“He will not be given any more liquor for a time,” Lord Stoneleigh reminded him. “He has been drinking watered-down brandy for the last half hour and you may be surprised to hear that he has already won a substantial amount, even with his senses so clouded. The gentlemen we have placed with him, who are aware of our plans, are playing to the very best of their ability but still seem to be failing.”
“I find that astonishing indeed.” Looking away from the man for a moment, Henry folded his arms over his chest. “There is a great difficulty in my heart at present. I am sorry, but in the situation which I am now faced with, I find myself torn.”
“Torn between what?” Lord Stoneleigh frowned. “Surely there is an easy solution to this? All you must do is sit down and play the game as you had planned.”
“Yes, that is exactly what I wanted to do, but now that I am faced with the man who has caused me such pain. I am struggling with the notion of even sitting near him. You cannot know how much I wish to walk over to him, grab his lapels, drag him from his chair, and demand that he repay me what he stole.” A deep and ragged breath ran through him, shaking his frame. “I want to reveal his disgrace to everyone. Is that so very wrong of me?”
“No, I do not think it is wrong of you.” To Henry’s relief, Lord Stoneleigh did not seem to be shocked at Henry’s exclamation. “It is understandable. I have struggled with the very same emotions, so be assured that you are not the only one who has felt this way. But youmustact with integrity, and rein in all that you feel. Keep your emotions under control, for fear of what you will lose if you let those reactions control you.” It was not his money that came to his mind, but rather, the face of Lady Emma. He could not even dream of a life where she was absent from it. The thought caused such a pain in his heart that he trembled violently, and then turned his head away from Lord Stoneleigh. “You know what I am speaking of.” Talking quietly, Lord Stoneleigh stepped in front of Henry, cutting off his line of sight to Lord Warrington. “Yes, this man has done a great many foolish, dangerous, selfish, and cruel things, but you are not as he is. You are the opposite. You are able to do what he cannot – you are able to be honest, able to act fairly and youwillbe able to regain your fortune.”
Henry let out a small breath, aware of what his friend was saying, as well as of what he was trying to do, and the anger seemed to flee from him. It had taken a momentary reminder to snap him out of his current thinking, and he was grateful for it.
“Thank you, Stoneleigh.” Air pulled itself into his lungs and he lifted his head, his shoulders straightening, his chest filling. “I feel a little more like myself again.”
It had come as something of a surprise to find himself reacting with such strength at the sight of Lord Warrington. He had been caught by anger, his hands curling into fists and his blood thrumming furiously. He had remembered the injuries to his back, the pain which still flashed through him on occasion, to where some of the bigger bruises had not yet completely healed, and had found himself angry. All sensible thought had left him, and it had not been until this moment, when Lord Stoneleigh had spoken to him, that Henry had been able to think clearly again. No, he could not act with any cruelty or injustice. He was not that sort of gentleman, he could not allow himself to act in such a fashion. It had been a moment of difficulty, but now, slowly, it passed from him.
Turning his head, his gaze settled on Lady Emma. She was looking back at him, perhaps having waited for his head to turn in her direction. Their eyes met and she smiled at him. The softness of that smile, the gentle flickering affection in her eyes was enough to chase away any remaining fury, and he drew in another long breath.
Lady Emma means everything to me. With her watching me, I know that I shall act honorably.
No matter what happened, no matter what took place this evening, Henry was sure of her undying affection. She had almost said as much, although no specific words had been shared between them. However, the bond they had was so strong that it could not be broken, not even if he did not regain his fortune. Of that, he could be certain and that, in itself, brought him relief, hope, and contentment.
“Are you ready?”
Lord Stoneleigh settled a hand on his arm and, after a moment, he nodded. With his friend’s hand falling to his side, he took in a breath and then turned his head back towards the table where Lord Warrington sat.
It is time.
Lord Stoneleigh strode forward with Henry following him, tightening and opening his hands as he did so.
“You will allow us to join you, I hope?”
