London Loves - Book 3 - Love's Great Adventure Series (7 page)

“Being disowned was the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m a better man with a happy family. I want to keep it that way. Lily was the one who decided I was no longer welcome in the family. I won’t beg her forgiveness.” He let out a long, hot breath. “Let’s not talk about something so unpleasant on such a lovely day.”

“All right,” Max agreed as they began to trot the horses up the embankment.

“So how did you sleep last night?” Sebastian asked out of the blue.

“Very well. Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? You are a guest in my home, after all.”

“I wasn't shagging Penny Stanton last night.”

“How did you know?” Maxwell asked, looking like a child caught with his hand in the biscuit jar.

“I couldn’t sleep. I saw her coming out of your room. If you wanted to be discreet, why the hell didn’t you just let her spend the night in your bed?”

Max was silent.

“She’s one of my best friends, Max. She’s fancies you. Don’t hurt her,” Sebastian warned like an overprotective parent.

“I’m quite taken with her as well.”

“Then for God's sake, let her spend the entire night in your bed next time—or at least have the decency to make love to her in her own room. You should be the one that leaves in the middle of the night.”

“You’re right, Sebastian,” Maxwell agreed in all seriousness.

Sebastian silently nodded, having reached an unspoken understanding with his brother. Then he kicked the horse into action and took off to join the hunt, Max gaining at a rapid clip.

It had been an exhausting day. Between the lack of sleep the night before, hunting, and teaching Mattie to ride, Sebastian was never more happy to lay his head upon a pillow than he was that evening.

Tess snuggled into his chest.

“Did you have a good day?” he asked Tess as a yawn escaped his lips.

“Yes.”

“Thanks for teaching Mattie how to ride. Now I’m afraid she’ll start begging for a pony,” Tess said with apprehension.

“Maybe she’ll give up on asking for a puppy.”

Tess chuckled. “I’d rather take care of a dog than a pony.”

“Maybe for Christmas,” Sebastian agreed.

“You and Maxwell seem to be getting along.”

“For now, at least.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tess inquired, raising her head to look at him.

“I couldn’t sleep last night, so I took a walk. I bumped into Penny leaving his room at two in the morning.”

Tess grinned. “I knew it! I’m so happy for Penny.”

“It’s early days, Tess. Don’t start planning a wedding yet.”

“Ha, that’s your job, not mine. I really like Penny, Bas. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if she could be as happy as we are?”

Sebastian smiled. He was lucky beyond belief. “It would be wonderful.” He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Sebastian woke with a start as Mattie jumped on top of him. “Daddy, wake up!”

He groaned, reaching for his watch on the nightstand. When his eyes finally focused, he realized it was eight o’clock in the morning. “Mattie, go back to sleep,” he muttered to his child.

“But I want to see the pony.”

“We have to eat breakfast first, Mattie,” Tess chimed in as she sat up in bed.

“I’ll go get dressed,” her daughter gasped in excitement, jumping off the bed and rushing from the room.

Tess pulled the covers back. “I’ll go make sure she coordinates her outfit. Go back to sleep for little while longer.” She kissed him on the forehead and then put on her robe before walking toward Mattie’s room.

Sebastian and his family joined the others in the breakfast room an hour later. Tess sat next to Penny while Mattie struck up a conversation with Max.

“It looks as if Mattie has made a new best friend this weekend,” Penny said, nodding toward her paramour and the little girl at the end of the table.

“Seems to me that Max has made more than one good friend this weekend,” Tess smiled.

“Sebastian told you, didn’t he?” Penny whispered.

Tess nodded her confirmation. “I’m so happy for you, Penny.”

“At least someone in the Irons household is happy for me.”

“Don’t worry about Sebastian. He’ll come around. You know he’ll go to any lengths to protect those he loves fiercely. Bas is still a little suspicious of Max. It will take some time for him to realize his loyalty.”

Penny nodded. “Yes, I can understand his hesitation after what happened between his mother and him. I think it’s a good thing they’ll be working together to find his father—it will bring them closer together.”

“I hope so,” Tess agreed.

Sebastian jogged up the steps of the Westminster Tube Station and turned left to walk down Whitehall Road toward Maxwell’s office. A middle-aged personal assistant greeted Sebastian as he opened the door. “Mr. Irons, your brother is waiting for you. Follow me.”

