A Game of Chance (Rogues and Laces)

by Regina Darcy

  She looked at him then, her eyes empty pools that held nothing but resignation within them. Something tore in Edward’s heart as he held her gaze, seeing no sign of hope, no sign of delight that she would soon be a married woman of the ton. It did not matter that he was a marquess, nor that she would soon have a home and household of her own. He could see there was not even a modicum of pleasure for her in their engagement.

  Cursing under his breath, Edward fought the urge to walk over to his bride-to-be and demand a short time with her alone, where they might be able to talk together. He was suddenly filled with the desire to discover what the truth was about her sister and about the Duke himself, although he had no notion of what he might do with the truth once he received it from her.

  “What wonderful news, my lord!”

  Pulled from his thoughts, Edward turned to shake yet another gentleman’s hands, mumbling his thanks underneath his breath. This was not what he had expected would occur this evening. He had thought that the evening would be filled with delight and that Lady Drake would have, at the very least, smiled in his direction.

  Even though she had requested of him that he end the engagement, he had thought that she would have accepted the fact by this evening, that she could have found some kind of delight in the prospect of their wedding. Instead, he now felt doubtful and apprehensive, questioning his decision to accept her hand in marriage in the first place and wondering what the truth was about the Duke and how he treated his daughters.

  And yet, as he looked back into Lady Drake’s eyes, something within him grew all the more certain that, yes, regardless of what he discovered about the Duke, he would marry Lady Eleanor Drake and make her his wife. He just had to hope that she would not come to hate him.

  Chapter Six

  Nora stood stock still as the Marquess of Fareshire offered her his arm, a small smile on his handsome face. She did not want to touch him, did not even wish to go near him, and yet to remain as she was would be quite ridiculous.

  “You have nothing to fear from me, Lady Drake, I assure you,” Lord Fareshire murmured, as though he had seen her fear. “I merely wish to walk with you in the park, that is all.”

  “As my betrothed,” she bit out.

  His smile spread across his face. “Yes, my dear, as my betrothed. That is, after all, what you are, is it not?”

  Lord Fareshire was quite correct, of course, but still Nora despised the idea. She had thought herself rather clever in asking him to bring an end to their engagement, especially after he had promised to do whatever she asked of him. But to hear him refuse had brought nothing but pain to her soul. He now knew that she had no wish to marry him, but for whatever reason, that did not appear to concern him in any way. As far as she was concerned, Lord Fareshire was exactly like her father in his willingness to do what he thought best, regardless of what she wanted.

  “Lady Drake?”

  Holding back a frustrated sigh, Nora accepted Lord Fareshire’s arm, and together, they began to walk along the path that led through St. James’s Park. She did not say a word, leaving the conversation and the like to him, determined not to speak unless she was spoken to.

  “Are you quite recovered from your accident?”

  She bit her lip. “Yes, I thank you.”

  “You cannot know just how grateful I am to you, Lady Drake,” he continued gently. “My nephew, Charles is now more biddable than he has ever been before. I have no doubt that he will not do such a foolish thing again.”

  Trying not to recall the horror of that afternoon, for she had been terrified that she might drop the child as she’d grasped his arm with all of her strength, Nora swallowed hard and looked away.

  “I am only sorry that I cannot give you what you wish.” His voice had lowered, his tone growing a little sad as she glanced over at him, seeing the slight disappointment etched in his features.

  “You are sorry you cannot free me from our engagement, even though you could do precisely that,” she said crisply, not taken in by him for a moment.

  He looked down at her, his expression growing severe. “Indeed,” came the short reply. “I am choosing not to do so. I require a wife, and you will do very well in that role.”

  “And if I do not wish to take on that role?”

  There was silence for a moment, only for Lord Fareshire to sigh.

  “Then I’m afraid, my lady, that you have very little choice in the matter. However, do you not think that this might, in fact, be a rather good prospect for you? I am not in my dotage, nor am I a cruel or inconsiderate gentleman. I will give you a home of your own and, one day, children. That cannot be an altogether unfavourable proposition, surely?”

  Nora bit her lower lip, well aware that what Lord Fareshire was saying was true. For she could easily have been married off to a gentleman more than twice her age or with a cruel streak in his character. She supressed a shudder, well aware that some of her sisters had already been forced to face such a prospect.

  “I will treat you well, Lady Drake,” Lord Fareshire continued gently. “You will have nothing to fear from me.”

  Glancing up at him, Nora shook her head. “That means nothing to me, Lord Fareshire.”

  Annoyance twisted his features.

  “After all, you accepted my hand in marriage as part of a gamble, did you not?” she continued, revulsion filling her. “My father, of course, should never have put that on the table in place of whatever wealth he owed, but the fact that you accepted it, Lord Fareshire, tells me more than enough about your character.” Her stomach clamped hard, as she looked away from him, nervous anxiety filling her as she struggled to find the courage she needed to continue speaking. “And now you will not end our engagement, even though you promised to do whatever it was I wished.”

