Sweet Surrender

~We have eachother~

Adrian had arranged for The Baron to be brought to his home accompanied by Frederick and Harold the magistrate.

A slight tap at the door broke him from his thoughts as he continued to get dressed. He listened to Penniford enter and announce the arrival of The Baron, Frederic and Harold.

With a nod he ordered Penniford to show them into the drawing room and offer them refreshments.

"I will be down in a moment," he said.

Giving his image a last approving look he sighed bracing himself for the unknown.

He was thankful that Rosie took them to the park that way he could attend to them with no interruptions.

He descended the steps and made his way to the drawing room. He paused nervously before the door and closed his eyes letting out a deep breath before entering.

He entered slowly and stepped inside. Familiar eyes turned to greet him as they stood from their chairs.
Quickly Frederic smiled and extended his hand to shake his and immediately introduced him the gentleman that came into view.

"May I present to you Lord Brendan Hayes."

Adrian nodded and shook his hand.
he observed the man before him and saw that Tonk undeniably had a resemblance to the older man.

"My lord how good of you to come," Adrian shook his hand.

It was a very tense moment for him as he saw the Baron sit before him and listened to the conditions his son lived in before Adrian took him in.

He went on to describe Thomas. With eagerness The Baron sat and listened at how he was sharp as a knife. Full of life and very resourceful and the men chuckled at his mischievous ways. The Baron sat up and cleared his throat and nervously rubbed his hands on his pants.

"I am pretty sure Margarette has had a handful with him," he chuckled briefly then slowly looked at each of them puzzled at their uneasy stares.

"About that m'lord with deep regret I must tell you something," Adrian grimly looked from him to the magistrate.

Brendan listened without judgment with a calmness as Adrian relayed to the Baron of what Tonk had told him. He saw the Barons features pale as if a beam of light suddenly went out of him with the news that Tonks mother was not alive.

The eerie silence that followed was short as the Baron tried to assimilate this news. He wiped at his face in desperation and stood abruptly in anger.

He hissed under his breath and spoke of how his father interfered with Margarette ,Tonks mother and he and that's why he knew nothing of Thomas's existence.

She was a beautiful girl he met in Bath when she was visiting an aunt. They fell in love and wanted to get married. But, his father would hear none of it.

A little over a week after he had spoken to his mother and father of his plans to marry her, he was sent away to Paris to complete his studies and he never heard about her again.
It was his unfortunate luck that things turned out this way, because he never stopped loving her.

"Who knows how much she suffered," he choked.

"But, I am to blame because I was not man enough to stand up to my father," he shook his head.

He turned to face the men before him as much as he tried to school his features and hide his grief, he couldn't.

He stood silent for a while searching for words to ask Adrian. Red rimmed eyes filled with anguish looked at him. He suddenly looked around and walked over to him as he heard the voice of a child laughing on the hall.