Page 70 of The Baron Takes a Bet
“Twelve thousand.”
Gavin blinked once. And then he blinked again.
“I beg your pardon?”
“It’s not anything I can’t handle. I just need the deed to Felton Manor, and then I’ll be able to start clean and fresh without this debt hanging over my head.”
“Yes, you’ll be able to start over with nothing,” Gavin said, suddenly irritated that he had granted him to stay at his Marylebone home. “How the devil have you managed a debt that large?”
“It wasn’t my fault,” Jasper said defensively. “I was sure to win. It was set up that way.”
Gavin’s brow creased.
“It was a marked game?” he asked, incredulously. “Jasper, I don’t have to tell you what cheaters are thought of in this world—”
“No. It wasn’t like that,” he said exasperatedly. “I was just trying to earn some coin, so that I might be able to get that stupid tree off our house. I’m a fair hand at faro, but none of thelads at Eton had the amount I needed. So, I went to try my luck with horses. Only I wasn’t so lucky.” He looked up. “I couldn’t tell Holly. She’d never let me hear the end of it.”
Gavin stared at him. He had been trying to help his family, but in the most foolish way possible. He shook his head.
“It’s commendable, wanting to help your family, Jasper. But gambling is never the way to go about it. And there’s never a sure thing.” The boy dropped his head. “Go to my house in Portman Square and don’t go out. I can fix this, I’m sure of it, but I’ll need a few days.”
Jasper nodded.
“Can you talk to her about letting me sell Felton Manor?”
“I thought you were going to sell it once you turned eighteen, regardless?”
Jasper shrugged.
“Yes, I would like to, but I know Holly and Katrina would never forgive me,” he said, but Gavin frowned, noting the tightness of the lad’s voice. “I just need to pay back my debts. As soon as possible.”
There seemed to be an urgency about him that made Gavin uncomfortable, and he lowered his voice.
“You’re not in trouble with the wrong people, are you?”
For a moment, it seemed like he might admit it, but then he shook his head nervously and smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Of course not,” he said, moving quickly around the room. “It’s sporting of you to lend me your residence, Bairnsdale. I shan’t forget it.”
With a quick nod, Jasper left the parlor. Gavin couldn’t help but suspect that his brother-in-law was in more trouble than any of them realized. He would need to discuss it will Holly just as soon as he discovered who Jasper was indebted to.
Chapter Fifteen
Gavin took Jasperto his apartments in Marylebone, on a street where each red brick terrace home looked identical to the next. It was far too modest a place for someone who had partnered with a bank, but it suited Gavin well enough. He wasn’t the sort to host parties, and he rarely had visitors, making the quiet home on Portman Square perfect for someone like Gavin.
As he watched the look on Jasper’s face, however, when the carriage stopped in front of the unassuming building, Gavin wondered what the youth was thinking.
They exited the vehicle and walked the white limestone walkway to the front door. An old butler with white hair and faded brown eyes answered, hunched over slightly. At the sight of Gavin, however, he tried to straight up.
“Lord Bairnsdale!”
“Hello, Everton,” Gavin said, handing over his hat to the butler. “This is Mr. Jasper Smyth. He’ll be staying here for a few months.”
Gavin looked over his shoulder at Jasper, inspecting the white chair rail that lined the narrow foyer. The wallpaper was a royal blue with a white filigree design, and for a moment he wondered if Holly would like his home.
“Very good sir,” Everton said. “Shall I ring for tea?”
“I don’t see why not,” Gavin said as he led the way to the large office on his right.
