Yes, he’d like to see all legacies left by his evil sire rot and all the while he would revel in that destruction. If it weren’t for the siblings who’d been dependent upon them.
A knock sounded at the door and he raised his gaze to the doorway. “Enter,” he barked.
His butler appeared. “My lord,” he greeted, a serious set to his weathered face.
Gabriel frowned. The man had been in his family’s employ since his youth. He’d stayed on, loyal and, on occasion, scuttling his depraved employer’s children off and shielding them. Yet, Joseph refused to quit his post. “Did you see Mrs. Munroe received my note this morning?” he asked, climbing to his feet.
“Er, yes, my lord,” he said and stepped out of the way as Gabriel took his leave of the office.
“And you had the carriage readied?” he asked as the man fell in to step alongside him. He recalled the lady’s crystalline eyes, the most interesting part of the bland creature, snapping with fury.
Joseph inclined his head. “I did, however—”
“I take it Mrs. Munroe was less than pleased with being sent away.”
The old servant scratched his brow. “I would venture you are correct, my lord. However, there are several matters I would speak with you on.” They turned right at the end of the corridor and moved toward the breakfast room. “It is Lady Chloe.”
Those four words jerked Gabriel to a halt. He swung his gaze to the loyal servant. “What is it?” he asked, his tone harsher than intended, knowing before a confirmation of his fears even left the man’s mouth what plagued Chloe.
“She has another of her megrims, my lord.”
The muscles of his stomach clenched and unclenched. With a curse, he quickened his steps. “Have—”
“I’ve taken the liberty of having Dr. Talisman called,” Joseph interrupted.
Dr. Talisman. The irony of that old doctor, who’d also served the Edgerton family through the years, did not escape him. How often did he come attending Chloe, who suffered frequent headaches from the abuses of their past?
The old butler hastened his stride to match his pace. Mindful of the exertions, Gabriel slowed his step. “I want to see Talisman as soon as he attends her.”
“Of course, my lord. But there is something else I’d speak to you about.”
They turned at the end of the corridor and continued walking down the long hall. “What is it?” The hint of light or sound exacerbated his sister’s suffering, so he’d not visit her when she descended into one of her megrims, but he often set himself up outside her chambers in the event she called for him. According to Chloe, only the dark and absolute still of silence brought her any semblance of comfort. Except she never called. The chore of that was too great.
“It is Mrs. Munroe.”
Bitterness lanced his heart. Nor should Chloe call for him. Why would he be the brother whose support she sought? It was little wonder she preferred Alex and detested him. No, he did not begrudge any of his siblings their resentment. Then the servant’s words registered and he cast a sideways glance at Joseph without breaking his stride. “Mrs. Munroe is not my concern. I’ve sent her letter and sent her on her way. Her position with Mrs. Belden is secure and my obligations to that woman are concluded.”
The muscles of the man’s throat bobbed up and down and he drew to an abrupt halt. He stole a frantic look at the breakfast room. “My lord, as I mentioned, there was an additional matter of concern I’d speak to you on.” Worry creased the man’s face.
Gabriel cast a backward glance at the frowning butler, who tended to shuffle back and forth when distraught and then looked to the end of the hall. He released a long sigh and started back toward Joseph. “I take it the young woman was displeased.” He recalled the icy cold of her words as she’d fought for a post in his household.
“Er…” Joseph shot a pained glance over Gabriel’s shoulder. “She—”
Impatient, Gabriel pressed him. “She what?” He had Chloe to attend to and didn’t care to think on the young woman sent him by Mrs. Belden whom he’d promptly sent back. Then an unexpected guilt pricked at him for his callous disregard for Mrs. Munroe. The lady’s faults were not her own, nor did he wish her ill. He merely wished his sister properly cared for. Impatient with Joseph’s silence, he turned on his heel.