A Deceptive Wager

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  A month later, Aaron stood in the drawing room of Mr. Stonewall’s townhouse as Mr. Stonewall and Miss Britcher stood in front of the vicar to unite their lives in marriage. He hadn’t paid attention to the words the vicar had said when he married Kitty, but he paid attention to the vows this time. They were actually quite nice.

  He glanced at Kitty who was smiling at the couple who were being united in holy matrimony. Then he looked at Miss Britcher’s sister who was standing with their adult nephew. Now, these two were easier to think of by their Christian names. Hattie was nothing at all like her sister. Hattie was friendly and talkative, and she had a way about her that made Aaron think of how a mother should be. He had joined Kitty one time when she went to read to Teddy, and he’d watched Hattie as she fussed over her nephew. She’d gone to great lengths to make sure he was comfortable. She’d pull the blanket up around his shoulders when he shifted in a way that made it fall down to his waist, and she’d made sure his tea wasn’t too hot.

  Kitty had displayed a similar tenderness, too. She’d spoken softly to him and kept looking at him to make sure he was interested in the story she was reading. Aaron couldn’t help but imagine the kind of mother Kitty would be. Based on watching her, he bet she would be a lot like Hattie. It was pointless to wish his own mother had been like that with him when he was a child. There was no going back and redoing the past. But he was going to give his children the kind of mother he’d never had, and that brought him comfort.

  Bringing his attention back to the wedding, he wrapped his hand around Kitty’s. Her gaze went to him, and he smiled. She returned his smile and squeezed his hand.

  His gaze went to the others in the room. Benjamin and Emilia stood to Kitty’s other side, and Roger and Lilly, who held Jackson, stood close to him. He took a good look at Jackson and was surprised by how fast the baby had grown. He recalled how small Jackson had been in his arms when he first held him.

  He was looking forward to having his own child. It was going to be wonderful to read his child stories like his father had done with him. A part of him couldn’t wait. He could already picture himself by the fireplace on a cold winter day while his child sat with him in a chair and listened to him read a story.

  “The wedding is over,” Kitty whispered.

  Not realizing he had spent so much time thinking of that future day, he forced his mind back to the present.

  She softly said, “You must find weddings boring. I think most gentlemen feel that way.”

  “No, it wasn’t that. I was just thinking of the child we’re going to have someday,” he admitted.

  “I’m looking forward to having a child, too.”

  “I love you, Kitty.”

  “I love you, too.” She glanced at the newly married couple. “I want to congratulate them. Want to join me?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll give them my congratulations before I leave.”

  “But that won’t be until after the wedding breakfast.”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  She sighed but playfully asked, “Will Michael and Gretchen always make you uncomfortable?”

  “Probably,” he replied.

  She squeezed his hand. “All right. I suppose it won’t get any easier for you.”

  “It won’t. I don’t care how long we live. I’ll never think of them as friends. They’ll always be chaperones.”

  She chuckled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “At least they aren’t still chaperoning us. I’ll return in a moment.”

  “It’s nice you came even though Michael and Gretchen make you nervous,” Roger said as she left his side.

  Unaware that Roger had been listening to him and Kitty, Aaron turned to his friend. “I’ve tried not to be that way around them, but they have this way of looking at me that makes me think of a stern master.” Without meaning to, he shuddered.

  Roger laughed. “At least Kitty doesn’t ask you to spend a lot of time with them. Once the breakfast is over, you can go home.”

  “Yes, I am grateful for that.” And, thankfully, Kitty didn’t ask him to join her every time she wanted to read to Teddy.

  “The important thing is that you’re not afraid of your wife,” his friend said. “Do you want to go to White’s this afternoon? I hear Mr. Robinson is trying to figure out another way to scare Lord Roderick.”

  Aaron rolled his eyes. “Why doesn’t he give up? He’ll never frighten Lord Roderick.”

