Earl - 1. Earl Chapter 1

It has been a few tough years, with very little rain for three years, then a cyclone causes severe flooding, which was nothing new for seventeen-year-old Tyler Hunter, who was born on the family cattle station, and he was homeschooled until starting high school at the age of 13, where he attends Geraldton Grammar during the week.

On Friday evenings, he travels 141 km’s ENE to home when his mother comes to collect him, after completing the weekly shopping, and he gets a ride back to boarding school on a Sunday afternoon, with friends from the village of Pindar, which consists of a hotel 6 houses the grain terminal and a few sheds, and is just 16 km’s south of the station homestead.

Tyler new that he had been adopted by his parents when he was just a baby, and a few months before starting boarding school, they informed Tyler that his birth mother had been killed in a car accident in Europe nearly eleven years earlier. His parents had not mentioned anything about who she was and what she did for a living, or that she had an uncle who is a retired high court judge in the UK, and that they have aristocracy relatives.

Tyler was happy knowing that he was brought up by a loving adopted couple, who could not have children of their own, and the place he called home. On weekends, he was always busy helping out on the station, often spending hours doing water checks or fixing windmills or water pumps, as he was very mechanically minded, and could just about fix anything.

Twice a year the family would pack up a week’s supplies of belongings and a few extra items, and head to Sandy Gully Farm, which is the families 2,915-acre investment property, located right on the coast, with a three bedroom cottage and a shed. The cottage is just 2.4 kilometres from White Cliffs Road, which is the eastern boundary, with Port Gregory Road along the northern boundary along with some crown land to the north west and south and a neighbouring farm on the south east corner.

Although it isn’t very big, it is an ideal holiday retreat even for just two weeks of the year. Located just 30 kilometres west of Northampton and 78 kilometres north of Geraldton, so it isn’t too far away for and easy drive from the station.

Already, Tyler had restored an old 1940 Flying 10 Utility, that his parents had bought him for his 17^th birthday in late January, just a few months after he gained his driver’s license, and on weekends he will drive to Pindar and back to keep it running smoothly, and to complete his weekly job of mowing the lawns of the hotel and two local houses, which earns him enough to pay for the fuel for the car, and put a little bit aside in savings.

Tyler also earns a little bit for working on the station on weekends and school holidays, so once he has graduated from high school, he is wanting to make a trip to the UK to have a look around, and maybe learn a bit more about his birth mother and where she came from.

As Tyler was nearing his final exams for high school, he received an unexpected from his parents on a Thursday afternoon, after being summoned to the headmaster’s office, he greeted his parents, before the headmaster said that he would allow them some privacy and exited his office.

“Why are your hands shaking Mum?” Tyler asked as she produced a formal looking envelope from her purse and handed it over to her son. “This arrived by special delivery to the Pindar Pub since the person delivering it had no idea where the station is,” Tyler’s father responded.

Tyler stared at the envelope, which was thick and heavy, and it had a UK stamp on it. “Well go on open it up,” his mum said to him, and slowly Tyler turned the envelope in his hands a few times before stopping and carefully opening the envelope, and slowly pulling out the letter.

“By order of Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom, the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, wishes to inform formally known Master Tyler Hunter, Great Nephew to His Honour, High Court Justice Charles Finch retired, and 3^rd Cousin twice removed to the recently deceased, His Lordship Charles Bentick, the 13^th Earl of Portland.

That on receiving this notification, the formally known Master Tyler Hunter, is hereby the sole heir to the Earldom of Portland, United Kingdom, and is now to be addressed as His Lordship Tyler Finch, 14^th Earl of Portland,” Tyler read out loud to his parents.

Tyler stared at the document for a few moments, shocked at what he had just read, and he read it again to himself, be looking up with a confused expression, and his father gave a slight bow, while his mother gave a courtesy. “What the hell does this all mean, and stop doing that,” Tyler said angrily.

“It means my dear, and we have always known this, you are British aristocracy, and now that your cousin has been killed with no male heirs, you are next in line to the Earldom,” Tyler’s mum explained. “You are being serious? This is no joke? I am now really an Earl?” Tyler asked still in shock, as his parents who brought him up nodded their heads to confirm that it is true.

“Holy sh… So, what happens now?” Tyler responded, “your Great Uncle Charles is flying out to speak to you, and explain everything fully, we knew that the family had aristocracy blood, but we thought that we were far enough down the line, to not have to reveal this to anyone, and just keep going as ordinary people,” Tyler’s Dad said.

“You said Great Uncle Charles, and he is a retired Judge?” Tyler asked, “That is right, it was quite an extraordinary holiday for us in the end, your Dad and I had come to England to see Charles and to have a look around the country, and on our last week there, after spending a day out sightseeing, we arrived back at his place, to meet our only cousin, that we had only met once before many years ago, your mother.