Having already considered that it would be better for two of them to join the game instead of just one, Henry quickly took his chair as the rest of the gentlemen nodded. Lord Warrington said nothing, however. He was too busy counting his winnings. Henry’s gaze settled on the small pile and his heart sank. If this was what Lord Warrington had been able to achieve without even being completely sober, then did he have any real hope of success?
I thought Colbridge said that his uncle frequently lost a great deal at the gambling table.Blowing out a slow breath, Henry fought to push aside his nerves.Perhaps this evening, luck is smiling upon him – which does not look favorably upon me!
The game began, and Henry forced himself to concentrate, glancing now and again at Lord Stoneleigh as, round by round, various gentlemen won and lost. One by one, those gentlemen removed themselves from the game, until only Lord Stoneleigh, Henry, and Lord Warrington were left. With a small nod, Henry picked up the cards which were dealt, finding to his surprise, that he could not look directly at Lord Warrington any longer. The game was soon to draw to a conclusion and so much rested upon the outcome that tension was beginning to wriggle through his blood like a snake.
“You are to begin, yes?”
Lord Warrington’s loud voice boomed across the table and Henry scowled, before quickly disguising his expression with a yawn. The last thing he wanted was to garner any attention or to have Lord Warrington look at him too closely.
The time began to pass. It went with a great slowness rather than with any haste, in the way that Henry had hoped. The minutes seemed to drag themselves out, tearing at him, begging him to make a mistake, to make a foolish move so that he would be outwitted by Lord Warrington. Brandy and whisky had been set out on the table – watered, perhaps, but Lord Warrington had not yet seemed to notice. It was as though he knew that the state which he was in at present could not be pushed any further, or else he would lose the ability to continue playing.
It was not until the fifth round that Lord Warrington began to lose. Henry let out a small breath of relief as Lord Stoneleigh collected his winnings. The brandy was soon finished by the watching gentlemen and a second decanter set on the table. With a glance towards Lord Stoneleigh, Henry caught the small nod in returning, noting silently now that this brandy would not have any added water.
Lord Warrington still did not ask for a glass, his eyes now narrowed in concentration as he continued playing. Henry’s heart began to turn over in concern. Colbridge had been quite sure that his uncle would slowly drink himself into a stupor and thereafter lose the contents of his fortune through foolish gambling, but at the present moment, Lord Warrington appeared to be quite contented, quite able to play without difficulty. And he was not touching the brandy.
“I believe it is your turn.”
Henry blinked down at his cards, a sudden fear delving into his mind. Surely Lord Warrington was much too overcome to recognize him? If he had, was that why he was not touching the brandy? Why was he concentrating so very hard? Clearing his throat, Henry quickly placed a card down, relieved when Lord Stoneleigh did the same, taking Lord Warrington’s attention from Henry. Within a few minutes, Lord Stoneleigh had won again, and Henry himself reached for his glass of brandy, taking a sip from it.
“You have won again.” Scowling in Lord Stoneleigh’s direction, Lord Warrington shifted in his chair, then, much to Henry’s relief, reached for a glass of brandy and took a very large mouthful. “Another round.” Snorting in evident frustration, Lord Warrington threw out one hand toward Henry. Henry obliged, picking up the cards, shuffling them, and laying them out as was expected. He did nothing other than what was required, doing nothing which would give himself an advantage in any way, and yet he felt Lord Warrington’s eye on him.
Giving another snort, Lord Warrington picked up his cards and began to sort them. Lord Stoneleigh did the same, as did Henry. This time, the round was much shorter, for Lord Stoneleigh won easily enough, and the game continued on. However, with each round that followed, Lord Warrington began to lose substantial amounts of money, and at the same time became more and more irritated that he had lost, and continued to lose. His brandy glass filled up over and over again until Henry gestured for the remaining liquor to be taken away. Lord Warrington could not play if he was completely foxed, and he did not want that to happen.
“I am having a run of bad luck.”
Lord Warrington began to slur as Henry reached for his winnings. It was the first round that he had won outright, and the feel of the coins under his hand was a pleasant one. It was not more than he had already put down, of course, but it was the fact that he had won which had both relief and delight twining through him.
