CHAPTER TWOThe butler was waiting in the hall when the Marquis arrived.
With him were four footmen whose livery seemed somewhat ill fitting.
“Welcome back, my Lord!” the butler proclaimed. “It’s good to have your Lordship back.”
“I should have come earlier,” the Marquis replied, “but I was kept in London. However, I agree with you, Johnson, it’s a joy to be back home at Melverley Hall.”
He looked around the large hall.
With the sun shining on the gold frames of his ancestors’ portraits he thought it looked very impressive.
“Luncheon is ready, my Lord,” Johnson announced.
The Marquis, however, walked towards the room that was at the far end of the hall. It was where his mother had always sat and where he had last seen his father.
The third Marquis had died while his son was fighting
