Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:00:52 +0000
From: Adam Stewart <stewad36@gmail.com>
Subject: The Earl's Son - part 8

This is a love story following the life of two young men who fall in love
and have to overcome tragedies in their lives. All the characters are
fictional.

Warning - it contains some m/m sex.

The Earl's Son

8.

The following morning, George arrived on the dot of eleven as planned. He
too had a chauffeur driven car but his chauffeur was nowhere near as good
looking as Nigel. He clearly knew his way around since as soon as George
was out of the car he drove round to the garage where no doubt he knew he'd
find Nigel for a chat and hopefully a cup of tea.

George warmly shook Julian's hand and placed the other on Julian's arm.

"How are you?" he asked smiling gently, "Stupid question isn't it; you must
feel exhausted and still in shock like the rest of us".

Julian nodded as he led George into the sitting room where Robin was
standing waiting for them to come in.

"I take it Robin can sit in on this meeting" Julian said indicating for
George to sit down opposite to where he and Robin were going to sit.

"Of course he can" George smiled as he shook Robin's hand, "You need all
the support you can get at a time like this and I'm sure Robin is the ideal
person to do just that".

George had a knack of always saying the right things and making people feel
at ease so the three sat down and George opened up his briefcase to pull
out a sheaf of official looking papers. He then explained that Julian's
father had indeed made provisions for such an eventuality.

"As you will see from this document that your father prepared several years
ago, it was his wish that the firm remained in the family rather than being
sold off. However, there is no legal requirement for this so you could if
you wished sell the business off, sit back and enjoy the rewards of such a
transaction."

Julian knew very well that one thing his father did not want was to see the
firm sold off unless there was very good reason to do so.

"What is the financial state of the business at present?" Julian asked.

For a moment, George was surprised at being asked such a question but then
smiled. Julian was very much like his father and it was just the kind of
question he would have asked.

"I'm pleased to say that it is very good at present as you will see from
these accounts but you may wish to have them checked out by an independent
person.

One thing Julian did know was how to read a balance sheet and understand
business accounts so as he flipped through the document now in his hand he
quickly realised that what George was saying was correct. He noted that
these were the last set of audited accounts and were only two or three
months old. George then gave him a set of the accounts to date and they too
showed things to be going well.

"So what did my father want to see happen in the event of his death?"
Julian asked.

George then passed over the document he'd been holding onto and explained
that his father's wish was that George be made Chairman and Julian become a
non-Executive Director.

"Your father realised that it was not your wish to become closely involved
in the firm but felt this way it would at least provide a family
involvement.

"But I know nothing about the business" Julian exclaimed as he read his
father's words before him.

George smiled and assured him that he would be given every support and in
any event it was only a non-executive position so he would not have to make
any major decisions.

"The key thing Julian is that the City sees the firm as being still in the
family and not being in turmoil over your father's death. You are now the
major shareholder so you ideally need to have a say on the board should it
be necessary."

Julian thought for a moment and re-read his father's wishes.

"I presume I could do that with your help George if you're prepared to
guide me along."

"It would be my pleasure Julian" George replied although he had a feeling
the young man before him would need little guidance from what he'd seen of
him over the years".

"What do you think Robin?" Julian asked.

Robin said he thought Julian could undertake what would be required in
addition to his other responsibilities. They then discussed these and
George gave them some useful ideas and information on how he could organise
things.

"It comes down to delegation" George smiled, "You find the right people to
delegate to and put in sufficient measures to monitor their performance so
you can quickly step in if you need to. With the money you now have at your
disposal you should have no problem in finding and retaining the best
people."

Having discussed the issue further and agreed to attend a board meeting in
three days time, Julian felt more at ease with his new responsibilities.


After lunch when George had left them, Robin and Julian set to and made a
list of how they planned to manage things along with the names of those who
could assist, plus questions that were still to be decided upon. They
agreed that Thomas could manage the house without much problem but someone
needed to take over day to day responsibility for the outside areas. Julian
had already agreed with his mother that the horses would go, not that
anyone blamed his father's horse for what happened, but although he could
ride, it wasn't something he was that keen on doing and his mother had
given up several years ago. His sister used to ride a pony which was
somewhat old now and she too had said she was no longer interested. The
three horses would therefore be sold but what would happen to Tim, the
stable lad, was yet to be decided.

"Perhaps the Estate Manager could use him" Robin said but Julian had his
doubts about that. Although everyone referred to Tim as the stable lad he
was in fact in his mid thirties.

It was clear that the Estate Manager should continue with his duties since
Julian knew that his father thought highly of him even though he wasn't the
easiest of guys to get on with but he knew his job and that was the main
thing.

