by Abby Ayles
“She had a marvelous sense of style,” Regina said. The foyer had a staircase and all was done up in cream and soft gold.
“If you like the foyer, I’m certain that you’ll enjoy the rest of the house,” Lord Harrison said. He sounded amused.
Regina looked up at him. “I should hate to think I’m wasting your time.”
“It’s not a waste. I have so few visitors and I like to show it off.”
“Why so few visitors?” She asked. It was only after that she realized it might be a rude question.
“I try not to invite too many people over.”
“Because then they might know you as a man and not as a mysterious entity.”
Lord Harrison laughed. “I see Miss Elizabeth is not the only Hartfield with wit. Yes, you have hit the nail directly on the head.”
He led her into the room to the right. Lady Cora trailed behind them, looking incredibly bored. “This is the dining room.” It was done in shades of silver and grey. Regina didn’t think she’d seen anything so elegant.
“I have tried to find out about you,” Regina admitted.
Lord Harrison directed her through the dining room to a door at the back. It led into a side parlor done in gray with gold trim. “Oh? And what did you discover?” He sounded amused.
Regina moved past him into the next room—and promptly gasped.
It was a library. A wonderful library with a thick lush green carpet. It was all green. And it had a massive lovely fireplace in white marble. The windows had white trim and looked over the back of the house. The view was only of an alley but the position meant the sun would come streaming in from the south.
“I take it you enjoy reading?” Lord Harrison asked.
Regina nodded. She hurried to the shelves before she could stop herself. There were so many titles. All of the books were bound so lovingly. She ran her fingers over the spines.
“We have quite a good library at home,” she said. “But it’s not so cozy as this.”
“It was my father’s favorite room,” Lord Harrison said. “His favorite color was green.”
“It’s mine as well,” Regina admitted.
“Sometimes I think it would have been all the better if he’d had an older brother. Then he could have whittled away his days in here. He took to books better than he took to business.”
Regina turned to look at him. Lord Harrison did look rather sad. “I heard that he lost your family fortune. I am sorry.”
Lord Harrison shook his head. “It’s no use worrying about it now. It’s all said and done with and he has been with the :ord for many years now.”
“Do you like to read?” Regina asked. She felt desperate to change the subject. She hated the way the lines on Lord Harrison’s face deepened and his eyes darkened as he thought of his father. She was sure she looked the same when she thought about Mother.
“A bit.” Lord Harrison’s lips twisted upward into a wry smile. “Not as much as I should, and not as much as you, I’m sure.”
“If you let me alone in here I should never leave,” Regina admitted with a smile.
“Then we should probably continue the tour before I lose you here forever.”
She felt her smile broaden and she had to hold in a laugh. Lord Harrison held out his arm for her to take as though they were at a park rather than his house. That made her want to laugh even more.
Regina took his arm and let him lead her through the last room. They had done a circuit now, and through the other door she could see the foyer.
This room was decorated in cream and silver with hints of green. It was a proper sitting room. There was a pianoforte in one corner. In another sat a writing desk. There was another, smaller fireplace on the outside wall.
“My mother used to welcome friends in here,” Lord Harrison observed. “Father would be in the library while she was chatting away. The other parlor was used for cards or sweets after dinner.”
“I quite like it.”
“I should show you the upstairs rooms if I did not think it rude,” Lord Harrison said. He winked at her and Regina found herself blushing. “There are four bedrooms. All in different shades of blue.”
“They sound lovely.”
“Well.” Lord Harrison checked his pocket watch. “That took us ten minutes’ time. Compare that to Whitefern. My housekeeper enjoys giving tours. It takes at least two hours. More if you let her rattle on. One time a poor family was stuck there for six hours. They were too polite to ask her to move things along.”
Regina laughed. “If I ever see it, I shall ask you to give the tour then. You are rather brief.”
“Didn’t you know? Men are supposed to be brief. I’ve been told it’s one of the failings of our sex.”
Regina had to hold in a snort at that. She’d heard Elizabeth say something similar many a time.
“Since the library was your favorite, why don’t we retire in there. I can have some tea brought up and we can discuss your reason for visiting.”
Regina nodded. She’d like that very much.
They settled themselves in the library. Lord Harrison had a fire made up and sure enough tea was brought. Lady Cora seized upon a book and informed them she would be in the sitting room, where the light was better. “The doorway is open,” she warned Lord Harrison, as if he were going to try and rob Regina or something while Lady Cora’s back was turned.
Regina was secretly glad that Lady Cora was giving them some distance. She seemed to assume that private family matters would be discussed, such as where Lord Harrison had been all this time. That suited Regina just fine.
Lord Harrison sat down and turned to face her. The playful light faded from his eyes and his voice grew somber.
“Now,” he said. “Your letter was quite mysterious.”
“Says the man that nobody knows anything about. Two people told me you had a secret wife. Another said you had engaged in piracy.”
“I fear everyone is making me into someone much more exciting than I actually am.”
“But I do hope one rumor is true: that you are a devil with cards.”
Lord Harrison blinked as if surprised. “Yes. That is.”
