A Game of Chance (Rogues and Laces)

by Regina Darcy

  That was something she could not allow to happen. She had to maintain her resolve. The engagement would come to an end in a week and even if Lord Fareshire did not do what he’d said and put some of the blame onto her, she would find a way to escape from her father’s iron control and wrath. Somehow, she would make her own way in life, just as her elder sister Martha had done. She could not allow her father to make decisions for her, nor marry her off to a gentleman who was only marrying her because he ‘required a wife’ and had thought of no easier way than winning her hand at the card table.

  Her lips turned down, her stomach tightening a little. Lord Fareshire was, underneath his smiles and good humour, just the same as the Duke. He had no scruples when it came to marrying a lady he had no knowledge of, secure in the knowledge that she was of high title and good breeding and would lift his family’s name a little higher in the view of society. That was all she was good for in his eyes, she was quite sure of it.

  Still, the way he had looked at Charles, his nephew and ward, had filled her heart with a soft warmth. Lord Fareshire had not appeared to be lying about the concern he had for his nephew, and much to her relief, it was quite clear that the boy was not afraid of his uncle in the least. In fact, there was an obvious respect for him, as though the boy desperately wanted to somehow atone for his foolishness in running away to explore.

  Lord Fareshire could not be a hard-hearted man, then, surely? Nora mused on this for a few moments, biting into a small cake as she considered the matter, only to dismiss the idea outright. She had no need to think on Lord Fareshire any longer. Who he was and what the measure of his character was like meant nothing to her, not if she planned to escape both from him and from her father in the near future.

  “My lady?”

  A little surprised to see her lady’s maid at the door to the library, Nora beckoned her in. “Yes?” To her surprise, the maid looked rather fretful, wringing her hands as she came a little further into the room.

  “My lady, you must go to your bedchamber at once.”

  There was something resembling fear in the girl’s eyes and, immediately, Nora felt herself on edge.

  “Whatever’s the matter, Elsie?” she asked, getting to her feet. “Is it my father?”

  Elsie shook her head. “Please, miss,” she replied hoarsely. “It’s taken me and the housekeeper to get them up there without being seen by the rest of the staff. Please, you must go now.”

  Swallowing hard, Nora grasped Elsie’s hands. “Who? Who have you got up there?”

  “Please, miss,” Elsie begged, trying to walk towards the door. “You must go now, before His Grace returns home.”

  That was all Nora needed to hear. Pushing aside her fear and worry, she hurried from the room and made her way up the staircase towards her room, her heart beating wildly with anxiety and curiosity. Her bedchamber door was unlocked, and pushing it open, her eyes fixed on a young woman sitting by the fire.

  She rose the moment Nora came into the room, her eyes wide and her hands reaching for her. “Nora,” the lady whispered. “Oh, Nora, forgive me. I did not know where else to go.”

  Walking a few steps closer, Nora slowly realised who the lady was. She was thinner than she remembered her but still held that same dignity about her as the day she’d left their father’s house. “Martha!” she breathed, going cold all over as she struggled to make her feet move forward. “Oh, Martha!”

  Martha gave a strangled cry and rushed into Nora’s arms, which held her tightly. Feeling tears spring into her eyes, Nora let them fall without trying to hold them back, hardly able to believe that her sister was home.

  “I did not think I would ever see you again,” Nora managed to say, her voice cracking with emotion. “It has been almost a decade and now–”

  “Now, I am returned,” Martha replied, stepping back and wiping her eyes. “I had to wait until I saw Father leave, and even then, I was too afraid to come into the house. If it had not been that Mrs Banks had stepped outside for a moment, then I’m afraid that we might have remained outdoors all night.”

  Mrs Banks, their housekeeper, now emerged from the corner of the room, her own eyes rather red rimmed. It was clear that she too had been crying. Nora wanted to thank her for what she had done but found that she could not speak, such was the lump in her throat. Instead, she held Martha’s hands tightly, her eyes fixed on her sister’s face as she struggled to take it in.