"Our theatre production company is the biggest problem" Julian pondered as
he re-read the list Robin had typed up on his laptop, "I can't see having
the amount of time that needs" he added.

"Perhaps I could manage the day to day running" Robin replied.

"I need you my love to support me; you know how disorganised I am so I need
a good personal assistant; I'd rather have you at my side rather than
someone I don't know; you're good at organising things; would you be
willing?"

Robin grinned and moved forward to kiss Julian, "Of course I don't mind,
I'll do whatever you want".

"Mm!" Julian grinned.

"Yeah, that as well!" Robin responded. They'd not had proper sex for almost
two weeks now because Julian had been so depressed.

"I'm sorry my love, I will make it up to you"

"So that's a vacancy as at the moment" Robin said returning to their list.

"Will you mind not doing so much acting? Julian asked wondering whether he
was asking too much of the man he loved.

Robin said he wasn't too bothered provided he did some occasional work,
especially since there were more radio plays in the pipeline, which he
rather enjoyed doing, and the possibility of a TV serial for Channel 4.


Having completed their deliberations and gone through their list of
decisions and actions, they decided to start the ball rolling by talking to
Thomas. Robin wondered whether they should first tell Julian's mother of
their proposals.

"She doesn't seem to be that bothered what I do; all she wants to do is to
continue with her painting and her local committee work" Julian replied.

Robin had noted that she spent hours in her studio on the first floor and
he had to admit that she was a good artist. She worked mainly in either
watercolour or charcoal and had held several exhibitions of her work which
mainly consisted of landscapes.


Robin called Thomas on his mobile and asked him to come and see Julian in
the study. It was a large room that contained bookshelves and a big old
fashioned desk at which Julian's father sat to do his paperwork. He'd not
been one to use computers despite Julian trying to persuade him to do so on
many occasions to make life simpler but he preferred pen and ink!

Thomas came in and hovered for a moment somewhat concerned as to what he'd
been called in for. The other staff had already asked him questions about
what was going to happen following the Earl passing away, and he had
several of his own too.

Julian invited him to sit down in front of the large desk and smiled.

"Thank you sir" he said as he sat.

"First of all Thomas, there's no need to call me sir when we're on our own,
Julian is fine."

"Oh, right sir ...um... Julian"

Julian then went through his proposals and said he very much wanted Thomas
to continue managing the house and mentioned that the horses would be sold
off.

"What about the outside areas and the garden, who's going to manage those?"

Julian hadn't given that much thought. He knew his father was a keen
gardener and supervised the man who came in each week to do what he wanted,
even though the Estate Manager was supposed to manage things.

"What do you suggest?" Robin asked sensing that Thomas had some ideas.

"Nigel is a keen gardener and would love to be responsible for the outside
areas as well as general maintenance. Since you two are going to live
mainly in London his driving duties will be less."

Julian agreed since he would only use the Bentley when he was at Drayton
House and his mother preferred to use her own car most of the time.

"As the horses are going" Thomas continued, "Tim could assist Nigel; he's
very practical and is interested in cars and gardening".

Julian smiled, it seemed Thomas had it all worked out. "What about Bert?",
he asked, although he guessed what the answer would be. Thomas raised his
eyebrows, "It's time Bert was retired off; your father only kept him on
because he felt sorry for him".

Julian knew that was true. Poor Bert was almost seventy, knew precious
little about gardening and was probably more of a hindrance.

"I think you'll find he will be more than happy to retire" Thomas added.

Julian agreed to the proposal put forward by Thomas and suggested they ask
Nigel to join them to tell him the good news.

"There's just one other thing" Thomas said looking slightly
uncomfortable. Julian and Robin waited for him to continue.

"You are no doubt aware that Nigel and I are a ... couple, so I was
wondering if you'd have any objection to ..."

"Him moving in with you?" Julian interjected sensing a hesitancy.

"Um, yes" Thomas grinned somewhat relieved that Julian had picked up on
what he was trying to say, "There's plenty of room for us both upstairs and
it would mean Tim could use Nigel's flat above he garage".

He continued to explain that Tim currently lived in a tiny bedsit in the
village so would appreciate better accommodation. Julian remembered when
the old stable block was converted into a garage and workshop and the
upstairs converted into a flat for the previous chauffeur. He also
remembered being told that Tim occasionally went out with a local girl but
mainly kept himself to himself.

"I have no problem with that arrangement" Julian finally replied. Thomas
beamed and almost jumped up and kissed him.

