by Leenie Brown
“Only because I have been at school.”
“Then, it is either her or a groom,” Camden said. “Take your pick.”
“Very well, I am certain we can find a groom to your liking in the stables.” Again, James waved his arm toward the door.
“You expect me to leave without being introduced to these lovely ladies.”
“Yes,” Robert answered. “They are no one to you.”
Mr. Camden chuckled. “Brave words.”
“They do not wish an introduction,” Robert added.
Mr. Camden stepped closer to Robert and gave each lady a sweeping look. “This one is your sister. She looks too much like you to not be related,” he said, indicating Faith. “And this other one is some relation of Bertram. Oh, she could be your lady, I suppose, but I do not think so. She seems a bit too skittish for you.” His mouth tipped into a smirk. “Not that skittishness cannot be trained out of a filly.” He winked at Susan and then, with a laugh, he exited the room.
James gave them a pleading look. “Addie is upstairs. I will return as soon as possible.”
Tom grabbed James’s arm. “Keep someone with you.”
James nodded. “I have already promised Addie I would.”
“Good. She is sensible.”
Again, James nodded. “I know.” He blew out a breath. “And I am not.”
“There are many of us who have been less than sensible,” Tom assured him. “But Eldridge and I have seen of what Camden is capable. Keep someone with you – preferably someone strong or armed.” Tom tilted his head toward the door. “Do not keep him waiting. He is not a patient fellow.”
James scooted from the room.
“Lead us to the blue drawing room,” Tom said to Susan.
“Who is that man?” Faith whispered.
“A sharp, who I am guessing has gotten his talons into Mr. Atwood,” Tom answered.
“Oh dear!” Susan cried.
“Indeed,” Robert agreed as he followed Susan up the stairs and down the hall to a door on the right. To his surprise, she knocked rather than just entering.
“Addie,” Susan called. “We are here to see if you need anything.
“We?” Miss Atwood said as she opened the door to what appeared to be her private sitting room and not a drawing room at all – although, it was blue.
“Oh, I see.” Her eyes, which were understandably red, grew wide as she took in who was standing outside her door.
“Your brother sent us up here,” Tom said. “He and Mr. Camden were just leaving.”
“Mr. Camden is going to the inn, then?”
“Yes.”
Miss Atwood blew out a heavy sigh. “Thank the Lord. Come in. Come in. This is the safest place to talk.” She held the door open for them, and then once they were all inside, she closed that door and another door which was opened to her bedchamber.
“I am not entirely certain what to do. The surgeon is with Father now, but I do not think there is much to be done besides wait.” She took a seat next to Susan, who placed an arm around her shoulder.
“And what of your brother and Mr. Camden?” Robert asked.
“I do not know the extent of what my brother owes the man, but…” She shrugged.
“They are not on friendly terms then?” Robert pressed. He suspected they were not, but he needed to know for Miss Atwood’s safety was dependent upon it.
She shook her head.
“Good.”
She gave him an inquisitive look.
“Bertram and I know of him.”
“Is he as dangerous as my brother says?”
“Likely more so,” Robert replied. Very likely more.
He settled back in his chair and listened as Susan began plying Miss Atwood with questions about her father. He glanced at Tom who was listening carefully to all that Miss Atwood said. A father on the cusp of dying was a tragedy of unequal proportions. Robert knew that full well, but then to have added to it a brother who had put himself in a tenuous position? That made it exponentially worse.
His eyes shifted to Faith, and he chided himself. Was this not what she had been attempting to tell him? His actions were not just a danger to himself and his future, but also to the happiness and safety of anyone close to him.
He watched Miss Atwood clasp and unclasp her hands while she spoke. She was naturally uneasy and likely scared. It hurt his heart to think about it, and he knew exactly how his sister felt when she visited her friend Olivia.
