Inu-Tarzan - Second Chance: Lord William Clayton
"Aunt Alice, so lovely to see you." Lord Clayton said as he watched his great aunt and lawyer walk into the parlor.
"William, darling." Lady Alice smiled as she accepted her great nephew's kiss on the cheek. "How is my sister?"
"Grandmother is a doing well." Lord Clayton said as he sat across from his great aunt while Mr. D'Arnot poured them both a cup of tea. "Is that a new dress? Is makes your figure look lovely."
"Thank you William." Lady Alice chuckled. "Paul brought it back for me from Paris."
"How could I not? You've treated me well for nearly three decades now." Mr. D'Arnot smiled as he took his seat between the two royals.
"Come now, you're making me feel old." Lady Alice waved off with an amused expression. "What brings you to my home William?"
"Am I not allowed to visit you Aunt Alice?" Lord Clayton played off.
"You are... but this would be for the third time in one month!" Lady Alice chuckled. "Your grand mother's estate is nearly a days ride away."
"All the more reason to visit! How else will I see you?" Lord Clayton argued.
"Hm." Lady Alice hummed thoughtfully against her teacup. "So what brings you to Greystoke this time nephew?"
"I've come to seek your assistance. As you and grandmother's only living heir, it is known that I will eventually be inheriting both the Greystoke's and Clayton's estates. As fortunate as I am to be bestowed with such honor, I've come to realize I have no one to share it with." Lord Clayton sighed as he picked up his cup of tea. "I wish to inquire if you know of any eligible ladies? I do not wish to repeat my dearly departed uncle's misfortune in being unable to produce an heir before his passing."
"Indeed." Lady Alice agreed, as she looked at her nephew in deep thought. "I do not know of any eligible ladies at the moment nephew but should I learn of one I'll send them your way."
She was well aware of William's drinking and gambling habits. Unfortunately, so were the ladies of the court. William was already in his mid thirties and not once had he managed to win a lady's favor. He had a quick temper when he was drunk and his inability to avoid the whore houses and casinos made him highly disliked by the ladies. It didn't surprise her that he was having trouble finding a potential wife. That being said, his point about her son's legacy dying in the Congo was well served. Both the Graystoke and Clayton households needed an heir to one day to take over their estate. If he didn't have a child before his passing both the Graystoke and Clayton households, they would have to look to other alternatives.
"Excellent." Lord Clayton said as he took a sip of his tea.
"You missed quite the excitement earlier." Lady Alice said as she looked at Mr. D'Arnot with a mischievous glance.
"Oh? What excitement would that be dear aunt?" Lord Clayton inquired.
"Two explorers uncovered the mystery of the lost jewel." Mr. D'Arnot said causing Lord Clayton to nearly spit out his tea.
"Wh-what?" Lord Clayton choked out in disbelief.
"Paul was at a fundraising event three weeks ago and saw a women wearing our family jewel around her neck. After speaking to the women he learned she was given the jewel while traveling through the Congo. He invited the woman and her grandfather to tea this afternoon. While they were here we uncovered that John's ship was indeed sunken off the shores of the Congo. The catch is that they didn't die in the wreck like we thought. They survived long enough for Izayoi to mother a son of her own. The woman we met today befriended Izayoi's son Inu-Tarzan." Lady Alice explained as Lord Clayton stared on with bulging eyes.
"So how did this woman acquire the jewel from him?" Lord Clayton asked on bated breath.
"She was married to him." Lady Alice said as she reached into her pocket book and pulled out the drawing Kagome made.
"Was?" Lord Clayton asked as he hesitantly took the paper from her outstretched hand.
"Yes, she said they'd only been married a few short weeks before he died." Lady Alice said as Lord Clayton looked over the drawing of his long lost cousin.
"How unfortunate." Lord Clayton frowned with an inward smile. With his cousin's death he was secure in his inheritance. "May I see the jewel?"
"I don't have it." Lady Alice said as she passed the drawing over to Mr. D'Arnot for sake keeping.