Sebastian followed the woman down the short hallway and waited patiently as she knocked on the door. “Enter,” a voice said from inside. The assistant opened the door and smiled at Sebastian, who nodded his thanks and stepped inside the office.

It was a simple room furnished with a large cherry desk, a few chairs, and a sofa. It looked as if Max had just moved in and hadn’t had time to decorate the space yet. Then Sebastian noticed the tall, thin man in an ill-fitting suit standing behind Maxwell, staring out the window.

“Sebastian, this is Nigel Minton,” Max introduced as he stood from his desk.

Mr. Minton turned around and offered his hand in greeting. Sebastian shook it. “Thank you for meeting with us today, Mr. Minton.”

“Both of you, please sit down. Can I get you a beverage?” Maxwell asked. Both men declined and took seats opposite Max. “Well, let’s get started. Mr. Minton, my brother and I would like to hire you to find our father.”

“When was the last time you had contact with him?” Mr. Minton asked, pulling a notepad out of his jacket pocket.

“Twenty-six years ago,” Max replied.

“That may prove a little difficult, being so long ago. What can you tell me about him?”

“His name is Martin Christopher Baker,” Sebastian began. “I have this photo.” Sebastian pulled the photo out of his coat pocket and handed to Mr. Minton.

“Our mother divorced him when she found him cheating on her. I was only ten years of age and Sebastian wasn’t born yet, so I’m not sure how much information we can provide,” Maxwell jumped in to explain.

Minton nodded as he scribbled away in his notebook. “Do you know of any places he liked to frequent? I need a starting point.”

“He met my mother at the Blakesfield Country Club. It was a whirlwind courtship and they married quickly. I don’t recall meeting his parents or siblings. I know it’s not much to go on,” Max apologized.

“Has your mother given you any hints over the years?”

“She won’t speak of him. That’s why we contacted you. We need this done discreetly.”

“Of course. Let me start with public records: birth certificate, divorce decree. Maybe I can pull your mother’s financial records to see if she’s made any payments to him over the years.”

Sebastian looked to Max, who silently nodded his head in agreement. “We would appreciate any information you could gather, Mr. Minton.”

Minton reached into his suit coat pocket and produced two business cards. He handed one each to the siblings. “Give me some time to see what I can come up with. I’ll keep you informed. My number is on the card if you need to reach me or if you remember anything that will assist me in the search.” He shook hands with both men and then he left the office.

Sebastian wasn’t sure what he expected from the meeting, but it certainly wasn’t Mr. Minton’s quick, no-nonsense demeanor. He scratched his head, then headed to the sideboard and poured himself a scotch. “Do you think it is possible she’s still paying off father to stay away?”

Maxwell sat in his chair and pondered the question for a long moment. “If she’s paying him off, it would explain why he’s never tried to contact me.”

“Well, I guess we just wait and see now,” Sebastian agreed, sitting down in the chair and sipping his scotch.

Max sighed as he shuffled the papers in front of him.“I’m really not in the mood to deal with charities today.” He looked at his watch and noted the time was just eleven forty-five. “Why don’t we go to my club for lunch?”

Mattie was with Sigourney, so Sebastian didn’t need to rush home. “All right, let’s go.”

Sigourney and Mattie paid a visit to Penny. They sat in the parlor drinking tea and eating cucumber sandwiches.

Mattie looked at Sigourney and then turned her attention to Penny. She sat quietly, as if deep in thought, and then asked: “Are you and Uncle Max going to get married?”

“Mattie!” Penny exclaimed. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Mummy and I talk about it. We want you to have a boyfriend.”

Penny put her hand over her heart, speechless at the child’s sweet response.

“Is Max your boyfriend?” Sigourney played along with Mattie.

“It’s early days, I don’t know how to define it,” Penny admitted.

“Have you gone out?” Sigourney asked, creeping to the edge of her seat.

“He has escorted me to charity balls.”

“He’s come to have tea with Aunt Penny, too,” Mattie added.

“And we may have gone on the occasional dinner,” Penny admitted with an impish grin.

“Have you kissed?” Mattie inquired.

“Mattie, that’s not polite to ask,” Penny chided.

