Page 10 of A Private Wager
Her aunt only nodded, patting Lucy’s hand. But the dread filling that room was palpable as they both waited to learn Lucy’s unfortunate fate.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lady Pandora Osbourne raised her walking stick and tapped the silver handle against the door to one of the guest chambers. She didn’t need the thing, but as an aging society matron, the affectation of it gave her a bit of gravitas that certainly helped on occasion. Given the events of the day, that sort of gravitas was certainly called for.
“Enter!”
The barked order from inside had her raising her eyebrows. Nonetheless, she opened the door and swept into the room, her maid right behind her. Given the nature of the scandalous events that had transpired, even a direct order would not have kept Collins from that room.
“Harcourt, I will have an accounting from you,” she said.
The viscount looked up from the writing desk where he’d been seeing to correspondence and frowned. “Forgive me, Lady Pandora. I did not realize it was you.”
“You were expecting someone else?”
“No, I… Well, it’s been a trying day,” he said.
Pandora arched her eyebrow imperiously. “Yes, I’m sure. Ruining young ladies of quality before luncheon is even served must be utterly exhausting.”
“My intentions are honorable,” he protested. “Even now, I am writing to Mr. Dawes to inform him of my intent to seek her hand.”
Pandora was not entirely convinced of his honorable intentions. “And your wager with your cousin? Was that honorable, Viscount Harcourt? I have half a mind to try my hand at finding Miss Dawes another match!”
He looked at her in confusion. “You say that as if you were responsible for throwing us together to start!”
Pandora’s smirk faded. “Well, I was certainly responsible for having both of you invited here, wasn’t I? I will have an answer from you. Was all this engineered so that you might win this awful wager with your cousin? Will Miss Dawes be hurt by it any more than she already has?”
“No,” he agreed quickly. “Hurting Miss Dawes has never been my intent, even with the wager. The wager was a terrible mistake, fueled by an unfortunate encounter with Mr. Osgoode’s private stock of dosed brandy. Had I known it was laden with absinthe, I would never have partaken of it, and this dreadful wager would never have occurred.”
Pandora considered that briefly then gave a curt nod. “When you entered the billiard room that night, my lord, was the brandy already present? Had your cousin already produced it?”
His features hardened, firming into an expression of complete fury. “I’m well aware that my cousin has engineered all of this. I am also aware that his attack on Miss Dawes, for it could be called nothing less, was only committed because hefeared that she would accept my suit. That wager painted a target on her, and I will never forgive myself for that.”
“The real question, my lord, is whether or not she will forgive you. But I will speak to her. It is to her benefit to accept your suit, and I will be certain that she is aware of the consequences of letting her pride dictate her actions. She will be awaiting you in the library at the top of the hour.”
“Whatever you can do to sway her to reason, I will be grateful for. This has naught to do with the wager and everything to do with making this situation right. I cannot allow her to be harmed by my cousin’s actions…or my own.”
Satisfied with his explanation and with his intent, Pandora nodded. “Very well. I shall expect to see your betrothal announced at dinner. You have a very short amount of time to make things right with her. After all, your cousin is still not to be trusted. She will not be safe from him until you are wed.” With that parting warning, Pandora turned and left.
***
War watched Lady Osbourne depart, her silent but watchful maid following behind her. He was well aware that Miss Dawes would not be safe from Barton until they were married. If she accepted his offer, he intended for them to be married by common license by the end of the week. A special license would be better, always, in terms of how society viewed a hasty marriage. But under the circumstances, expedience was more important than social cache.
Completing the letter to her father, he dusted it with sand to set the ink before folding it and placing it in his pocket. A glance at the clock showed that he would need to hurry to reach the library on time. If Miss Dawes agreed, and he had to hope that she would, he would ask her to read it before sending it. After all, she was certainly entitled to be privy to whatever it contained.
Exiting his chamber, he made his way to the main level of the house and the library where he was to meet Miss Dawes. When he knocked upon the door, it was not Miss Dawes who answered but her aunt. She immediately turned her nose up, sniffed haughtily and then walked away. But she left the door open, so he knew that she expected him to enter. As he did so, he caught sight of Miss Dawes seated on a rather hard-looking chair before the window.
“Miss Dawes, if you’d permit me, I’d like to have a word about the events that transpired this morning,” he said.
“Do your words involve a proposal of marriage?” The question had not come from Miss Dawes but from her aunt, Mrs. Wilson.
“As a matter of fact, Mrs. Wilson, they do. Perhaps you might give us a moment’s privacy? You could step into the corridor but leave the door open… Under the circumstances, it can hardly make matters worse,” he said.
Mrs. Wilson looked toward her niece. Miss Dawes didn’t speak, simply gave a curt nod. Mrs. Wilson promptly turned on her heel and left, but the door remained open in her wake. There was little doubt that she hovered very close to it.
“Miss Dawes—”
She held up her hand. “You have a question to ask me, my lord. And I am in such an untenable situation that there is only one answer I can give you. Nothing else is of significance.”
