by Abigail Agar
“Your Grace, I must thank you for this evening. It has truly uplifted me. I’m not sure there is anything in London that could top it.”
Charlotte waited a moment, then said, “I’m not sure who had the nicest time tonight, which means it was a true success. Thank you.”
“Both of you ladies are welcome. But Lady Genevieve, I must ask. Will you receive His Grace if he calls?”
Charlotte gasped.
Genevieve snickered.
“Oh, you think you’re so funny. The fact is, John has already told me he plans to call. Be careful, or we might leave you in the dust.”
***
Two days later after seeing a new play and having private access to the British Museum, Phin met with Everett at Everett’s townhouse.
“I’m beginning to think I need to talk with Silas and Mercy before they hear something elsewhere. They won’t be as angry if I do it now as they would a year from now. It could look like I just got back from India then had the talk.”
“Have the talk now. There’s no reason to postpone. Your father is gone, and you just got back. Do it now,” Everett said while looking into Phin’s eyes.
Thomas Whitaker entered the study. After he was announced, they all bowed and sat. Mr Whitaker took several folded sheets out of his pocket.
He looked back and forth at each man and held up a paper, “This is an IOU from Maggie’s gambling hell.” He rifled through his papers and pulled out two others. He put them on Everett’s desk in a pile.
He shuffled through his papers looking for something, found it, and held it up. “This is a loan against his townhouse. It’s past due.” He placed it next to the pile of IOU’s.
“This,” he said, holding up another piece of paper, “is a receipt from a pawnshop. I’ve got two more in here.” Mr Whitaker shuffled through his documents until he put another three papers in a pile on the desk.
Holding up the last piece of paper he had in his hand, he said, “This is serious.” The room was silent of everything except the fire popping. No one moved. Everett clutched his hands to the armrests of his chair.
“This is an IOU to the man they call the mate.”
Both Everett and Phin reacted to that news. Everett gasped, and Phin massaged his temples with his index and middle fingers.
Everett asked, “How much is it for?” When he heard the answer, he gasped again.
Phin lifted his head. “I bet he’s thinking the mate won’t kill a Lord.”
Mr Whitaker laughed. “Then he figures wrong.”
“Mr Whitaker, you’ve done your work well. Unless you have left out anything, you’ll probably want to be paid now.”
Everett handed him some coins and called for the butler. “Until we meet again, Mr Whitaker.” They bowed, and he was gone.
Everett turned back to his desk to find Phin perusing Mr Whitaker’s papers.
“You know, Ev, what my favourite thing about Mr Whitaker is?”
“He’s a man of few words. Yes, yes, Phin. You are rarely tiresome, but this is an exception. You say that every time he leaves.” Everett pointed his chin towards the papers. “Have you added it up?”
“I have. Charlotte’s dowry will cover it, but what the two of them live on when that money is gone is anybody’s guess. There are a few scenarios here. He pays his debts, but the dowry is gone, and they have nothing. He pays some of the debt and lives off the rest until he can’t resist and dips into the money. Or, three, he pays the debt then lets it climb to unmanageable heights. Is there any scenario where he pays down his debt and manages an income so they are not in financial peril for the rest of their lives?”
Phin looked down at the papers he was shuffling. “Ev, what do you know about Maggie’s gambling hell?”
Nothing. I’ve never been there.”
“I think I know where I’ve met Bernard before. That last night I saw my father was when I dragged him out of Maggie’s and brought him home. Before we left, a man about my age tried to stop us. Everyone in the place was dying to play Bennett. That’s how bad he was. This man objected to my removal of him before he got his turn. I’m pretty sure it was Bernard.
“If that’s the case, he would be familiar with how deep in the weeds Bennett was and how Bennett threw me out. That will be how he discredits me. I’ve got to get to Silas and Mercy now.”
Everett heard his front door shut. He picked up his drink and mumbled, “Goodbye.”
***
“We are to have dinner together and alone this evening, so please remember,” Phin told Silas and Mercy, wondering if Silas would remember to show up.
Before then, Phin paid an afternoon call to Charlotte. It was a pleasant afternoon, so Genevieve, Charlotte, and Phin sat outside in the garden. This time with Charlotte, these daily visits were not merely leading to a marriage of convenience. Not only would Charlotte be his constant partner at Collinswood and in London, but she would be his lover and the keeper of his deepest secrets. If Phin had reflected on his time with Charlotte, he would have realized he was falling in love with her, but he didn’t seem to have any time to reflect.
Phin remembered the day the boat docked in London, and he peered down the road to see Silas waving at him. He believed he’d retain that memory until the day he died. It was such a good memory, it popped into his head unbidden.
What he didn’t retain was his adamant insistence on marrying a quiet girl. Everett and Silas were right; it was a terrible plan. He never could have imagined he would find an outgoing girl that fit his needs better than any quiet girl could.
“Your Grace, Your Grace,” Charlotte said.