"Thanks Julian"


When Nigel heard that he was to be responsible for the house grounds, the
garden and general maintenance as well as the cars, he was delighted,
especially when he realised he'd have Tim reporting to him as well. Julian
said he'd report to him and that he'd require a weekly report from him and
Thomas.

"You will of course need to liaise with Thomas on certain items but I doubt
you will find that a problem" Julian added with a grin. Nigel turned to
Thomas who was sitting beside him, and grinned. Julian then suggested to
Thomas that he tell Nigel the other good news. When he'd done so, Nigel
took hold of his boyfriend's hand and thanked Julian.

"What mother will say when she finds out, I have no idea" Julian chuckled
whilst Thomas went to find Tim, "but who cares".

Tim, on hearing the news that he was going to be working for Nigel was just
as excited. He liked horses and he enjoyed working with them but it was
time to move on so he had no regrets about them going, and he much
preferred Nigel to the Estate Manager. Julian then told him that he could
use the flat above the old stables. For a moment Tim thought he'd misheard
and looked at Julian and Robin somewhat confused.

"Nigel is moving in with Thomas upstairs" Robin said.

Suddenly the penny dropped and his face lit up. He knew of course that
Thomas and Nigel were an item so it all made sense.

"Wow, thanks, that's brilliant" he exclaimed, "Thanks very much".


"Another happy bunny" Robin giggled once Tim had left them smiling from ear
to ear.

Julian grinned and said he'd better call John, the Estate Manager to tell
him about the horses going and Tim no longer working for him. John seemed
to be unfazed by the changes and seemed happy enough that he'd no longer
have to concern himself with the grounds of the house or the horses. When
told about Tim no longer reporting to him, his response was "He's a
conscientious worker but not the brightest so Nigel will have to keep an
eye on him". It was agreed that Julian would go and see him the following
morning. He had a fair idea about what went on but wanted John to explain
in more detail.

"I'd like you to come with me" Julian told Robin when he'd finished the
call, "so you can make notes on your trusty laptop!"

"I think you should install a server system on a network" Robin replied,
"That way we can login from London and look at the house accounts that
Thomas said he kept and the estate accounts that John presumably keeps".

IT was somewhat of a closed book to Julian apart from doing emails and
writing letters on his laptop.

"Sounds good to me, perhaps you'd like to look into it and get someone in"
he smiled realising more and more that he couldn't cope without Robin who
was now adding that to his list of things to do.


Over dinner that evening Julian told his mother what he and Robin had
decided regarding their plans for the future and what they'd done so
far. She seemed suitably impressed but in reality she wasn't that
bothered. She'd always left it to her husband to deal with house and estate
things and she certainly wasn't going to get involved now. He then casually
mentioned that Nigel was moving in with Thomas upstairs and that Jim would
be using the flat above the garage. She raised her eyebrows and made no
comment. She knew that Thomas was gay and had noticed him and Nigel
together so she wasn't surprised at the news.

"Would you have any objection if I redecorated the study?" he then asked,
"I find it somewhat dark and both Robin and I need a desk each so I'd like
to move grandad's desk out and get two new ones".

His mother chuckled before answering. It was the only room in the house
that she hadn't managed to persuade her husband to let her refurnish and
decorate. He had no sense of style or any idea about what went with what so
he'd let her handle such matters. But for some reason he wanted to keep the
study the same way as his father had it so she gave up saying anything
about it in the end.

"It's about time" she replied, "I certainly have no problem with it". She
also knew that her son had far more flair for such things than his
father. It was one of the few traits he'd got from her side of the family
who were all artistic in one way or another.

With that agreed, Julian asked Robin to arrange for a decorator to come in
and to look for new office furniture. Robin smiled to himself. He could see
he was going to be kept busy in his new role of personal assistant to the
Earl!

"You don't mind me passing all these things over to you, do you?" Julian
asked Robin after his mother had left the table to return to her rooms
upstairs. Robin grinned and moved round to where his love was sitting.

"Not as long as I get my reward!" he giggled as he placed a hand into
Julian's crotch.

"You will my love, you will!"


That night in bed, Robin did indeed get his reward and they had a very
satisfying session of sex!


The following morning they drove to the estate office using the Land
Rover. Robin drove and he rather enjoyed doing so. The Home Farm where John
lived and worked was only ten minutes or so by road. The farmhouse was very
picturesque with a pretty garden in the front which John's wife took great
pride in looking after. John's office was at the back so they walked round
the side to save bothering his wife but as it happened she spotted them so
she came running out to meet them. She had always had a soft spot for
Julian as a child and was pleased to see he'd grown into a handsome young
man. She'd been surprised when she found out he was gay but she accepted
the fact. John on the other hand felt uncomfortable in Julian's presence
knowing this fact but he'd have to get used to it she chuckled now that
Julian was his boss.

