A Time for Honour

Chapter 23

After two more weeks of rest, the new Earl of Silverton was finally well enough to travel. Sir Henry had planned to arrange the hasty marriage of his daughter to the 5th Earl, as soon as they had arrived in London. Then, after the nuptials had taken place, he would apply to Silverton's solicitors to draw up documents for the settlements. Sir Henry's hopes, however, had been dashed the moment they had arrived at Limington Place, the Earl of Silverton's smart London residence.

Limington Place was a large, imposing townhouse in the heart of the very fashionable London district of Mayfair. What Sir Henry had not realised, was that the previous Earl, even though he rarely came to town, kept loyal members of staff at the house to look after it. Therefore, when Sir Henry's carriage had drawn up outside the front door, along with his family and the new, rather dazed looking Earl, one of the faithful retainers had immediately called upon Mr Morton to express their concerns.

Mr Morton, an intelligent man who was close to retirement, had taken one look at Sir Henry and knew immediately what he was planning to do. He had left the servant with strict instructions not to leave the new Lord Silverton alone with Sir Henry. When the servant had reported his findings back to the butler and housekeeper, they organised the staff to make sure that there was always someone nearby to keep an eye on the unwelcome guests.

The next morning Sir Henry, incensed by the butler's insolent attitude towards him, went to see Mr Morton to register his grievances. 'As soon as my precious daughter is wed to his lordship, I will be his father-in-law,' he had said confidently, 'and, on that matter, I hope that you will help me procure a special license this afternoon.'

'I am afraid, sir,' Mr Morton had said, with a superiority that rankled Sir Henry, 'that a special license, in this case, will not do.'

'Why ever not?' Sir Henry had replied testily, 'it is not as though you are his guardian. The Earl is a grown man and can marry whoever he chooses. I was hoping to have your blessing, but if you are going to be difficult, I'll arrange the nuptials myself.'

'I would rather you did not,' Mr Morton had replied smoothly, 'the Earl is recovering from an accident that has affected his memory. He must be allowed time to fully recover before he marries your daughter.'

'I say,' Sir Henry then said agitatedly, 'are you accusing me of forcing his lordship into a marriage he does not want? If I were younger; I'd call you out for slander. One thing is certain,' he growled, 'that when the Earl is married to my daughter, I will encourage him to use my man of business, not you!'

'Please, sir,' the solicitor had said calmly, 'I have never accused you of forcing his lordship to marry your daughter. I am just warning you that this marriage cannot take place until Lord Silverton has fully recovered from his unfortunate accident. His lordship has given me permission to act on his behalf until he is well enough to take control of his own affairs.'

'Well,' Sir Henry blustered, 'in the opinion of my physician, his lordship is of a sound mind and can make his own decisions.'

'I am afraid your man's professional opinion is neither here nor there. Last year, Dr Overton, the man you are relying on to provide evidence, was accused of taking bribes for giving false witness in court. There is not a judge in the land that will take his assessment of a patient seriously.' The solicitor looked at Sir Henry in the eye and had said gravely, 'if I find out that his lordship has been subjected to a clandestine marriage to your daughter, I will use all the legal powers, at my disposal, to annul the marriage. Your daughter will be ruined and you, sir, will end up in gaol.'

'Well,' Sir Henry had said, as his cheeks began to turn red with rage, 'I have never been so insulted in all my life. Dr Overton is a dear friend of mine, and his reputation is second to none.'