  “I know, but it’s funny to watch him try. I’m sure one of these days, he’ll give up. In the meantime, a few gentlemen are making wagers on how many times he’ll have to lose before he gives up.”

  “Does Mr. Robinson know they’re making these wagers?”

  “No. Nor does Lord Edon. We figured it best not to tell Lord Edon. All he’ll do is tell Mr. Robinson, and that would spoil the fun.”

  Aaron studied his friend, and when he realized Roger was enjoying it, he shook his head. “I had no idea you had such a deceptive side to you. Imagine you having fun at someone else’s expense.”

  “I had plenty of fun at yours.”

  “What?”

  “After Kitty left your townhouse, we made a bet on whether or not she’d ever go back to you.”

  “You did what?”

  Aaron asked the question so loudly that everyone turned to look at them in surprise.

  Face warm, Aaron cleared his throat. “It’s nothing. Go back to your conversations.” He waited until they were no longer watching them before he whispered, “How could you have made such a ridiculous bet?”

  Roger shrugged. “It was easy money. I knew it was only a matter of time before she returned to you. Once you realized you had misjudged her, I knew you were going to show her the person I know. I turned out to be right. You earned me a nice sum of money.”

  “I have a feeling I don’t want to know who bet she’d never return.”

  “You probably don’t.”

  Aaron’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why? Were some of them gentlemen I like?”

  “You know how it is at White’s. Some gentlemen like to bet on an opposing side just for fun.”

  It was on the tip of Aaron’s tongue to demand his friend tell him who thought he’d ruined things so badly with Kitty that she never would have returned, but then, he decided he didn’t want to know.

  “I think there are far too many wagers at White’s,” Aaron finally said.

  “Probably, but I doubt anyone will stop making them. Besides, not all wagers are bad. You did get Kitty from the wager you made with her brother.”

  “Yes, that’s true.” When he thought back on it, that particular wager was the best thing that ever happened to him. “And I suppose not all scandals are bad. You got Lilly out of one.”

  Roger nodded. “I did. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. Looking back, I realize that only a lady who loved me as much as Lilly does would have given up her reputation for me.”

  “Considering how important reputations are, I can see that, though I am glad it didn’t take a scandal to get me my wife. I’d much rather let the ruined reputation go to Lord Halloway.”

  Roger chuckled. “He still won’t leave his townhouse.”

  “If I ever see him again, it’ll be too soon.”

  “Well, put all of that behind you. You have a good future ahead of you. It’s best to focus on the blessings.”

  Aaron had every intention of doing that. He glanced over at Kitty. She was laughing at something the newly married Mrs. Stonewall was telling her. Lilly, Emilia, and Hattie stood with them. Teddy, however, wasn’t paying attention to what anyone was doing. He had gone over to one of the windows and was busy watching what was happening outside. Benjamin and Mr. Stonewall were talking to the vicar.

  Aaron thought it was good that Teddy, Hattie, and Mrs. Stonewall would be living in much better conditions now that they would be under Mr. Stonewall’s care. He hadn’t realized Mrs. Stonewall had been living in such a hovel. By the way she dressed and co
nducted herself, he assumed her to be in a better financial situation than she was. He guessed she had to do that in order to acquire jobs chaperoning ladies in the noble class.

  Kitty and Lilly returned to him and Roger.

  “We’re ready for the wedding breakfast,” Kitty said.

  “The maid will watch Jackson while we eat,” Lilly told Roger.

  Aaron had wondered what Lilly and Roger were going to do with the baby. He didn’t remember what age he started eating in the dining room with his father, but he assumed a wedding breakfast was no place for a child.

  “Thank you for coming with me to Michael and Gretchen’s wedding,” Kitty told Aaron.

  Turning his attention back to her, he smiled. “It’s the least I can do after all the grief I put you through.”

  “It was all worth it,” she said in a playful tone as she slipped her arm around his. “I’d go through it all again to get to be where we are today.”

