Chapter 8

CHAPTER

a

8

W e should visit Thornhill tomorrow."

As Lola voiced the suggestion, Jackson didn't glance in her direction, but said, "I don't think we will."

"You promised me."

"I don't remember that conversation."

"Well, I do. I realize you're irked by the condition of the property, but I can help you decide what renovations are required."

It was four o'clock in the morning and he was sitting in the dining room at Owl's Nest. The table was being used for their card game and it had been running for hours. It was strewn with gold coins, jewelry, and other items of value that had been bet and lost. Most of the pile was in front of Jackson.

He didn't mean to repeatedly win. His brain simply worked in strange ways and he could practically see what card would appear. It wasn't magic or sorcery. He had a knack for mathematical calculation, and he wasn't always correct, but he was right often enough to be very successful.

The other players had given up, all except for Arthur. He was the worst gambler Jackson had ever faced, but he didn't recognize how awful he was. He believed gambling was random and based on chance and that his luck would soon change. He hadn't figured out that some men—men like Jackson for instance—understood that enormous skill was involved.

There were eight couples staying in the house, plus Cedric, so seventeen altogether. Four of the men were married, but they'd brought their mistresses to revel during the holiday. He wondered what explanations they'd provided to convince their wives they were off on an innocent excursion. Their blatant adultery didn't furnish much of an example of the benefits of matrimony, and he couldn't comprehend why bachelors ever wed.

The group was a collection of dandies, wastrels, and tarts, and he felt sorry for all of them. He also felt a hundred years older. He'd spent his youth in the army in India, where he'd participated in every sort of adventure. His current companions had never left London, and their entire life experience consisted of carousing and wagering away resources they couldn't afford to squander.

He was weary and wanted to head to bed. Unfortunately, he was sharing his bedchamber with Lola, and if he went up, she'd follow him and continue to nag.

No one else had called it a night either. They were scattered about, drinking, chatting, and watching the sole game that was still in progress. He and Arthur were the only two playing and they were taking a break. Lola had slipped onto the chair next to him, and Cedric was seated on a chair behind.

Despite Arthur's mounting losses, he refused to stop. Jackson kept trying to fold his cards and quit, but Arthur kept demanding he not. If Jackson had had any sense, he would have deliberately lost a few hands, then claimed his luck had turned and he was done. He couldn't force himself to lose though.

His most potent trait was his vanity. His second was his stubbornness. The more obnoxious and inebriated Arthur became, the more Jackson yearned to pound him into the ground, both physically and financially.

Arthur had stepped away to refill his whiskey, and he was over in the adjacent parlor, having a passionate discussion with his paramour, Nell Parsons. Apparently, she was wiser than Arthur because Jackson heard her say, "Should you persist? Maybe it would be better to pause for now."

Arthur owed Jackson so much money, and they were at a spot where Arthur would have to start parting with substantial assets to square even the smallest portion of his debt. Jackson couldn't decide how to view that situation.

He couldn't develop a reputation as a pushover. After all, if he allowed one opponent to renege, word would spread that he wasn't adamant, and others would quickly begin to insist they couldn't pay. He gambled to support himself, his derelict father, and annoying, fussy Lola, so he couldn't have rumors swirl that he was lenient.

There was the issue too of his burgeoning infatuation with Theo. From the occasions he'd mentioned Arthur to her, it was clear she had no idea what type of fiend he really was. If Arthur shed his possessions in order for Jackson to be compensated, Jackson would be harming her in a terrible fashion. Then again, if Arthur didn't sign over his assets to Jackson, he'd eventually surrender them to someone else. If Arthur would relinquish them anyway, was Jackson behaving badly by being the first to scoop them up?

The family's company, HH Imports, generated the revenue that supported Theo. If Arthur beggared himself, what would happen to her? Did Jackson have a duty to her? If Arthur was so reckless that he'd imperil her security, was Jackson required to save her?

Those questions vexed him, and when Arthur had invited him to the private party, Jackson should have declined to attend. He was caught in a trap between Arthur and Theo, and he hadn't yet settled on the route to escape.

"Why can't I visit Thornhill?" Lola asked, yanking him out of his miserable reverie. "I constantly request it, but you act as if you're deaf."

