A Perilous Wager: A Regency Historical Romance (The Willowbrook Series Book 5)

Chapter Fifteen

“If you continue as you have been, you’re going to have to hire me full time,” Doctor Edwards told Jack after he’d taken care of everyone who had been shot the last two days.

“Hopefully, we won’t have more days like this. I haven’t seen the like since the war.”

“At least you didn’t see as many fatalities this time as you saw during the war.”

“No,” Jack replied. “I’ve seen enough death in my life that I don’t need to see any more. Can I offer you something to drink and a little something to fill your stomach?”

“I would appreciate that,” Doctor Edwards said. “I think Miss Osbourne will sleep for a while yet, and her sister is here if she needs anything.”

“You are sure Lena will be all right?” Jack asked, looking to the bed where Lena slept. Essie sat in a chair beside the bed and held her sister’s hand.

“I’m positive. The bullet went through her shoulder and came out clean. It didn’t hit anything vital. She was very lucky.”

“Then I’ll go down with you, but I can’t stay long.”

“No, but I would like to speak with you. I have some questions about what exactly happened in case the magistrate asks me.”

“Of course. Come with me,” Jack said, and headed for the door. He and Doctor Edwards descended to Jack’s study. “Brandy or whiskey?” Jack asked.

“Brandy.”

Jack poured two glasses of brandy and handed the doctor one. Before they’d taken their first swallows, the door opened and Brad entered.

“Join us, Brad,” Jack said, and Brad poured himself a tumbler of whiskey.

“Like I said,” Doctor Edwards continued, “I think it’s wise that I know what happened so if I’m asked, everything will make sense.”

“Yes,” Jack agreed. “I have to start back when it was first decided the railroad would come through Willowbrook. Wilson Hanover had controlling interest in the London line of the railroad. At least, his family did.”

“Am I correct that he is the man who died from gunshot wounds?”

“Yes. Brad and I shot him.”

“Very well. Please, go on.”

“When Hanover first arrived, he gave us the impression that he ran the company and had taken his nephew, Josiah Barnaby, under his wing to curb his gambling problem.”

“But that wasn’t the truth?” Doctor Edwards asked.

“No. In reality, Hanover was the one with the gambling problem. He owed thousands of pounds to several gaming halls and money lenders, and they were demanding payment of his debts.”

“Am I correct in assuming that he didn’t have the money to meet their demands?”

“Yes. He was able to make payments by overcharging for the supplies and materials on previous railroad projects. But when the Willowbrook investors decided we should buy as much of what we needed here in town and pay the bills ourselves, Hanover could no longer steal from the company.”

“And he was desperate for a new source of funds,” Doctor Edwards said.

“Yes. One of our stable hands was teaching Essie to ride, and Hanover shot the stable hand and kidnapped her.”

“That stable hand was the first bullet wound I treated, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. And to get the money he needed, Hanover sent a ransom note for ten thousand pounds. Lena was to meet Hanover at the Willowbrook crossroads this morning to give him the money and get Essie in return.”

“I take it, though, that things didn’t go as planned.”

“Hanover led us to believe that Barnaby was the one with a gambling problem, and he was the one who had kidnapped Essie. Lena was instructed not to tell anyone about the kidnapping or the money, but she came to me for help.”

“That was smart. How did Hanover think Lena would get that much money?”

“He expected her to steal it.”

“That was a futile demand. Her father was the vicar here for years. She wouldn’t steal it. That went against everything she’d been taught.”

“Yes,” Jack said, knowing instinctively that was true. Lena would never steal because she’d been taught it was wrong to take anything that wasn’t hers.

“I have one more question. Who shot Barnaby?”

“Hanover. Barnaby offered to take out a loan for his uncle for the amount he owed on the condition that he stop gambling, but Hanover refused. When Barnaby told his uncle that was the only way he would get the money, he became angry and shot his nephew.”

Doctor Edwards shook his head. “What an experience you have had.”

“Yes,” Jack said, then got to his feet. “But now I need to get back to Lena. She should be waking anytime now.” He called for Franklin. “Take Doctor Edwards to the kitchen, Franklin, and have Cook feed him. We’ve worked him hard enough. He deserves some of her home-cooked food.”

“Yes, sir,” Franklin said, then took the doctor to the kitchen.

“Are you coming up with me, Brad?” Jack asked his friend.

“Yes. I need to stay close to Essie. She hasn’t had time to process much of what happened in the last two days. She’s been so brave through it all, and I’m afraid she needs a shoulder to lean on.”

“Yes, I’m sure she does,” Jack said, then walked up the stairs with Brad beside him.

When they entered the bedroom, Essie still sat beside Lena, holding her hand.

“How is she?” Jack asked.

