“What can be done?”
Lady Emma looked towards Henry, her hand reaching out to find his as he drew near. Licking his lips again, Henry closed his eyes and recalled what his solicitor had said.
“He must be willing to sign a document recovering my fortune.” His tight smile slipped. “I believe we can say with certainty that such a thing will never occur.”
“When I take on the title, I will give it all back to you immediately.” Colbridge shook his head. “That gives you very little comfort, I know. My uncle may well live a good many years still.”
“And will have spent a good deal of Lord Thornbridge’s fortune by then,” Lord Stoneleigh interrupted as he sat quietly in the corner, his hand brushing over his chin. “There must be a way to have him do the very same as he did to you.”
Lady Emma’s eyes flared.
“That is it, is it not?”
“I do not understand.” Feeling the tightening of her fingers on his hand, he looked down at her. “What is it you are saying? What are you suggesting?”
“I am suggesting that we make him sign a document that will return your fortune to you. In effect, you will be stealing back what was stolen from you, I suppose.”
Colbridge sat back down in his chair, his eyes suddenly bright.
“And you would not even have to add anything to his drink to do it,” he said quickly, obviously quite taken by the idea. “My uncle is very fond of liquor. It would not take much for him to sink into such a stupor that he would do whatever you wished.”
Henry considered this for some moments. The idea was a plausible one, and certainly would offer him what he had been searching for but, at the same time, there was something about it that he did not like.
“I would be doing exactly the same as he has done to me, would I not? It would be almost exactly the same.”
“Yes.” Lord Stoneleigh dragged the word out. “Is there some problem with that? Does that cause some problem for you?”
“I believe that it would.”
“But why? Colbridge has already said that his uncle will be malleable. You should have no real difficulty with that.”
“It is not that. I do not question whether or not Viscount Warrington will be able to succumb to brandy or whisky quickly enough,” Henry replied with a slightly grim smile. “I confess that I am considering it in a slightly different manner.”
“In what manner would that be?”
“It comes to my integrity,” Henry answered, spreading his hands wide. “I fear that if I were to do the very same as Lord Warrington, then I would be just as much a villain, just as much of a rogue as he. I do not wish to trick anyone, not even if they have stolen from me.”
“But you are nothing like Lord Warrington,” Lady Emma said quickly, just as Colbridge let forth the very same exclamation. “I do not think that you need to have any fear in that regard.”
“And yet all the same, that is my feeling at present.” Taking a moment to consider, Henry let out a slow breath. “You say, Colbridge, that your uncle likes to gamble. Does he do so very often?”
Colbridge nodded slowly.
“From what I know of him, I should say yes. My mother often laments it, and his lack of skill in the game has confounded him on many occasions. To my knowledge, my uncle gambles as much as he can, which is the reason for his present financially difficult circumstances. Why do you ask?”
“Because if I can sit down with your uncle and win back my fortune through legitimate means, then I should be all the happier,” Henry answered, as Lady Emma rose so that she might stand closer to him. Her eyes lifted to his and a gentle smile lit her face. “If he drinks, it will be on his own head and if he gambles with a head full of liquor, then I will have no difficulty in gambling against him. Whatever he loses, he loses. And whatever I gain, I shall gain.”
Colbridge held his gaze steadily for a moment, then let out a slow breath before nodding.
“I do admire you. I understand your reasoning, and I think well of it. You do not wish to show the same traits as my uncle, even though you have every right to do so. I believe that you will be successful. I believe that my uncle will do what he usually does at the gambling table, which is to drink to excess and gamble far too much. He does not keep a steady head and I seriously doubt that he will do so on any evening.”
“There is but one issue.” Lady Emma’s hand curled around Henry’s arm as he looked down at her. “What if he sees you? If he recognizes you at the table, then surely he might simply leave the table. He may decide not to gamble and, instead, will choose to keep himself away from you.”
A small frown flickered across his brow, but before Henry could answer, Colbridge let out a quiet chuckle.
“I can absolve you of worry in that regard, Lady Emma. My uncle, while acquainted with Lord Thornbridge, once he has drunk his usual amount, will not be able to recognize anyone – most likely not even myself! Most likely, when he sits at the table, all that he will do will be to focus only on the game at hand and barely look at those around him… and no doubt, he will turn up to the gambling den already half cut!”
“Then I am a little more relieved.”