Cedric unhelpfully added, "I told her you wouldn't escort her, but she never listens to me."

Thornhill was two hours from Ralston, so it would have been an easy trip to ride over and snoop, but he had no intention of showing it to her. It would give her one more topic about which to complain. She'd invented an exasperating fantasy where they'd move in and carry on like posh royalty—after he married her and made her his countess.

Besides the fact that the property was a decrepit ruin, he wouldn't leave London. He earned his income by wagering, so he couldn't tuck himself away in the middle of nowhere. Plus, he didn't like the country and he had no desire to be a gentleman farmer.

"We're here so I can play cards," he said to her. "You know that. It would take a whole day to go over and back and I won't waste the time. I'm working."

"You're not working. You're gambling."

"Same thing."

"You're being a beast about Thornhill."

"I guess I am."

"Why can't I see it?"

She had perfected a habit of goading him into a temper and he nearly snapped at her. Ever since his wounding, and the lengthy period of recovery afterward, their relationship had been altered into one that was difficult and draining.

His attitude about life had changed, but she was still the same person she'd always been. She hadn't figured out that he no longer shared her view of the world. She couldn't understand why he never behaved as he had in the past and he was too fatigued to explain it.

"Would you excuse me?" he said. "I need some fresh air. I think I'll step outside."

"It's sprinkling. You'll get wet."

"I'll risk it."

He stood to walk off and she grumbled and stood too. He hadn't asked her to join him, but she huffed with aggravation and said, "I'll come with you."

"I don't want you to come with me."

He stomped away, and behind him, a small kerfuffle erupted as Cedric grabbed her skirt and jerked her down onto her chair.

"For pity's sake, Lola," his father chided, "let the man breathe."

If a quarrel ignited, Jackson didn't hear it. He marched down the hall and out a rear door. There was a garden, and he would have liked to stroll in it, but it was overgrown and untended. With it being a rented house, the servants hadn't bothered to light any lamps, so he hovered on the porch, pondering his options. It was midsummer, and shortly, dawn would brighten the eastern sky. When it did, he wondered if he shouldn't just depart for London.

If he left though, he wouldn't have a chance to dance with Theo at the fair on Friday night. Would he delay his exit merely to flirt with her a bit more?

He stared out at the dark clouds and assessed his interest in her. It had flared in an odd way and he didn't comprehend his motives toward her. He'd resided in India for years, and with there being too few women to provide companionship, the moral rules had been very relaxed. Men had been permitted their amorous indiscretions, but he was back in England, and he couldn't dally with Theo unless he had marriage in mind.

He had to be more careful with her, so he didn't lure her away from her engagement to Arthur. If she cried off, Jackson wasn't about to wed her himself, and it worried him that he might be trifling with her simply because he disliked Arthur so much. Was he doing it because he could? Was she one more thing he could take from Arthur?

The door opened behind him, and he'd expected it would be Lola, arriving to nag about Thornhill. He braced and whipped around, but to his surprise, it was Arthur.

Jackson sighed with exasperation. "Are you hoping to start again? I'm tired and I'd really rather not."

"I'll agree to stop. Nell convinced me I should."

It was pathetic that the idiot couldn't decide on his own, but Jackson wasn't about to mock him. "Good. I'll head up to bed then."

"I have to tell you something first."

"What is it?" Arthur couldn't begin and Jackson barked, "Spit it out. When I said I was tired, I wasn't joking. You've exhausted me and I can't bear much more of your nonsense."

Arthur hemmed and hawed, then blurted out, "I don't know how I'll ever pay you!"

"I realize you've dug a very deep hole. It's why I keep suggesting we end this farce."

"Will you come to supper at Peachtree? I'd like you to meet my mother and my fiancée, Theo."

"I've met your fiancée, remember? You brought her to my house-warming party."

"Oh, that's right. I'd forgotten." Arthur pulled out a kerchief and mopped his brow. "If you'd only visit us, if you could see how much they mean to me, you might forgive some of the amount I owe."

Jackson had figured this conversation was about to occur and he snidely asked, "How important are they? There's a rumor circulating that you've already gambled away Peachtree Haven. Is that true?"