“She’s more restless than earlier,” Essie replied.

“That means she’s probably waking. Brad’s here,” he said. “Go with him. You need something to eat—and someone to talk to.”

“Perhaps you are correct,” Essie said, releasing Lena’s hand and rising. Brad wrapped his arm around Essie and led her from the room.

Jack sat where Essie had been and reached for Lena’s hand. She thrashed her head back and forth on the pillow and released a painful moan.

“Don’t move, Lena,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her from doing damage to the stitches Doctor Edwards had put in.

“Jack?” she whispered.

“Yes, sweetheart. I’m right here.”

“Are you all right?”

He smiled. “I’m fine. You are the one who was hurt. You and Josiah Barnaby.”

“Is Hanover dead?”

“Yes, Lena. He’s dead.”

“I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m glad.”

“You can be glad, sweetheart. He did enough damage and would have continued doing more had he lived.”

“I know.”

“Would you like something for the pain?”

“Will it make me sleep?”

“Yes, probably.”

“Then no. I’ll wait a little while.”

Jack rose from his chair and sat beside her on the bed. “Very well, but don’t talk. I’ll talk to you.”

“Is Essie all right?”

“Yes, she’s fine. She just left with Brad. They went to get something to eat.”

“Good.”

“Did you think for a minute that the culprit was Hanover and not Barnaby?”

“No.”

“Neither did I. Hanover had me totally fooled. He convinced me that his nephew was the one with the gambling problem, and I didn’t even question it.”

“No one did. How is he?”

“He’s resting. He wasn’t hurt badly. The doctor said he was very lucky. He’ll be up in a day or two.”

“Good.”

Jack got up and mixed a small amount of laudanum with a little wine. “Here,” he said, holding it to her mouth. “Drink this. I can tell you are in more pain, and you’re ready to fall asleep.”

Lena drank, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Jack leaned over and kissed her cheek, then held her hand while he sat in the chair and watched her sleep.

*

Lena slowly openedher eyes and tried to focus on her surroundings. The sun was up, so she knew it was past daybreak, but not by much. She turned her head and focused on Jack sleeping in the chair beside her bed. His hair was unkempt, not combed as neatly as she was used to seeing. Lena smiled. She rather liked it like this.

He still held her hand, the same as he had when she fell asleep last night. She couldn’t believe how much she loved him. Couldn’t believe how grateful she was that he loved her. He was the best thing that had ever happened in her life.

She didn’t want to startle him awake, so she made slow, lazy circles with her thumb on the top of his hand until he stirred. His eyes opened ever so slowly until his startling blue gaze landed on her.

“Good morning, Jack,” she whispered.

“Good morning, Lena. You are looking much better than you did last night.”

“I feel much better than I did last night,” she replied. “You didn’t have to sit in that chair all night. You could have found a bed and slept more comfortably.”

“And leave you alone? Not likely.”

“How is everyone?”

“Essie and Brad are together.”

“Together?”

“I’m afraid so, darling. I regret that I wasn’t a very watchful chaperone. I may have to insist on the banns being read.”

Lena tried to laugh but stopped when a stabbing pain traveled down her arm. “I don’t believe it.”

“Oh, believe it. I don’t think they spent all their time every afternoon reading. They might have been occupied with one or two activities more enjoyable than working their way through my library.”

“How did I not know?” Lena asked. “I didn’t even think…”

“That’s because you were so busy counting money and entering numbers in the ledgers.”

“Oh, Jack. What are we going to do? I need to heal quickly. The club will be—”

“The club will be just fine. Brad will take over making out a deposit each day, and we’ll leave the ledgers for you to work on when you are completely healed.”

“How is Barnaby?”

“Much better. He will need to rest for a few days, then he’ll be traveling back to London. He said he needs to be with his mother. This has been quite a shock to her.”

“I can imagine. And what about Rupert?”

“Doctor Edwards said he’s out of danger but still needs to be watched, and get plenty of rest.”

“I can’t believe Hanover intended to kill all of us,” Lena said.

“I can’t believe that he thought he could get away with it,” Jack said.

“I don’t think he was thinking clearly. I believe he was so desperate to get his hands on the money he needed to pay his creditors that he didn’t see the flaws in his plan.”

“I think you are right.”

Just then, the door opened and Lena’s maid came in with a tray of tea and toasted bread.

“You are just in time,” Jack said. “I think your mistress needs your help. I’ll carry her to the closet, and you can take over from there. Just call when you need me to take her back to bed.”

“Yes, sir,” the maid said, then Jack carried Lena to the closet and left her to do her morning ablutions. When she was finished, she had a cup of tea and considered everything Jack told her.

Her baby sister wasn’t a baby any longer. She was going to get married.