Wicked Wager (31 page)

His friend grinned. “You’re right.” He gave a faint bow. “We’ll do this for you simply because we’re such fine gentlemen, such noble knights.”

“Oh, thank you, sir!” Penny exclaimed. She looked at his companion. “Both of you.”

“We’ll be back shortly,” the first man responded. The two men doffed their hats to her, then went inside.

Penny returned to the hansom to wait. It wasn’t long before the gentlemen returned. “He’s there,” Fletcher responded. “Not particularly foxed, which is unusual for him.”

“Foxed?” Penny asked.

“Drunk. Lurched. In his cups. Your cousin has a reputation for it.”

Penny pretended to be horrified. “Oh, dear! And I thought his troubles were all ill-advised wagering.”

“Oh, he has a reputation for that, too. Heard he lost badly to Marcus Revington a while back. Must have been a substantial amount because Revington hasn’t been back at the cards since.”

“Who else have you seen my cousin gambling with?” Penny asked.

“Not really anyone,” Fletcher responded. “Thought maybe he was so badly dipped, he had to lay off for a while.”

“Is he with anyone?” Penny asked.

“No. All by himself,” said Fletcher.

The other man spoke: “If you want us to drag him out of there and help you get him home, we’d be happy to do so.”

“Oh, no thank you. That won’t be necessary. My aunt simply wanted to know where he was and make certain he was safe.”

“Your aunt must be a saint to be worried for the likes of him.” The gentleman bowed and smiled at her warmly. “Augustus Marsden, Earl of Grandsmere, at your service, miss.”

His companion also bowed, and then they were gone.

Penny considered her next move. She’d failed to discover anything about the mystery man. Nor did she have any sort of plan for getting out of marrying him. Perhaps she should return to her rented room and rest. She would need all her wits about her tonight.

****

From his vantage point in a rented coach across the street, Marcus focused his gaze on the door to James’s townhouse, waiting for his friend to leave. He’d sent Jeremy to the townhouse a short while ago, carrying a message to James that “Mr. Revington needed to see him right away at his home.” Soon Lily would be alone, and he would find a way to make her tell him Penny’s location. Then he would go to Penny and convince her to come back and marry him.

His hope faded as the familiar doubts crept in. What if he was wrong and Penny truly didn’t want to be his wife? What if what they’d shared meant nothing to her? She hadn’t wanted to marry him in the beginning, that was certain. Although he believed she’d come to care for him, he couldn’t know what she truly felt. After all, he didn’t even know
why
she’d been so against marrying him when they first met.

He’d assumed it was because she didn’t know him or like him, but maybe there were other reasons. Maybe she was allied with her cousin. The two of them might have been working together to get him to call off the wedding and give up Horngate. They might think that now he’d fallen in love with Penny, he wouldn’t force her to marry him. For that matter, what if Penny somehow knew of the wager he’d made with James?

The thought struck him like a blow to the belly. What if Penny knew and had deliberately tried to make him fall in love with her so he would lose the bet and have to set her free?

He’d barely begun to examine the disturbing idea when James left the townhouse. Marcus waited until his friend was well away, then climbed out of the rented coach and hurried to the door.

Vincent greeted him. “Good day, sir. I’m afraid you’ve just missed Mr. Ludingham.”

“What about Lily?” Marcus asked. “Is she here?”

When Vincent looked surprised, Marcus added, “I want to speak to her about Miss Montgomery.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll announce you to Miss Wilson.”

Lily entered drawing room. “Good day, Marcus.” She looked nervous.

“A pleasure as always. I suspect you know why I’m here.”

She nodded. “It’s about Penny, isn’t it?”

Marcus took a deep, steadying breath. “I don’t understand it. I truly felt we were becoming close. I even thought that perhaps…she might be growing fond of me. But now…” He sighed heavily. “She’s gone off without telling me where she is, and left a note implying things are over between us.”

Lily stared at him, clearly upset.

He approached her and took her hands in his. “You must tell me. Do I have any chance with Penny? Is there any possibility she’ll come back and agree to be my wife?”

“I-I…don’t know what to say.” A stricken look came over Lily’s face. She slipped her hands from his grasp and turned away. A short while later, she turned back, seemingly more composed. “She didn’t want to hurt you, but I think this is worse.” A determined look came over her face. “Very well, I’ll tell you. I don’t know for certain, but it seems unlikely Penny will come back and marry you.”