"I didn't gamble it away! Theo's father used to run HH Imports, but since he died, we've suffered so many losses. I needed the money for wages and other expenses."

Jackson was sure Theo had never heard that story. "Why were you incurring losses? I thought the company was prosperous."

"We've had some ups and downs."

"It sounds as if it's been more downs than ups. "

"I've been borrowing to balance the books, but I'm reaching the limit of what I can scrounge together. It's been so bloody hard to be in charge."

"Yes, I'm certain it has been," Jackson sarcastically mused.

Arthur never spent a minute at his warehouses or docks. He was a typical London dandy who would never dirty his hands by involving himself in any business operations. He wasn't very bright, and he didn't understand money, so he had to be incredibly confused by how he was constantly broke.

He'd never suppose he was at fault though. He'd blame everyone else, unforeseen forces, acts of God.

For a moment, Jackson contemplated Theo's father. Had the man deduced what Arthur was like? If so, why would he have entrusted HH Imports to him? By Arthur's very nature, he was an inept bungler. It wasn't a secret.

"I'll come to supper," he eventually said. "How about tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow would be fine, and could we not mention my debts to Theo or my mother?"

"Believe me, I have no desire to discuss your bad habits with your mother."

"We're very informal in the country, so we dine early. At eight. We won't have firm plans until the evening hours, so we could gamble all afternoon. Shall we?"

"I'm not playing with you again, Arthur. You have to quit asking me."

"You can't walk away when I'm so far behind! It's not sporting."

"You're too incompetent to succeed with me and you're your own worst enemy. I'm saving you from yourself."

Arthur's expression grew sly. "Nell was wondering why you win so often."

Jackson froze and frowned. "What are you insinuating? And you should ponder carefully before you answer that question."

"She just pointed out that it's curious how you never lose."

"Are you calling me a cheat?"

It was the most dangerous insult that could be levelled, and it was the sort of slur that would have to be settled with pistols at dawn. Was Arthur a complete dunce? Very likely yes.

Even though Jackson's sore leg howled in protest, he seized Arthur by the front of his shirt and lifted him, one-handed, so they were nose to nose. His feet were dangling off the ground, and he was so stunned by Jackson's vicious move that he didn't try to wiggle away.

"I'm inquiring again, Arthur: Are you accusing me of cheating?"

"No, no! Sorry! I was merely babbling. I should learn to shut my mouth when I'm foxed."

"Yes, you should because you must recollect that I was a soldier in India. The rules were very relaxed there and few laws applied to me. Have you any idea of how many men I've killed?"

Arthur gulped with dismay. "No, but I bet the number is very high."

"You're correct. If there's ever gossip about me, I'll know it was spread by you. I'll hunt you down like the dog you are and I'll murder you. Then I'll bury you in an unmarked grave in the woods, so no one will ever find your rotting corpse. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, yes, and I most humbly apologize! It's obvious I've had too much to drink."

Jackson tossed him away, and he stumbled and grabbed for purchase on the wall of the house. Jackson stared him down, as if he was dung on the bottom of his boot.

"I'm finished with you," Jackson said. "I will remain in the country through the weekend, then I'll return to London. I will expect you to arrive as well—within three days. I am declaring your promissory notes invalid and I'll be demanding payment in full."

"But I'll have to sell a major portion of HH Imports! What will my family do? Think of my mother! Think of my fiancée! You can't imperil them!"

"If they've been imperiled, it's not my problem. I'm done with you, and if it means HH Imports is about to be mine, then I'll be ecstatic with that conclusion. I can guarantee it won't fail with me at the helm."

He stomped inside and he left Arthur huddled alone in the dark. As he passed by the dining room, he barked at Nell Parsons to tend the pathetic ass. The other guests could see that he and Arthur had bickered, but they didn't dare ask what had happened, not even his father who could never mind his own business.

Should he leave for home in the morning? Why go to supper at Peachtree?

He figured Arthur would rescind the invitation, but if he didn't, Jackson intended to show up for the meal. He was stupidly eager to view Theo in her domestic surroundings, but he wanted Georgina Cronenworth to get a good look at him too. When her son's disaster rained down, he was keen for her to know precisely who had caused the catastrophe.

Without another word, he marched up the stairs and went to bed.

v

"Could I talk to you for a minute?"