“Pardon me. You were saying?”
“I just wanted to know if you would like it if we sent you home with roses.”
“Yes. Yes, I’d like that very much,” Phin said. Then he smiled at her.
Charlotte rang for someone to cut stems. When a servant arrived, she brought with her Lord Bernard.
After the formal greeting, Bernard sat, and they chatted about the warm weather, this evening’s ball, and the temporary shortage of sugar plaguing London since an East India company ship sank.
Then Phin wanted the ladies’ opinion. “My brother accompanied my sister to the Crown Pawn Shop.” Out of the corner of his eye, Bernard set up his chair. “I immediately objected to the visit as soon as they arrived home, and Silas has been warned, but the cat was out of the bag.”
He gave a sheepish look. “While there, Mercy saw a few pieces she liked. Normally, I wouldn’t go to a pawnshop to buy her jewellery, but the owner certified its worth. What do you think, ladies?”
Bernard jumped in before either Genevieve or Charlotte could speak. “Collins, you’d buy a lady a piece of jewellery from a pawnshop? You’re buying someone else’s memories. Pieces given to a daughter from a father, given to a wife from a husband. The owner of those pieces will want them back when they get on their feet.”
“I see your point, Bernard. I never looked at it from the perspective of one on hard times. But there isn’t an item, any item that was put there without the knowledge that the item might not be there when they come to claim it.”
Bernard gave Phin a sharp look that lasted much longer than it should have.
Phin was surprised Bernard’s reaction was so serious. He didn’t even try to mask his emotions. Phin suspected he hit home a little too hard. Between his reaction and his emotional response, he could tell Barnard was more desperate than even Phin believed.
“Shall we go back to the parlour, gentlemen?” Genevieve asked.
“Certainly. Lead the way, ladies,” Phin said.
Bernard mumbled in his ear, “You’ve just sealed your own fate. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
***
Elizabeth was lounging on her couch, full wine glass in her hand, when Roderick Merritt walked in. She turned.
“Hello, darling. Let me get your coat and get you a drink,” she said, standing.
Merritt looked around. He turned to Elizabeth. “L
izzie, what happened here?”
“Phineas Collins, that’s what happened. He came back from India to find his father’s – no, excuse me – his townhouse missing a few items. He had his solicitor here faster than I could hide the Gainsborough. I’m furious. I’m looking into how I can get those pieces back. I was very fond of them.”
“As you should be. I’d be furious too. I saw him at the theatre the other night. Did I tell you I’m courting Mercy Collins?” Elizabeth shook her head. “Well, I am. She has the largest dowry this season. Why not get my hands on it?”
Elizabeth handed him his drink and swept her hand in the general direction of the couch. “Well, this gets even more interesting. Phineas is after Lady Charlotte Albert. And we all know whom that dowry needs to go to. Bernard needs to play it cool, but the walls are closing in on him, and before long, he’s going to look desperate.”
“Lizzie, he’s desperate because he went to the mate.”
“I know, I know.”
Merritt leaned over and gave Elizabeth a kiss. “What should we do tonight? Eat in, eat out, theatre, Vauxhall?”
“No, let’s go out to eat locally and come back here.”
“Do you think we could poison the well for Charlotte so she’s not disposed to consider Phin?”
“Roderick, anything can help, nothing can hurt. Any twinge of guilt or unhappiness that man feels is a cause for celebration for me.” Elizabeth waved both her hands in the air. “Look at this place. He cleaned me out.”
“Let’s go to dinner, darling,” Rodrick said, as he stood. “I want to go to bed early.”
“Are you staying over?”
“Yes.”
Chapter 8
“That was a pleasant dinner, Phin, but you wanted to tell us something if I recall.”
“Yes, Silas, I did. I didn’t tell you before I went to India because I left too quickly. And I didn’t want to write it in a letter. And I was hesitant. I didn’t want you to think badly about Father because of me.
He paused and looked at each of them before he began. “I wanted to tell you in person what happened with Father disowning me then me settling in India.”
“Wait. Father disowned you?” Mercy said.
“Yes, he did. I’m going to tell you the whole story,” Phin said.
After Phin explained what happened on the days leading up to leaving for India, Silas and Mercy sat still as statues. When he finished, Phin worried that hatred for him was bubbling up from their guts. He imagined they wanted to disown him too. Would they blow like a volcano? Like their father had. Funny, he never thought of their reaction as visceral until this moment. He finally couldn’t take speculating anymore. “Will somebody please say something? It’s okay, I can take it. If you are upset with me, tell me. Don’t pull any punches.”
Mercy pulled her eyes from staring at the wall and focused on Phin. “Why would you think we’d be upset with you? Have you worried you would lose us if we knew the truth?”
“Mercy, I had no idea. I only know that I don’t want to lose either of you because of this.”
Mercy turned to Silas. “Silas don’t leave Phin in suspense. How do you feel?”
