by Ella Edon
“You know what it’s like, Eleanor. When temptation is too great…”
“No, I don’t know what it’s like!” Eleanor snapped. “Because I’m not a fool.”
Edward Heavenly didn’t respond to that. He knew he had been caught. Eleanor rolled her shoulders, the tension getting to be too much in her upper back.
“Maybe you should go and see Aunt Brenda for a while?”
“What?” Edward Heavenly’s eyes snapped open. “No! She doesn’t drink, and she hates playing cards. That woman is as dull as you can get.”
“And she’s what you need right now. To cut yourself off from temptation before you lose the house in a game, because I’m sure you went to gamble again.” Eleanor sighed. “What did you lose this time?”
“I didn’t lose anything.” Her father protested. “I gained something. Of a sort.”
That didn’t make any sense, and Eleanor didn’t believe it.
“What are you talking about, Father? You’re terrible at cards. You can’t win a hand to save your life, but you refuse to admit it. I’ve never played cards before and I can beat you. What could you have gained from gambling?”
“A lot, actually.” Edward Heavenly shifted to sit up in his chair. “Someone heard that I was in dire financial straits, and he gave me an offer. He’ll wipe my debts clean and give me a fresh start, on one condition.”
Someone was willing to pay Edward Heavenly’s debts? He had to have deep pockets for that. Eleanor couldn’t believe that anyone could offer to pay off substantial debts of someone else they barely knew. Edward Heavenly didn’t know that many people who were wealthy enough to pay off his debts without making a significant dent in their own purse. Something else was going on. It all sounded very suspicious.
“What’s the condition?”
“That I give your hand to a friend of his.”
Eleanor stared. It took a few goes for the words to sink in.
“I what?”
“He said that he has a friend, a close friend, who is in need of a wife and isn’t fussy about who it is as long as he gets a marriage. If I agree to that, he’ll help me out at the same time and put money forward for a dowry.”
This did not sound right at all. Someone was willing to pay off debts in exchange for her to marry someone else? But her father sounded like he believed everything that was coming out of his mouth. Eleanor spluttered.
“You didn’t agree to this, did you? This sounds like a con.”
“It’s no con, believe me. Of course I agreed to it.”
“Father!” Eleanor’s mouth fell open. Shock and outrage warred together in her head. “But I... I never agreed to this!”
“It was too good a chance to miss.” Edward Heavenly rose to his feet, wobbling a little before getting his balance. “We can wipe the slate clean and you can finally get a husband. Someone who can look after you better than I can.”
“Father, the last man who was interested in me was Matthew Leyton. That was more than enough to put me off marriage.” Eleanor suddenly went cold. “It wasn’t him, was it?”
“Leyton? No, of course not. He wouldn’t be able to wipe out the debts.”
“He could be the friend being recommended.”
“No, he isn’t. This man is an Earl.”
“An Earl needs help finding a wife?” Eleanor groaned. “God, you’ve got me matched to an old man! Father!”
“No, he’s not old. Young, in fact. Only a little older than you.” Her father stepped towards her, still swaying a little. “My benefactor said that he’s a good man, and he will be able to provide for you.”
“That’s what they always say.” Eleanor snapped. “We don’t know if he’s Bluebeard, like the man in those stories you and Mother told me when I was a girl.”
Edward Heavenly sighed. “You read too many stories, Eleanor. It’s not going to be that bad. Besides, you need someone to look after you.”
Eleanor bristled. “I can look after myself.”
“That’s not what I meant. You need someone who isn’t old and drunk.”
“You’re not old, Father.”
Edward Heavenly flinched. “You ignored the drunk part.”
Eleanor did, because nobody needed to say it out loud. She had gotten through life without needing a husband, and her father hadn’t broached it before. One night playing cards and meeting a strange man willing to pay off his debts if he could help a friend find a wife and her father was suddenly on the marriage bandwagon.
There had to be something wrong with the Earl. If he was her age, there had to be a reason he couldn’t find a wife. Maybe he was disfigured, or just plain ugly. Or he had a physical disability. There had to be something going on. There was certainly a catch to the money, and it wasn’t an arranged marriage to someone Eleanor had never met.
Something was going on here, and Eleanor didn’t like it. But from the look on her father’s face, he wasn’t about to be argued with. He was looking like the man Eleanor remembered before her mother died. Someone who put his foot down and expected to be obeyed. He had been a good man back then. This shadow of a man was starting to come back into his old self.
Eleanor wasn’t sure what to think about that.
“I don’t need a husband, Father.”
“Yes, you do and that’s the end of the matter.” Edward Heavenly pressed his fingers to his head. “Now, would you go, please? I’ve got a splitting headache and talking is making it worse.”