  “I cannot be long,” Martha said, sounding rather urgent. “The baby will need me soon.”

  Nora stared at her. “You have a baby?”

  Martha gave her a brilliant smile. “And a son,” she replied, guiding Nora towards the chairs by the fire. “They are both the light of my life.”

  “You have two children?” Nora whispered, slowly making her way to the chair and sitting down carefully. “When? How?”

  Martha came to sit down next to her, taking her cold hand in her own. “I married,” she said simply. “I married for love.”

  Nora closed her eyes, her heart squeezing painfully.

  “I had become acquainted with him once before, although Father, of course, never wished for me to continue the acquaintance, given that he had so lowly a title.” She smiled and shook her head. “It was quite remarkable how it occurred. I was walking the streets of London in a shawl and with only a few shillings to my name. I had no idea of what to do, other than to find a boarding house of some kind, and in my mind I was quite certain that I would have to eventually return home and agree to whatever Father wanted.” Her lips thinned, her eyes darkening. “But then I met Thomas – Lord Watson as he was to me then – and I confess that I begged for his help.” She smiled softly, her eyes now filling with tears. “I did not think that we would fall in love and marry, for he gave me a small cottage at the edge of his estate to call my own until I could find out what to do next, but his visits became more frequent and now, as you see, we have two children of our own.”

  Nora swallowed. “You never told me. There were never any letters.”

  Martha gave her a small, sad smile. “Father would have intercepted them,” she said, which Nora knew at once to be true. “He would not have let them reach you, for fear that you would make a path of your own also.”

  “Why have you returned, Martha?” Nora asked softly. “You must know, Alice was to wed Lord Malford but then escaped with Lord Lester. I believe they are very much in love, although I have had no word from Alice since.”

  A look of delight passed over Martha’s face. “I am truly glad for her.”

  “Caroline, on the other hand…” Nora trailed off, not finding herself able to speak any more about her sister. Caroline had been nothing but a wraith the last time she had seen her, and that broke her heart.

  “Yes, I know,” Martha murmured gently. “I have seen Caroline recently.”

  Nora’s head shot up. “You have?”

  Martha nodded slowly. “She has left Lord Abernathy.”

  All of her breath left Nora’s body at once, and she stared at Martha, hardly able to believe what she was hearing. “How do you know this?” she managed to whisper, as Martha reached for and took her hand. “Where is she?”

  Martha gave her a tight smile. “She is, at this present moment, asleep in the next room.”

  The world began to spin around Nora as she tried to take in what Martha was saying. Not only had one of her sisters returned with news that she was wed and had children of her own, but she now had, apparently, a second sister who was hiding from her husband. “I don’t understand,” she murmured, closing her eyes tightly for a moment in an attempt to make sense of what was going on. “Why have you all returned here? You know what Father will do.”

  Martha squeezed her hand. “I know, Nora, I know, but Caroline is desperate. I would have turned to my husband for aid, but he is away on business in Scotland and will not return until the end of the month. I journeyed to London with the children, intending to have a brief respite from the coun
try for a time, only to stumble upon Caroline in the street.” Her eyes filled with tears, her cheeks turning a delicate shade of pink. “I cannot express to you how troubled she appeared.”

  “It is that Lord Abernathy,” Mrs Banks interrupted darkly, not holding back from expressing the truth of what she felt for that particular gentleman. “He was never a good man.”

  Nora swallowed hard, her heart squeezing with pain for her sister. “No, he was not.”

  “Unfortunately,” Martha continued quietly, “Caroline was with Lord Abernathy at the time and could not hide the fact that she knew who I was. Our introduction and conversation was short, for Lord Abernathy made it very clear that he did not wish Caroline to talk to me. I managed to whisper to her my address, and earlier today, she appeared at my door in a terrible state.”

  Understanding at once, Nora clasped Martha’s hand. “And you could not keep Caroline with you, for fear that Lord Abernathy will come in search of you and find her there.”

