Page 17 of Five Nights with a Rakish Duke
“Thank you.” The Duke must have been looking through the deeds as there was a minute of silence, disturbed only by shuffling paperwork. “Let’s see…Sea Holly House and Stag’s Hillside. Small but ample enough estates.”
Penelope nearly fell away from the door. She reached out a hand and clutched onto the wall beside her instead, the world swaying beneath her feet.
“They are yours now,” Adam said, his voice quiet. “I have written to the staff we keep at the houses this morning to tell them of the transference of ownership.”
“Excellent,” the Duke said, evidently still shuffling the paperwork.
What? No! This cannot be happening.The thought repeated itself in Penelope’s head, but she wouldn’t wake up from the nightmare. Adam had gambled away the two estates that were to be hers when she married. He had wagered her inheritance and lost it.
“How are the farmers on the land?” the Duke asked, his mind clearly on business. “Successful?”
“Yes, though there are some queries from the tenants. Here,” Adam said, handing him something. “Letters from the stewards.”
“Thank you,” the Duke said. These words followed the scraping of chair legs on the floor. “I’ll bid you good day, My Lord.”
Penelope reared back from the door, uncertain what to do. She had lost everything that was to be hers, the only inheritance she was to get from her parents, all because Adam had gambled it away to the one man she had once kissed.
The door began to open. Fearful of discovery, she dashed to the side, being careful to move on her tiptoes. She rounded a nearby archway, keeping her body in the shadows as she peered back toward the study. In the open door, the Duke hesitated, before turning back to face Adam in the room.
“I am sorry this causes you pain, Larson. Treat it as a lesson. Do not gamble so much again.”
“Little good it does me now,” Adam’s voice was strong from within the room. The Duke turned away to leave. When he glanced about the hallway, apparently looking for someone, Penelope dove her head back behind the archway, hiding from him. After his footsteps had retreated down the corridor and out of the front door, she emerged from her hiding place, heading straight for the study.
Standing on the threshold, she looked into the study to find Adam sitting behind his desk, cradling his head in his hands and muttering under his breath. He didn’t notice her approach, not until she stepped into the room and the floorboards creaked beneath her. His head snapped up, and he reared back in the chair, his face turning pale.
“You heard, didn’t you?” Adam said quietly.
“You gambled my estates, Adam,” she whispered, aware how much her voice was shaking.
“They weren’t yours yet, Penelope.”
“That is immaterial!”
“I know,” he said hurriedly, steepling his hands together over his face. “I can only apologize –”
“Apologize? No, we must get them back,” she spoke with determination, striding further into the room.
“I tried, cousin.”
“Then let’s try more.”
“What can I do?” he said, lowering his hands sharply. “I wagered the estates, and I lost them. They now belong to the Duke of Kendall.”
Penelope was breathing heavily, staring at her cousin as though she were seeing him for the first time. The man that had cared for her so much since her father’s passing, practically being a brother to her, had a vice after all, and that vice had just lost her entire future.
“They were my dowry,” she whispered into the air, feeling angry tears prick her eyes. He seemed to notice those tears as he looked away, his body tense and fearful. “Your sister wants me to marry. She wants me out of the house. How am I supposed to marry now without my dowry?”
“You are always welcome here, you know that –”
“They were my estates, Adam. They were not yours to gamble!” she exclaimed, striding forward until she reached the desk and laid her hands on the desk. He looked up to her, his eyes wide and apologetic. “They were not yours to risk.”
“They were in my name, Penelope,” he said softly. “I am sorry, I truly am, but they were not yours yet. I’ll…” He paused and ruffled his hands through his hair. “I’ll think of a way to get them back.”
“Do you have any hope of getting them back?” she asked as the hot tears began to run down her cheeks. Each one was like a bead of fury, coming fast without her able to stop them. Adam didn’t answer her question, giving her the only reply she truly need.
“You have no hope.” She pushed away from the desk and walked across the study, wiping her hands hurriedly across her cheeks to dry her tears. She had to think of something. She could not let Adam’s mistake ruin her entire future. It hardly mattered if she was reluctant to marry at this moment; what mattered was the fact that her property had been gambled and lost to another man.
Penelope flicked her head back toward Adam, seeing him sitting back in the chair with his cravat loosened and his tailcoat in disarray. He looked tormented by his mistake, but at that moment, she couldn’t forgive him his error. It was too grave a mistake to make.