Eleanor knew she was being dismissed. And she didn’t want to go. She wanted to argue this out. But Eleanor could see that her father was in no fit state to talk. When the headache had faded, she would be back to give him an even bigger headache.
She left the room, making sure to slam the door behind her.
Chapter Nine
Simon’s barber worked his magic and the more hair he cut off, the more human Nathan began to feel. They had men on the battlefield who could cut hair and shave people, but after witnessing one of these servants slice the throat of an officer on orders from the French, Nathan backed off from that rapidly. It was a one-off, the young man having been bought by the French to infiltrate the British army, and the officer did live, but Nathan wasn’t about to take the chance again. Hence why he looked like he had been on an island with Robinson Crusoe.
Soon, Nathan found himself looking into the mirror and seeing a completely different face. He barely remembered what he looked like when he was properly groomed, and it didn’t look too bad. He could certainly walk through the streets and not worry that someone was going to give him a strange look. Soldiers were held in high regard, but the image of a soldier was someone who didn’t look like they had been living in the wilderness for months.
No need to burst their bubble.
“I must say, that’s looking much better.” Simon’s tone was approving as he paid for Nathan’s cut. “You look less like a wild man and more like a man of society now.”
“I wish I didn’t have to look like anyone in society at all.” Nathan grumbled. “I prefer the soldier title.”
“You’re going to have fun getting people to follow that. Noble titles come first.”
Nathan knew that, and he wasn’t looking forward to correcting everyone who spoke to him with his title of Lord Brixton. It sounded like it was for someone else. Captain Reynolds was his name, the captain part a title he had earned through his own blood and sweat. Lord Brixton was inherited, and it just told people what area of London he oversaw. Didn’t really make Nathan feel like anything special. Just a shell.
His soldier side made him feel like a man.
Nathan pressed some more money into the barber’s hand as he left, making the man’s eyes widen in shock.
“That’s a little extra for doing a good job.” Nathan rubbed at his jaw. “I’ll certainly be coming by here again.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
The barber was still looking at Nathan in a daze as Nathan left the shop with Simon. Simon passed N
athan his rifle, hoisting Nathan’s bag over his shoulder.
“Let’s get you home. You need a bath and some clean clothes.”
“Clean clothes, yes.” Nathan took a sniff at his collar and made a face. “Bath, definitely. Mother will have a fit if I go about the house like this.”
Simon laughed. “I didn’t think you really cared about that.”
“I don’t, but Mother will. I would rather get myself cleaned up than listen to her complaining.”
“Fair enough.” Simon gave him a sidelong grin. “It would be pleasant for me if I’m walking beside you.”
“Charming.”
It was going to be a while getting to his house, so they would need to grab a horse and carriage shortly. Nathan could walk for miles without complaint after years walking around the French countryside, but he was sure Simon wouldn’t be able to do the same. They reached the main road and Simon began to look up and down the road.
“Considering how busy it is, there should be a carriage around somewhere that we can use.”
“We can walk a little bit.”
“You may be all right with that, but I want to take the weight off my feet.”
Nathan rolled his eyes. “You know what your problem is, Simon? You’re too soft.”
Simon flashed him a grin. “I’m soft, and I’m proud of it.”
Nathan laughed. It was good to see his friend again. While he would rather be back in France doing what he was good at, the reprieve was becoming most welcome.
“Nathan?”
Nathan froze. He knew that voice. It was one he had hoped never to hear again. His heart sinking, Nathan turned to see the beautiful woman standing behind him. She looked older than before, but still just as beautiful. Her pale brown hair was twisted into a bun at the base of her neck, away from her smooth features. A little girl about seven was standing beside her, holding onto her hand as she looked up at Nathan with wide eyes. A maid hovered a little way back.
Most of the reprieve was welcome. This wasn’t. Nathan had been hoping not to encounter this woman while he was on leave. It had been a headache before, and it would be now since she knew he was back in London.
Nathan gave her a brisk nod.
“Lady Chapman.”
Lorraine Brooks - Chapman gave him a smile and shook her head.
“Oh, come now, Nathan. How long have we known each other?”
“Long enough to know you shouldn’t be so informal with me in public,” Nathan said sharply. He glanced at the little girl, who was still watching him curiously. “What are you doing here?”
“I was doing some shopping with my daughter.” Lorraine gave her daughter’s hand a little shake. “Emma, this is Nathan Reynolds, the Earl of Brixton. My daughter, Emma Chapman.”
“My Lord.” Emma bowed her head and bobbed a curtsy.
