Page 23 of The Baron Takes a Bet
“Ink?” Gavin repeated somewhat confused and Mr. Jorden nodded. “Very well then,” he said, facing the Paynes once more. “Ah, what sort of trouble were you talking about?”
“Well, her father died when she was still very young,” Mrs. Payne said, reaching for a sugared teacake. “And didn’t leave much for the family to live on. Lady Eloise, Holly’s mother, was the daughter of an earl and though most believed her marrying landed gentry a step down, she was really quite pleased to live in the country. But she was a nervous sort of woman. Suffered greatly from anxiety.”
“Until she passed, seven years ago,” Mr. Payne said, stirring his tea. “That was unfortunate as well.”
“Yes, and then there was the… well…” Mrs. Payne stopped suddenly, peering at her husband. She swallowed, seemingly having spoken out of turn. “Well, nothing.”
Gavin wouldn’t normally have pressed the apparent hesitation, but he noticed something pass between the couple and was curious.
“What is it?”
“Well, Ducky and I were once engaged, if you can believe it,” Mr. Payne said, a small laugh escaping him as his gaze dropped. He squeezed his wife’s hand. “For a short time.”
Gavin stared at the thin man. He wasn’t sure why, but he suddenly had a bad taste in his mouth. He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his minty lemon confectionaries and unwrapped it, popping the sweet in between his teeth as he stared at Mr. Payne.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, although it was quite an uneventful period in our lives,” Mr. Payne said, reaching for a tiny cucumber sandwich. “My darling Charlotte here encouraged me to make Ducky an offer.”
Gavin frowned, looking at the man’s wife.
“Why was that, Mrs. Payne?”
“Well, Ducky needed some help and I thought it was a good idea. I thought my Mr. Payne would be able to support her.”
“Yes, and my Mrs. Payne was so desperate to help out our friend. So, I proposed and Ducky accepted, but she ended it several days later,” Mr. Payne said, looking at his wife. “She knew my heart would only ever belong to Charlotte.”
Mrs. Payne blushed as she gazed adoringly at her husband and Gavin had to stifle a groan. Good god, where in the world was he that people expressed themselves so loudly.
“Poor Ducky,” Mrs. Payne said, facing Gavin once more. “She never gets her fair shake, does she?”
“No, she doesn’t. Which is unfortunate. Such wit, gone to waste,” Mr. Payne said.
Gavin squinted at the man.
“Waste?”
“Well, her marriage to John wasn’t very effective. Now she’s a widow and likely won’t marry again until after her best years are behind her,” he said, leaning forward to pick up a teacake, which he dipped into his teacup before taking a bite. “It’s a shame, really.”
Gavin lifted one brow as he watched the man, annoyed that he had effectively denounced Holly’s entire life as a waste. Who did he think he was making such a proclamation?
“Poor dear,” Mrs. Payne said. “It really is a pity her marriage was so short. People in town are already saying it was a sham.”
“A sham? How so?”
“Well, everyone knew how close her and John were, but to marry a man on his deathbed? It smacks of desperation.”
Gavin’s irritation was growing. Holly wasnotdesperate. Her situation may be, but she as a person was not.
“But no one is surprised,” Mr. Payne chimed in again. “She is the unluckiest woman in Lincolnshire.”
“It’s true,” Mrs. Payne agreed. “Poor unlucky Ducky.”
It seemed the most either of these two could say was poor Ducky this and poor Ducky that. It was annoying. In fact, it wasmore than annoying, and Gavin had a distinct desire to rob them of the ability to say such things, to push their perspective of Holly in a different direction.
Before he knew what he was doing, Gavin leaned back in his chair and spoke.
“Well,poor Duckymight have applied to the baroness had she married my uncle,” he heard himself say, knowing he would eventually regret it, though, for his life, he couldn’t imagine when he might. “But I’m afraid that’s not what happened.”
