Page 6 of The Duke's Gamble
It was not the old man who contradicted Samuel this time, however. Lord Crawley, his brow furrowed, gestured to him. “Come now, Dartmoor,” he said, slowly. “You know that a lady of thetonwould not consider retiring to a Dower house until her son is wed and a new mistress arrives to take over the house. Before then, she has every right to remain in her home, particularly if there are daughters or other sons still present also.” Wincing at the furious glare Samuel sent in his direction, Lord Crawley spread out his hands wide. “I speak only what I know, Dartmoor,” he finished, clearly trying to speak as calmly as possible and not fuel Samuel’s obvious upset and anger. “Lord Haddington was not as transparent with you as he ought to have been.”
Samuel squeezed his eyes closed; his face screwed up tight as he groaned. Opening them, he saw how the man holding the horses now looked at him curiously, no trace of the deference that had been in his expression only a few minutes ago. Trying to find the words to berate the fellow, Samuel let his gaze travel up towards the front door of the house once more, his chesttight and all hint of pleasure and happiness gone. There was, it seemed, company already waiting for them. Did they know of what Lord Haddington had done? Samuel’s stomach tightened.
“Surely you will not seek to force Lady Haddington from the home she has lived in for decades alongside her husband?”
A dart of anger pierced Samuel’s heart as he looked at his friend. “What else would you have me do? I have ownership of this manor house!”
“And yet, you do not need it,” his friend said, much too gently and considerately for Samuel’s liking. “You have an estate all of your own already, with a vast fortune and far too many horses. Why should you want more?”
Samuel did not answer. His friend already knew the reason. Samuel’s late father had enjoyed a disgraceful reputation and, in his latter years, spending far too much of the family fortune—and Samuel had been mortified by the shame brought to the family name. Now that he bore the title, his only enjoyment in life was to garner as much as he could for himself and thereby make it quite clear to thetonthat he had brought himself back up to a higher standing than his father had ever claimed.
Thetondid not appear to care for this determination, however, for they called him various things under their breath. He had already heard the whispers and the rumours about him. He had been called selfish, arrogant, prideful… various words which had burned hard in his chest but which he had refused to permit enter his heart. Society considered him grasping and even deceitful, for he had acquired what he wanted through various means, not all of them proper or correct. But Samuel did not care. All he desired was to make himself the richest, most admired gentleman in all of London—and, if possible, all of England—while salvaging his family’s reputation. Gaining this manor house was but one way to achieve that.
Though not if there are those still living in it.
Grimacing and, at the same time, ignoring his friend’s question, Samuel gestured to the old man. “How many daughters does Lady Haddington have?” He heard his voice was tight and strained, his eyes narrowed as he glared at the older man, as though he were personally responsible for this situation.
“She has three, my lord,” came the reply, as the man turned to now pull the horses away. “I will make sure your horses are—”
“Are any of them out?” Lord Crawley interrupted, holding out one hand to prevent the fellow from walking away. “Are any of them due to be wed?”
The old man glanced back and then shook his head. “None, my lord,” he replied, gesturing to the manor house. “They are all still here.”
Samuel, his eyes still narrowed and his shoulders lifting like hackles, threw out both hands as though the small, old man could help him. “This is deeply upsetting. Whatever am I meant to do?”
The man did not so much as pause in his steps. Instead, he continued on, leading the horses away until, finally, Samuel and Lord Crawley stood in silence, staring after him.
“How dare he do such a thing?” The words were sharp and staccato, hurled towards the house as though it itself were the enemy. “This isminenow.”
“That may be so but you must be… ”
“Do not tell me what I must do!” Hearing the anger in his voice, Samuel threw a look to his friend who, after a moment, shrugged and looked away. Closing his eyes again for a moment, Samuel let out a slow breath, trying to calm himself just a little. He ought not to have grown angry with his friend, ought not to have spoken over him. Shaking his head, he gestured with one hand towards Lord Crawley. “Forgive me. What were you about to say?”
His friend gestured to the house. “I was going to say that you must be gentle and considerate with those who still reside in the house,” he said, letting his hand fall back to his side. “To my mind, this entire situation is a difficult one and I would encourage you to step back from it.”
That suggestion made Samuel rebel instantly. “It is notIwho has been unwise but Lord Haddington who has been foolish!Hewas the one who lost this house, knowing full well that his mother and sisters still reside here.” Determination and anger mingled as he looked again to the house. “They shall simply have to remove elsewhere.”
“Would that you might be more generous and considerate.”
Samuel did not so much as glance at his friend.
“However, it may be that they have nowhere else to go,” Lord Crawley continued, his voice a little louder now, perhaps angry that Samuel had ignored him. “Might I suggest that insisting on taking possession of the house immediately could make the ton all the more disinclined towards you? Might have society reject you?”
Samuel frowned.
“You must be cautious,” Lord Crawley continued, quickly. “If there are three daughters as has just been stated—as well as Lord Haddington’s own mother, then you are about to enter a house where four ladies shall all be greatly perturbed at your arrival. Their own reputations will already be damaged because of what Lord Haddington has done, and I suspect they will feel a great deal of distress.”
At this, Samuel closed his eyes and let out a furious harrumph. “This is not atallwhat I expected,” he complained, his hands going to his waist. “I wanted to come here, walk through my house and marvel in its glory, for despite the fact I have a very grand estate, this one is also quite superb.”
“You are the Duke of Dartmoor,” his friend reminded him, signing a little as though Samuel was irritating him in some way. “You have an excellent situation already. Truth be told, I do not know why you cannot simply be generous and state that Lord Haddington cankeephis manor house and instead, pay you back in coin when he is able.”
Samuel threw up his hands. “Because he might never be able!” he exclaimed, as though his friend were being quite foolish on purpose. “And I am a gentleman of determination, Iwilltake what is mine. That is the way of things.” He nodded firmly but inwardly felt himself concerned.I know I cannot simply walk into this house and declare it my own, not when Lady Haddington and her daughters are still living here.Shaking his head to himself, Samuel cleared his throat, put his hands behind his back, and waited for his friend to look at him. “I can see that you are a little frustrated with me.”
“I am concerned.”
“I see that and I appreciate it.”
“Forthem.” Lord Crawley rolled his eyes. “Not for you.”