“Oh, come now, it’s just us girls! Fess up, Pen.”

Lowering her eyelids and blushing she whispered, “Yes, we’ve kissed.”

“Don’t boyfriends and girlfriends get married?” Mattie asked.

Sigourney grinned. “Sometimes they do.”

“Please, I don’t want to jinx it,” Penny pleaded.

“What does that mean?” Mattie asked looking back and forth between Sigourney and Penny.

“It means that if you say it aloud, it might never happen,” Penny explained.

Maxwell’s private car chauffeured the men to Soho. They entered the dark club, full of rich wood paneling and plush green carpets. An attendant greeted them. “Earl Sutton, it’s a pleasure to have to back again.”

“Thank you, Marcus. This is my brother, Sebastian. We’d like a table for lunch, please.”

“Right this way, my Lord.” Marcus escorted them to a prime table in the center of the room—one where you could see everything and be seen. Marcus left the table and Sebastian began to chuckle as he took his seat.

“What has you so amused?” Max inquired with suspicion.

“‘My Lord’—I’m sorry, it’s just been a very long time since I’ve been around all this pomp and circumstance.”

Max joined in with laughter. “It
does
take some getting used to. This could have all been yours if you were born first,” he reminded.

“Well, thank God for small favors.” Sebastian looked over the menu. “What are you having?”

“Steak—rare.”

“I think I’ve have the veal.”

It was a relaxing meal. Sebastian and Max talked and were becoming more comfortable in each other’s presence. When their meal was consumed, they joined the other club members in the smoking room to enjoy a brandy.

Sebastian relaxed into the maroon leather tall-backed chair and inhaled the smell of cigarettes. It had been years since he last smoked, but sometimes the scent made him crave it—especially after a good meal. He observed the room: some members were reading newspapers, some were in deep quiet conversation, and others sat alone drinking. Someone familiar entered the room. He walked down the carpeted steps and stopped in his tracks when his eyes locked with Sebastian’s. A smile curled up on the man’s handsome face as he set course in Sebastian’s direction.

“Bloody hell, Irons. What brings you to London?” Prince Alistair asked, stopping in front of him.

Sebastian stood from the chair and held out his hand. “Blue blood, it is good to see you again. My family recently moved back. My wife has a job with the Associated Press here in London.”

“Family—wife? By God, we have a lot to catch up on.” Alistair looked at Maxwell. “Earl Sutton, it’s good to see you again.”

Maxwell stood from his chair. “Your Royal Highness, it’s always a pleasure. You are welcome to join us.”

“I would love to. However, I have a meeting.” Alistair reached into his pocket to pull out a calling card. He handed it to Sebastian. “Please ring me later. I’d love to catch up.”

Sebastian nodded in agreement. “I’ll do that.”

Alistair left the pair and headed toward the back of the room.

“How do you get away with calling him blue blood?” Max wondered, taking his seat.

“I roomed with him at Eton. We’ve had some interesting adventures together,” Sebastian explained, but declined to go into detail. “He must not be aware that you’re seeing Penelope Stanton. If he was, I don’t know that he’d be so gracious.”

“He dated her years ago. He’s had ample opportunity to rekindle the relationship if he chose to do so,” Max replied.

“Penny doesn’t forgive cheaters. Be warned,” he clipped out.

“I have no intentions of cheating on Penny.”

“Good.”

“It’s rather endearing how protective you are of the women in your life. I admire that quality in you.”

Sebastian was taken aback by the revelation. Unsure how to respond, he took the last sip of his brandy. Finally he muttered, “Thank you, Max.”

Sebastian made Mattie her favorite dish, macaroni and cheese, and put her to bed at eight o’clock. Tess had phoned ahead saying she had a deadline and wouldn’t be home until late that night. To fill the time, he tried to read a novel, but his mind was too full of information to concentrate on the written words in front of him. Sighing, he closed the book and lay back on the couch. Whatever had made him think he could quietly move his family back to London and go about his business unknown? Ever since stepping foot back in his homeland, he’d been greeted with the ghosts of his past. It seemed as if he were living in a Charles Dickens’ novel.

He heard the key turn in the lock and sat up to find Tess walking through the front door. She was the consummate professional: dressed in a light gray suit, her hair pulled up into a chignon, briefcase in hand.