  There was nothing but silence for a short while, and as they walked, Nora felt herself grow more and more anxious. She did not know Lord Fareshire well enough to know what it was he was thinking. She began to grow afraid that he would speak to her father about what had come from her mouth.

  “You are afraid of him, I think.”

  She came to a dead stop, dropping her hand from his arm and looking over at him. Lord Fareshire did not appear angry but was rather looking at her with something like pity on his face.

  “You are afraid of your father, the Duke,” he stated as a matter of fact. “You dare not refuse him, and so you have laid it on my shoulders to do just that. But tell me, my lady, are you not afraid of whom he might marry you off to next, if you do not wed me?”

  She swallowed hard. She had not truly considered this, having decided that she would make her own plans and disappear from London before her father could do anything about it. As it stood, she had very little opportunity to do anything of the sort, for it she was not in her father’s company, then she was with Lord Fareshire, or attending various appointments with the dressmaker and the like. As an engaged woman, she had very little opportunity to do anything but prepare for her wedding.

  “Will you not give me an opportunity to prove myself to be a good man?” Lord Fareshire asked softly. “Will you not let me show you that I am nothing like your father?”

  “What do you know of my father?” she bit out, a little more fiercely than she had intended. “He is nothing more than your political rival, and I know you take pleasure in marrying your rival’s daughter.”

  A smile tugged at his lips, but Lord Fareshire hid it just as quickly. “I will not pretend that there isn’t a little pride in that, yes, but I confess that I have heard some things about the Duke and his daughters that have concerned me a very great deal.” He tilted his head a little, his deep brown eyes filled with warmth. “Might you not allow me to take you from this home of fear and settle you in a home filled with nothing but respect and consideration?”

  She considered for a moment. “My lord, that is nothing more than your words. I do not know whether or not to believe them and given that you have not kept your word thus far, I am disin
clined to trust you.” Her heart was hammering in her chest as she spoke, terrified that he was, as her father might, about to punish her for speaking so freely. Cringing, she closed her eyes, her whole body rippling with a tension as she waited, half expecting a back handed blow to her face.

  And then a gentle hand took hers. “I will never harm you, Lady Drake.”

  Opening her eyes just a little, she saw the horrified expression on his face and let out a long sigh of relief, glad that at least for now, she was safe from that type of punishment.

  “I will never lay a finger on you, my dear,” Lord Fareshire continued, his voice filled with a desperate pleading for her to believe him. “I am not that kind of gentleman.”

  She nodded numbly, aware of the warm sensations slowly making their way up from where his hand touched hers.

  “You are trapped in a life of fear, are you not?” he continued, his words speaking to her heart with such a gentle tenderness that, for a moment, Nora felt herself begin to crumble, wanting to tell him everything.

  They came to a bench in the middle of the park, and whilst Nora’s maid stood a short distance away, Lord Fareshire gestured for Nora to be seated.

  “I can tell that there is something on your mind, something that is troubling you greatly,” he said softly, his eyes searching her face. “After what I heard from some of the other guests about your sister, I–”

  “My sister?” Her tone was harsh, harsher than she had intended, but the fear coursing through her at the mention of her sister was too much to bear.

  “Yes,” Lord Fareshire said slowly, a ridge forming between his brows. “It was mentioned that your sister, Alice, ran from her wedding.”

  She swallowed hard. “Yes, she did,” she replied calmly, trying to quell the terror rising within her. “But I do not blame her for that.” She raised her chin, trying to find the strength within her to show Lord Fareshire that she would not easily turn on her sisters.

  Much to her surprise, he nodded slowly. “She was to wed the Marquess of Malford, I understand.”

  Recalling that day at once, Nora nodded, her fingers tightening together as she held them in her lap. “Indeed.”

  There was a moment or two of silence. “Then I can hardly blame her for escaping from such a man,” Lord Fareshire said quietly. “I cannot quite believe that your father would do such a thing.”

  A little confused to hear her betrothed speak so openly, and yet still a little suspicious that he intended to do so in order to use her own words against her, to blackmail her into matrimony, Nora kept silent and looked at him steadily, taking in his open expression and warm brown eyes. By all appearances, he appeared more than genuine, and yet she still could not trust him.

  “Was that what you were doing down at the docks that day, Lady Drake?” he asked softly. “Were you also trying to run away?”

  Fear pulled at her heart so hard that she could barely breathe.

  “You need not be afraid of me, Lady Drake,” Lord Fareshire said at once, evidently hearing her gasp of dismay. “I believe I can begin to understand why you might try to do such a thing. Despite appearances, your father does not particularly care for you. Is that not so?”

  She drew in a ragged breath. “I had only just found out about my betrothal a short time before,” she explained, scrambling for an excuse. “I was not thinking clearly. In fact, I was not thinking at all.”

  The ridge reappeared between his brows, as though he knew she were not being entirely truthful with him.

  “You are correct in assuming that I was trying to run away, but I was only acting foolishly,” she continued desperately. “I did not know where I was going. I was at the docks before I knew it and quite by accident, I assure you.”

  Terror climbed up her spine as she looked at her betrothed, praying that he would not speak a word of this to her father. Yes, he had promised not to say to the Duke that she had been at the docks, and as far as she was aware, he had not said a word to him on the subject, but still the fear remained.

