Chapter Sixteen
It was slowly sinking into Winsome’s mind that she might have been entirely mistaken about Lord Manderbey’s proclivity for gambling. “Lord Landry,” she said, “you are sure Lord Manderbey has not got himself deep into debt?”
Lord Landry laughed. “Not that I know of,” he said.
“He’s never been keen on cards or dice. He does bet on one of his own horses from time to time in the usual way, but nothing too extravagant, I do not think.
Anyway, he’s very rich and can afford it, and far too sensible to get into any trouble with it. Why did you think so?”
Winsome swallowed a sigh. She’d thought it because she was the most suspicious lady living and had been determined to root out any evidence of roguishness she could find.
She heard something, and then rather than consider all the variations of its meaning, she’d homed in on the worst possible meaning.
Lord Manderbey had admitted to being dunned and she’d not bothered to ask why.
“I was misled by my own suspicions,” Winsome admitted.
“Did any of those suspicions come from Lord St. John?” Lady Edith asked.
Winsome nodded. “Indeed they did. It seems I was taken in by him. He kept talking about what was owed, so naturally…”
“Ah, I think he meant Manderbey ought to haul him out of trouble every time he got in it because of the family ties,” Lord Landry said.
“I think we might confidently make the leap that Lord St. John is the villain,” Lady Edith said. “He will be very lucky if he does not hear about it from me.”
“She can give an awful dressing down when she wants to,” Lord Landry said gleefully.
“My advice, Lady Winsome, is proceed to the masque this evening and straighten it out with Manderbey. He’ll know what ought to be done about St. John. As for society, once you have it fixed with Manderbey they will close their mouths.”
“Or she’ll make them!” Lord Landry said, pointing at his fiancée.
Just then, Valor came into the room, looking very pale and holding a letter. “Lord Manderbey wrote me back,” she whispered.
Lady Edith looked her over. “You correspond with Lord Manderbey? Whatever for?”
Valor appeared supremely uncomfortable at being questioned so directly. Winsome said, “Lady Edith, Lord Landry, this is my younger sister, Lady Valor. She was hoping that I would never leave the house and may have written a letter to Lord Manderbey to drive him off.”
“That was bold,” Lord Landry pointed out.
“Yes, she can be very bold, unfortunately so,” Winsome said. “Val, let me see the letter.”
Valor handed over the letter. Winsome scanned it.
It was surprisingly shouting, with exclamations on the end of every sentence.
As far as she could gather, Valor had written posing as Winsome and claiming to hate him and he must stay away.
It was very encouraging that he wrote he did not believe it and would not stay away.
Then at the bottom, in smaller letters, “P.S. Very entertaining, Lady Valor.”
He was so clever to at once see it was from Valor and not herself. She suspected using Winny rather than Winsome had given Valor away. As well as the general tone of the letter. Based on the response to it, Winsome guessed it had been ridiculous.
Lady Edith leaned over her shoulder. “He will not stay away. Excellent. Though why is he shouting? I never saw so many exclamations in one bit of writing in my life. Manderbey has never struck me as particularly hysterical.”
“He’s mocking me,” Valor said darkly.
“Chin up, Lady Valor,” Lady Edith advised. “If you keep sending out preposterous letters, it will not be the last time that happens to you.”
Valor, shocked to her shoes to be so scolded, turned and marched out of the drawing room. She would no doubt track down Sir Galahad and pour out all her condemnations and refutations to him. He would, as always, be in hearty agreement.
Lady Edith and her grateful fiancé took their leave and left Winsome to contemplate Lord Manderbey’s letter. It really was very funny and it did make clear he was not planning to go anywhere.
She felt lighter than she had in days. And, as for Lord St. John, he would not get anywhere with his machinations and ought to get on the first possible boat to Brazil. Very much alone.
*
Leland had started his morning with the newspapers and had almost fallen off his chair over what he read there. There was another piece about him.
This one had said that the initial report of banns being read was not true, which he obviously knew.
But further, it claimed the writer had particular knowledge that a certain person was deliberately causing all this trouble, including the gossip going round about Lady Winsome being compromised at Sir Jonathan’s scavenger hunt.