  “I think going through all of that once was enough.” He patted her arm. “I much prefer things the way they are now.”

  “I do, too,” Roger said.

  Surprised he should chime in, Aaron looked at his friend but saw that Roger was looking at Lilly.

  “Yes, it all worked out very well for everyone,” Aaron told Kitty before he escorted her to the wedding breakfast.

  ***

  June 1815

  Kitty held Emilia’s week-old girl. “You didn’t have to come over here,” Kitty told her friend. “I would have gone to your townhouse.”

  “I needed to get out of my townhouse,” Emilia said as she picked up the crumpet from the tray in front of her. “When Lilly came by for a visit, I begged her to bring us here. I’ve been cooped up in my bedchamber for the past four months. If it hadn’t been for you two and Benjamin spending so much time with me, I might have gone mad.”

  “We all worried about you,” Lilly told Emilia. She glanced at Jackson who was sitting on the floor in front of her. “It’s scary to have a problem occur while you’re expecting a child.”

  “Yes, it was good you stayed in bed like the doctor told you to,” Kitty agreed. “Not only are we glad you and Anna managed to get through everything fine, but poor Benjamin would have been lost without you.”

  “It was sweet how he fussed over me,” Emilia replied. “He didn’t let me out of his sight unless you two were with me. He wanted to be sure he could summon the doctor right away in case I needed him.”

  “When hasn’t Benjamin fussed over you?” Lilly asked with a giggle. “From the moment he thought you were in love with him, he’s been the most devoted gentleman I’ve ever seen.”

  Kitty laughed. “That’s true. And I thought it was sweet that he ran over to our townhouses to tell us you had Anna.”

  “Even though it was three in the morning?” Emilia asked.

  “We all worried about you and your child,” Kitty replied. “So yes, we were glad Benjamin woke us up.”

  Lilly nodded her agreement. “We all need to be there for our little ones. Our children will be good friends.” Her gaze went to Kitty. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine,” Kitty said, thinking of her own pregnancy. She had just made it to seven months, and she had no problems like Emilia did when Emilia got that far along. “Thankfully, everything is going smoothly for me.”

  “Good,” Emilia replied. “I don’t want either of you to go through what I did. But it was nice to have you two and Benjamin spend all those hours with me every day I was stuck in bed. I’m very fortunate to have people who care so much about me.”

  “We do care,” Lilly said. “Things wouldn’t be the same without you and Anna.”

  Kitty felt her child kick and brought her attention back to her expanding belly. Soon, she would be holding her own child. It was turning out to be far more exciting than she’d imagined. She was going to be able to hold and sing to her child, and she’d get to watch her child grow up with Jackson and Anna. If she had fully grasped how joyful motherhood was, she might not have desired to remain a spinster while her friends had been looking to get married.

  “It’ll be fun to see all our children grow up, won’t it?” Kitty asked her friends.

  “It will,” Lilly replied. “I’m so happy you ended up getting married so we could do this together.”

  “Yes, it is nice that we’ll be aunts to our children,” Emilia added. “I, for one, am looking forward to teaching the children how to ride a horse.”

  “And I can teach them how to be fashionable when they’re older,” Lilly said.

  Kitty wasn’t sure what contribution she could make. Then she thought of the many books Aaron had. “I can read them stories!”

  “They’ll love that,” Emilia said. “Michael keeps saying that Teddy asks when you’ll be by to read another story to him. Gretchen and Hattie enjoy it, too. You have a gift for reading.”

  Feeling better to know she had something she could contribute, Kitty grinned. “I love reading, especially since Aaron has so many interesting books to choose from. The hardest part is deciding which story to read next.”

  “Well, you’ll have plenty of them to read since we spend so much time together,” Lilly replied.

  The baby in her womb moved again, and Kitty could hardly contain her enthusiasm for the future ahead of her. She looked at the little girl in her arms in contentment. Anna’s eyes met her, and her smile widened.

