Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Giles arrived at the club a few minutes early for their Thursday meeting, and was relieved when Doyle let him in through the back door without any questions.
He took a moment to look around at the space and simply take it all in.
He gave a silent plea that this would all work out, and he wouldn’t lose the things that mattered most to him.
He went behind the bar and poured for everyone, depositing each glass in its designated place.
They all had their usual seats and their usual drinks.
But it didn’t feel like usual while he waited for the others to arrive.
Ash was probably watching him from the balcony, but he was too much of a coward to look.
Right on time, the back door opened and closed, the sound causing his heart to skip a beat. Michael and Fitz came through the curtain, Ash right behind them.
Michael clapped him on the shoulder. “Got here early for once, eh?”
Giles forced a chuckle at his cousin’s teasing. Apparently, Ash hadn’t told them yet.
“At least you made yourself useful while you were waiting,” Fitz said, picking up his glass from the table and taking a drink.
Ash made eye contact with him briefly as they all settled around the table, but Giles couldn’t read him. Nothing new there.
Ash smiled and held up a telegram. “Before anything else, we have something to celebrate. As of the early hours of this morning, Patrick has a beautiful and healthy baby boy!”
They all cheered and toasted him, even though he wasn’t there. Their group was like family. Ash looked happy, and Giles prayed that perhaps the distraction meant he wouldn’t be called onto the carpet, after all.
But Ash's smile faded, and he sighed, as if in reply to the unspoken supplication. Dread wrapped around Giles’ stomach, and he swallowed the bile that was pushed up his throat.
“Unfortunately, we have some other things to discuss, which are not as joyous.” He turned his gaze on Giles. “Would you like to tell them, or shall I?”
A heavy silence enshrouded the table. It was probably better if he confessed the truth himself. And as succinctly as possible, before the tension had a chance to escalate further. “The night before last, I took some money out of the safe.”
He’d barely finished the sentence when Michael grabbed the front of his shirt, hauling him up, both of their chairs crashing onto the floor.
“Easy, Michael,” Ash said.
Michael dragged Giles across the room, until his back slammed against the wall, jarring a grunt from him. “It’s not what you think, Michael.”
“You stole from them?” Michael’s face was so close, the heat of his breath rushed over Giles’ cheek.
He shook his head desperately. “I was just borrowing—”
Michael’s fist cut him off as it slammed into his stomach. Pain burst through him, his breath forcefully expelled from his lungs.
“That’s not our money!” Michael pointed toward the office as he yelled, then his fist plowed into Giles’ stomach again.
Giles groaned, still shaking his head and pushing desperately against Michael’s shoulders, begging him to stop. He struggled to even breathe; he certainly wasn’t capable of speech.
“That’s enough, Michael.” Ash’s voice was more forceful this time, and with a final shove, Michael let him go.
Giles collapsed onto his hands and knees, panting and moaning.
He’d never been on the receiving end of Michael’s fists before.
It wasn’t an experience he’d like to repeat.
He coughed and slowly got to his feet, praying that he wouldn’t have to endure even more.
Michael glared at him as he shuffled back to the table.
He’d never seen his cousin so angry. Not at him, at least. Fitz sat, silently observing, probably wishing he could just disappear.
“Sorry, old chap,” Giles said to him, then righted his chair and sat down.
“My intention was never to steal anything. I understand now that I shouldn’t have helped myself to that money, even if it was just a loan.
And I am sorry to all of you for breaking your trust.” He groaned softly, still struggling to catch his breath.
“Was that entirely necessary?” Ash asked Michael.
“I think it was probably warranted,” Giles said.
“Are you able to tell the rest of the story?” Ash asked.
Giles nodded and swallowed some brandy to fortify himself. “As Ash already knows, I was drawn into a trap by a young woman and her father.” He held up his hands. “And yes, I do know how stupid I was. But regardless, the man blackmailed me. That’s why I needed the money.”
“But you have money,” Michael argued.
Giles nodded. “I didn’t have ready access to one hundred pounds in the middle of the night.”
“So you thought you’d just steal from the club to pay for your mistake?”
“I wasn’t stealing, Michael! As you’ve just pointed out, I have money. I was always going to pay it back.” Giles didn’t have any right to be indignant, but he didn’t like being called a thief. “Do you want to hear the rest of the story? Or would you rather continue to berate me?”
All he got from Michael was an angry sigh.