"Hello Julian, hello Robin" she called out in her cheery manner, "coffee?"

Julian and Robin said they'd love one so she trotted back into the house
leaving them to find John in his office.

"Morning John" Julian said on entering the office.

John looked up from his desk and muttered 'morning' back wondering why
Robin had come along as well. Sensing the unease, Julian explained that
Robin was going to be his PA so he would be in contact with John as much as
he would. John grunted and sat back wondering what the young buck wanted
from him.

By the time they had finished, he had to admit to himself that both knew
what they were talking about since they'd asked a series of searching
questions. Robin asked what computer system he used to keep the accounts
and said they would be installing a network system so they could monitor
things from London. None of this bothered John since he had nothing to hide
having always run a tight ship.


"John doesn't have much charm about him, does he?" Robin commented on their
way back to the house.

"Not really" Julian chuckled, "but my dad thought highly of him and his
management of the Home Farm, and he keeps a close eye on the four tenant
farms".

"He didn't seem that bothered about the horses going either"

"No, but he'll find a good home for them you can be sure of that."

As Robin drove along he was thinking what it must be like to ride a
horse. He never had and wondered what it was like having an animal that
size between your legs and under your control. He was just about to make a
comment when Julian's mobile rang. It was Kevin and Julian was saying he'd
ring him immediately, whoever `him' was.

"Apparently Craig has just called Kevin to ask if he thought we'd mind if
he came to stay with us in London for a while. It seems he's had a bust up
with his father."

"I'm sure Kevin won't object" Robin laughed knowing how interested he'd
become of Craig in recent weeks.

They were almost home so Julian left the call until they'd arrived. As soon
as they'd thrown off their coats in the hall, he went into the study to
make the call.

"Hi Craig, I understand you've spoken to Kevin about staying with us in
London for a while"

Julian could tell that Craig was upset so asked him what had happened.

"Had a blazing row with my dad" Craig replied.

Julian guessed over what since Craig had mentioned the friction between him
and his father on a previous occasion.

"I presume it was over you being gay again was it?"

"Yeah, stupid bigot; for fucks sake I can't help being gay can I."

"I'm sorry Craig, what are you planning to do?"

"I can't stay here any longer so I've got to leave; I've decided to come
and live in London but was wondering if you guys would mind if I stayed
with you for a while until I sort myself out."

"What about your job?"

"Chucked it" Craig exclaimed, "It was a crap job in any event so have been
thinking for some while I need to leave; I told my boss this morning and he
said leave immediately; he's just as bad as my dad."

"Hope they're paying you money in lieu of notice" Julian chuckled.

"You bet they are; I made sure I got that out of the stupid fuckers; not
that I was planning to work my notice but they didn't know that!"

"So where are you now?"

"Sitting in my bedroom with all my stuff packed up ready to go" Craig said
despondently.

"You want us to come and collect you?" Julian replied knowing that Craig
didn't have his own transport since he always drove his mother's car when
he needed one.

"Would you Julian? That'd be brilliant; don't think I can spend another
minute in this house with the bastard."

"Are you on your own? Julian asked as he waved to Robin to come and join
him.

"Yeah, dad's gone to work and mum's gone to lunch with one of her friends."

"Does your mum know you're leaving?"

"I think she got the picture at breakfast when the row took place and I
stormed up to my room shouting I'm not living here any longer!"

Julian smiled to himself. He could imagine Craig doing and saying that. He
then told him that he'd be straight over so should be with him within the
half hour. When he ended the call he gave Robin the gist of what had
happened and said they would leave immediately. Before they left, they
informed Thomas that there'd be another person for lunch.

When they reached Craig's house he was packed and ready to go with all his
belongings, or at least all those he wanted to take with him, down in the
hallway. The three of them soon had everything packed into the Jaguar and
Craig made sure the note he'd written to his mother was clearly visible on
the hall table. He didn't think she'd be that surprised and if the truth be
known probably relieved since the rowing between him and his dad had
progressively got worse over the past few months. He had decided some while
ago that he wasn't prepared to pussyfoot around the issue of his
sexuality. If his father couldn't accept it or cope with it then that was
his problem, not his.

On the way back to Drayton House, Julian explained they would be travelling
to London the next morning since Julian had to attend a board meeting at
the family firm that afternoon. He'd also sounded Robin out about an idea
he'd had regarding Craig's employment in London.

Life was certainly going to change for all of them.

___________________________________________________________________________

The next part of 'The Earl's Son' will be available shortly.

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See Prolific Authors for a list of other stories by Adam Stewart