Arthur glared at Theo and said, "My head is throbbing, so I'm too miserable to chat. Can't it wait until later?"

"Have you over-imbibed again?" she asked.

"I will thoroughly humiliate myself and admit that I have. I bumped into some acquaintances from town and they begged me to revel. They're a rowdy bunch, and I should have refused, but I would have hated to seem unfriendly."

She studied him as if she didn't believe him, but she didn't comment. They were in the dining room and it was afternoon already. He'd finally dragged himself out of bed and he was anxious to hurry over to Owl's Nest. He was excited to be with Nell, but he was also hoping he could convince Thornhill to play some cards.

The annoying oaf had insisted they were finished, but Arthur was sure he could persuade him. Actually, he was desperate to persuade him. A fellow had to pay his gambling debts. It was a matter of honor, and if he didn't, he would quickly be cast out of the elevated circles where he thrived. Arthur's only option with Thornhill was to win back some of what he owed.

If he didn't soon have some success against Thornhill, he might have to sell some of HH Imports' ships, which he wasn't positive he had the authority to do. If he reached a point where they had no ships, could he continue to claim it was an import company?

It was the reason he'd pleaded with Thornhill to come to supper that evening. While Thornhill had plenty of dissolute proclivities, it was widely rumored that he was always kind to women. Just look at how patiently he tolerated that shrew, Lola Carter! Arthur would have him meet Georgina and socialize with Theo. If he was faced with the consequences of how they would be harmed, he might relent. Arthur's fingers were definitely crossed.

He'd been served breakfast and Theo had blustered in as he was taking his last bites. She'd slid onto a chair, and she was very determined, as if she would launch into a difficult conversation. She rarely raised a fuss about any topic, so he prayed she wouldn't nag. He didn't have the energy to placate her.

"What do you need," he said, "and whatever it is, can you be brief? I have plans and I'm running late."

She didn't hesitate. "Do you still think we should marry?"

She'd startled him and he blanched with astonishment. "What a peculiar notion. Of course we should."

"You're not very enthused and neither am I. Your mother wishes we'd forge ahead, but we shouldn't proceed merely to oblige her. Should we end our betrothal?"

His pulse raced with alarm. He occasionally argued with Georgina about how they'd schemed after Theo's father had died, but his mother had been correct that they'd had to glom onto his assets. With the small monetary bequests he'd furnished, they'd basically been disinherited.

Arthur had participated in every plot Georgina had hatched, and he agreed with her that Theo had to be roped in through marriage. A husband had total power over his wife, and if Theo ever became angry about any of his decisions, she wouldn't be able to change or reverse his actions.

She'd always appeared to be disinterested in matrimony. Now, instead of being disinterested, she'd like to sever their arrangement entirely. What was wrong?

"You've been so distracted recently," she said. "You're never home, and when you are, you can't wait to leave again."

"It's because I'm very busy," he lied. "My calendar is full of meetings."

"Is that where you are? At meetings?" There was an awkward pause, then she said, "I've been wondering about HH Imports."

"What about it?"

"Could I review the ledger books? Could I confer with some of your managers as to how it's faring?"

Arthur's jaw dropped. "You want to review the books? That is the most bizarre statement you've ever uttered in my presence. Why would you be curious?"

"I don't like that I've never learned much about it. When Father passed away, I was little more than a girl, so I wasn't concerned. I'd like to have a better idea of where our wealth comes from. Are we wealthy?"

"Honestly, Theo! You're behaving so strangely. Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine. I'm just asking questions I should have asked years ago. Don't scoff and scold me for being a nuisance."

"Well, you are being a nuisance. For your information, we're in excellent shape. Business is booming and our coffers are overflowing."

She nodded, accepting the falsehood. "If that's the case, then I would like to have an allowance."

He frowned. "I give you pin money. Why would you need more?"

"Please don't faint, but I might like to live on my own for a bit. I'd like to hire a companion and rent an apartment. I've always resided with you and Georgina and I would like to alter my circumstances."

He huffed out a shocked breath. "You'd like to live on your own—with a companion? What would people say? They'd deem you to be as mad as Charlotte."