  “Precisely,” Martha said with a small smile. “I had thought to take her back with me to the estate, but there is little doubt that Lord Abernathy will follow us there in search of her, and with no husband by my side at this present moment, I cannot allow that to happen. Lord Abernathy is, I believe, quite a dangerous man.” She winced, her fingers tightening on Nora’s. “I am sorry to say, but Caroline bore some of the marks of Lord Abernathy’s vehemence.”

  Shuddering violently, Nora tried to think calmly and clearly, not quite certain what she ought to do next.

  “I did not know what else to do,” Martha replied helplessly. “I took our carriage and came here, waiting until I was certain Father had gone. Caroline can hide here for a time, can she not? Until we work out what we are to do to help her?”

  Nora tried to quell her sudden burst of fear, nodding her head. “Of course,” she said, despite her strangling fear. “Father does not come into my rooms.”

  “And only Mrs Banks and Elsie, your maid, know that she is here.”

  Mrs Banks cleared her throat. “But will Lord Abernathy not come here also, my lady, in search of his wife?”

  Pressing her lips together, Nora had to admit that this was most likely the case. “Yes, I believe he will,” she said, fear rising up in her despite her determination not to feel anything of the sort. “But where else could she go?”

  For a moment, the figure of Lord Fareshire crashed into her mind, making her start. She hung onto him for a moment, wondering if she could turn to him in her hour of need, only to push him away.

  “I will think of something,” Nora said, firmly. “We have a day or two until Lord Abernathy appears at Father’s door, don’t you think?”

  Martha bit her lip. “A day at most,” she replied slowly. “I am terribly sorry to leave you in such an unenviable position, Nora, but I must look after my children. I cannot put them in danger.”

  Understanding completely, Nora pressed Martha’s hand. “Of course,” she said, smiling despite her quailing heart. “But one thing I cannot endure again, Martha. I cannot have you disappearing into the ether once again, never to hear from you.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling as though she were about to lose her sister again, after having only just received her back.

  Martha lifted her shoulders. “What can I do?”

  “Father scrutinises my correspondence,” Nora said heavily, knowing that he was still carefully looking for any letter from Alice to Nora. “I do not think you can write to me here.”

  “Then where?”

  Again came the figure of Lord Fareshire, and unwilling to lose touch with her sister, Nora suggested that she write to Lord Fareshire’s home.

  Martha looked pleased at this idea, although concerned to hear about Nora’s engagement.

  “You must go, my lady,” Mrs Banks murmured, now beginning to look a little anxious herself. “His Grace will return home any moment and you cannot be here when he does.”

  “Besides which, I must move Caroline into this bedchamber,” Nora continued, tears pricking at her eyes as she rose to her feet and held Martha’s hands tightly. “But once I am wed, I do hope that we can see each other a good deal more often.”

  Martha paused, her lips curving downwards. “You are to marry this gentleman, then?”

  Nora did not know what to say. Her thoughts of running away and making a life of her own had flown from her mind at the sight of Martha, and even though she knew that Martha’s home would always be open to her, Nora could not bring the wrath of their father down on Martha’s head. “I am not certain,” she said eventually. “Lord Fareshire does not appear to be a particularly cruel gentleman, and for that I am grateful. Perhaps I can endure a marriage to him if it means I can be in your company from time to time.”

  Martha held her tightly for a moment, and Nora felt herself begin to cry once more. If only their lives had not become so fragmented, had not become so torn apart by their father’s cruelty, then they might now all be living remarkably happy lives.

  “Do not be hasty, my dear,” Martha whispered in her ear before stepping back from Nora. “And I shall write to you again very soon. Please, be careful.”

  “And you,” Nora whispered, her heart breaking into a thousand pieces as her sister walked from the room.

  Chapter Eight

  Edward could not help but smile as Lady Drake walked into the room, finding his heart lifting at just the sight of her.