Marcus felt his heart sink. He swallowed hard. “Why not?”

Lily frowned. “I can’t tell you. But it-it doesn’t have anything to do with you. It’s more the circumstances.”

“Circumstances? What do you mean?” If Penny’s reasons for leaving had nothing to do with him, he could still have hope. All he had to do was find out what the barrier to their marriage was and alter those circumstances.

“It’s hard to explain.”

Marcus approached her and grabbed her arm. “Try. Try very hard.”

“You bastard! You never meant to meet me, did you?”

Marcus let go of Lily and turned to see James in the doorway. His mild-mannered friend looked so furious he was almost unrecognizable. James approached him, blue eyes flashing. “You came here to talk to Lily alone, thinking that if I wasn’t here you could harass her into telling you where Penny went!”

“I’m afraid that’s the size of it,” agreed Marcus. “What are you going to do about it? Call me out?”

Lily gasped, then approached James, her expression placating. “It’s all right, James. He hasn’t threatened me or hurt me. And you can’t blame him. He’s so distraught over Penny leaving.” She leaned over and whispered something in James’s ear. He gave her a startled look, then turned back to Marcus. Slowly, his expression changed from angry to pitying. Marcus’s sense of doom returned.

“So you know the truth, too,” said Marcus. “Everyone knows but me. It seems devilish unfair. Don’t you agree, James?”

James nodded. He looked at Lily. “I’m sorry, but I have to tell him.”

Lily looked alarmed. “I really don’t think you should.”

“No. I think it’s better he knows.” He met Marcus’s gaze steadily. “She found out about our wager, Marcus. She knows if you fall in love with her, you have to give her a choice in whether she marries you.”

She knows about the wager. And having guessed I am in love with her, she realized she was free. And so she left me.

“I’m sorry, Marcus,” said James. “I never intended for her to find out. But at least this way you were spared the…unpleasantness of asking her to marry you and having her turn you down. She was obviously trying to be kind.”

“Kind! You think this was kind! I’ve been going through hell the last few hours!”

“At least you know she’s all right. I know that was weighing upon you.”

This was all a nightmare. He could hardly grasp it. If anyone had told him this morning that Penny didn’t love him and didn’t want him in her life, he would never have believed it.

A sudden thought came to him. “How long has she known about the wager?”

“I’ve no idea,” answered James. He looked at Lily questioningly. “Lily?”

“A-a while, I’m afraid.”

Marcus released his breath slowly, feeling as if he’d taken a blow to the stomach.

Thinking back, it did seem to him her behavior had changed about the time of the bet. She’d purchased her provocative clothing from Madame Dubonet, then one thing led to another and they ended up making love.

“I’m sorry, Marcus,” James repeated. “I had no idea things would turn out this way. I thought as you fell in love with Penny, she’d fall in love with you.”

Marcus sought to regain his usual reserved, detached outlook. “I don’t need your pity, James. I made a mistake. I made a wager I couldn’t afford to lose. It’s not something I do a lot, and it won’t happen again. The thing is, Penny may be ‘off the hook’, so to speak, but Withersby isn’t. He still owes me, and I mean to collect in some way, even if it’s only by making him miserable the rest of his life.”

Thinking about Withersby’s scheming, Marcus felt the hot, bitter anger surge through him. He welcomed it. It was so much better than the misery he’d been feeling a moment before. “Indeed, I think I’ll go find him now.” He gave a slight bow to Lily, then started for the door.

“Wait!” she called.

Marcus turned around. “What is it?”

Lily’s eyes were pleading. “Perhaps it would be better if gave yourself time to cool off before you go out.”

“Don’t tell me you think Penny actually cares what happens to Withersby. I can’t believe she’s that foolish.”

“No. No…it isn’t that. It’s…” Lily glanced at James, as if looking to him for aid. “We-we don’t want you to do anything you’d regret. Do we, James?”

“Regret?” asked Marcus. “I doubt I’m going to regret anything I do to that wretched little weasel.”

“But you might. That is…” Lily looked at James again. “Tell him not to seek out Adrian, at least not right away. Please.”

James was frowning. “Well, I don’t see the harm in it.”

