Chapter 289: Chapter 289
"Erik. There you are. Your father wants an emergency meeting with you at the palace." Jim said. Erik stood up from his desk and asked what was going on.
"Where is Bash?" He asked.
"I'm not sure. He was with Pearl the last time I saw him. In the living room." Jim said. Erik went downstairs and found Pearl and the baby nestled into the couch and Sebastian sitting across the room reading.
"Cousin. What's wrong?" Sebastian asked.
"I don't know. My father wants me at the palace. I want you to come with me." He said.
Sebastian looked at Pearl. She nodded. "I will be fine. Jim is here." She said. Sebastian nodded and followed Erik out of the room. They arrived at Buckingham and found his father in his study.
"Father. What's going on?" Erik asked.
"It's your brother. You need to talk some sense to into him. He's ran off with that girl. Eloped. He has formally renounced his title and his lineage. His attorneys contacted me today. Can you believe that!? He wants to live stateside and sire a family there, away from the spotlight. Or so he says. It's a sham. You need to get him and fix this." Edward said. "My brother isn't well, that with Auggie renouncing his place in line makes your son the second heir, only after his eighteenth birthday which makes you, Sebastian, next in line after Erik, to be king regent until Christian comes of age. We need to do something and you both have a responsibility now to it." Edward said. He looked tired. He was sad about his brother, Sebastian's father, as they were close and add to that he had been through just as much as they all had the last several months. He didn't look like the strong king he once was.
"I will go. He will only listen to me. Bash, go back to Highgrove and explain everything to Pearl. Maybe she can reach out to Maggie." He said.
"But your son's christening is the day after tomorrow." Sebastian said.
"I will try my best to be there. You are his godfather. I know you will handle it if I am not able to make it." Erik said. Sebastian shook his head. Nothing should be more important than being there for his son and his wife, he thought. And he was furious that Erik was using the godfather title to put responsibility on Sebastian to do what Erik should be doing. Not that he minded. He enjoyed it. He loved his cousin but if Erik would have met his end when he was kidnapped, this is what Sebastian had planned to do anyway. He loved Pearl, more than he should. But that wasn't the point. Erik made a promise to Pearl when he married her and expecting another man to fulfill those promises for him was cowardly, in Sebastian's mind. He looked at his cousin and felt the first pang of fear he had felt in a long time. Erik may not be perfect but he never seemed to be the kind of man that would be like Edward. Cool. Detached. Tyrannical and making the crown and politics the most important thing in his life. He hoped his fear was wrong. But he knew it never was.
"Erik, let me go get him. You stay with Pearl and your son. Be there for his christening. I will talk to Augustus." Sebastian said. "You've barely been around the baby at all these last few weeks."
"No." Erik said, abruptly. "This is my duty and my brother. Be there for Pearl. It's an order." He said.
Sebastian reluctantly nodded. He didn't know what else he could say and frankly, he was disgusted with him enough to know he needed to keep his mouth shut.
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Sebastian arrived back at Highgrove House and found Pearl making tea in the kitchen.
"Where's little Beau." He asked. Sebastian had coined the nickname for Christian based on the name Robert and Pearl thought it was adorable.
"He's asleep finally. I hope for the night. Where's Erik? What was the meeting about?" She asked, pouring him a cup of tea.
"It's Auggie. He's eloped with your friend. And he has renounced his title." He said, leaning against the counter and sipping his tea.
"Oh my god." Pearl said, in complete shock.
"Yes. And Erik is going to find him to try to talk some sense into him." He said.
"He what? Bash, the baby's christening is a day away. He flew to the US? Why did he just leave without discussing it with me?" She said. She was angry.
"Pearl, it's not my place to have this conversation with you but I'm bloody well invested at this point so who cares, right? He hasn't been there for you much at all. He's barely been near the babe the last few weeks. And he says he's just busy which is rubbish and you and I both know it. I called him out today and told him I would go and fetch Auggie but he "commanded" me to come and take care of you and insisted he go." He said.
"I don't like this side of him I am seeing. He is trying to be his father or maybe he just is like his father and we were both stupid to think otherwise." He said.
Pearl put her head down. "So he might not be there for Christian's christening?" She asked. He saw how sad her eyes were. How defeated. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a hug.
"No. But I promise, I will be there. And it will be a lovely day." He said.
"Sebastian, I'm beginning to think I can't do anything right when it comes to my life." She said. He moved her back away from him and looked into her eyes. A moment passed and he took her hand and led her to the living room where Christian was asleep in his bassinet.
"Look at him." He whispered. "That is what you have done right."
She looked up at him and smiled, a tear running down her cheek. He wiped it with his hand. "Who cares about what roads you had to take to get here and what roads you may have to take after. He is perfect. That's all that matters. And you are loved, ardently." He said. "By Erik. And by... me."
He looked at her and smiled.
She hugged him again and whispered "thank you." into his ear. He squeezed her tight and took her hand again and led her to the adjacent study. He took out a board game and sat it on the table in the middle of the room. Scrabble?" She asked.
"Oh yes. It's my favorite." He said.
"We're going to play board games?" She asked.
"You better believe it. You need some fun away from the baby. I'm going to pour you a cuppa and we are going to have us a night." He said, smiling. She laughed and smiled back.
"That sounds wonderful, actually." She said.
"It does until I beat you as badly as I am going to. But I'm glad." He said and left to go and get the tea.
She smiled to herself. He was trying to help make her forget what her life was slowly turning into. He couldn't distract her forever but it was so lovely of him to want to try.
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