An Adventurous Lady

by Valerie King

  The uneasy feeling sharpened. “You mean to say that Rotherstone lost this amount?”

  The ladies nodded together.

  “How could this have happened?” she said. “I had heard rumors that he was gambling while in London, but I confess I wanted to believe they were just rumors, a great deal of useless gossip.”

  “Not so useless, we fear,” Miss Ambers said. However, Sir Edgar was adamant that Rotherstone did not generally give himself to reckless gaming in this fashion, nor has he ever heard that the earl previously sustained such enormous losses.”

  “What is there to wonder in that?” Lady Monceaux observed sadly. “How many gentlemen have we known in the past who are able to control their appetites to a point, and then one night they lose an entire fortune? I do believe that some are even capable of contriving such situations, the sharps we hear of so frequently. However, this among neighbors—. It is all too familiar, I fear.”

  Evelina’s thoughts turned to her brother, whose addiction to gaming was severe. “Chelwood,” she said. “You have described my brother completely.”

  “I do beg your pardon,” Lady Monceaux said, “but in truth I was not thinking of him.”

  “Of whom, then?” Evelina queried.

  Lady Monceaux seemed perplexed. “I was speaking only in generalities, of gossip heard through the years.”

  “I see.” Evelina became lost in her thoughts. Rotherstone was a gamester, then. She did not want to believe it was true. Even though she had been given hints over the past fortnight, indeed, over the past eight months, still there was so much good in him that she simply could not believe he was as capable of wasting his fortune as her own father and brother had.

  “There must be some mistake,” she said, glancing from one lady to the other.

  Mary Ambers shook her head. “Had I heard this news from anyone but Sir Edgar, I should have set it down as the grossest falsehood. Indeed, even now, having come to know Rotherstone in these past several days and particularly in light of the service he rendered you, I would not have believed him capable of anything so irresponsible.”

  Lady Monceaux looked out the window. “My husband was extraordinarily happy this morning. I thought perhaps his contentment was due to how well the breach had seemed to be healed between himself and Rotherstone. I was so very encouraged. When Miss Ambers called on me just before I was to go to Darwell Lodge that I might be of assistance to Colonel Carfax, I must confess I was completely dashed in every hope. You see, this feels very familiar to me.”

  “To what precisely are you referring?” Evelina asked. “For I can only presume that you are not speaking of my brother or general experiences.”

  Lady Monceaux shook her head. “For the present I cannot say, since I have only my suspicions, and until they are born out I refuse to create a whirlwind when only a little breeze might be blowing.”

  Evelina felt a shiver go through her. Lady Monceaux’s distress was evident, and her instincts told her that something of an unfortunate nature was afoot. She did not feel at liberty to pursue the subject, however, so she queried, “I appreciate very much your having told me of what happened last night. However, I cannot help but wonder to what purpose you have come to me.” She glanced from one lady to the next.

  Lady Monceaux sighed again. “It has been lost to none of us that Lord Rotherstone has a certain preference for your company, that he has even to some degree taken an interest in your family. Both Miss Ambers and I thought that in view of the earl’s recent involvement in our community—which we feel has been an excellent beginning—you might be willing to give his lordship a hint.”

  “About his gaming habits?” she asked, astonished that they would even propose such a thing.

  “Someone ought to make a push,” Lady Monceaux said. “Sir Edgar will undoubtedly give him a dressing-down, but I am convinced that your opinion could have a beneficial effect as well.”

  “You flatter me exceedingly, but I do not believe I have such power with Lord Rotherstone. However, if the opportunity should arise, you may trust me when I say I most certainly shall not withhold my opinion.”

  Lady Monceaux smiled suddenly. “That I believe very much to be true. You give me hope, Lady Evelina, indeed you do, more than you know.”

  Evelina was not certain to what precisely she was referring. However, she had her own questions and asked, “I hope I do not seem impertinent, but beyond your concern for Rotherstone, what are his gaming habits to you?”