Regina waited. Lord Harrison seemed poised on the edge of something. It was like he was standing on a cliff and considering jumping off.
After a moment, he spoke.
“I am rather mysterious, as you say. But I can promise you most would prefer half-baked rumors to solid facts. At least where I am concerned.
“My father was terrible with business. He squandered all of our fortune. When he died this London house was all we had. Whitefern was ours in name only. It was gutted. Empty. Everything had been sold off. Only my mother’s love of this place kept it safe. Father wouldn’t bargain it for anything.
“When he died I was told to sell this house and use the money to invest what I could. The bankers were quite insistent. In time, they said, I could slowly rebuild Whitefern’s glory. But what good is a Duke without income? Destitute nobility are worse than a pauper. A pauper has many ways of earning his wages. A noble has but few.
“If I had pursued normal means it would have taken my entire life to rebuild my family name and fortune. But I saw another way. I was brilliant with cards in school. I even got into fights because the boys thought I was cheating. The professors sent letters home to my parents about it.
“I knew the kind of money that was spent at the tables at balls. I thought that through these means I could obtain the necessary capital. I’d make more money and faster. And, I admit, part of my motivation was preserving this house. It was my mother’s pride and joy. She attended to every aspect of its decoration. You should have seen it at Christmas. The magic of it was unparalleled.”
Lord Harrison gestured into the front sitting room. “The tree would be placed in there. Wreaths and garlands everywhere. Candles and sweets…”
A look of rapturous wonder stole over Lord Harrison’s face. For a moment, Regina could see the boy he had
been. But then he shook his head as if shaking away cobwebs.
“In any case. This was my mother’s home and all that I had left of her. My father’s library was all I had left of him. And I am rather fond of this place myself. I enjoy the hustle and bustle of London. And Whitefern is quite large. Preserving it and its history is of course important. But living in it overwhelms me. It is not mine. This house is.
“I gambled and won enough that in a year I could pay off all of my family’s debtors. The next year I made enough to invest in proper ventures. Those ventures tripled my investment. I then began the arduous task of rebuilding Whitefern.
“I admit that this took all of my energy. Despite inheriting eight years ago I have not been seen much in society. All my attention has gone to restoring Whitefern. And I have accomplished it. I can now rest on my laurels.
“Hence,” Lord Harrison chuckled. “My return to society these past six months and the wild speculations about my whereabouts for the previous eight years.”
“If I may ask, when did your father pass on?”
“When I was eighteen. I am six and twenty now.”
Eighteen. That was Regina’s age. She thought it ironic that she and Lord Harrison had been the same age when they were forced to rescue their family name from ruin.
“Why are you confiding all of this to me?” She asked. “We have only met once before. I have come to you with quite an odd request in mind. Yet it is a request that I have yet to speak of to you. How do you know you can trust me?”
“Because you’re in the same situation that I was,” Lord Harrison replied. “And… I am about to be quite blunt here, Miss Regina. You must forgive me for it. I am earnest in my desire to wed your sister. If you know my story and my true history then perhaps you can speak of her kindly to me. At the least you can dispel for her any unsavory rumors.”
“That is what I have come to discuss with you,” Regina said. “If I may.”
“Of course. I have to admit I’m dying of curiosity.” Lord Harrison winked at her. It made Regina feel warm all over. She ruthlessly shoved that feeling aside.
“My sisters know of our plight. Mr. Denny has proposed to my sister Elizabeth.”
“Good man.” Lord Harrison nodded. “He has cared for her for some time. I see this gave him the push he needed.”
“Bridget has urged Elizabeth to accept him. Natalie must also choose one of her suitors. Bridget will select one as well—but I shall get to that presently.”
Regina took a deep breath. “But marrying ourselves off will not solve our problems. We shall be marrying in haste. It will be one sister after another. Everyone will know why we’re doing it. And it won’t stop us from losing our home and lands. Father will still be looked down upon. And our husbands will have a time of dodging snide remarks. It isn’t fair to anyone.”
“I suppose not,” Lord Harrison acknowledged. “But what is to be done?”
Regina drew herself up. “In a month’s time, there is the annual masquerade ball hosted by Lord and Lady Morrison. They are dear friends of our family. We are sure to be invited no matter what scandal follows us. Lady Morrison was of great comfort to Bridget when Mother died. And Lord Morrison comes to our house for shooting every year. We have them over whenever time permits.
“I know that women are not allowed to play at cards. But I also know that the masquerade ball is a time when rules are bent. Or broken outright. Everyone is wearing a mask. This way, identities are hidden. Reputations are preserved. Nobody would stop a woman from playing on that night.”
Lord Harrison drew himself up as well. His eyes flashed. “Miss Regina. Are you certain of what you are saying.”
“I am.” She tilted her chin up and dared him to defy her. “Lord Pettifer will be invited to the ball. He is a horrible rake but he has both money and title. The Morrisons will have to invite him. He will be there and he will play. I shall play him. I will be masked, no one can stop me. I shall play him and win back the Hartfield deed. I can win back a good deal of our income besides.”
