The Mysterious Duke of Hargrove

The Mysterious Duke of Hargrove [1]

C H A P T E R » I

______________________

|The Enemy of My Enemy|

1817 .. Hargrove Estates

-

He always enjoyed wandering around about the estate grounds during the mid evening. Their was always a few horses loose from the stable running freely. The garden had bloomed beautifully as the spring sun shined upon them. The grass tickled and warmed his bare feet as he took his time basking in the glowing evening. Everything seemed to be peaceful around the Hargrove estates. It was quiet save for the workers going about their jobs with the up keeping of the estate itself.

Lord Karl Blake, Duke of Hargrove was a young man of obedience his peers would say. He puts his family first and then the rest of the world falls into place. He like to think he was a simple man. It was almost time for him to take his Father's place as Earl of Hargrove. That title held more responsibility than he thought he could bare. There was something that lied way deeper when he'd inherit the title. He was his Father only heir to the earldom. Karl could honestly say that he wasn't ready for it, but for the safety of his family he would have to be.

These evening walks barefoot through the field were necessary to keep his head focused. Though he may have been lonely and his Mother was the only one that knew his dark secret, Karl understood what his purpose in life was. He was the eldest out of his five siblings, blessed with being the only boy. He figured he was born a curse for whatever crimes his Father had committed in his past life.

Earl Hargrove was a sick man and approaching death, at least that's what the physician keep saying. His time was long overdue and yet he's pulling through. He was a persistent fighter refusing to give up and just die. Karl admired his Father more for that. However, Father was a handful while he's been sick. He says he's going to be fine but his eyes give him way every time. His Father was the most important person in his life. No one worries about his health more than Karl. He's searched every route of Hope and Faith to find a way to help his Father. Nothing.

He promised his Mother that he wouldn't bother his Father this evening. That was a direct a fib because not a day goes by where he didn't spend time in his Father's presence.

He found himself sneaking into the Earl's chambers, the servants would eat him out soon enough anyway. The name of Hargrove's sickness is still unknown. The physician claimed it was some type of rare bacteria that is eating away at his lungs. Some days were better than most, but most days were worser. Karl found his old man lying in the bed with a book open on his chest. The Earl stared out of his window blankly. Karl settled hisself on the end of the bed just below his Father's feet. He sat indian style and rested his hands on both sides of his face, he felt like a little boy again. They used to spend countless hours this way when the Earl would tell him him stories or he would read to his Father.

"Father?"

"Yes fairy?" Karl smiled at the childhood nickname.

His Father called him fairy because of the his light moods and personality. He loved being outside around flowers and sunlight more then the billiards room. He walked around barefooted and treated insects like human beings with emotions. Karl was kind, compassionate, and soft spoken. You would never think he was five and twenty by the way he presents himself.

"You're going to be fine right?" The old man chuckled as he sat his book aside.

"I hope so my fairy prince, who else is going to fight the monsters that lurk in the dark." Karl's body tensed up.

He did not take that joke well. This was his only Father. He loved him like no other. He would trade places in a heartbeat with his Father if he could.