by Abigail Agar
“You must make sure they rotate their care of Louisa. And if anyone in her room begins to cough, they are forbidden to return to Louisa’s room and must be quarantined.
“I will be back in the morning.”
“What time will you be here?” Percy asked.
“Sometime between nine and eleven.” He bowed, “Your Grace, Your Grace.”
Mendon showed James out, and Percy turned to Frederick. Frederick knew what he was going to ask before he said a word.
“Yes, yes, Percy. But as soon as the doctor gives us his update, you must leave for the day. You are not to spend every day pacing in my parlour,” Frederick said.
“May I come late in the day to get an update? To find out if she rested comfortably during the day?” Percy asked.
“To what end, Percy? There is nothing you can do but wait and pace in your own townhouse.”
“Just at 6:30 p.m. on my way to the club for dinner? Five minutes. A five-minute update?”
Frederick sighed. “You will leave even if she had a bad day? Five minutes, good news or bad?”
“Yes.”
“If you stay more than five minutes, for whatever reason, you will not be received in the evening any longer. Understood?”
“Yes. Thank you. Understood.”
“Go home, Percy.”
Percy nodded. “I’ll be back at 6:30 p.m.”
Frederick mumbled, “I have no doubt you will.”
Chapter 28
Harold was turned away at the door. Louisa’s illness had been kept secret from the ton. Every nose in town would have been out of joint that their nose was the one that wasn’t allowed to enter.
They would want to be the first one who got to visit so they could spread the word. Percy was disgusted that they would vie for a visit no matter how sick Louisa was. They wouldn’t care how she felt. They would only care about the victory. She couldn’t leave her room to take any visitor, no matter who it was. And so the secret about Louisa’s illness.
Thus Harold’s rebuff. He didn’t know the reason, so he speculated. He thought back to his conversation with Percy. Did Percy think he could ignore Harold? Did he think Louisa’s uncle wouldn’t pay the price?
He wasn’t bluffing. Maybe Percy needed to be reminded of that. Time was ticking. He only had a few weeks.
He needed Louisa’s dowry, and he needed it fast. His father’s death would trigger his loans coming due. His father’s will explicitly forbade Harold or anyone else from selling his land. His land was worth a fortune if he could only access it. Time was ticking.
When Frederick was at the First London Insurance Partnership, where Percy found him, he was in the middle of coordinating the insurance for his latest investment. Frederick’s life was on hold until he knew Louisa was out of the woods. James said that could easily be two weeks. Then she would need more time to recover her strength.
His investors had sent him notes hoping his family emergency wasn’t too serious and wondering about their new investment deal. When they came to the townhouse, they were turned away.
Frederick knew they would take it as an affront, so he wrote them, explaining that the house was quarantined and the investment delayed. That kept his investors at bay.
After Harold’s visit was denied, Percy thought it best to come and go through the back door. He was certain Harold was watching the townhouse, curious about what was happening. As it was, Harold would see the doctor coming every morning.
Percy didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing that Harold saw no one except the doctor. It certainly meant his timetable for Louisa was set back. Harold’s father would have to die without her.
“I picked this up at the shop on Bond Street. I thought Louisa might like it. Can you give it to her?”
Amelia looked exhausted. Percy doubted she got more than a few hours of sleep a night. And she was sleeping in a chair next to the fireplace in Louisa’s room. Maybe the doctor could give her something to help her sleep? Surely, he was keeping a close eye on her.
“It’s beautiful, Percy. I think she’ll love it. She loves daffodils. The yellow is perfect for someone in her sickbed. I’ll take it to her right now.”
“If you are too tired, just wait. You can give it to her after you rest,” Percy said.
“No. She would want this right away.”
After Amelia disappeared up the stairs, Percy turned to Mendon. “She looks worse every day. If she’s not careful she’ll be as sick as Louisa soon.”
Mendon shook his head. “Your Grace is getting worried.”
“Has he instructed the doctor to look at her?”
“She won’t let him, Your Grace.”
Amelia appeared on the stairs. She came to Percy. “She loved it and told me to say thank you. Actually she told me to say thank you four or five times.”
Percy smiled. “That’s good. It’s such a little thing, but I thought it would brighten her day.”
Amelia put her hand on Percy’s arm. “It did.”
*****
Percy dragged Cecil and Kent into a private room for dinner. “We need to talk,” was his only explanation.
“Your dinner with Harold?” Cecil asked.
“Yes, my dinner with Harold.”
Percy went on to tell Cecil and Kent about Harold’s ultimatum.
“For the first time in weeks, I’ve completely rejected the idea of going to America.”
Kent barked out a laugh. “And imagine, we couldn’t convince you to stay here at the same time Harold is trying to force you to go. How ironic.”