He would have to tell Faith later that she was right to have scolded him as she had. Oh, he knew he could keep such thoughts as he was currently thinking to himself to avoid enduring the pleasure his sister would find in his admission, but for all the grief he had given her during his days of carefree extravagance, it was truly a small penalty to pay.
Chapter 5
Of all the people lounging in her sitting room, the one who kept drawing Addie’s attention was Mr. Eldridge. It was odd how she had only met him earlier in the day and yet, he seemed so at ease with her. He was likely one of those fortunate chaps who found friends wherever he was.
His smile was quick and his eyes expressive, though there were moments when such things were hidden behind an unreadable mien. That talent, she supposed, had been developed while participating in card games and whatever else he might have thrown his money at in a gamble to increase his coffers. He was Tom’s friend, after all, and Tom Bertram was no saint.
She, herself, was not completely opposed to a wager now and again. However, when a wager endangered the welfare of one’s self, friends, or family, it was excessively unacceptable. Life was not free of risks, but one should not throw oneself into them willy-nilly — such as her brother had done or as Tom had done in risking his inheritance and that of his brother.
She smiled at Mr. Eldridge, who was watching her, and wondered if he were the sort of gentleman who had risked where it was not wise to do so. He did not appear to be such a one. However, neither did Tom.
She rose and rang the bell. They might not be in the usual drawing room used for entertaining guests, but she could still offer them a cup of tea, and to be honest, she felt as if she could use a cup herself. The mere ritual of pouring tea and stirring in milk always calmed her, and at present, she needed calming.
Before she could return to her seat, there was a knock on her door.
“Is your brother here?” Mr. Sydney, the surgeon, asked as he peered around the room.
“Not yet,” Addie answered. “How is my father?”
Mr. Sydney was another fellow who had perfected the ability to hide behind an indecipherable expression. Of course, he only did so when the news he had to share was not good. If things were well, his lips would quirk at the corners, causing his cheeks to become even rounder than they were when he was not smiling. Presently, he was not smiling.
“He is resting.”
“For now?” Addie asked softly.
There was a small flinch of his left eye. “Yes.”
“For how long?”
“We should wait for your brother.”
“I am capable of hearing the dreadful news.”
This time he smiled, though sadly at her. “I have no doubt of that, Miss Atwood, but I do not relish imparting what I must more than I must.”
Addie’s heart ached at the meaning of his words as she motioned to an empty chair, but her sorrow must be kept contained for the moment. She would grieve when she was in private and not entertaining guests.
“Please, be seated,” she said to Mr. Sydney. “I am unsure how long my brother will be, but there is a matter of some delicacy of which you must be made aware.” Precautions must be taken. She must keep her head and steady her nerves. Her safety and that of her brother depended upon it.
Mr. Sydney did as instructed but not without giving her a questioning look after his eyes had swept the room.
“Should we leave?” Mr. Eldridge asked.
Addie shook her head. “I assume you are trustworthy
if you are Mr. Bertram’s friend. I am not mistaken, am I?”
“No, but if it is a private matter,” Mr. Eldridge replied.
“You know Mr. Camden.”
Mr. Eldridge’s brow furrowed. “Yes, but –”
“And you do not approve of him and are likely cautious in his presence and wary of his motives, are you not?” Someone who knew Mr. Camden might help her brother circumvent any further disastrous dealings with the man.
“You asked if my brother and he were friends and looked relieved when I said they were not,” she added when his look of confusion deepened at her question.
Understanding dawned in Mr. Eldridge’s eyes. “I have seen his handiwork and let us just say that Mr. Sydney would be put to the test to see such handiwork undone if it is even possible to be undone.” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before continuing. “If your father was not in a precarious position, I would recommend removing yourself from the house until Mr. Camden is gone.”
“He is at the inn.” Addie’s heart picked up its pace at the silent disbelief that met her comment.
“It is what I would recommend for my sister,” Mr. Eldridge finally said breaking the silence. “But then, I am rather protective of her.”
Addie looked to Miss Eldridge for confirmation of such a statement.