  “It has merely been my experience that if such events occur in a neighborhood with increasing frequency and to such an end that one neighbor loses a great deal of money to another, friendships are ruined. We are just now experiencing a wonderful renewal, and I for one do not wish to see our neighborhood troubled again, and certainly not for such a reason as gaming,”

  “I see,” Evelina murmured. “I commend your motivation very much.”

  The tea arrived, and with the subject of Rotherstone having been discussed to Lady Monceaux’s satisfaction, the subject turned quite naturally to the forthcoming ball. Evelina could not help but ask of Miss Ambers, “And are your first two spoken for already?”

  Miss Ambers blushed, but she smiled happily. “Yes, indeed they are.”

  “I am very happy for you since I liked Sir Edgar from the first. I met him by accident when I called on Rotherstone to first speak to the earl about Jack Stub’s map and treasure. Sir Edgar was an absolute delight, and he was very supportive of my efforts when Rotherstone was not.”

  The remainder of the visit involved finishing the entire pot of tea, listening to Lady Monceaux’s descriptions of the decorations for the colonel’s ballroom and offering as many accolades to Mary about her beau as could make her blush again and again.

  * * * * * * * * *

  That evening, as Evelina dressed for the ball, her thoughts turned to Rotherstone. She refused to be blue-devilled about his apparent gaming problem, although she felt she had every reason to be overset.

  She had come to value his presence in her life more than she had thought possible. He was kindness itself to William, and all her family enjoyed his teasing and banter when he took part in their small family circle.

  For all that, however, he was still something of a beast. There could be no two opinions on that score. His having taken the map from her had been the cruelest thing he had yet done; that is, until this morning, when she learned he had lost one thousand pounds at hazard to Sir Alfred, Mr. Crookhorn and Colonel Carfax.

  She still did not know what to make of it. The more she thought about his having done so, the more she sensed something was amiss, something she could not as yet understand.

  Her maid bid her sit before her dressing table and began arranging her long red curls into a riot atop her head. “I think I should like to see the pearls looped through tonight. Could you manage that, Sarah?”

  “Aye, miss,” her abigail returned, smiling. “I always like the pearls with your fiery locks.”

  Evelina smiled, but her thoughts were soon drawn back to Rotherstone. She had known him such a short time, after all. What could she possibly know of him that was wholly true? Sir Edgar had told Miss Ambers that his gaming of last night was not at all like him, and yet it was known, or at least believed, that he went to London for the purpose of gambling. She simply did not know what to think. One thing for certain: Should the appropriate moment arrive, she would not hesitate to speak to him tonight at the ball.

  ***

  Chapter Eleven

  “Evie,” Mia said, addressing her just as the family coach turned down the lane that led to Darwell Lodge, “are you not feeling well? Have you the headache?”

  Evelina was drawn from her reveries to regard her sister. “Not in the least, I assure you. Indeed, do not be troubled, I am perfectly well.”

  “But are you certain? You have scarcely spoken three words to me since we quit Wildings. Perhaps you should not have come to the ball, after all.”

 
; Seated beside her sister, she took Mia’s hand in her own. “I promise you, my head does not hurt in the least.”

  “Then what is it?”

  Evelina regarded her sister hesitantly. She wasn’t certain whether she should confide in her or not.

  Mia tilted her head. “I am no longer a child, Evie, if that is why you are frowning at me. I hope you may trust me to be both discreet and understanding.”

  Evelina could not help but smile. “You are very right. I know you to be both these things. Very well, I shall tell you what has caused me so much distress of late, but I do depend on your discretion. As you know, I had a visit earlier from Lady Monceaux and Miss Ambers.”

  “Yes, you were closeted in the library with them for some time. I confess I was intrigued and not a little concerned.”

  “As it happens, they informed me that there had been a great deal of gaming at Blacklands on Saturday night.”