"What do you mean you don't have it?" Lord Clayton asked in confusion. "Surely you requested it back?"
"Why? The Greystoke line has ended." Lady Alice shrugged. "There was no longer a need to keep it."
"Aunt Alice... your line might have ended but mine has not." Lord Clayton sighed in frustration. "It's my right as your heir to offer the jewel down my line."
"Wrong." Lady Alice said causing Lord Clayton to narrow his eyes at her. "My great grandson gave that jewel to his wife as a wedding gift. She is his widow giving her the right to the jewel. Besides, the Greystone line comes from my husband's side of the family. You have no attachment to the jewel besides marital ties through me."
"That does not matter. It is out of tradition of the Graystoke household that I require it. I'm to be the Earl of Graystoke meaning the jewel should belong to me. I will simply have to convince this woman to hand it over. It belongs in our family; not in the hands of a dirty commoner." Lord Clayton said as he sat his teacup on the table. "Besides, she'll probably end up selling it for nourishment anyway."
"That is enough William!" Lady Alice snapped. "Doctor Porter comes from a long line of highly respected pioneers. She'd donate the jewel to a museum long before she'd sell it for a scrap of bread. On top of that, the jewel was a wedding gift from my great grandson. She holds great fondness towards the jewel because of that fact. It was his right to give it to her and her right to keep it to then pass onto her daughter should she of had any. Taking away the jewel from her after I've given my blessing would bring shame to this household. Do not dishonor me with your greed. We have plenty of other jewels and gifts to offer your future bride."
"You are missing the point! I do not wish to give my bride a simple trinket. I want to give her something special, something that holds sentimental value to the Greystoke line! Everyone knows about the jewel. It would be an offense to offer my future bride anything less." Lord Clayton grouched just as Rutherford returned.
"Did my guests make it home safely?" Lady Alice asked ignoring her great nephew's rude behavior.
"Yes, my Lady." Rutherford nodded as he crossed his arms behind his back. "There was a light drizzle of rain on the way but not enough to delay or disrupt our journey."
"Wonderful." Lady Alice said as she set her teacup down. "It's time for my daily walk in the greenhouse. Would you care to join me William?"
"Alas dear Aunt, I must be going." Lord Clayton sighed as Rutherford helped his aunt up from her seat. "Do enjoy your walk."
"Send my sister my good wishes." Lady Alice said as she took Mr. D'Arnot's arm and slowly began to walk out of the parlor room. "Rutherford, do you mind walking my nephew out?"
"Of course my Lady." Rutherford said as he motioned for Lord Clayton to follow him towards the main entrance.
Once they were out of earshot Rutherford and Lord Clayton hid away in the shadows to speak.
"Where does this women live Rutherford? We must secure the family jewel before it gets sold on the black market." Lord Clayton growled.
"I wouldn't worry about that my Lord." Rutherford reassured him. "Lady Alice was correct in her statement about the Porters. The jewel is in good hands."
"That does not mean some fool won't break into their home or rip it off her neck during a mugging and steal it!" Lord Clayton argued making Rutherford pause to consider his words. "It would be best for everyone that the jewel was once again in the Greystoke's possession."
"I see your point." Rutherford nodded reluctantly. "If it would ease your worries Sir, I overheard Mr. D'Arnot speaking about Doctor Porter and the Professor coming back to the estate at a later date. Would you like for me to message you when this meeting is arranged?"
"That would be for the best." Lord Clayton agreed as he grabbed his hat and coat off the rack. "Do me a favor and keep an eye on the Porters. If you suspect the jewel is in danger I give you permission to take it by any means necessary."
"Yes, Sir." Rutherford said as he opened the door for Lord Clayton to leave.
-s-
[Two Days Later]
"You can't be serious!" Sango gasped as she and her husband Miroku listened to Kagome's story while they were busy working at the universities laboratory.
"Yup." Kagome sighed as she played with the pink jewel around her neck. "Mr. D'Arnot said he'd be in touch with us soon. My grandpa and I can't seem to figure out what they want from us. We've told them everything; well, all except about Izayoi's existence and Inu-Tarzan being alive."
