cigar humidor and port decanter.
‘Are we going to take bets on whether Kitty gets
a drenching tonight?’ Charles said callously. His father
chuckled and Richard looked uncomfortable.
‘How can you laugh about it?’ he asked
offended.
‘I can laugh because I’ve been watching it all
season.’ Thomas said evenly. ‘Last time it was wine, this
time it will be food.’ He explained. ‘Last time it was a
man, so tonight it will be a woman.’
‘Does it happen every single time?’ Richard
asked in surprise.
‘Not every time she goes out, only at balls.’
‘How many offers have you had?’ Charles asked
as he puffed on his cigar.
‘None! They flutter around her like moths at a
candle! I’d hoped Derek Ponsonby would break the ice,
but he got impatient last night and ruined everything.
I’ll be surprised if she even speaks to him tonight.’ He
sighed. ‘I know they’re interested because they call,
formally call.’ And he shook his head. ‘But somehow she
manages to keep them at a distance.’
‘Why doesn’t she like to be touched?’ Richard
asked in confusion.
‘I don’t know.’ Thomas said softly, ‘but when she
was ten years old she suddenly changed. She became
afraid of the dark and wanted the lamp on, and her
Governess had to sleep in the same room for a year or
more. I put it down to her mother’s death. I didn’t really
manage to get her to settle down until Robin went to
Cambridge. Charles is the only person who can really
give her any tactile affection. She shies away from the
rest of us.’ Charles squirmed and Thomas looked at him
fiercely. ‘Do you have something to tell me, son?’
‘I suppose I can tell you now he’s dead! It was
Robin’s fault.’ Charles said with a sigh. ‘I’ve kept this to
myself for the last ten years and it’s about time
somebody understood. Robin tried to rape her one
night.’
Thomas sighed and nodded. ‘Now I understand.’
‘I heard her scream, because my bedroom was
next to hers. I didn’t know what was happening at the
time, I only realized it was attempted rape after I’d had
my first sexual encounter. But I burst through the door
and Robin had her naked and pinned to the bed.’
Charles sighed again.
‘Did he actually violate her?’ Thomas asked in
horror.
‘I don’t think so, his britches were still buttoned.
But I damn nearly beat him to death for it.’ He looked
up sharply at his father. ‘Don’t you remember the time
he had two black eyes and a broken rib?’ Thomas
nodded. ‘Well, it wasn’t some thug from down the
Square that did it. I did.’ Thomas nodded. ‘I grabbed him
by the hair and threw him across the room, I was so
angry. Kitty scrambled under her bed, but that didn’t
prevent her from seeing me kick my brother’s face in!’
he finished viciously. ‘If she hadn’t called me to stop I
think I might have killed him. I held out Kitty’s robe and I
wrapped her in her eiderdown and rocked her to sleep
on my lap.’
‘What did Robin say in explanation?’ Thomas
asked softly.
‘He tried to fob it off as a game gone wrong, but
he couldn’t adequately explain her torn nightgown on
the carpet. Kitty wouldn’t let him near her after that.’
Charles took a deep draught of his port. ‘After I’d had
my first girl later that year, which was a kitchen maid
from down the Square, I tackled him again and told him
in no uncertain terms what I would do to him if he ever
touched his sister like that again.’
‘What did you threaten him with?’ Thomas
asked. ‘Because it must have worked.’
‘I told him I would cut off his cock, if I found out
he’d ever stuck it in my sister!’
‘Would you have done it?’ Richard asked and
then cursed himself for a fool, because he knew fine
well Charles was capable of it.
‘Oh! Yes, and Robin knew it.’ Charles said. ‘It was
the reason I killed that Frog, when he was trying to rape
little Maria.’ He briefly explained the event for his
father. ‘Rape is something I’ve never
‘Are we going to take bets on whether Kitty gets
a drenching tonight?’ Charles said callously. His father
chuckled and Richard looked uncomfortable.
‘How can you laugh about it?’ he asked
offended.
‘I can laugh because I’ve been watching it all
season.’ Thomas said evenly. ‘Last time it was wine, this
time it will be food.’ He explained. ‘Last time it was a
man, so tonight it will be a woman.’
‘Does it happen every single time?’ Richard
asked in surprise.
‘Not every time she goes out, only at balls.’
‘How many offers have you had?’ Charles asked
as he puffed on his cigar.
‘None! They flutter around her like moths at a
candle! I’d hoped Derek Ponsonby would break the ice,
but he got impatient last night and ruined everything.
I’ll be surprised if she even speaks to him tonight.’ He
sighed. ‘I know they’re interested because they call,
formally call.’ And he shook his head. ‘But somehow she
manages to keep them at a distance.’
‘Why doesn’t she like to be touched?’ Richard
asked in confusion.
‘I don’t know.’ Thomas said softly, ‘but when she
was ten years old she suddenly changed. She became
afraid of the dark and wanted the lamp on, and her
Governess had to sleep in the same room for a year or
more. I put it down to her mother’s death. I didn’t really
manage to get her to settle down until Robin went to
Cambridge. Charles is the only person who can really
give her any tactile affection. She shies away from the
rest of us.’ Charles squirmed and Thomas looked at him
fiercely. ‘Do you have something to tell me, son?’
‘I suppose I can tell you now he’s dead! It was
Robin’s fault.’ Charles said with a sigh. ‘I’ve kept this to
myself for the last ten years and it’s about time
somebody understood. Robin tried to rape her one
night.’
Thomas sighed and nodded. ‘Now I understand.’
‘I heard her scream, because my bedroom was
next to hers. I didn’t know what was happening at the
time, I only realized it was attempted rape after I’d had
my first sexual encounter. But I burst through the door
and Robin had her naked and pinned to the bed.’
Charles sighed again.
‘Did he actually violate her?’ Thomas asked in
horror.
‘I don’t think so, his britches were still buttoned.
But I damn nearly beat him to death for it.’ He looked
up sharply at his father. ‘Don’t you remember the time
he had two black eyes and a broken rib?’ Thomas
nodded. ‘Well, it wasn’t some thug from down the
Square that did it. I did.’ Thomas nodded. ‘I grabbed him
by the hair and threw him across the room, I was so
angry. Kitty scrambled under her bed, but that didn’t
prevent her from seeing me kick my brother’s face in!’
he finished viciously. ‘If she hadn’t called me to stop I
think I might have killed him. I held out Kitty’s robe and I
wrapped her in her eiderdown and rocked her to sleep
on my lap.’
‘What did Robin say in explanation?’ Thomas
asked softly.
‘He tried to fob it off as a game gone wrong, but
he couldn’t adequately explain her torn nightgown on
the carpet. Kitty wouldn’t let him near her after that.’
Charles took a deep draught of his port. ‘After I’d had
my first girl later that year, which was a kitchen maid
from down the Square, I tackled him again and told him
in no uncertain terms what I would do to him if he ever
touched his sister like that again.’
‘What did you threaten him with?’ Thomas
asked. ‘Because it must have worked.’
‘I told him I would cut off his cock, if I found out
he’d ever stuck it in my sister!’
‘Would you have done it?’ Richard asked and
then cursed himself for a fool, because he knew fine
well Charles was capable of it.
‘Oh! Yes, and Robin knew it.’ Charles said. ‘It was
the reason I killed that Frog, when he was trying to rape
little Maria.’ He briefly explained the event for his
father. ‘Rape is something I’ve never
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