Giles shook his head and downed the last of his drink. “The details don’t really matter. But as of yesterday, I am officially a married man.” Another awkward silence fell as they all stared at him. “What? No congratulations?”
It was a measure of just how shocked they were that no one laughed.
“Where is she?” Ash finally asked.
“At my country home.”
“What’s her name?” Fitz asked.
“Mrs. Henderson, to you.”
Fitz’s smile was sad rather than amused. Another failed attempt at humor.
“Christina. Her name is Christina.”
“But if you had the money,” Fitz asked, “why did you marry her?”
Giles shrugged. “I couldn't just leave her to be a pawn in her father's schemes.”
“Will you be going back to her?” Ash asked.
Giles shook his head. “Not any time soon.”
“Then we need to make a decision as a group. I’ve already taken Giles’ keys, but I’m willing to keep him on as a partner, if we have unanimous agreement.”
Giles was ashamed and humiliated. It reminded him of being sent to the headmaster’s office for a caning. But so much worse. He loved this place.
“Fitz? Yes or no?” Ash asked.
“Yes,” he said with a nod. “I think we should all be allowed a mistake or two, so long as it’s not repeated.”
“Michael?”
Giles felt as if he were waiting for the executioner’s axe to fall as silence stretched on.
“Yes,” Michael finally said. “But I went easy on you this time, Giles. I will not the next time.”
Giles nodded, relief flooding through him. “Understood. I swear I won’t do it again.”
“That’s decided, then. You’ll get your keys back when we all agree you’re ready.”
Giles nodded again. What could he possibly say?
“You’re still one of us, Giles,” Ash assured him. “And if you’re up to it, I’d like you to work tonight.”
“I’ll be here.” Thank God for that at least. “I’ll be here,” he said again, more to himself than anyone else.
“You should have just come to me,” Michael said after they got up from the table.
“I didn’t really have a chance to think it through properly. He only gave me two hours to retrieve the funds. I was furious, and in a panic, staring down the barrel of…” He huffed a cynical laugh. “The very thing I ended up with anyway, I suppose.” He shook his head. “I am sorry, Michael.”
“Next time you’re in a similar situation, come to me. Two minds are always better than one.”
“I don’t plan to ever find myself in a similar situation. But thank you anyway.”
Michael placed a hand on his shoulder. “Everything will be alright. One way or another.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re a good husband, with a happy marriage.”
“I haven’t always been,” he said with a sigh.
“I did marry her, Michael. Please tell me that counts for something.”
“It counts for a lot. Now, I’m going up to my estate until after Belle has the baby. Don’t make me come back down here to give you another beating.”
“I’ll try my best.”
Giles went home for a few hours, but when he returned, a renewed wave of apprehension flowed through him as he approached Ash’s office. He didn’t want to talk about his mistake anymore, but he still had to return what he’d taken.
“What can I do for you, Giles?”
He stepped inside and closed the door. “I owe you some money.” He handed an envelope across the desk.
Ash opened it and looked inside. “This is more than you took out of the safe.”
Giles nodded. “I included the money I would have used to pay you back.”
“What’s the purpose of that?”
Giles dropped into the chair. “I don’t know how else to make amends, Ash. I am sorry. Please just take it. Give it to the ladies. Treat them to new dresses or something.”
“If you insist, I’m sure I can find a good use for it.”
“I insist.”
“And what about your wife?”
“What about her?”
“Don’t you think you should bring her in and introduce her?”
Giles scoffed. “This isn’t a love match, Ash. As you are well aware, I made a whole host of mistakes the other night, for which there are consequences. She is one of those consequences. It’s not a marriage to be celebrated.”
“Well, perhaps it could be if you gave it half a chance.”
“Don’t do that. This is hard enough for me as it is. Don’t make me feel guilty, or like I’m not doing enough for her. I married her. That has to be enough.”
Ash held up his hands. “It’s not my job to make your life choices.”
“There is one more thing I’d like to take care of,” Giles said. “Mr. Pelham apparently has more vowels out than he knows what to do with, hence the extortion. Do you think Fogg could track them down for me?”
“That sounds like just the sort of thing he’d enjoy. I’ll put him on it tonight.”
“Thank you. And thank you for letting me stay. I won’t make you regret it.”
Ash gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze and they walked over to the club together.
After everything that had happened, nothing was better than the gaming floor at The Raven’s Den. Giles felt at home there. It took him a little while to relax, but the raucous chaos was familiar and brought him a sense of peace.