“And what if you lose?” Lord Harrison pointed out. “The cards can go either way. If you play, Miss Regina, you must be prepared to lose everything.”
“What else have I to lose?” She countered. “We are penniless. We are to be driven out of our home. My Father’s reputation will never recover. My sisters shall marry under a cloud.”
“And what will you bet? Do you have money?”
“I have a small sum bequeathed from my mother. And I had hoped you might forward me a loan. I should repay you, of course.”
“And why should I forward you this loan?”
“So that you may watch me play. You will want to see how your protégé has turned out.”
“My protégé?” Lord Harrison looked as though he’d been struck by lightning. “Are you saying that I will teach you?”
“Yes.” Regina nodded.
“And why would I do that?”
“Because if you do, I shall convince Bridget to marry you.”
Lord Harrison sucked in a breath. His eyes were wide.
Regina nodded confidently. “Yes. Bridget is more like mother to me than sister. I am her darling and I have her ear. I have long conspired that she not marry. Every man she has considered, I have found ways to dissuade her. If I speak to her of your virtues she will be persuaded.
“You just now told me the story of your life. You said that it was because we are alike. I agree. Surely you cannot refuse someone who is in a position so like your own. And you will obtain the key to your future happiness.”
Regina took in a steadying breath. She could feel heat pricking her eyes. Her heart was hammering. And her chest trembled.
She forced herself to keep looking into Lord Harrison’s eyes. “Bridget is the best of women. She has run our household from a tender age. She has assisted our father in everything. She raised me. She is patient, kind, and well educated. She plays the pianoforte and draws and sings. She reads wonderfully. And she has wit paired with prudence.
“You would never find a better wife anywhere. She would make you so happy it would almost be unbearable. I would not lose her for anything. Except this. I have to save my family. And you can help me. We would owe you everything—my sister’s hand is the least I can offer.”
Lord Harrison stared at her for a moment. Then he spoke. His voice was deep and slow. It was as if he was coming out of a daze.
“You are not at all what I expected, Miss Regina.”
Regina ducked her head. She could feel her face flushing. She knew what he had expected: a mouse. But she couldn’t afford to be a mouse anymore. She had to be strong.
Lord Harrison stood up. He crossed over to the fire with his hands behind his back. Regina watched him. She could not read his expression. The light from the fire danced across his face. Once again she was reminded of the stories of the fairy king.
One must always be careful of striking bargains with fairies. That was something all the fairy tales said. They would trick you if you gave them half a chance. Was she striking a deal in a similar way now? Would Lord Harrison trick her in some way?
Regina was wading out into treacherous waters. She knew it. Soon she’d be out in deep ocean with no way to touch the bottom. And she would have to depend wholly on Lord Harrison. He was a stranger to her. Yet her life—and the lives of her family—was being placed in his hands.
She forced herself to keep her breaths deep and even. After what seemed like an age, Lord Harrison turned back to her.
To her surprise, there was a twinkle in his eyes. It was as if he found all of this amusing.
“You really are something, Regina Hartfield,” he said. “I think society has quite underestimated you.”
“Then you will do it?” She asked. She hardly dared to breathe.
Lord Harrison nodded. “I could not refuse you and remain a gentleman. As you said we have been in similar positions. And I hate to refuse a lady. I shall teach you all that I know of
cards. At the masquerade ball, you will win back your family’s land from Lord Pettifer. In exchange, you will persuade your sister to accept my proposal and I shall wed her.”
Regina nodded.
Lord Harrison approached her and she stood up automatically. He was taller than she was but not so much that she had to crane her neck. It didn’t stop him from cutting an intimidating figure.
He held out his hand to her. It took her a moment to realize that he meant for her to shake it. He was offering her a handshake like she was a man. Like she was his equal.
“There are no witnesses,” Lord Harrison said. “And we are not signing any papers. But I shall trust you to uphold your bargain as if we were in a court of law.”
“Then I shall trust you to uphold your end,” Regina replied.
Lord Harrison inclined his head in acknowledgment.
Regina took his hand then and shook it. Her hand was terribly small in his.
It occurred to her how close they were standing. His hand was as large and warm as she had remembered. His gaze seemed to sink into her skin, worming into the very heart of her. From this distance she could see his soft lashes and the bow of his mouth. She could smell him as well. He smelled like a wood fire: comforting and heady all at once.
As if he realized they had been holding hands for too long, Lord Harrison released hers and stepped back. “We shall arrange a time to meet. We must take care not to be seen together too often. Lady Cora as your escort can only do so much.”
“I could not afford to have an escort that knew me,” Regina admitted. “My sisters know nothing of my plan. I could not risk anyone informing them of my meeting with you.”
“And they shouldn’t. No one should know. The more people know of a thing the more likely the truth will out. Lord Pettifer must have no idea what you plan. He is overconfident. If we surprise him we have a greater chance of success.”
“In any case my sisters would not approve of the risk.”
“I am not sure that I should approve of the risk either,” Lord Harrison pointed out. “But I am not quite a gentleman. I am fond of bending the rules. And a little risk excites me.”