  She could still recall how she had slipped back into the house and how the maid who had been accompanying her on her walk had let out a startled gasp, having apparently only just returned in a state of despair. The maid had begged forgiveness for losing Nora, clearly afraid that she would lose her position, and Nora had been able to swear her to silence easily enough. Because of this, she had escaped detection altogether by her father, which meant that only one other person could let the story slip.

  Lord Fareshire.

  “Your father has arranged each of his daughter’s marriages, I presume,” Lord Fareshire said slowly, “and none of you have been given any say in the matter?”

  She raised her eyes to his. “No.” Uncertainty rattled around her mind, making her heart quake within her. What was he going to say? What was he going to do? And even worse, what would he use against her?

  Lord Fareshire sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his hand across his forehead. “And here I am, believing that I have fallen upon good fortune in having you as my betrothed, whilst you must think quite the opposite of me,” he said slowly. “Lady Drake, I will be honest with you. I do not like what has been told to me as regards your sister and your father. When I saw you at dinner, it appeared to me as though you were rather afraid of your father, and to hear you say now that you would rather run from both him and myself instead of facing marriage and a lifetime with me brings me to a rather difficult decision.”

  Her stomach tied itself in knots as she watched him, quite certain that he would do just as her father had done and order her to do what was expected.

  And then, once again, he took her hand in his and raised his eyes to hers. “I do not like that you have had a life filled with fear, Lady Drake,” he continued, his smile tinged with sadness. “And yet, I believe that I can offer you something better.”

  Not quite understanding and overcome with the feelings shooting into her heart, Nora tried to make sense of what he was saying. “Something better?”

  “A better life,” he promised, pressing her hand lightly. “I will not break our engagement, my lady, not yet.”

  Her eyes flew to his face. “Not yet?”

  He shrugged, looking rather sad. “I can see that you are truly upset by what has occurred, and I do not wish to be considered in the same light as your father. Therefore, what I propose is this: We will court and continue as we are for some weeks. You will learn more about me and me more about you. Then, if you are still truly convinced that this is not something that you wish for yourself, then I will end the engagement.”

  A knot of fear settled in her stomach. “You will tell my father that it is my fault?”

  A look of pain crossed his features. “No, I will do no such thing. In fact, I will make sure to place all the blame firmly on my shoulders, despite the damage it will do to my own reputation. Does that suit you?”

  Pausing for a moment, she looked into the Marquess’s brown eyes and saw no sign of deceit there. “Very well, my lord,” she murmured, not quite sure whether or not she could trust him. “Shall we say two weeks of courtship?”

  Resigned, he nodded. “Two weeks should do very nicely, Lady Eleanor.”

  “A fortnight it is,” she agreed, her heart suddenly filling with a little more hope. Finally, she was about to have some kind of say in her future, regardless of what her father had put in place. Once she was free of Lord Fareshire, she could make plans to escape her father’s home – and escape London itself. Her first attempt might have been a desperate failure, but this time, she would certainly succeed. All she had to do now was wait.

  Chapter Seven

  “My lady?”

  Looking up from where she had been reading, Nora gestured the maid to come in with the tea tray, finding herself quite at her leisure this evening. Her father was out at some card party or other, and she had been able to remain at home without any pressing need for her attendance at either her father or Lord Fareshire’s side. It was a ve
ry rare occasion, and Nora was enjoying every moment of it.

  It had now been a week since Nora had walked with Lord Fareshire in the park, and for the first time in many years, a certain sense of peace had infiltrated her life. Her father, believing that she was to be married very soon, albeit to a gentleman he had no particular fondness for, had left her to make almost all the arrangements, whilst still, of course, monitoring that she behaved with the utmost propriety. She was never allowed more than a minute or two in Lord Fareshire’s presence alone, having always either a maid or her father himself alongside her.

  Not that Lord Fareshire appeared to mind, although there had been a few frowns and looks of concern whenever the Duke had been present. Nora had never spoken to Lord Fareshire about what her father was truly like, for she still did not believe that he was as unaware of the Duke’s true nature as he pretended. Deep down, she was still quite certain that Lord Fareshire did not care for her one jot and that, mayhap, he would tell her father everything she had said if she dared open up to him. She could not risk that.

  And yet…

  Frustrated with the way her thoughts were turning, Nora picked up the china teapot and gracefully poured herself some tea. She watched the steam curl and rise, a small smile tugging at her lips as she recalled how young Charles had commented on that very thing when she had met him again only a few days ago.

  When you actually smiled at Lord Fareshire, and he smiled back at you.

  Closing her eyes for a moment, Nora sat back in her chair and let out a long breath. She had lost herself for a moment in her meeting with Charles and Lord Fareshire. Lord Fareshire had said something humorous, and she had laughed, not quite able to maintain the steady, unsmiling resolve she had tried for in their regular meetings. It had been a moment where she had dropped that façade and allowed her true self to shine through – and to her horror, she had found her heart warming to Lord Fareshire.