  “Oh no,” Mia whispered. Though she was only sixteen, she had not been ignorant of their eldest brother’s misdeeds. “I am very sorry, indeed grieved, to hear it.”

  “As am I. However, I promise you I do not intend to remain silent on the subject. I have had many years to think what I should have said to Robert when he first came into his inheritance. However, by the time I saw that something should be done, I believe it was already too late. His character was fixed, his habits unmovable. Still, I regret remaining silent. As for these present circumstances, I must say I am quite prepared to ring a peal over one or several heads if I must.”

  Mia was silent but met her gaze with a smile.

  “What is it?” Evelina queried. The expression on her sister’s face was quite odd.

  “You are greatly changed, Evie, since our coming to Kent, and all for the better, I believe.”

  “I have never been happier in my entire existence,” she returned thoughtfully. “Even if I still do have a bump on my head.”

  Mia laughed.

  Evelina watched the passing scenery. The hour was just past seven, but a warm twilight still lit the countryside in a glow. The evening was very fine, not a cloud in the sky, a perfect night for a ball. Or for a quarrel, Evelina thought.

  From the time Lady Monceaux and Miss Ambers and bid her good-day, Evelina had been fretting over just what she should do next where Rotherstone was concerned. She was aggravated with him on so many points that she hardly knew which of the several infractions she ought to address first: his gaming, his high-handedness in demanding the map or his refusal to allow Mr. Creed to be of use to his neighbors. If he thought for one moment that she would permit even one of these subjects to rest, he was quite mistaken.

  Only, where to begin in taking him to task for his mistakes?

  When the coach turned up the drive, Evelina glanced at the trees, flowerbeds and shrubbery. She confessed she was a little shocked at what she saw. She knew that the colonel had been in possession of his property for nearly a decade, having inherited as she had from a more distant relation than was usual. She had always understood there to be a fine income attached to Darwell, so she could not understand why the estate had such an overgrown, untended appearance.

  Of course, the colonel had never married, a circumstance that might have accounted for the untidy nature of the property. Some gentlemen were not as interested in the care of their estates as others.

  Her mind immediately reverted to Rotherstone. He was not such a man. His property, even his house, showed a level of care and husbandry that was beyond pleasing. His cousin, it would seem, was not so gifted.

  After waiting behind a train of carriages, she alighted with her sister at last at the entrance. Darwell Lodge was a fine brick manor house, but as she glanced up at the numerous windows, she was surprised to see that several shutters were missing.

  Upon entering the house, the sound of music flowed the distance from the ballroom to the entrance hall.

  Mia leaned close. “My first ball. I only wish Mama was with us tonight.”

  “As do I. She will be sorely missed.”

  Greeting Colonel Carfax and Lady Monceaux, she moved with Mia down a long hall to the ballroom.

  “Do but look,” Mia said. “I vow everyone I have ever known in my life is here tonight.”

  “I daresay there are no fewer than two hundred persons present.”

  As Evelina’s gaze moved over the wonderful array of gowns in every shade of silk, satin or finely embroidered muslin possible, a sweet sensation of pleasure flowed over her. Like her sister, she knew most everyone present, a circumstance that warmed her heart. This was the first time she had been so nearly connected to an entire community, and she found herself extraordinarily grateful. How dear so many faces had become to her.

  She searched for one in particular and found him conversing with Miss Ambers. As so many times before, she found herself nearly incapable of shifting her gaze from him. She sighed inwardly. If only he were not so wretchedly handsome besides being quite strong and tall, his shoulders broad, his waist narrow. Even his leg was well turned.

  She gave herself a shake. Regardless of his many physical beauties, she promised herself that tonight she would not be moved from her mission of making him realize how seriously he had erred. He turned just at that moment, saw her and caught her eye. She lifted her brow and her chin for the purpose of giving him a hint and moved in a direction quite opposite from him.

  * * * * * * * * *

  Lord Rotherstone could not keep from smiling. He watched Lady Evelina, clearly on her high ropes, move across the ballroom floor, intent it would seem on speaking to anyone but him.