He told them that Hobart and a few of his men went to Portsmouth to find any documentation if it exists, that he was released without being charged.
Then he told them about Louisa. No one was allowed to see her, her room had been quarantined, and Harold turned away from seeing her. Both Cecil and Kent groaned.
“I know, I know. She is going to be in her room for at least three weeks. He will think he’s being turned away because of the threats, and he’ll want retribution.”
Cecil commented, “He’s not going to be happy when he sees you coming and going.”
“That’s why I decided to go in through the back door. I’ve been leaving through the back of my townhouse as well. He doesn’t need to know what I’m doing and where I’ve been.”
Kent asked, “What can we do?”
“Just keep an eye out and act like you don’t know anything. If he can’t get to Hobart or me, he might try to fish for information from you. He’s probably waiting for me outside since he knows we eat dinner here every evening.”
Kent said, “I’ll bring my carriage around the back and take you home. Slide the panel down to cover the crest.”
Percy laughed. “I need a carriage like yours.”
“It’s useful. Let me tell my footmen, and I’ll be right back.”
Cecil turned to Percy, “He’s in heaven. He loves doing this kind of thing. He loves using his sliding panel.”
Percy shook his head. “I’ve come to appreciate his game.”
Cecil looked into Percy’s eyes. “I hope Louisa pulls out of this well. I hope for all of your sakes Hobart comes back with what you need, and soon.”
*****
“My patience is at an end, Percy. Leave, or I expose Hobart and his family along with him,” Harold said. He seemed to materialize outside Percy’s townhouse door when Percy left it to go for a run.
“Then do it, Harold. Who is stopping you? Spread it far and wide while Louisa is on her sickbed and her father and uncle are keeping vigil. I’m sure the ton will think you quite the hero for your actions during the family’s difficult time.
“I hear you stand across the street from their townhouse and watch the doctor come and go every morning. Have you noticed they’ve taken the knocker off the door? Have you also noticed that they are turning away all visitors? Don’t be a fool, Harold. You’ll never get within one hundred feet of her if you ruin her family while she�
�s ill.”
Harold looked rattled. “I didn’t know. What does she have?”
“I am not at liberty to say,” Percy said, then walked away.
Percy smiled as he walked away from Harold. The man wasn’t cut out as a strong-armed bully. He was free of Harold for a few days, but Harold would go home, lick his wounds, and figure out his next move.
God, Percy hoped that Hobart would come back from Portsmouth soon. The longer Hobart was there, the more Percy believed they would not find what they needed.
*****
It had been over a week since Louisa fell sick, and word was beginning to spread among the ton. There had been two balls, neither of which Louisa attended, and a few of her friends had come to visit her and been turned away.
Because of the close relationship with Percy, Cecil and Kent were approached often about Louisa’s health and Percy’s whereabouts. Percy asked them to say, yes, she was ill, but she was expected to be back on her feet soon. Cecil and Kent shrugged when others asked what she had. They shrugged when they were asked how long she would be missing from the ton activities.
Cecil and Kent were amused at the frenzy of talk about Louisa. The members of the ton exchanged their knowledge of Louisa’s sickness. Tongues were wagging. “Well, I heard she . . .”
Emma, Gertie, and Inez became very popular all of a sudden because Cecil and Kent were the only two who seemed to know anything. Emma and Gertie were more used to fielding inquiries as partners to Cecil and Kent, but it was new to Inez.
At every new ball, she was approached more often from members of the ton hungry for news of Louisa. Their newfound interest brought Inez into contact with gentlemen who wouldn’t ordinarily notice her. Suddenly, men whispered to one another in corners of ballrooms wondering about the size of her dowry.
Being found attractive by the opposite sex was a double-edged sword, one Inez was not used to wielding. Having no experience with men except for the balls she attended during the season, gentlemen thought her an easy target. Her naïveté didn’t dispel that conjecture. Emma and Gertie pulled her aside if they saw predatory gentlemen showing too much of the wrong kind of interest. But Inez didn’t read people well and believed what every rogue told her on the dance floor.
One of the first gentlemen to show her interest was Harold Newton. He had been a friend to Cecil and Kent throughout the season, so she thought he was a safe match for her.
Ordinarily, this would be true, except Percy had told Cecil and Kent about his interest in Louisa and what he was willing to do to get her to marry him.
Now, with his timetable dwindling, he couldn’t afford to wait for Louisa. Blackmailing Percy would do him no good if it took over a month to get her to marry him because of her illness.
Inez was an attractive girl with a large dowry. As far as Harold could tell, she had no gentlemen interested in her.
Harold’s only question was how much, if anything, Percy told Cecil and Kent. It could be more difficult to convince Inez of his sincerity if they knew his motivations.
