Page 7 of The Duke's Gamble
“Ah.” Samuel cleared his throat, a little abashed. “It matters not for I know what I shall do.” His head lifted as a spark flashed in his chest, determined now. “I shall show generosity. I shall declare that this manor house is still my own, but that I have every intention of allowing Lady Haddington and her daughters to remain here for ashortwhile until further arrangements can be made. Some of them must be old enough to wed, surely?” A small smile nudged his lips, feeling himself proud now of the decision he had made. “Another three months perhaps, and I shall be able to reside here. The eldest daughters will marry and Lady Headington can remove to the Dower House, whether her son has married or not.”
The delight Samuel felt at such consideration quickly faded as an obvious heaviness settled on his friend’s shoulders. He frowned but Lord Crawley merely sighed and shrugged.
“I do not think you can be certain that Lady Haddington and her daughters will see this as a generous gesture at all, old chap.”
Gritting his teeth, Samuel threw up his hands. “Then what am I to do?” Seeing his friend open his mouth, he leaned closer. “Asidefrom stating that I will not claim the house, which is what I know you wish to say.”
Lord Crawley’s shoulders rounded all the more. “My friend, there is no doubt in my mind that the house at present will be in uproar. For you not only to enter but also to give them only a few months residence, as well as to state that the eldest daughters must marry within that time, will only cause more trouble. Yes, Lord Haddington is the one at fault, but I do not think that you will be looked upon favourably either.”
“I do not care.” Frustrated now to the point of anger, Samuel began to climb the steps. “As you have said, Lord Haddington is at fault, not I. I had not expected Lady Haddington and her daughters still to reside in the house, which I shall explain to them.”
“Why ever did I agree to come here?
Ignoring his friend’s muttered utterance, Samuel took in a long breath and then stepped through the now-open front door, handing his hat and gloves to the waiting butler.
“The hallway is excellent.” Samuel cast a quick glance around, taking in the grand staircases on either side, the marble bust in the centre. “Bright, certainly, though I shall not claim it to be as fine as my own. How fine a house it is for me to tell others that I now possess! Will they not think all the better of me now because I owntwobeautiful, magnificent manor houses? Yes, I shall not go as far as to say that it is just as fine as my own but it is certainly anexcellenthouse.”
“I think you—”
“What is it that you think you are doing here?”
Samuel’s attention was suddenly caught by the presence of a young lady who was quickly descending the stairs, her skirts lifted slightly with both hands, so that she should hurry down towards them without difficulty. He took her in though he did not bow as his friend did, a slight narrowing of his eyes seeking to ascertain who this was who now spoke to them.
“I presume, my lady, that you are one of Lord Haddington’s sisters?” he asked, as Lord Crawley lifted his head from his bow, murmuring a brief introduction as he did so.
“I am.” The young lady clasped her hands in front of her, her shoulders rising slightly. Dark brown hair was pulled back from her face into a simple chignon and her piercing green eyes were narrowed solely in Samuel’s direction. She made no attempts to introduce herself.
I must do what I can to soften the blow. Else, as Lord Crawley states, I will make things a little more difficult.
He cleared his throat, taking a small step closer before dropping into a short bow. “This is most untoward, I know, but might you be willing to introduce yourself to me?”
“Given that you are a stranger who has just entered my mother’s house, I hardly think it appropriate that I should do so,” came the swift reply. “My mother has not the strength at present to come and greet you. Today is, after all, the anniversary of my late father’s passing.”
At this, Samuel closed his eyes, a sweeping heat coming to the very top of his head. Not only was it that Lady Haddington and her daughters were residing in the very house that he sought to claim ownership of, it was also now clear that they had chosen the very worst of days to arrive. “I see. I must offer you my sympathies.” He coughed slightly, searching for words. “Alas, this is a difficult circumstance.”
Lord Crawley shot a glance towards Samuel as he spoke but Samuel ignored it, keeping his attention to the young lady.
“I was unaware of the day and its significance,” he continued, keeping his voice as quiet and as steady as he could. “It may be that your brother has not informed you of the situation which, in itself will be—”
“We have onlyjustreceived his letter.” The young lady lifted her chin. “My mother is in a great deal of distress and I have come to beg of you to reconsider.”
Samuel blinked in surprise, rather taken aback by the lady’s forthrightness. Despite her hopes, he was not a man inclined towards changing his mind, no matter the circumstances. The young lady might beg, but he would not be moved. Her attempt to regain her family home and her brother’s honour would ultimately be futile for this house was now in his possession, whether she wished to accept that truth or not. “It cannot be so, for I am afraid, young lady, that your brother is solely responsible for the loss of this house.”
“I have read his letter and well understand that.”
“Good.” Samuel lifted his chin a notch. “Thenheis the foolish one in all of this and it is upon him that you ought to lay your frustrations.”
“And I am certain that we shall, when we next find him,” came the quiet reply. “But it is also within your capabilities to do such a thing as this; to free us from this devastating circumstance. My mother, as I have just stated, is very distressed indeed. She did not know of this. None of us did.” Spreading her hands, she took a small step closer, her green eyes a little wider now as she searched Samuel’s face. “Might I beg of you to show us a little consideration? Imagine if this was your own mother and your own sisters. What should you do then?”
This had no impact upon Samuel whatsoever and he snorted lightly, shaking his head. “I do not think I should ever beso foolish as to behave as your brother has done,” he stated, studiously ignoring the way that Lord Crawley took a step closer to him, his eyes a little wide in clear disagreement with the path that Samuel had chosen to take.
“That is hardly the point.” The young lady took a step closer to Samuel and he caught a gentle scent of roses in the air. “My brother might well have made foolish decisions and behaved with great impropriety, lacking consideration for his own family. All of these things I will admit to you. However, I must beg you to forget his thoughtlessness in light of the situation you see here. Can you not understand that it is his family that will suffer? Perhaps you were unaware of our presence here when you accepted the bet from my brother, but you know of us now, then does your heart not trouble you as regards our predicament? Surely that in itself will be enough to bring about a change of heart. I am certain that you have your own estate, do you not?”
Samuel drew himself up. “Whether I do or not is besides the point. Your brother has lost a bet and—”
“And you are unwilling to give up your winnings, even though you can see the distress it will cause the great many of us?”
The young lady’s green eyes flashed and Samuel’s stomach twisted. That was the truth of it, he realised. Yes, he might continue on as he was at present, taking ownership and becoming both lord and master over this particular house, but in doing so, he would cause Lady Haddington and her daughters a great deal of distress—distress that might be so severe that it would last for many a year, or even bring Lady Haddington’s head down to the grave. Disliking the thoughts which now pervaded his mind, Samuel turned his gaze away from the lady’s sharp green eyes. “Does this not beg the question as towhythe good Lord Haddington was gambling in the first place? Oughthe not to have been at home with his mother and sisters? His mourning period will only just be coming to an end, will it not?”