  “I’m going to be your favorite aunt,” Kitty told the baby in a low voice.

  “What was that?” Lilly asked, narrowing her eyes at her.

  Unaware Lilly had heard her, Kitty said, “I was telling her we’re going to be her favorite aunts.”

  Lilly gave her a skeptical look, but Jackson called out to get her attention and held his arms out for her to pick him up.

  Kitty turned her gaze back to Anna and gave her a wink.

  “It’ll be our secret,” she whispered in the girl’s ear.

  The girl made a cooing sound, which Kitty decided was the girl’s agreement that she would make Kitty her favorite aunt. Kitty quietly giggled then continued talking to her friends.

  Epilogue

  Five years later

  Christmas Day

  “Papa, are there really enchanted beans?” four-year-old Selena asked.

  Aaron paused his reading of “The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean” so he could look over at his daughter who was sitting next to him. He smiled and tucked the warm blanket over her feet. Though they were sitting in front of the fire, he worried her toes might get cold if they weren’t wrapped up.

  He put his arm back around her shoulders and said, “No, there aren’t enchanted beans in real life. This is just a story.” Noting the disappointed look on her face, he added, “That’s why reading is so much fun. You’re not bound by anything. You can escape the drab and ordinary world and embark on any adventure you want. You can live many adventures during your lifetime through books.”

  “It would be fun to have an enchanted bean,” she said, her eyebrows furrowing in a way that reminded him so much of Kitty.

  “It might be fun for a time, but remember, up that beanstalk is a giant. This is a tale of warning. Sometimes we don’t know what we’re getting ourselves into with something that’s unfamiliar. It’s best to proceed with caution. That’s the value of stories. They pass on something we can learn. In the future, when you see a large beanstalk, you won’t go up to find out where it goes.”

  “But you said there are no enchanted beans.”

  He paused as he thought over her comment. “Yes, you are right. They don’t exist. The lesson is still important, though. If you’re not sure about something, you should ask your mother or me if it’s safe.”

  He turned his attention back to the book. “A lot of good stories are made up. Some, like this one, go back to oral tradition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Oral tradition is when a story is passed down through talking. A lot
of stories we have today started off with people speaking them instead of writing them. The problem with this is that stories change. We lose the original version. The best way to preserve a story is to write it down. Then someone else can’t come along and add something to it.”

  “Why do people change stories?”

  “I think most people try to stay to the version they heard, but sometimes when you’re telling a story, you forget little details or end up adding things that weren’t there before. It’s like when your mother tells you something and you come to me about it. You don’t tell me the exact same thing she told you. The other day you said your mother wanted us to go to Hyde Park later that day. It turns out your mother didn’t say she wanted to go there later that day. She just said she wanted us to go to Hyde Park. She hadn’t specified when she wanted to go. I didn’t realize the mistake until I went upstairs to see if she was ready for the walk.”

  Selena’s eyes grew wide. “Were you upset with me?”

  “No, of course not. You thought she meant she wanted to go to the park that very day. I know it’s not easy to remember exactly what someone says. That’s why I don’t think the people passing on the stories through oral tradition meant to change them.”

  She relaxed.

  Kitty came into the room with two-year-old Arthur in her arms. “He just got up from his nap.” She glanced at Selena. “Are you sure you’re not tired?”

  Selena shook her head. “I’m too old for naps.”

  Kitty gave her a pointed look. “Jackson and Anna are older than you, and they still take naps in the middle of the day.”

  “I’m not sleepy,” Selena insisted. “And I want to know what happens to Jack.”

  Kitty’s expression softened. “Well, no one can blame someone for wanting to find out what happens when they’re in the middle of a good story.”

  “Sit and enjoy this one with us,” Aaron encouraged. “The maid brought in a warm chocolate drink and some biscuits.”

  Kitty’s face lit up, and she gave him Arthur to hold while she hurried to get a chair to pull up next to his.