“He has been foolish in many ways,” Miss Eldridge said, “but I must admit that he has never once knowingly placed me in a dangerous situation. His friends have not always been so fortunate.”
“Might we forget that I left Tom while he was injured? I do believe I have learned that lesson quite well.”
So, it was Mr. Eldridge’s estate where Tom had convalesced until being returned to Mansfield. That answered her question of whether Mr. Eldridge had done anything unwise. He and Mr. Bertram must be prodigiously good friends to have weathered that ordeal. And, she added to herself, both seemed to be wiser for it. There was hope that James would also be wiser once the matter with Mr. Camden was settled. That was a small comforting thought in a sea of so much uncertainty and grief.
Miss Eldridge smiled. “I suppose we can put it aside — for now.”
Mr. Eldridge shook his head and turned away from his sister. “Why does my knowing Camden play into why I should interfere in a private matter?”
“You can vouchsafe for me that the gamble we are about to take is necessary.”
Tom chuckled, causing Addie to look his direction.
“You sound a great deal like Miss Eldridge,” Tom explained. “She only gambles when necessary.”
Addie smiled at Miss Eldridge. “That seems rather wise.”
She turned back to Mr. Eldridge to continue her explanation. “If Mr. Camden is as wily and dangerous as I suspect he is from what my brother said, then he must not know when or if my father dies.” She pressed her lips together and willed her emotions to remain under control. Admitting the reality of her father’s soon departure was not easily done with any sort of composure. However, after a moment, she resumed her explanation. “Should Mr. Camden learn that my brother has inherited, he might require more than Damon as payment.”
“Damon? Your horse?” Mr. Eldridge interrupted. Disbelief was written in his wide eyes and lifted eyebrows.
“Yes, Damon is Silverthorne Hall’s best. He would command the highest price at auction for his linage is beyond compare and you have seen his speed. Any gentleman, who wished to train him properly to race, would be almost guaranteed the win.” Again, she paused and pressed her lips together and tamped down her emotions. “I am not pleased at the prospect of losing him, of course, but the loss of a horse is a small price to pay to keep my brother whole and myself free from any design which might take Mr. Camden’s mind.”
“You know of that?” surprise suffused Tom’s tone.
“I do. James mentioned it.”
“If you do not mind my saying so,” Mr. Sydney said, “this sounds like a dreadfully precarious situation.”
“You would not be wrong,” she assured him. She felt as if she were sitting on the limb of a tree which had fallen and was teetering over the edge of a precipice. One foul wind in just the right direction would send both it and her plummeting into the abyss beneath her.
“Place it near the window, Maggie.” She turned back from speaking to her maid.
“I know that a death cannot be hidden for long, but Mr. Camden should not remain in the area overly long.” Or so she hoped. How long could it take for him to accept a horse as payment for whatever debt James had incurred?
“It seems a worthy risk,” Miss Eldridge said. “I only wish you did not have to take it.”
“As do I!” Susan cried.
Addie shrugged and rose to see to the pouring of the tea. “It cannot be helped.” She looked at Mr. Sydney. “We will need you to continue to make calls after…” She could not say it. “Just until Mr. Camden leaves the area,” she added in a strained whisper. Tears clung to her lower eyelid.
Susan was at her side in an instant and had an arm around her shoulder.
“Allow me to pour,” Miss Eldridge said. “You should sit.”
Addie was thankful to have someone to care for her, for she felt at the moment as if her strength had been utterly consumed. Wearily, she allowed Susan to guide her back to her chair.
“How long?” she asked Mr. Sydney once again while the tea was being poured. “Please.”
The surgeon drew a breath. “I would not expect more than a week.”
Though her heart was breaking, she thanked him. At least she knew. At least she could prepare herself. Not that she knew how one prepared for the loss of a parent. She had been too young to remember her mother’s passing. She dabbed at those tears which were threatening to spill.
