Fastest Love to 300 pages and then finished just after

Another book bites the dust. The Fastest Love on Earth finished at just over 98,200 words. Time of course for the next. This will be the first in my Short Shorts series, A Trolling We Will Go.

But to date we are near 400K words for the year. Still at a pace of 40K per week. The beginning of the third chapter of The Fastest Love on Earth is posted here for review:

3) The Venture is a Great Success

The storm had not helped his disposition, nor the actions of his brother. His sullen mood was enough to try anyone's patience. He did have a mind to cut him off of the two thousand a year he allowed him. His inheritance from their father was a mere three hundred and Kevin made up the difference out of his own goodness.

It was near midnight as he sat in the drawing room of his Liverpool home with Fawkes and drank to put the day behind him. "I suppose you will tell me that it could have been worse."

"I would but you know that to be true," Sir Horatio said. "Besides it is Hampton's job to always be telling us what we already know to be true."

Kevin laughed, "Indeed that is so. I thought that Bartholomew and his actions were horrendous, we are fortunate that we did not take Baron Hampton from his pleasures in Town for this farce."

The room was comfortable and there was not room for many more in it. Perhaps three others. It was not a house for entertaining greatly. Six could sit at the dining table. It was designed to lodge the Earl and a very few others when he had business in Liverpool as he did. Just as the Manchester house was designed for a similar purpose. He had not even changed the wall coverings of those who he had purchased the houses from.

Now that the railroad was complete, he might sell the homes, or having no need to venture north so often any longer, lease them for long terms. He had trained four men so that if he chose he could invest in other endeavors of this railway sort. Those men had near all found something better to do that day. Kevin knew it was because they feared to meet his brother. He did not treat his hirelings like servants but men whose opinions he had come to respect and trust, else they would not be embarked on new railways and ventures that would see England embrace the new age that was come.

Bartholomew treated all men that were beneath him stature whether by one slight rank, or by generations of lord to commoner, as if all were peasants. Kevin loved his brother as he should, but most times found the boy exasperating and wished to box his ears even though a man grown near thirty.

"Yes, I have no doubt that were Hampton here we should hear a litany of complaints against the day as if each were your fault, and it would be repeated constantly. A small miracle that he remained in Town. In the end though, you must be commended for you did try to talk to Wellington and convince him beforehand not to attend or make a spectacle of the day."

Kevin let out a brief laugh, "Ha, did you see the band trudging back from when we left them in Parkside. Still walking when we passed them and we finally arriving over six hours later than we thought we would. Ten hours of travel to do what, seventy miles. Certainly could ride that should I wish to."

Horatio shook his head, "But you would not have been able to carry six hundred people to do so as this day proved could be done. And were people not throwing things at the trains, or standing at the tracks we would have arrived considerably sooner. Even on time should the tragedy not have struck Mister Huskisson or those two engines colliding. No brakes, that is something that I should laugh at. Some of your partners were not thinking well this day."

"I do not know if I shall ever laugh at the memory of this day. Nothing good came of it, I am sure," Kevin said.

Horatio did laugh, "Well on that you are wrong. Very wrong and you will own to it. Lady Rockingham came of this day and that was very good indeed. Were I you, I would not try and deny it."

Kevin looked at the decanter he had placed on the low table between them and then reached for it, pouring and offering for Horatio who shook his head. "I shall not argue there but what was the woman thinking? To bring children out on this day and with only a nurse, no male chaperone. It is not done? Did she expect that Stafford was to be that person? I lose respect for the man every time I think of him."

"You fault him too much for many things I am sure that he is not at all responsible for. I shall grant you the clearances for the man was heartless then, but he does much else that supports the nation. You both have spent your wealth on today's endeavor and without you it should not have been done. To be the first nation to host these steam locomotives must make us the envy of every other nation."

Kevin knew that some of that was very true. But one must have a nemesis and Stafford fit the bill so well. "I shall spend some time reconsidering my feelings for the man. I expect though that I shall hold him to blame more than most for the way this day turned out. They all waned to make the day a spectacle and did not think that we should allow our opening to be something without fanfare. Perhaps history will mark me wrong and make the events of the day momentous. I for one though am quite glad that they are over."

Horatio nodded, "I agree with that sentiment, now more of that excellent whisky and we shall talk of a pleasanter subject. You can not blame Lady Rockingham for her joining the adventure this day. It must be the grandest thing in all the north and you saw how the two young boys so much wanted to be a part of it."

Dorchester smiled, "Well Lord Peter assuredly. Very nice young gentlemen. You remember the father of course?"

"Man died owing me ten pounds. It is in the betting book. I naturally consider it nothing and would not worry the widow. Didn't even think to mention it but it shall serve as a topic of conversation when next we meet. Not that I desire the money, just the ability to renew the acquaintance," Horatio mused on the subject.

"Rockingham did not owe me such but he certainly was a man I would give the cut direct to and had on occasion. I suppose I heard he was married though I have never met the lady until today. He did not flaunt her in society as he did his mistresses and other women."