"I don't care what they would say. In the past, I've never requested you share a single penny of Father's money with me, but lately, it's dawned on me that I should have received some portion of his estate. I realize he died without a Will, but shouldn't I have benefited? Charlotte too! Why couldn't she and I draw some funds and set up our own household?"

"How about because Mother would be devastated? How about because it would hurt me very much? Haven't I adequately supported you? How can you chastise me or claim I've been unfair?"

"It's not that," she rushed to insist. "I'm not being ungrateful. I've simply been overwhelmed by the impression that I ought to find out more about how we carry on. I've always assumed Father was very rich. Was he?"

"He wasn't as rich as some men in his same position, but we'll never have to beg for alms at the church door."

"Then why can't I have a stake in that bounty? Why can't I have an allowance? And I notice that you haven't agreed that I can examine the ledger books."

"You wouldn't understand them, Theo."

The comment incensed her. "Don't tell me I'm too stupid to figure them out."

"I wasn't insulting you. I simply mean that we use an accounting method that's very complex. I barely comprehend any of it myself and I've been in charge for years. You could have a peek, but it would appear as if you were reading ancient Greek."

"Swear to me that our finances are in stellar shape. Look me in the eye and swear."

"I swear! I hate that you're so distressed. Who has been talking to you?"

Her cheeks heated as if she was embarrassed. "I guess it's my advanced age. I've been in a rut and nothing ever changes."

He chuckled. "Be cautious about yearning for change. It can be good or bad, and you shouldn't tempt Fate. We have a decent life, don't we? We're never cold or hungry. We're happy and we've been blessed."

"True," she murmured.

He had to nip her odd mood in the bud. If she refused to wed him, she could flit off and wed someone else. The nosy fellow might inquire about the company or the family's fiscal stability. He might demand to know why Theo didn't have a dowry, and Arthur couldn't permit that kind of scrutiny to ever occur.

"How about this?" he suddenly said. "Let's get married."

She scowled. "What? Get married? You've never been in a hurry, and now, when I'm having second-thoughts, you're keen to proceed."

"I'm sad that you've been fretting and stewing. Once we're back in London, we'll hold the ceremony immediately. Very soon, you'll be my blushing bride."

She smirked with derision. "You're babbling like a lunatic."

"No, I'm not. I'll apply for a Special License and we'll have a small, quick service. How about July tenth? You'll have two weeks to arrange it." He grinned, forcing himself to seem thrilled. "Why not? What's stopping us?"

"How about the fact that you've never wanted to wed me?"

He snorted and waved away the remark. "It's not that I've been avoiding a leg-shackle. I'm a sloth at heart, but you've finally convinced me to cease my procrastination. You can't slither off my hook. Not when we're a perfect pair."

"I couldn't be ready by July tenth."

"How about September first then?"

She was aghast and dubious, and she might have rejected his hasty suggestion, but he was saved by his mother barging in.

"There you are," she said to him with her usual glower. "It's about time you staggered out of bed."

"Don't snipe and bark, Mother. I have the most wonderful announcement. Theo and I have set the date."

Georgina gasped with surprise. "You haven't!"

Theo hadn't actually consented, and she would have pointed out that she hadn't, but he forestalled her by boasting to Georgina, "It's to be September first. We'll call the banns at church once we're home."

His mother beamed with joy. "That is the best news I've ever had."

Theo didn't jump to contradict him. She simply glared, visually pleading with him to come clean, but Georgina was so obviously delighted. It would be cruel to disabuse her and Theo was never cruel.

"If you'll excuse me, I have plans," he said. He stood and started out and he'd nearly exited the room when he remembered to add, "Oh, and by the way, Lord Thornhill is in Ralston for the festival. I invited him to supper tonight."

Georgina was aquiver with excitement. "Thornhill is joining us? Are you joking?"

"No. I hope the cook can whip up a suitable meal on such short notice. I informed him we eat at eight, so I suppose he'll arrive by seven or so."

"I'll have a banquet prepared," his mother said.

"He's a great friend of mine and I can't wait for him to meet you."

He paused to stare at Theo and he silently urged her to play along. Even if she wasn't currently enthused, Arthur was adept at coercing her and he'd bring her around. Where she was concerned, he'd always known precisely how to manipulate her.

He strolled out to face the day.