The Wicked Wager (20 page)

Lord Raikes frowned at the tapping finger.
The man was sweating, he noted. His reasons for sharing a grand business
opportunity with him just because he would be a part of the duke’s family soon
sounded unconvincing.

Mr Barker was not the duke’s family, and
even if he had been, he doubted the man felt any familial duties. He ignored
his daughter and his wife and barely spoke to Emma. He kept his face
expressionless as he nodded politely.

Mr Barker took this as an encouraging sign;
his fingers drummed faster as he said,

“There is a gold mine in central Africa. We
need finances to send experts to find the area and buy it off the current
owner. You can imagine the returns on such an expedition.”

“Why doesn’t the current owner sell the
gold himself? Why do you need experts to find the area? Is it lost?”

Mr Barker looked annoyed, and his fingers
stilled. Lord Raikes heaved a silent sigh of relief as he waited for the reply.

“We know of it. I heard from a retired
colonel of impeccable reputation that one such mine exists. Due to unfortunate
circumstances a number of workers died in the blast the last time it was worked
on. The locals believe it to be cursed; hence, they have neglected it and
choose not to speak of it. I am sure the owner will be willing to sell it at a
reasonable price.”

Lord Raikes frowned. He did not believe for
one moment the duke would indulge in speculation. It was too risky, and too
many peoples livelihood depended on him.

This gold mine sounded vague, and he had the
feeling Mr Barker was lying when he said the duke was willing to invest in any
such venture. Still, he could not outright deny any interest, and politeness
bid him to hear the man out.

“Africa is a dangerous country with an
alien terrain. It would be hard to coerce the locals to speak to you, even if
you do manage to communicate with them. The country is vast with a variety of
languages, and finding a translator would be a task in itself.” He continued in
a kinder tone, “What about the other venture?”

Mr Barker brightened visibly as he spoke,

“I have a crew ready to go across to India
and bring back a ship filled with exotic spices and silks.”

“The risks seem high, do they not? I know
the returns are good as I know of people who returned with enough wealth to
live comfortably for years. But how will they reach their destination, with
pirates plaguing the waters? An inexperienced crew would never be able to
handle such a long and dangerous journey, even if they do manage to stay afloat
through ocean storms.”

“But the crew is experienced, My Lord. Why,
they have made the trip five times in the last five years and have always been
successful.”

He frowned at the reply, disliking the man
for outright lying to him. He spoke coldly now,

“If, as you say, they have travelled to
India and been successful five times, then they must have amassed enough
treasure to have no need for financial assistance. Why then are they asking for
money?”

“You know how expensive England is getting,
and these men only know sails and spars. They have squandered their money, and
unlike us, they have no business head,” Mr Barker replied comfortably.

“I find it hard to believe that in one year
they spent an entire fortune that a ship filled with Indian spices brings. Why,
it is as coveted as gems and jewels, and the earnings would have kept each crew
member in comfort for a long time. I fear you have been deceived, Mr Barker,
and I have my doubts if the duke would invest in such a scheme. I implore you
to stay away from such speculations. They are risky and the returns rare.”

Mr Barker clenched his hands around the
glass, and Lord Raikes hesitated momentarily. Yet the man had lied to him, and
his conscience did not allow him to extend his assistance.

If Mr Barker had conducted himself well and
treated his wife and daughter as a man should, then he would have, without a
question, offered some financial aid to the man. But he had his doubts about
what Mr Barker would do even if he did give him the money. The man was foolish,
and he would probably throw the entire sum away in some ridiculous venture or a
gambling hall.

He tossed his drink down and politely
excused himself to join the woman in the other room.

Catherine spent the entire evening cleverly
avoiding him. She sat talking to Lady Babbage until the older lady decided to
retire for the night. She decided to follow her aunt’s example and quickly made
her excuses and departed for bed.

Lord Raikes lost interest in the company
soon after her departure, and seeing his downcast mood, the others too became
bored and turned in for the night.

***

It was cold and muddy the next day.
Catherine happily refused to accompany Emma on her walk.

Prudence still looked unwell, and finally
it was just Lord Raikes, Emma, and Lady Babbage, who chose to take a stroll in
the garden.

The earl watched Lady Babbage and Emma
approach with Lord Raikes in tow. He quickly sat up so that the party had a
clear view of him with his shears. They would not have a chance of a whispered
conversation, as Lady Babbage seemed to be glued to Emma’s side today. He
nodded to them as they passed by.

His eyes followed Emma’s departing back,
but it was Lady Babbage who grabbed his attention by halting a few feet in
front of him. He forced himself to focus on the old lady instead of Emma’s
appealing behind.

Lady Babbage was rummaging around in her
sewing basket. She waited until Lord Raikes and Emma had walked a few feet away
from where she stood, before turning her head and giving the earl a piercing
look. Satisfied that he was watching her intently, she dropped a piece of paper
on the ground. She glanced back at him to ensure he had seen the paper. She
surreptitiously inclined her head towards it, and then walked briskly to catch
up with Emma.

She had just made his job easier by seeking
him out it seemed. He got up as soon as the party turned the corner and
snatched up the paper.

A single line was scrawled on it in an
untidy, cramped script,

Weeping
Willow Pond, Eight P.M

The earl frowned and crumpled the note in
his fist. He had wanted to find out what she required of him, but now that he
had the chance he hesitated. Did he really want to enmesh himself in such a
tangle? He already had his work cut out; did he truly wish to go courting
something far more dangerous?

