James followed his brother behind the Queen’s lady-in-waiting as she led them down the narrow hall to a large receiving room at the back of the church. Both brothers paused at the doorway, bowing as they spied the Queen seated in the center of the room, flanked on all sides by more ladies-in-waiting.
“Enter, my lords,” she directed with a wave of her hand.
James stayed a step behind George, bowing again as they came to stand before her.
She pursed her lips at them, eyes darting from one to the other. “I came here today because I received an invitation to attend a wedding. But now the air out there is as festive as a wake. Tell your Queen what is happening.”
When George remained quiet, James took a deep breath, ready to step around him and try to smooth this all over.
But then George stepped forward. “Your Majesty, this is my fault. I…well, I am just the worst duke to have ever lived.” He gave a shrug. “I know who and what I am, and I hate being a duke. I hate the responsibility. I hate having people rely on me for anything. Ever. I have no head for figures. I cannot stand the monotony of farming. I would rather die than be expected to raise children, and if you make me marry today, I can tell you I will break all the vows I make before God and man.”
With each word of his speech, the Queen’s posture hardened. The ladies-in-waiting flanking her shared confused looks, shifting on their feet. “What am I supposed to do with that information, Norland?” The Queen replied with a raised brow.
“Yes, well…I was—well that is to say we—” He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at James. “My brother and I were very much hoping we might just…switch places? If it’s alright with you, that is…”
The Queen frowned. “Let me make sure I am hearing this right…one of my dukes is so highly dissatisfied in his role of dedicating his life as a servant to the Crown that he wishes to upend centuries of tradition and foist his title and all the responsibility therein over to his younger brother. Did I miss anything, Norland?”
George cleared his throat with a nervous cough. “I am highly satisfied with both the Crown, and the head that wears it,” he hedged.
James let out a breath, thankful George was showing such decorum.
“My dissatisfaction is all to do with my own personal deficiencies,” George went on. “I defy you, Your Majesty, to find yourself a worse peer than myself. I drink far more than is good for me, I gamble my estate’s hard-earned money away, I fornicate with anything that moves. And I don’t actually think I’m a Christian. It’s not so much that I get a feeling of being underwhelmed with the nature of God…it’s more that I simply don’t care. The stories are boring on the whole, the Almighty seems like a vindictive twat most of the time, and I cannot stand all the rules and regulations of the middle bits and—ow—ouch, James. Stop elbowing me.” George glared at him, inching away.
James growled, dropping his arm back to his side. Christ, this was a disaster.
“Viscount Finchley?” The Queen settled her eye on him. “You wish to speak?”
He cleared his throat. “No, Your Majesty. I only wish my brother to stop speaking.”
A few of the ladies-in-waiting hid smiles behind their hands.
The Queen sighed. “I believe I have heard enough. Norland, step forward.”
Casting a wary glance at James, George took two steps forward.
James took a deep breath, readying himself for the worst.
The Queen squared her shoulders. “It hurts us more than we can say that a duke of our realm is so dissatisfied in his position,” she began. “To serve the Crown is a great honor, one that far too many take for granted. Still more assume that this position is a right, not a privilege. Our system is a good one on the whole. But there are moments…there are people, who test it. Norland, I have known you all your life. I knew your father before you. The Corbin family is well-respected as being dutiful servants to the Crown. Should we allow for one weak link to break the Corbin chain?”
George swallowed, hands balled into fists at his side. “Your Majesty could simply remove the weak link and remake the chain anew. I am happy to be removed. I…I’ve never wanted anything more, in fact.”
She sighed, dismissing George with a wave. Then she narrowed her eyes at James. “Viscount, step forward. Let me look at you.”
James inched around George until they were standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
“Do you know what it is Norland asks of us?”
James gave a curt nod. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“He wants to disclaim his titles and pass them to you.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he muttered.
She raised a curious brow. “It is the dream of all second sons, is it not? To inherit all while an elder brother still lives? To rise to the top and become the rooster that crows.”
“Not all, Your Majesty,” he replied. “Second sons are…we are not all cut from the same cloth. I am pragmatic by nature, and a rule-follower to a fault, so I never allowed myself to think such a thing would be possible. It is not done,” he said with a shrug. “And I am no such schemer that I would wish my brother’s demise. No matter what else he is, George is family. That means something to me. It means everything to me.”
She nodded slowly, lips pursed in contemplation. “And what would you do differently…if such an honor were bestowed upon you?”
James took a deep breath, deciding his next words carefully. He would not lie to his Queen. “Nothing, Your Majesty,” he replied. “I would continue on my present course. Rents have never been higher, my granaries are full, the sheep are sheared. We’ve recently struck a lode of copper, which is promising. And I am in negotiations to expand my land holdings. I will change nothing about how I currently run the dukedom.”
The corner of the Queen’s mouth curled slightly. “You should know I do not take kindly to the idea of stirring scandal amongst the peerage. The ton is ravenous enough without such bold provocations from me. But what you are asking of me now is to willfully pick up the spoon. What guarantee can you give me that one lord will succeed where the other has admittedly failed? For I will not be made a fool of a second time.”
It surprised James when George relaxed his shoulders and smiled. “Your Majesty, allow me to tell you a bit about my dear baby brother.”
