Page 85 of His Duchess in Disguise
“Of course, Your Grace. I am in your debt.”
Leo’s stiff expression softened a little. “Think nothing of it. I am glad to see our brave men well mounted if it is possible to do it.”
Chapter 4
Sir Hoskins was waiting for Emma when she arrived at home. He was sitting in his study, swirling brandy about in a large snifter. “Making an early night of it, daughter?”
“I am not feeling well, Father. Something happened tonight, and I am more than a little distraught.”
“Could that something be that the Earl of Cleweme has asked for your hand in marriage?” her father smiled jovially.
“I have no idea. He approached Aunt Alicia, and she told him he must approach you.”
Gilbert Hoskins took a deep swallow of his brandy and made a face as the strong spirit went down. “He already has. I have been trying to recover our fortunes. Sadly, the horse lost, and I had bet my grandfather’s signet ring. I tried to recover it by challenging the winner to cards, but I lost.”
“What did you bet, Father?” Emma’s voice was low and intense, her eyes blazing.
“You, Emma. I bet your hand in marriage to the Earl of Cleweme.”
She looked at him in horror. “You bet me in a card game?”
“Emma, Emma, it is not that bad. The man is rich. He will cut me in on his business, and I can recover all my losses and put Calber back into trim.”
“Not that bad! Father! You bet me in a card game! To recover a ring, that you yourself know has been paste for this year or more.”
“It’s not like that, my girl. I’ve bartered you into having a future.”
“No. No, you haven’t. You’ve sold me like a slave, like a broodmare to a man with a bad reputation, a man who is rumored to poach on other men’s marriages when they are at war. Well, I won’t do it. I’m nineteen years old, and I do have some say in who I will or will not marry. You will simply have to find some other way to square your debts with the Earl.”
“Listen to me, girl. Where do you think the money I give you comes from? The money that you were supposed to use to buy yourself something to make yourself beautiful in the eyes of the world. Well, let me tell you, young lady, I won that money and I gave you half of it. And what do you do? You pay the butcher bill and the greengrocer. And here you are, in a borrowed gown, yes, I do know where you got it, and slippers that are showing where your dog gnawed on them.”
“Let me tellyou, Father, I have been paying the household bills so that we can manage to eat. You were out and about, dining at your club, but what were we to live on? Air?”
“And what else was it you bought, young woman? Paper and colors, I’ll be bound. And books. Why do you want to read books? I told your aunt that a girl doesn’t need to do more than sign her name to her marriage papers, but no. No, she insisted that you be educated. Well, no man wants to marry a bluestocking.”
“Education is not what is hurting my chances, Father. What is hurting my chances is being the daughter of a tyrant who has run his estates into the ground, gambled and plundered his way into ruin. Now you want to marry me off to a Bluebeard, a pirate . . .”
“Privateer,” her father corrected.
“A pirate,” Emma insisted, “who takes advantage of other men’s wives while they are serving king and country. No, I won’t do it. I won’t!”
The Baron of Calber then did something he had never done in all of Emma’s life. He lifted his hand and slapped her across the face. For a moment, father and daughter stared at each other.
“Go to your rooms!” he thundered. “Get out of my sight, you ungrateful little wretch. You stole my wife from me, and now you won’t even give back security for yourself and for my old age.”
Emma put her hand to her face, in utter disbelief and horror. Then she picked up her skirts and fled to her room.
Chapter 5
When Leo returned to his club, he found that sleep was an elusive beast, so he went downstairs and found a card game. He studied the cards now in his hand. He held an ace, but the rest of the hand consisted of a deuce and a pair of sixes. No matter what game you might be playing, it was scarcely a winning sequence. Still, it was a way to pass the time.
His partner, an older man who had been one of his father’s cronies, sighed and folded his hand. “I am done, gentlemen. I believe I am a trifle in my cups, and I am not so young as I once was. I shall go to my rooms and lie down.” So, saying, the fellow took up his cane and rambled off in the general direction of the stairs to the sleeping rooms above. A waiter hurried over and solicitously aided him up the steps, for he was decidedly tipsy.
A shadow loomed over the table, and the Earl of Cleweme placed a hand on the back of the vacant chair. “May I sit in? It would seem that Sir Dunnegan is somewhat indisposed.”
Keeping a close eye on the Earl, Leo gestured ascent. “If it pleases you. I daresay I’ll not be here much longer myself.”
“I understand. The hour does grow late, and the tables are few.” The Earl accepted the hand given to him by the stolid dealer.