It was just the matter of speaking to the
woman. He would listen to her, and he may be able to warn the duke of some
impending danger.

He did not have to heed her wishes, since she
had no great hold over him. The worse she could do was to inform the duke and
his best friend. That was not a drastic situation. Besides, his curiosity was
too great for him to let go of such an opportunity.

Lord Raikes and Emma walked quickly, trying
to outpace their chaperone. Lady Babbage strode just as fast, looking not the
least bit out of breath.

They eyed the old woman irritably,
increasing their speed. Their race was halted when they crossed the orangery.

“Isn’t that the duchess?” Lord Raikes
inquired, staring at a figure standing in the distance.

“I wonder what she is doing here? She seems
to speaking be to a man. Who is he do you think?” Emma asked.

“Perhaps a worker? She must deal with any
number of people on the estate,” he mused.

“No, she does not. Catherine is the one in
charge, since her grace is normally indisposed,” Lady Babbage remarked blandly.

“She seems to giving him something. I
cannot see what it is … looks like a package of some sort,” Emma said, shading
her eyes to see against the glare of the sun.

“The duke may have requested her
assistance. Catherine may have been busy,” he replied, unconcerned.

“I suppose so.”

“Come, let us turn back,” Lady Babbage
said, pulling Emma’s arm.

 With a last look at the duchess she complied,
and they turned back to the house.

***

Emma returned to her room to change out of
her muddy clothes. The entire beastly walk had been a waste of time.

Lady Babbage had not left her alone for
even a minute, which had made it difficult for them to have a meaningful
conversation.

Lord Raikes quickly changed with the help
of his valet. He decided to go the morning room hoping to run into Catherine.
He hated the way she had been avoiding him since he had kissed her.

He strode towards the room and opened the
door to find the duchess and Lady Babbage having a heated argument.

“I am warning you …”the duchess snapped,
before she registered Lord Raikes’ presence.

Lady Babbage pushed her chair back and
walked out without a word of greeting. He stared at the duchess in surprise,
which quickly turned into alarm. Her face was almost white, and she was shaking
with suppressed rage.

He rushed towards a pitcher on the side
table and poured a glass of lemonade. He handed it to her and then knelt down
to hold her hand, “Drink some, it will help.”

She complied. Her trembling stopped, but
her colour did not improve. He worriedly soothed her, all the while wondering
if he should run for the duke, when the door opened, and Catherine walked in.

She took in the scene of Lord Raikes
stroking the beautiful duchess’s hand and jumped to the wrong conclusion. Her
face flushed in anger and embarrassment. Her prejudiced mind barely registered
her stepmother’s pallor, her eyes full of accusations.

Lord Raikes guessed her thoughts and
sighed. He spoke irritably,

“Your mother is ill. Perhaps you can help
her?”

Catherine looked back at her stepmother and
noticed how pale she truly was. Contrite and concerned, she rushed to her side.
Kneeling beside Lord Raikes, she asked, “What is it?”

“Nothing, it will pass. Don’t worry, just
call for some coffee. That should revive me.” Her voice sounded stronger.

The coffee was called for, and she took her
place next to her stepmother.

“Did you argue with aunt?” Catherine
inquired.

“How did you know?”

“I saw her face outside in the hallway. I
tried to speak to her, but she brushed me aside.”

“We just had a small disagreement,” the
duchess replied weakly.

“Mother, you have never liked her. Why
don’t you say something to the duke?”

The duchess looked at her in surprise, “We
had tried to keep it between ourselves. How did you guess?”

“You avoid her, and every time I walk into
the room and the two of you are alone, I can feel the tension. You have lived
with her for years yet never developed a bond. I know she is difficult, but I
still wonder why you never hinted your concerns to the duke?”

“We are both adults and can solve our own
problems. You cannot get along with everyone, and living under the same roof is
bound to bring out some differences. Besides, I did not think it was my place
to request the duke to move her some place else. It is his decision as to who
is a suitable chaperone for you. Even if I do not agree, I cannot do anything
about it. She is, after all, my sister-in-law.”

Catherine stayed silent, pondering her
words.

“Are you happy with her being your
chaperone?” Lord Raikes asked, turning to look at Catherine.

“I did not mind her a few years ago. She
was kind, yet over the years she has changed. She cares about me, but she
refuses to venture out further than this house. She is barely civil to the
young ladies in the village who I grew up with. She refuses to acknowledge
anyone who is not high born. My friends are respectable, and they feel insulted
by her barely veiled disdain. She has succeeded in alienating me from everyone,
and I wish I could have some other chaperone for a change.”

He was surprised by the vehemence in her
voice. He had failed to detect the depth of her bitterness. She maintained such
a calm and civil demeanour in front of her aunt.

He had noticed everyone giving into some
irritation in her presence, including the duke, but Catherine had always
appeared to accept her chaperone without complaint.

The coffee arrived at that moment, and further
talk was postponed. The duchess seemed to have revived after her first cup.

Catherine set out to cheer her stepmother
up, refusing to bring up the topic of Lady Babbage again.

Lord Raikes told them a few humorous
stories of his childhood and soon the two women were laughing.

“… and then I sat on the horse without a
stitch on. My father watched me from the window as I rode towards the stables
in the dead of winter …”.

“Oh, a moment, I have a message, can you
hear it, My Lord,” the duchess interrupted.

He paused, taken aback by the sudden
intervention. He politely left his story off and strained his ears. He could
hear nothing.