Chapter 7

At seventeen years old, I was just becoming the man I would grow to be. My body had managed to mostly recover from the two gunshot wounds and all of Hazel’s abuse. Once I was able to do so, martial arts experts were brought in to train me to protect myself, and help me get my body into some kind of shape. Along with hand-to-hand combat, I was thoroughly trained in firearms, explosives, and personal protection.

The self-defense work was easy for me to pick up because I’d been down that road in other lives. My instructors had to admit that I caught on much faster than normal and called in better instructors to push me farther and farther along.

All that hard work came in handy one afternoon. Deirdre, Evie, and I had been shopping. Harrods was a marvelous place to buy clothes and the girls love it. Our security was somewhat farther away than normal, and as we walked from a department store out to our waiting Rolls, two masked men stepped out of the alley and attempted to either rob or kidnap us.

They never got the chance to tell us their intentions, because I accidentally shattered the nose and cheek of the closest one and fractured the skull of his partner. All the action was over before our guards could react. Our driver and detail head rushed us into the car and raced for home, leaving our guards to deal with the authorities.

It turned out that the Crown wasn’t all that concerned about due process once a Royal was attacked, so there was very little follow up, other than to coordinate with our attorneys about any information on the attackers’ intentions and co-conspirators. Whatever came of our little problem was quietly and effectively kept out of the media.

Evie drilled me unmercifully in all phases of economic theory, foreign markets, investing and development of investment strategies. We worked on learning the international banking system. At no time was I allowed to slack off, stop trying, or fail to grasp what I was being taught. It was my personal conviction to make the most of every moment of Evie’s time to learn as much as possible.

Chasen Wellington began to slow down as I was coming up to speed. At seventy nine, he needed to ease up on himself or risk a life ending event. When he saw me begin to take an active role in decisions that I would have simply nodded my head about before, he knew it was time to let go a little at a time, and encourage me to try my wings.

Deirdre and Evie still shared my bed and my heart. We were truly happy as a threesome. Deirdre talked about having me handle her portfolio as well as mine, and eventually Chasen’s. The thought of controlling the fate of five-hundred thousand employees, and countless contractors, as well as tens of billions of dollars still scared me, but not enough to keep me from testing my skills.

One night as we jetted from England to Scotland, Chasen spoke to me about my upcoming eighteenth birthday. “Terry, we need to celebrate in grand fashion. One only turns eighteen once. Is there anything special, or anywhere imaginative that we should be thinking about?” His smile was sneaky. Something was on his mind, but he wasn’t about to spoil the surprise.

I spent a few moments thinking about my current life, and how carefully I was being prepared to take over for Chasen Wellington. The one question that tormented me was, ‘would the universe leave me here long enough to serve the purpose Chasen was prepping me to fulfill?’ The raft of thoughts that followed always brought me back to that main concern.

Our jet was a very elegant “G” purchased from another peer whose holdings were not as successful as he’d hoped. It was perfectly appointed and perfect for our need. Deirdre sat alongside Chasen on the long sofa, while Evie and I took up space on the loveseat.

I was surrounded by class and elegance ... and a pretty nice plane, besides.

The Wellington lands in Scotland were ... large.

The Wellington Group produced enormous amounts of food for Europe. From Sheep to pork, and cereals to oil seeds, if there was a significant market, the Wellington Group grew, raised, or provided it. Strawberries, raspberries and turnips grew alongside rhubarb, peas, carrots and broccoli. The farms spread out across the low lands for thousands and thousands of acres.

Castle Wellington commanded a hilltop. From the balcony I could see for miles in several directions. Water was plentiful, as were shelters for the animals and barns to house the yield. Chasen came down with a cold and elected to stay indoors for a few days, freeing Deirdre and me to explore the lands and review the condition of the equipment and operation.

Deirdre was given to fast work followed by secret trysts out of sight of the workers and foremen. Her cries were often muffled by her sweater, as she sought to keep our private lives private. Several times she got so excited that we had to sneak off to bathe in one of the many streams that dotted the landscape. Evie kept her powder and panties dry, waiting until late at night, to sneak into my bed and see what Deirdre left for her.

Our Scottish working vacation was a wonderful time to see what the family owned, acquaint myself with some of Chastens’ key people and learn what I could about farming in such a challenging environment. With the sun setting late in the evening, produce grew quicker than back home. Some of the tomatoes were huge and very tasty. More than one grocer commented to me how proud they were to offer only Wellington produce. It all seemed like a fairytale life after inheriting and living as Ross Thompson.

Chasen discussed my wishes for our upcoming eighteenth birthday trip to Aruba. We were all looking forward to jetting off to somewhere none of us had ever been, and enjoying a break from the pressures of the family business. In truth, I couldn’t wait to get away and have a long, long talk with Chasen about Terry. There was so little I knew about him and his family. I knew almost nothing about how to become Lord Terrance, and I couldn’t wait to enjoy a real family vacation. The whole event filled me with anticipation.

And then it all crashed down.

“Lord Terrance?” The man standing before me was an estate manager for Chasen. He knew better than to refer to me by my grandfather’s title. Before I could correct him, he spoke again. “Lord Terrance, your grandfather has passed away...”

After the shock of hearing such news receded, I could only think of hurrying to be with Deirdre. She would be devastated. My security rushed me back to the castle, where I found Evie waiting just inside the front doors. Her face was tear stained and the pain was evident in her eyes. “Ohhh ... Terry ... I’m so sorry, honey.” I took her in my arms and held her as we went to Chasen’s suite of rooms.