“What if he challenges him to a duel?” Lily demanded. “What if he’s killed?” She looked at Marcus. “Even if you win the duel and Adrian dies, you’ll end up losing. You know duels are illegal. You might end up having to leave the country. And if that happened, Penny would…”

“Penny would what?” Marcus demanded.

“I-I’m certain she would feel very bad about it.”

“Would she now? She doesn’t want me to be killed or forced to flee the country, but she wants no part of me otherwise. Is that about the size of it?”

“I-I suppose so,” said Lily, her voice quavering.

“Well, she has no say in the matter. I’ll do whatever I damn please.” Marcus stalked out of the room. As he swept past Vincent in the foyer and went out the door, he nursed his rage. Curse Adrian Withersby! And curse his devious little minx of a cousin!

****

Vauxhall Gardens was busy this night. Normally, Penny would have enjoyed the sight of elegantly dressed nobles strolling along the graveled walkways and the street vendors selling pastries, nuts, oranges and flowers. But tonight, her attention was focused on Adrian as she followed him through the crowds. He finally neared the rotunda where the orchestra was playing. When he halted, Penny did also, taking a position behind a cart selling meat-filled pies.

She waited, thinking that the mystery man would have to appear soon. Several times a well-dressed man seemed on the verge of approaching Adrian, but then moved past. As the performance ended and the crowd thinned, Adrian remained by himself, frowning and looking around in an irritated manner. The mystery man was obviously late.

As time went on, it looked to Penny as if he was very late. Perhaps he’d changed his mind. But what did that mean? The only way she’d find out was to talk to Adrian.

“About time!” Adrian exclaimed as she approached.

“Where’s my intended?” she asked in ironic tones.

“He isn’t coming.”

Penny took a step back. “What do you mean, he isn’t coming?”

“I mean, he couldn’t be bothered with this nonsense.”

“I told you, I’ll only meet him in a public place.”

“What are you afraid of, Penny?” Adrian asked, his expression sneering. “That I’ll drag you off and force you to marry some disreputable blackguard?”

“Frankly, yes.”

“Don’t worry. I promise you, the man who’ll soon be your husband is a decent enough fellow.”

“You may think so, but I’m allowed to have my own opinion.” Penny set her feet and faced him challengingly. “I’m willing to meet him only on my terms.”

“He lives quite a distance away. Are you certain you want to wait here while I take a hansom to fetch him?”

“What’s my alternative?”

“You could come with me. Or follow me, if that would make you feel better.”

Penny sighed. She didn’t want to stand there for hours by herself. “All right. We’ll hire two vehicles.”

“I don’t have that much blunt on me,” said Adrian. “Are you willing to pay?”

“Yes, I’ll pay.”

There were several hansoms waiting in the street outside the gardens. Penny followed Adrian to them. She gave him some money from her reticule, and he went to make the arrangements. While she waited, she wondered if she was being silly to worry he might drag her away and force her to wed this man.

Adrian returned, and they got into their separate vehicles and started off. Penny watched out the window. To her surprise, she realized they were headed to Mayfair, where the wealthiest of London resided.

A short while later, the hansom ahead of them halted. Penny’s driver did the same. Adrian got out and spoke to his driver, then strode to the door of a large, well-appointed townhouse. Penny felt puzzled. Adrian had told her the man he wanted her to marry needed money. If he were low on funds, how could he afford to live in a place like this? Then again, Marcus had told her the titled upper classes often didn’t pay their bills.

A butler answered the door and Adrian spoke to him. The butler appeared to nod, then disappeared into the house. Adrian came to the hansom where Penny was and opened the door. “He should be out in a few moments.” He climbed in the vehicle and sat beside Penny.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Come now, surely you don’t expect to have him meet you in the street.”

“I suppose not.” Penny turned to watch the house. When she glanced back at Adrian, she saw he had his handkerchief in one hand and a small bottle in the other. “What are you doing?” she asked. The next moment, she grew alarmed. But by then, Adrian had grabbed her and pressed the cloth against her mouth.

Chapter Twenty-One

Penny woke to find herself lying on narrow bed in a small drab room. Her wrists and ankles were bound with strips of cloth. Adrian sat in a chair across from her, watching her with a smug expression. “How does it feel now? To have your whole fate and future in someone else’s hands? To be helpless?”