The Disreputable Duke.

Disreputable

     Disreputable

    Adjective:

Not considered to be respectful in character or appearance.

"This is BBC Radio 4 and here is the news read by Chris Aldridge."

"The artist son of The Duke of Shettleham, Jasper Neyve, The Marquis Prybourn was photographed early this morning rescuing a runaway horse at the gates of Hyde Park. It seemed that the rescue happened on the spur of the moment as the Marquis Prybourn was naked except for a pair of women's red lace pants. He ran across the road from his house and jumped on the back of the horse as it ran from the gates of Hyde Park to stop it running into traffic. When asked about his attire the Marquess said that he jumped out of bed and his girlfriend's underwear was the first thing he picked up. He said the safety of the horse and keeping it away from the traffic was paramount.

The Prime Minister flew to Brussels last night..."

It was a slow news day.

Edwin Neyve closed his eyes in fury and despair. He forced his breathing to be even and slow, his bone white knuckles as he clenched his fists were the only sign of his rage. God help him if the nurse caught sight of his anger, she would fuss and faff around him as if he was drawing his last breath. Edwin knew that moment was not too far away, but it wouldn't be today.

For his son however, if he could get hold of him, drawing his last breath might come sooner than he ever thought it would. Once again Jasper had disgraced their name. Edwin was sick of seeing his only son in the Daily Mail 'column of shame'. In fact that wasn't the only tabloid newspaper Jasper was in this morning, his charming features and irrepressible grin also graced The Sun, The Daily Mirror, and The Daily Express. Edwin refused point blank to look in The Daily Star. Worst of all he was even on the front page of The Daily Telegraph.

He was seething. What the hell did Jasper think he was playing at? It wasn't the fact that he was tearing around Hyde Park on the back of a horse, but the fact that he was naked except for a pair of red lacy knickers which probably belonged to one of the two topless whores  hanging out of his bedroom window cheering him on!

Did he have no respect for his heritage, for his title, and the name he bore? How could he trust him to take care of the house and land after he'd died? His behaviour was appalling. It was just not good enough, not by a very long shot.

He took a deep calming breath, and soothed his anxiety by looking around his ancient study, it was, he thought, the very best part of Shettleham Manor. Just sitting at his desk watching the early morning sunlight refracting rainbows through the mullioned windows, brought a sense of peace and continuity somewhat dispelling the feeling of anger and irritation caused by his son. The light bounced off the glass fronted shelves housing his leather volumes depicting the history of his home and ancestors. The house had been standing here since 1346 AD, a reward for knightly and valiant service at the battle of Crecy by Edward III.

There had been numerous alterations over the seven hundred years that a Neyve had been living here and this wonderful room was added in during the reign of Henry VIII.

They had fought for the monarch, upheld the law, tended the land, and looked after the tenants. The past Duke's of Shettleham had been warriors, and landowners. There had of course been the odd rogue in their ancestry, the fifth Duke, Thomas, had upset king Henry VIII, which, according to history, was not a very bright thing to do at the best of times, but after spending several months in the Tower of London Henry forgave him. Edwin could only imagine that he had been a real charmer. Just like his son. In fact the Holbein painting of Thomas in the great hall was the spitting image of Jasper.

He moved the mouse to click the X, banishing The Daily Mail's picture of his grinning son from the computer screen. He had to do something to rein Jasper in. Time was short for him, the cancer was eating at his body despite the chemo, but he had made peace with God, he wasn't afraid of dying. He'd had seventy five years of life, and it was a good life.Twenty years older than his dear wife Rosslyn, she had put up with him all these years, loving him even though he had been a lousy and unfaithful husband. He hoped that once he was gone she would find someone to love her, someone to comfort her.

Now though, it was his errant son whom he needed to control. For a moment his mind drifted to another boy, some eighteen months younger than Jasper. He hadn't thought about him for years, and he still felt the shame he had felt when he told Rosslyn that he had another son. Jasper was only six months old at the time. He had been stupid in enticing and seducing one of the stable girls. Rosslyn had been exhausted looking after Jasper even though he was looked after by Nanny Grisham. She was too tired to see to him and his needs, so he went elsewhere. He wondered how the boy was, was he happy? Had he made a success of his life? What did that girl call him? Grant? Yes that was it, Grant Dawkins.

He had forbidden Rosslyn to tell Jasper about this boy, there was no need for anyone else to know, the boy wouldn't be entering the family. By-blows were swept under the carpet. He knew that wasn't a very modern way of looking at it, but he was old fashioned enough, and maybe shameful of the fact that he had cheated on his wife over and over again. His wife who loved and adored him. Still, it might be prudent to have his lawyer, Henry, do a discreet search and find out just where Grant Dawkins was. Especially if his first born didn't pull himself together.

Maybe telling Jasper that Grant might be taking over the dukedom if he didn't alter his ways would shock him into behaving himself. For God's sake the man was thirty three years of age, he should be married with a couple of children by now. Father to a son who would take the reins eventually of this house and land. But then, that brought another problem.

The girls that Jasper associated with were ghastly! They had absolutely no class whatsoever! Showing everything they had in those ridiculously short frocks, had they never heard that imagination is everything as far as a man is concerned. He had no doubt that the parties these young people went to were on a par with a Roman orgy full of drugs and sex. Well he had some influence on who Jasper married, even if he was dead and buried. He would phone Henry and he would change his will. He would put a stop to Jasper's shameful ways, he would teach that boy a lesson that he would never forget.