That evening, we learnt that your mother had a brief fling with a Scottish Gentleman while on assignment up north and she turned up at Uncle Charles home crying, frightened and not sure what to do. Her line of work was very physical and dangerous, so she didn’t want to work anymore, but her line of work would not have allowed it if they had known.

Instead, Uncle Charles arranged a temporary passport, using her middle name of Louis and our last name of Hunter, while your Mum and I did some appearance changes, then headed out to do some shopping. A few days later, with a totally new look, new clothing, and a temporary passport, we slipped out of the UK, flying to Amsterdam via private jet, then onto Zurich where we stayed a few days, before starting the journey home to Australia.

You were born 7 months later on the dining table at the station homestead, healthy and very big lungs, as you made a lot of noise. You were registered as being born to Ms Louis Hunter, and we adopted you, with the final paperwork completed and finalised before she flew back to Europe. Your mum stayed with us for nearly two years, before she left for Europe, where she was killed a few days later in a car accident.

Uncle Charles arranged a private funeral, and she was cremated, and her ashes are scattered in his garden at Hougham Manor near Grantham, with a small memorial plaque,” Tyler’s father explained. “Uncle Charles informed us of the Earl’s passing, and that you are the sole heir, so we were expecting this letter to arrive, and he would be flying to Perth then up to Geraldton as soon as he could, which is this evening.

Yourself and your uncle and we are booked into a hotel for tonight, and tomorrow night, so we can talk about what is going to happen, and you have been excused from school for the rest of today and all of tomorrow. We know you have your final exams coming in a few weeks’ time, and we will discuss that with your uncle,” Mum said to Tyler.

“I suggest that you go and pack your bags for a few days in Geraldton and maybe a week at home, as we will be heading home as soon as we know what is happening,” Tyler’s father suggested, as he stood up and walked out of the office, and the headmaster re-entered a few moments later.

“Is everything alright, Tyler looks rather shocked and upset?” the Headmaster asked Matthew and Katherine, “Yes, you could say he is a bit of both, he has received some very unexpected news, he…” Matthew started before he stopped on seeing Tyler returning.

“Excuse me, but one more question, about my birth mother, you said… Never mind, I will ask later,” Tyler said before he disappeared again. “This sounds very intriguing, will I be informed what this is all about?” the headmaster asked, “I am sorry sir, but until Great Uncle Charles arrives from the UK later today, we can only say, that the news Tyler has received just now, will change his life in a big way for the rest of his life,” Matthew replied.

“Thank you for allowing us to meet with our son privately, we will let you know more when we are permitted,” Katherine added before they too left the office, leaving the headmaster wondering what the hell just happened.

When Tyler arrived at the administration building with is small suitcase, his parents were waiting for him and they headed to the family vehicle parked nearby, and just over a kilometre away, we stopped outside the hotel right on the foreshore opposite the yacht harbour.

After they checked in at reception, Tyler followed his parents into the restaurant, where an elderly gentleman was sitting at a table sipping a drink, and he smiled when he saw his relative’s approach. “Forgive me for not standing, I have had a very hot and tiring journey, and I don’t have the strength to stand at this very moment when I have just got myself comfortable,” the man said.

“That is fine Uncle Charles, you are looking very well for a retired High Court Judge, you must be enjoying your retirement?” Matthew replied as he shook hand, and Katherine leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. “I am as well as can be expected for my age, Hello Katherine, it is nice to see you again, after such a long time, and this must be my great-nephew Tyler, it is a great honour to meet you at last,” the gentleman said smiling and they bother shook hands.

“Err Judge… Uncle Charles, what does all of this mean, what I have in this letter?” Tyler asked, as he pulled it out of his inside jacket, and dropped it on the table in front of him as if it was burning hot. “You can call me Uncle Charles, we are family after all, and to answer your question, it means exactly what it states in the letter.

You are now the 14^th Earl of Portland, and…” the sound of crashing glass stopped Charles from speaking and a nearby waitress stood there stunned for a few moments, with an empty tray, before she began to clean up the mess she had just created. “How about we wait until we have a bit more privacy before we talk some more about it?” Charles suggested.

“No, I’m sorry Uncle, but you can’t just throw this at me and expect me to wait till the coast is clear,” Tyler said angrily, and Matthew softly growled at his son.

“I am sorry for that outburst uncle, it’s just well I have no idea what this all means, and I would like to know what my future is going to be like now that I have this, this thing,” Tyler said. Charles laughed, “You make it sound like it is a disease, and I guess it can be in away.

I’m sorry to tell you this, but you are Aristocracy, that means that you have a high place in society now, fortunately for you the title no longer allows you a seat on the House of Lords, so you can be thankful for that, but you do have a title, and along with that come responsibilities. The family home is now yours, you are custodian of the ancestral home till the next Earl takes over from you,” Charles explained.