The other gentleman affected by Louisa’s illness was Barton. He still harboured hope to get Louisa to compromise herself with him, but her illness made Barton rethink his plans. Even if she showed up to ton events a month from now, tricking her into being alone with him would probably be impossible if she were recovering from being ill. She would be watched carefully.
Barton couldn’t afford to have the kind of public display he created when he tried to drag Louisa out to the patio doors at a recent ball. He had to choose his prey and work smart. He only had two criteria. She needed to be beautiful, and she needed to have a sizeable dowry.
They didn’t know it, but both Harold and Barton went into the next ball with the sole goal of identifying a handful of beautiful ladies each with a large dowry. Neither cared about her intelligence level or personality.
Both actively sought women who met their criteria. Each danced every dance while chatting with their women of choice. Before the ball was over, each man had chosen his new bride. Inez Rayburn.
“Inez, I’m not sure either man is right for you. They both have questionable backgrounds. I think you should continue to look.”
“Emma, I’ve been here all season. These men are the only ones who have shown any interest in me. You want me to stand around waiting for someone else to come by?”
Emma put a hand on Inez’s arm. “Yes, I do. We all know what Barton tried to do to Louisa. And Cecil told me Harold wants to find someone quick who has a dowry so he can pay off his debts.
“Do you really want to end up with either of those men?”
“Emma, I appreciate what you’re saying, but I don’t want to be alone. The season is almost over, and I have no prospects.”
Emma smiled. “You have another season in front of you to be unhappy.
“Now, tell me what about each man attracts you.”
Inez thought a moment then said, “Both are very attentive to me. Barton has a better title, more holdings, and a lot of money, according to him. He doesn’t need my dowry.”
Emma highly doubled that was true but kept silent.
“Harold is younger and more handsome, his title isn’t as good, his holdings are considered some of the best in the country, but he doesn’t have money.
“He’s honest about my dowry being a draw but, as he says, there are a lot of ladies in the room with large dowries. He considers it only one factor.”
Emma paused. She said, “If you are considering marriage with one of the two of them, and it is obviously a marriage of convenience, which man would you choose to put up with more? They each offer similar lifestyles for you. What would you like better?”
Inez looked at Emma, confusion on her face. “I’m not sure. They are both nice to me.”
Emma smiled. “Then do yourself a favour and spend time talking to both of them. Once you’ve decided which one you like better, you’ll have your answer.”
Cecil came to stand next to Emma. “I see Inez is dancing with Harold again. Does she like that man?”
Emma shook her head. “Pfft. She doesn’t know what she likes. Harold and Barton are both trying to get her to marry. No one has paid any attention to her all season, and now all of a sudden, these two are all over her.”
“I don’t know, Emma. Those two are sharks, and she’s a goldfish. Does she have any idea what she’s getting herself into?”
“No. None. I tried to talk to her about it, but she won’t listen. She’s determined to make her decision on her own.”
Cecil shook his head. “I wish her luck.”
Chapter 29
“How is she doing?” Cecil asked when they sat down for dinner.
“About the same from what the doctor tells me. Amelia says she’s much better, but I think that’s wishful thinking on her part. Meanwhile, Amelia looks worse every day. Frederick says she refuses to leave Louisa’s side. She’s not going to be any help to Louisa when she starts to recover if she doesn’t take care of herself.”
Kent asked, “And you?”
“Me? I’m fine. I get an update in the morning and in the evening. I’m running sometimes twice a day, but I cut it down to once a day if I do eight to ten miles at a time.”
Cecil laughed. “So does that mean you’re not pacing?”
Percy barked a laugh. “Hardly.”
Cecil shook his head. “Is Hobart back?”
“No,” Percy said, “and I’m a little worried that he hasn’t returned yet. He doesn’t like to be away from his warehouse this long.”
Kent said, “You know, there may be no need for Hobart to find anything up there. It seems Harold doesn’t have the time to wait for Louisa’s recovery. He is pursuing Inez aggressively.”
“Why her?” Percy asked.
“She’s beautiful, and she has a large dowry. That seems to be his only criteria. And he is in a hurry.”
“That would be great for Hobart, but not so great for Inez. Are her eyes open?”
/> “Emma talked to her,” Cecil said, “and she seems to understand. You will like this part, Percy. Barton is pursuing her also. She’s having a hard time figuring out whom to go to.”
“What?” Percy said. “She didn’t strike me as a stupid girl.”
“She’s not. She’s lonely and scared. Most of the season has gone by, and no one has noticed her. She had no prospects. Then Harold and Barton came along. They are nice to her and give her a lot of attention. She actually gets visits during calling hours.