Phin jumped in, trying to salvage the situation. “Silas, before you say anything, you might want to talk with Mr Sanford at the bank and Mr Roberts, our solicitor. They will corroborate the story. Everett has been handling the money and loan pay down so you may want to talk with him. And please understand, I never wanted to tell you. I wanted you to have good memories of Father. My good memories were ripped away, but yours needn’t be.”
Silas looked up at Phin. His face was grim. “Not necessary, Phin. I believe you, and I know why you did it.”
“Thanks, Silas, you don’t have to say more.”
“No, Phin, I do.” Silas turned to Mercy. “He did it for you. We could’ve lost both our homes; you had lost your dowry. You would have been lucky to get a governess position, or you could have ended up a scullery maid.”
Mercy gasped. Tears began to fall. She jumped from her seat and started to pace.
“That’s enough, Silas. Let it be.”
There was silence for a long while. Then Phin had to spring the last piece of bad news on them.
The day I pulled Father out of Maggie’s gambling hell, someone my age tried to stop me from leaving because he hadn’t yet had his chance to fleece Father. He was in front of me for only a moment, and I was preoccupied with getting Father out of there so I didn’t pay any attention. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve seen him. But I couldn’t place him. He looked familiar. He knew me. Father yelled, ‘Phineas’ as I led him away. Anyway, the man at Maggie’s was Lord Bernard.”
Mercy gasped again.
Silas blew his breath out towards the ceiling and groaned. “Is he going to tell? Will it affect Mercy?”
Phin nodded. “I’d say it’s a safe bet he will tell. He has creditors breathing down his neck, including the mate. Charlotte’s dowry covers him completely. He doesn’t like that I’m getting close to Charlotte, jeopardizing the money. He feels threatened. And if he is anything like Father, he’s also getting desperate.”
“Who is the mate?” Mercy asked.
Silas jumped in, much to Phin’s relief. “He’s a street thug that will lend you money for a very high price. For instance, if he lends you ten pounds, he wants fifteen pounds back in a couple of days.
“Bernard probably thought he’d win at cards, pay him back and have enough left over to pay down some of his other debts. But that’s why playing cards is so insidious. He was never going to win enough to pay back the mate.
“That man is brutal. His thugs will probably start with breaking his legs and move on to other fun stuff until he’s paid off. Every day he doesn’t pay back, the amount goes up. It starts at fifteen pounds, goes to twenty pounds, you get the idea. He’s in big trouble. He’ll probably do anything he can to marry Charlotte. Your dowry is the only one in the ton larger than Charlotte’s. And he knows he can’t go after you.”
“Thank God,” Phin murmured.
“What do we do, Phin?”
“I don’t know. If I lose Charlotte, I’ll be devastated, but I was devastated when Bennett disowned me, and I survived. It’s Mercy I worry about.”
Silas clapped his hands in front of him. “What’s our plan?”
“Silas, our plan is to keep going through the season and play defence if need be,” Phin said.
“Our plan is to put something in the newspaper, so everyone knows,” Mercy said.
Silas swatted the air with his hand. “You are both wrong. We’re going to play cat and mouse. We’ll go around as if nothing is happening, but we will put out a whisper campaign that will cast doubt on anything he says or does. By the time he tells everyone Father disowned you, people will understand why. And, oh by the way, how did Bernard know Father so well? They both gambled nonstop at Maggie’s.
“Phin, people think you’re penniless? Make very large charitable donations. To whom, I don’t care. You have more than enough to spread around. Start now.”
“Silas, you’re good,” Phin said with a big smile. “I keep asking you to go into business with Everett and me. Offer’s still open and always will be.”
Silas grinned. “Nah, maybe later. I’m having too much fun.”
“Fair enough. Each of you name two charities; I’ll think of two, and I will donate to six charities this week.
“Mercy, you are going to whisper – but you’re not supposed to tell – that I sold three tea plantations to the East India Company before I left India. It was a very favourable transaction.
“Is that true, Phin?”
“Yes, Mercy, it is.” He cringed internally. This was something he wished he never had to talk about.
“Silas, what are you comfortable spreading around?” Phin asked, starting to warm up to the plan.
“How about I’d never gamble because my father almost lost everything gambling, and Phin pulled us back from the
brink.’”
“All this is good, but I want to back up a minute. I’m feeling uncomfortable airing our dirty laundry, talking negatively about Father, and beating my chest like I’m a hero.”
“First, if Mercy whispers that around, you’re not beating your chest. Second, if I mentioned certain things about your fall-out with Father, I’m controlling the narrative, not Bernard. Mercy will probably have something to say about this, but I think it’s time for a house party.”
Phin groaned, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Mercy jumped from her chair. “It’s a great idea. The marriage mart slows in late July. Who wants to be in London in the heat? We’ll go the last two weeks of July. We’ll invite everyone that matters. The more, the better.”