That, he would really like to know more about.
He was certain Landry was the only person who could shed light on it.
At a decent hour, he’d set off for Landry’s house.
Before now, he’d sent footmen and they’d not been admitted.
He would demand entry and have a look at the fellow.
It seemed impossible that he was still unconscious.
These sorts of situations did not stay static. A person either improved or worsened.
Marley had appeared more than a little startled to see him at the door. “My lord, Lord Manderbey.”
“Let me in, Marley. I demand to see him whether he is awake or not.”
“He’s not actually here, my lord.”
Leland staggered back. “My god, he died?”
“Died? No, why would he die?” Marley asked.
“Because he was comatose and now he’s not here.”
“Oh, as to that, I am very sorry to say he never was unconscious, just frightened and hiding in his room. You know how he gets, thought you might wish to throw him across a room. But, it’s all come right now. He’s engaged to Lady Edith and they’ve gone off to see the lady’s father.”
Marley said all that as if it were the most natural thing in the world for a lord to pretend at being unconscious when he wasn’t. And then the even more startling news that Landry had somehow got himself engaged. How in the world had that happened?
Pushing off those questions, he said, “I really must speak to him. Has he said anything to you about how this ridiculous rumor that features him as the leading man got started?”
Marley shook his head. “He doesn’t know.
He was on a chamber pot in Sir Jonathan’s billiards room for a half hour, greasy potatoes he says, then he encountered Lady Winsome in the corridor and shortly thereafter your dowager.
He did not wish anyone to suspect he’d been the culprit of…
whatever was left in the pot. So, he ran away. ”
It was preposterous, and it sounded very much like something Landry would do. “When do you expect him to return?” Leland asked.
Marley looked at him as if it were an absurd question. “I do not know, my lord. That will be up to Lady Edith. She’ll decide.”
That also sounded right. He left and mounted Apollo. He took his horse to the park for a gallop as it was a fine day. As he did so, he tried to piece together everything he knew. Who was so bent on making trouble?
He’d thought the rumor that came out of the scavenger hunt had been just one more instance of bored matrons talking about whatever they could think up on scanty evidence.
But the announcement of the banns, then the further announcement that somebody was intent on stirring trouble, put it in a different light.
If all of this was not simply coincidental, if it were part of a concerted effort, who was at the bottom of it?
Could it be St. John? Would he go so far? His cousin was irritated that he’d shut off the fountain of funds and had certainly expressed a wish to win Lady Winsome, despite how hopeless that was. Would he take active steps to get his way?
Leland was not certain he would. But then, he was not certain he would not.
He headed for home to get his horse and himself out of the unusually hot weather. He would change clothes and take another of his horses to visit St. John. He’d just come right out and ask him.
He might admit to it, he might deny it. Whichever way he went, Leland could express that it was to come to an end, regardless of who was doing it. He would send a message and that ought to be enough.
Then tonight, he would see Lady Winsome. She must have returned to Town by now. She must have plans to attend the masque.
If she did not, Leland would discover which sister Lady Valor stayed with and demand to know where in Kent Lady Winsome could be found.
After that absurd letter she’d sent him, Lady Valor owed him a favor.
He hoped it would not be necessary, but he’d shake the information out of her if it came to it.
He would see what happened this evening, and then he would know what to do. With any luck, on the morrow he would not be setting off for Kent, but rather in the duke’s study, looking for his approval for the match.
*
Mrs. Right felt she’d flown a bit too close to the sun recently. She rarely made mistakes, aside from the several times that she’d imagined a gentleman was hurting one of her girls and then in answer to it she’d tried to ruin those men’s lives.
Lord Manderbey had seemed just such a rogue and she’d been determined to sway her girl away from him.
The housekeeper was older and more seasoned and she knew that excessive gambling could only lead to heartache.
How many times had she seen it, even outside of the high and mighty?
The man would become gripped with it, always trying to recover what had been lost, and then losing more.
He would be deaf to the pleas of his family until there was not a sixpence left to them.
She could see how Winsome’s life would be destroyed and she wished with all her might that she could save her.
That had led her to take the rather dire step of announcing the banns.