Silently, she accepted a cup of tea and drank it, slowly, contemplating her father and her future while conversation about trivial matters took place around her. Thankfully, no one pressed her to be part of it.
Just as the empty teacups were being placed on the tray, James arrived, and after a proper introduction to Mr. Eldridge and his sister, Mr. Sydney was once again required to share his opinion on their father’s health. And then, after assuring both James and Addie that he would keep their secret if the necessity arose, he left.
“I would love to visit your stables,” Mr. Eldridge said in reply to James’ offer once they had finished discussing the fact that Mr. Eldridge’s estate was near Newmarket, which, of course, had led to a discussion about the last race either had attended. “Your sister is an excellent rider. She nearly beat me this morning.”
“Did she?” James blinked. “You race?”
“Only to give Damon a chance to run as he wishes.” She sighed. She would not get to do that much longer if at all.
James grimaced. “Camden might not want Damon. He has looked at three others. He seems to favour Iris.”
“That cannot be done.” They could not part with Iris. She was their best mare and Damon’s sister. The three foals she had produced so far had all grown to be fabulously coveted and had fetched substantial money. It was due of course to her father being a prize-winning stallion. To lose her would put the estate at a disadvantage that losing a horse such as Damon would not.
“If she were with foal, he would claim her and be gone in an hour,” James added.
“With two horses!” Addie cried.
“Camden is no fool when it comes to making the odds favour him,” Mr. Eldridge inserted.
James blew out a breath. “If Damon were not a gelding, he might be riding him to the inn as we speak. However, upon seeing Iris, he seemed to take it into his head that a gelded horse as a racer was not as valuable to him in the future as a stallion would be. What would he do with a gelding when its career was at an end? And Damon’s sire is too old for Camden’s liking.”
“His preference for Iris is not just as a breeder,” Tom inserted. “He knows it would hurt the estate more if you lost her. He is ruthless.”
“How much
do you owe him?” Addie asked.
James pulled at his sleeves and looked at his boots. “Two hundred and seventy-five pounds.”
Mr. Eldridge whistled. “And he is willing to take one horse for that?”
“Father gave me two hundred, and that has been paid.” James rubbed the back of his neck. “It is just seventy-five remaining.” He shook his head. “He offered to give me the chance to win my debt from him at the inn tonight.”
“You will not attempt it, will you?” Addie’s hand rested on her heart. Hopefully, James was not so foolish as to believe he had the chance to come out ahead.
James shook his head. “I plan to never wager again. Ever.”
He stood and paced to the window, poured a small amount of cold tea into a cup and drank it. “He wants you to meet with him tomorrow, Addie. He seems to think you will be able to tell him more about the horses than even the groom I sent to escort him to the inn can.” He shook his head and chuckled bitterly. “Though I do not doubt your knowledge of our horses, I believe it is merely because you are prettier.”
“James.”
“I know. Bringing him here was a mistake, as was thinking I could best him at any game of chance.” Again, James rubbed the back of his neck as he looked out the window. “I just want him gone as soon as possible and my family secure.”
“Then, let us make a party of it,” Mr. Eldridge offered. “I should like to see the stables as I might be looking to add to my own – not in reality, but as we shall present it to Mr. Camden. If Miss Atwood is the expert, then I wish to be shown the options by her. Just tell me which horses would be those with which you would be willing to part.”
Tom nodded. “That is brilliant, for if you seem interested in any in particular, he will desire that horse more.”
Robert tapped his nose. “He knows I would not favour a horse of low quality for he has lost money by betting against my horses on more than one occasion.”
“Must I be the voice of reason?” Miss Eldridge asked.
Addie shook her head. “No, allow me.”
Miss Eldridge smiled and waved her hand as if giving the floor to Addie.
“If Mr. Camden suspects at any point that you are attempting to swindle him, things will turn from the disaster they are now to something far worse. Let me show you the horses but be honest about your assessment. I do not wish to part with any of them, but if you feel you must promote one horse over the rest…”