  “How beautiful she is,” Miss Ambers said. “And the strangest thing of all is that she does not seem to be aware of her beauty.”

  “I believe it to be one of her greatest charms,” he said.

  “She has many, not least of which is the ability to make a guest feel welcome. I am always at ease in her company. But there is something greater than even this, I think. Do you know, I believe she has inspired me with courage. Yes, that has been her greatest gift to me.”

  He looked down at Miss Ambers. “Indeed?”

  The lady before him nodded, and her light blue eyes sparkled. “She always speaks her mind. Once I decided to follow suit—which I did a fortnight past nearly to the day—I cannot tell you how handsomely I was rewarded.”

  He smiled at her. He realized he liked his friend’s choice very much. “I believe I understand,” he said.

  When Sir Edgar came to claim her for the next country-dance, he remained where he was. He had a clear view of Lady Evelina, for Mr. Fuller had led her out. He could see that she was still angry with him since she steadfastly refused to look at him.

  Not that he cared, for of the moment he desired only to watch her. She was gowned in a lovely lavender silk ball dress. She wore pearls in her coiffure that complimented both her red hair and her fair complexion quite to perfection. Her neck was beautifully sloped, and his heart began to ache as it often did when he settled his gaze on her.

  Good God, he thought suddenly. I am in love with her.

  There it was, the truth he knew he had been denying for the last three weeks. He loved her and had been in love with her since he had first held her in his arms. He recalled that moment to mind, of discovering her on his estate at a late hour. She had been wearing a cloak and carrying a lantern. Even then her beauty had worked strongly on him. He recalled something she had said to him that night.

  “How did you do that?” she had asked. “How did you make me desire what I had no intention of desiring?”

  He now wondered the same thing of her. How had she made him love her, particularly when he had been so completely disinterested in love?

  He moved along the side of the ballroom floor, matching the distance she traveled down the dance so that he was always opposite her. He realized she was like no other female he had ever known. Beyond her beauty, she was good and kind. He had believed her to be determined to the point of selfis
h interest, but now he was no longer certain. What was there of selfishness in how devoted she was to her family or even in the manner in which she extended herself to her neighbors without judgment or criticism? What did she expect in return save the pleasures of friendship?

  He felt uneasy suddenly, not about her but rather about how much he had made use of her, particularly over the past sennight. If all were to proceed as he had planned, this very evening he would achieve his object, the ruining of Sir Alfred Monceaux. He had had only one purpose in agreeing to reenter the local society: to engage Sir Alfred in play that he might destroy him. He knew what most of his neighbors did not, that Sir Alfred was deeply in debt. In losing to him on Saturday night he had meant only to whet his appetite for a new, final game tonight, and he had every confidence Sir Alfred would oblige him.

  The only question in his mind, however, was whether or not he should tell Lady Evelina the hard truth about Sir Alfred first.

  * * * * * * * * *

  Evelina knew that Lord Rotherstone had been following her progress down the dance, but she had steadfastly refused to acknowledge him in any manner. She was still too angry to speak to him and feared that were he to engage her in conversation, she would be unable to keep from raising her voice to the rafters. She had not truly understood just how incensed she was until his continued presence brought all her objections to his latest conduct forcibly to mind.

  As the set ended, Mr. Fuller returned her to the side of the room opposite Rotherstone. She thanked him for the dance, but when she saw over Mr. Fuller’s shoulder that Lord Rotherstone was bearing down on her, she dropped a quick curtsy, excused herself and walked briskly from the chamber.

  As she rounded the corner to the hall, she nearly collided with Colonel Carfax, who immediately begged pardon.

  “No, ’tis my fault,” she said. “I fear I am trying to avoid your cousin.”

  The colonel laughed. “What has Gage done now to have so set up your back?”

  “Too many things,” she responded. “Only, I beg you will walk with me awhile.”