"If I was in Lady Alice's shoes I'd want to be close to you so I could feel connected to my lost relatives." Miroku said as he continued to look through his magnified glass.
"Maybe." Kagome shrugged as she placed her lab book back onto the shelf. "Whatever the reason it's making me nervous. I already feel guilty in not letting her see Izayoi. What if I say the wrong thing? What if I accidently let something slip? What if I give into my guilt and ruin everything?"
"You won't because you know deep in your heart that keeping Izayoi safe is your top priority. The desire to keep her safe will out way your guilt in hiding her away from the woman. Lady Alice does not blame you or hate you because she does not know what she is missing. Do not let her ignorance in your daughter's existence blind you too the end goal." Sango soothed as she pulled her panicking friend into a tight hug.
"Besides," Miroku chuckled as he came up behind his wife and placed his hand on her butt. "If something does happen, you could always ship hop until you make it to the Congo."
SMACK
"Keep your hands off my ass you pervert! This is no time for that!" Sango hissed as she glared at him and his pink cheek. "I can't believe you would even suggest such a thing to her in the first place!"
"My lovely wife, you wound me!" Miroku said in mocked hurt. "It was only a suggestion."
"You know how dangerous it is for a man to ship hop let alone woman. Her bringing a baby would only endanger her more." Sango scolded.
"I already looked into that rout Miroku." Kagome sighed as she sat down in one of the laboratory chairs. "It's not worth the risk. Knowing my luck I'd be sold into the sex trade and Izayoi would end up in a circus."
"If Lady Alice seeks to keep your daughter and raise her as her heir you could always move away and start over?" Miroku suggested as he continued to rub his sore cheek with his palm.
"Izayoi is of British royalty and one quarter dog demon. Do you think once word gets out about her that we'd be left alone? We'll have walking targets on our backs the rest of our lives." Kagome argued as she ran her fingers through her hair. "The only way to keep Izayoi safe would be to return to the Congo and disappear for good."
"How much more do you need to leave since you've started your book sales?" Sango asked.
"I'm just over a quarter of the way there for one ticket. If profits keep up and I continue to network we should be able to leave by the time Izayoi is 7." Kagome said.
"That's still too far away." Sango sighed. "By then Izayoi will want to go outside of the house and interact with children her own age. The risk for her safety will nearly triple then."
"Exactly." Kagome groaned. "I don't know what else to do!"
"We'll think of something." Miroku encouraged as his wife rubbed Kagome's back. "Just give it a little more time to make itself known."
"Thanks you guys." Kagome sniffled. "I don't know where I'd be without you."
"Probably still lost in your work where we found you." Sango smiled sadly.
"That seems like such a long time ago." Kagome sighed as she reflected over the past two and a half years. "I was in rough shape then."
"Thank god you were pregnant. Otherwise I think you'd either be in a nut house or upstairs in the hospital begging for a liver transplant." Sango chuckled.
"You're probably right." Kagome chuckled. "She will always be my miracle baby."
"And she will always be worth protecting." Miroku said making both women smile.
After work Kagome swung by the market to pick up some bread and other food goods to take home. Once she was finished she began walking the two-mile trip towards home. She was nearly home when she felt like someone was watching her. When she'd looked over her shoulder to find no one there she quickened her pace and constantly looked around her for danger. At one point she saw the shadow of a man from the corner of her eye but by the time she'd turned around to confront him but he'd vanished. Thankfully she made it home with no incident and the shadow man never attacked. After that event she decided to never walk home alone after dark.
[End of Chapter 2]
Authors Note:
So sorry for the delay in posting chapters! I picked up a new job that has been scheduling me for shifts when I normally post and have been in the process of moving across the country! Hopefully I will be able to get back into the habit of posting regularly again. Thank you all for your patience! That being said, what do you guys think of book 2 so far? I'd love to hear your feedback in the review section. Chapter 3 will be coming soon! Be sure to click the follow button so you are updated when its posted!
TG1