  “My dear lady,” he murmured, bowing over her hand and allowing his lips to rest for the briefest of moments on the back of her hand. “How very good to see you.”

  “You are late, Nora,” the Duke said brusquely, as Lady Drake pulled her hand from Edward’s. “Where have you been? You should have been present to greet our guest.”

  Frowning, Edward watched as Lady Drake’s face went puce, her eyes darting from place to place as she struggled to make some excuse suitable enough for her father.

  “I believe I was a little early, Your Grace,” he said hastily, not wishing Lady Drake to suffer on his account. “Regardless, it is a rather lovely afternoon, and I did wonder if you might be willing to go for a walk or, mayhap, a carriage ride?”

  To his surprise, this seemed to bring Lady Drake even more anxiety, for her eyes widened slightly, her cheeks now burning with two red spots of heat.

  “Nora?” her father bit out, sounding a little angry.

  “A carriage ride, yes,” Lady Drake managed to say eventually, looking as though every word was profoundly difficult for her to say. “Do let me just go and change my attire.”

  Edward made to say that he was more than happy to wait, only for the Duke to shake his head.

  “Nonsense, Nora,” he said firmly, his eyes glaring at her. “Go just as you are. And be quick about it. I am expecting company myself.”

  Hating that the Duke spoke to his daughter in such a cold manner, Edward saw Lady Eleanor take a breath, surprised that she appeared to be shaking just a little.

  Whatever was the matter?”

  “Might I ask whom you are expecting, Father?” she asked, as she rose to her feet. “Is it someone I should ensure I return home in time to greet?”

  The Duke paused, his expression growing darker by the second. “No, Nora, it is none of your concern. You need not rush. Lord Abernathy does not require your company.”

  Now also on his feet, Edward frowned all the more when Lady Drake’s eyes widened and she stared at her father for a moment, clearly horrified for some reason. Then, as if she’d only just recalled that he was present, she turned back to him and walked from the room, bidding her father goodbye.

  “I would be glad to wait for you if you wish to change, Lady Drake,” he said, as the door closed behind them. “I do not wish you to be uncomfortable.” She was pale white, her eyes filled with such a terrible fear that, for a moment, Edward wanted to take her in his arms and ask her what it was that troubled her so.

  “Ah, Mrs Banks,” she murmured, on seeing the houseke
eper approaching them. “I am to go for a carriage ride with Lord Fareshire. Might you have a maid fetch my shawl, bonnet, and gloves? I believe my father is to meet with Lord Abernathy soon, and he wishes me to be out of the house during his time with him.”

  The housekeeper paused and then nodded, a tight smile on her face. “But of course, my lady,” she murmured, inclining her head. “I will see to it all.”

  Something like relief passed over Lady Drake’s features. “I thank you.” Then she turned back to Edward, apologising for making him wait before making her way towards the door.

  ***

  Once in the carriage and still more than a little confused, Edward took in Lady Drake’s countenance and decided that a direct conversation was required. It was quite apparent that she was afraid about something, and whether that just came from her father’s overwhelming presence, he could not be certain. However, the way she was clasping and unclasping her fingers, her eyes fixed on something outside the carriage window, told him that there was something of great significance on her mind.

  Rapping on the roof, he waited until the carriage came to a stop in the middle of Hyde Park before opening the door and gesturing for the maid to step outside. Lady Eleanor appeared quite astonished at this action, her eyes turning to his in something akin to horror.

  “I am not going to hurt you, Nora,” he said, choosing to use the same, familiar name as her father in a gesture of intimacy. “Something is troubling you, and I wish to know what it is.”

  She swallowed but said nothing, her eyes fixed on his face.

  “As I have told you so often this last sennight, you need not be afraid of me, Nora,” he continued in as gentle a tone as he could manage. “I am not someone who intends to hurt you in any way.”

  Letting out a long, shuddering breath, Nora began to cry, covering her face with her hands.