“Lady Emma.” Nathan gave her a slight bow. Being addressed in the way he disliked rankled, but he wasn’t about to scold a little girl over it. Not when she was well-mannered about it. He looked up at Lorraine, who was watching him with a piercing gaze. “Lady Chapman, I’ve got things to do. I don’t have much time to talk.”
“Reynolds.” Simon was at the curb, a horse and carriage stopped beside him. “I have a ride for us.”
Thank goodness for that. Nathan was looking forward to getting away. Lorraine frowned.
“Reynolds? Why does Lord Reading address you this way?”
“He addresses me correctly. It’s Captain Reynolds, and I go by that address.” Nathan bowed again at Emma. “Lady Emma. If you’ll excuse me? I have some business to attend to.”
“Are you back for good?”
Why did she have to sound so hopeful? Nathan frowned. “I don’t know yet.”
“All right.” Lorraine smiled, her eyes glinting as she looked him over. “Maybe we'll bump into each other again. I’m sure we’ve got a lot to talk about.”
Nathan didn’t respond. He simply got into the carriage, slamming the door shut as he rested his rifle in the corner of the carriage. He glared at Simon as the cab began to move.
“Did you know she was going to be here?”
Simon snorted. “No, of course not. You know I don’t care for her, either.”
That was true enough. Simon and Lorraine didn’t get on well, either. Lorraine thought Simon was the worst possible choice for a friend and had kept urging Nathan to find someone else to be his closest friend when they had first met years ago. Nathan had told her, not too politely, where she could go. He wasn’t pushing away his oldest friend because she wanted him to. That was another reason why Nathan would not even consider Lorraine for marriage.
The problem was, she was a widow now, and she was going to see this as her opportunity to get a man she always wanted.
Nathan was not looking forward to that.
“Eleanor?”
Eleanor looked up. Marion was coming across the garden towards her. Eleanor had come out into the garden and sat herself under the beautiful elm tree that had been growing there since she was a little girl. It was her favourite place when it was a beautiful day, a place where she could curl up in the shade or a patch of sun and relax. A place to think. A place to try and get her head around her father’s news. Eleanor had been churning it over in her mind for a while, and she didn’t know what to think anymore. Everything was just so mixed up.
Marion settled on the grass beside her, smoothing out her skirts.
“Parsons said you would be out here. Are you all right?”
“I…” Eleanor sighed. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
“What’s happened? I heard that Lord Edward Heavenly was drunk again.”
“He was. He went out last night.”
“I thought he was supposed to stay inside and not go out.”
“He found a way.” Eleanor began to tug the pins out of her hair. They were making her head throb. “He said that he had something for me. A marriage.”
Marion’s eyes widened. “A what?”
“He’s organized for me to marry an Earl. Apparently, a friend of said Earl heard about his debt problems and said he would wipe it all out if Father agreed to give me to the Earl for marriage.”
“He traded you?” Marion gasped.
“Pretty much.” Eleanor dropped the pins in her lap, her hair starting to fall out of place. “I don’t know how to think – I’m being treated like a piece of furniture - after Father said he would never do that to me.”
Edward Heavenly had promised he would always go with what his daughter wanted. While his insistence that she should marry had grown over recent months, he had never pushed her really, but now he had completely ignored her wishes.
“Maybe you should think of this as a good thing,” Marion said.
Eleanor stared at her. “Why do you say that?”
“You get a husband out of this. You won’t be considered a spinster anymore, someone on the shelf. You’ll be considered a Countess.”
There was that. But Eleanor still didn’t like how it had come about. She didn’t even know what the man she was meant to marry looked like. She tugged more pins out, all of them now in the blanket of her skirts.
“It means a lot of things once I’m married, though, Marion.” Eleanor ran her fingers through her hair and began to massage her scalp. “I’m going to have to follow proper duties. I won’t be able to work at the orphanage anymore. I’m sure the Earl won’t let me do that.”
“Oh, you will. You always manage to do whatever you want.”
“But that was when I had Father in charge of me. He understood.” Eleanor made a face. “My potential husband won’t understand.”
No man would and Eleanor would end up having to give up something she loved doing. Then the children wouldn’t have a champion. Eleanor wanted to be that champion.
“If he’s going to refuse you doing something charitable and gives you enjoyment, then he’s not worth it,” Marion said defiantly. “You can always say no to it.”
“But if I say no, Father’s debts won’t be wiped. The servants will lose their jobs, we’ll lose the house, and everyone will be homeless.”
That had been becoming more and more of a reality lately, and Eleanor was all too aware of it. She didn’t like it, and her father had shown no sign of trying to wipe out his debts by doing the right thing. They had virtually no money now, and she had no prospects. No one would take her without a dowry, and Eleanor had come to accept that. This sounded too good to be true.
