall introduce her to you." He offered his father his hand, and he took it, using it to help himself rise to his feet.
Richard felt his heart drop momentarily as his father was forced to place a hand on his shoulder to steady and support himself all the way till the doors, his weight resting almost entirely on Richard.
The five of them had just disembarked the carriage when George and Richard arrived to greet them. Alexandra was stretching her arms out in front of her, yet in a slightly subtle manner, looking lovely as always despite her hair and dress being rumpled from the journey. Kit had Henry on his hip while Juliette stood beside Cassandra, holding her hand. Both the children appeared to be exhausted, as did the adults, for that matter.
Richard grinned, stepping forward to make the proper introductions. Juliette beamed and looked very pleased with herself indeed when he introduced her as Lady Juliette Weston. Henry, on the other hand, was far too young to fully understand much of what was happening.
"Your Grace," Alexandra greeted, once Richard had introduced her to his father, her cheeks red either from the journey or from embarrassment. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"My dear," George said, with his usual welcoming smile, "The pleasure is all mine. It is a delight to meet the lady who successfully captured my son's heart. If I may, you are even more beautiful than he described." His words brought a bright red to her cheeks and she muttered a flustered thank you that made Richard chuckle as George turned his attention to the other arrivals.
"How was your journey?" He asked Alexandra, slowly taking her hand and briefly running his thumb across her knuckles, ignoring the chill that ran down his spine as he whispered lowly so that the moment, to the eye of an outsider, appeared somewhat romantic, "I hope it was not too tiring."
"It was certainly long, and quite difficult with the children but the view of the country was gorgeous and time seemed to pass simply by admiring the natural beauty that England seems to have in abundance. Exeter, especially, was lovely throughout." She replied, sounding every bit the prim and proper lady. She spoke loudly enough for his father to hear, and it occurred to him that she was attempting to impress him by sounding like the other girls in the ton.
It made him want to laugh and point it out but he knew that such a thing would only embarrass her. He would tease her later, in private, but not in front of all the others, especially his father upon whom she wished to make a favourable impression.
"Be a gentleman and take her arm." George ordered, and Richard immediately stepped away from his father, knowing that he'd much rather be independent and strong in front of their guests, rather than appearing weak and in need of support.
"Shall we?" He offered his arm to Alexandra, and she slipped her own into his, as he began leading her through the doors. There were a few whispers amongst the household, who had gathered to greet the guests, as they realised that the woman with him was his betrothed.
"Was that an attempt at impressing my father, by any chance?" He muttered as they entered the parlour where tea would soon be served.
"Was it really that obvious?" Alexandra asked, wincing at the thought of having appeared false.
"Only to me." He informed her, earning a sigh of relief as her shoulders relaxed. "So, tell me, how was your journey, really?"
"It was awful!" Alexandra explained, all but collapsing into a settee while Richard took the seat beside her. The telltale sounds of the others following were right outside the parlour so she lowered her voice, "I was very close to resorting to violence on multiple occasions throughout."
"Against yourself or the others?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow, earning a little giggle from her.
"If I am being honest, both." She admitted, with a small shrug. "Such is life, I suppose. But I persevered, and I was successful in my near impossible task of not bringing harm to any of my companions."
"What made it so terrible?" He asked curiously, as everyone else began taking their seats, chatting amongst themselves.
"Well, I didn't sleep very well at any of the places we stopped at along the way." She informed him, and he nodded, for he always had the exact same problem. "And, when I don't get enough sleep, even the slightest of issues is bound to frustrate me to no end and I have to fight the urge to belabour those around me with my fists every time they speak even a single word."
"I'll have to be careful then." He teased, and she rolled her eyes at him before jabbing him in the side with her elbow. It was meant in a teasing way and he certainly had not felt a thing, but he made a big show of it as he winced and pretended to recoil, gasping as if he were in great pain.
"We are not even married and you still find reasons to cause me pain." He joked, and she stuck her tongue out at him.
And, as they laughed and talked with her family and his father for the next hour or so, it felt entirely natural for them to sit side by side like this and to tease one another every once in a while. In fact, it was something he would not mind doing every day.