Chapter 2 #2
This decision, Georgina could tell, Edmund had already come to regret, and she dreaded the inevitable revelation. If he had promoted Arthur in such circles, Edmund did him a great disservice. She steeled herself for the next chapter of his story.
He lowered his voice to a whisper. “We did this several times, but a few nights ago, we returned, and I lost track of him. I was engaged at the faro table, and he wandered into one of the back rooms where the unsavory folk play deep. When I finally located him …” Edmund frowned and grazed a blond curl back from his forehead.
“It was all too late. I found him at the Evens and Odds table, happy as you like and with his pockets completely to let. The predators even coaxed him to write promissory notes to prolong his play and create the most damage!” A film covered his pale blue eyes, and he sniffled.
Georgina stared at him gravely. Her desire to retreat had now abandoned her.
She did not know Arthur well, though she could clearly envisage the scene that Edmund depicted, including Arthur’s merriment and joy at being embraced by a new group, and the subsequent confusion in his eyes when his so-called friends turned out to be false.
The world was a cruel place. She had witnessed immoral people lure her brother Henry into thinking they were his friends, only to turn their backs on him once they got what they wanted. Georgina motioned for Edmund to go on.
“EO is not the sort of game I would recommend for Arthur. Once I assessed the state of his affairs, I extricated him from the house and took him home.”
“Did you settle the score with Mrs Gardner?”
“I made a push to before we left, but she denied me. Said it was a private arrangement.”
Georgina suspected that Mrs Gardner possessed sinister motives for not allowing Edmund to discharge Arthur’s debts right away, above any sense of moral obligation or duty towards the young man.
“Does Arthur have any means of paying her back?”
Edmund shook his head. “He has barely enough to last him to the end of the quarter.”
Georgina found her patience for Edmund tested beyond measure. His actions were both foolish and completely negligent. “How could you have let him out of your sight?” She gripped the seat of the hackney, and her knuckles turned white as an unbidden memory stirred within her.
Edmund blushed in disgrace. “I became occupied. I never intended for any of this to happen. You must believe me, George.”
Georgina did believe him, of course. Edmund was a kindly man overall, despite his weaknesses. She eyed him seriously.
“Did a fellow distract you?”
“Good grief, no. Once I left the faro table, I accidentally took a tumble over someone’s cane that rested on the floor.
Some chap called Hobbs accused me of being properly shot in the neck.
I denied this, of course, and minutes later I found myself in the book, with everyone betting that I could not prove my sobriety by standing motionless for five minutes with a notebook on my head.
I’ll have you know, I triumphed.” He grinned to himself before remembering to look solemn again. “We have to help him,” he pleaded.
Georgina’s stomach knotted. She suspected, this time, Edmund did not merely wish for her advice and would require her to undertake a more active role in saving their young friend from the clutches of Mrs Gardner.
“We?”
The door of the Mount Street house swung open, and Arthur emerged, sparing Edmund from replying.
With a little difficulty—posed by his short limbs—the young man clambered into the compact carriage space on top of Georgina and Edmund.
They made room for his stout frame beside them, as Georgina inwardly wished they had acquired a conveyance large enough to accommodate the three of them more comfortably.
“Good day, M-Miss Pace. Hello, Edmund.” Arthur spoke like a gentleman, though his large tongue made it difficult to articulate his words with clarity, and he had an occasional stammer.
Georgina reached across Edmund and shook Arthur’s hand.
His almond-shaped blue eyes twinkled, and he beamed, pushing his spectacles back up on his nose.
He really was a lovely fellow—and reminded her of Henry, whose soul shone like a beacon in the darkness.
That someone might take advantage of him cut her deeply.
“Call me George, Arthur.”
“I’ve been telling George about our scrape.” Edmund rapped his walking cane on the roof of the carriage, which rumbled forward once more.
The throbbing in Georgina’s head intensified. Perhaps she had imbibed too much the night before, paired with the sheer lack of sleep. Either way, she craved a darkened room and perhaps a cup of strong coffee or a large brandy.
“Can we not discuss this indoors somewhere?”
Edmund’s eyes bulged. “You are in your cups, George. Too many ears in our homes. Must stay on the move and keep our voices low.”
Georgina rubbed one tired eye with the heel of her hand. “You sound rather delusional, Edmund. Unless Mrs Gardner is involved in some sort of espionage and has entangled Arthur in her criminal dealings, I hardly think this level of secrecy is required.”
Arthur’s mouth dropped open, and the freckles across his nose became more noticeable against his increasingly pale countenance. “I’m a c-criminal?”
Edmund patted his hand. “No, my dear chap. Of course not. George simply does not understand our need for discretion.”
“Oh yes; you said she was indiscreet,” Arthur said ingenuously.
Charming.
Georgina shot Edmund a glare, making him blush and hurriedly hush the innocent Arthur.
Georgina decided to press one point. “Technically, you are both criminals. For I do not believe Solitaires is a legitimate gaming club. If the Runners decide to raid the place and conduct an audit of Mrs Gardner’s books, I think you’d all find yourselves locked up in Bow Street.
They won’t care how lofty the clientele is if she has not registered her enterprise and paid taxes.
Nothing will prevent you from being imprisoned, regardless of your rank. ”
Arthur shifted upon the seat.
“And Mem Lavigne’s is better?” Edmund demanded.
“Naturally. It’s far too expensive not to be legitimate.” Georgina grinned.
“That makes this matter even more delicate, George. Not only is it critical that Arthur’s father not hear tell of this, but we must reach a discreet resolution as quickly as possible, without the gossips getting hold of the story. That would be dire.”
Two pairs of eyes were now trained upon her in a hopeful stare, and the pressure to solve this situation mounted. Smothering her face with her hand, hoping to remove her headache, Georgina wished they could expedite this solution so she could return home to bed.
“Do tell, why so dire?”
“We must maintain Arthur’s reputation, George. There’s a lady at stake.”
“She would be f-furious if she heard.”
Georgina suffocated an urge to leap from the carriage.
She recalled the letter from Prudence, still heavy in her breast pocket.
It had already made her question her return to London.
Now, Edmund burdened her with the responsibility of rescuing Arthur from a scrape of his making, in order to support Arthur’s matter of the heart.
Arthur peered at her through his skewed glasses, and despite her frustration at Edmund, her heart ached. She forced a smile, even though her mouth tasted bitter.
“Let me get this straight, Arthur. You have lost all your money to Mrs Gardner. You have no means of getting your vowels back, but you need to settle your accounts so that you might marry a lady?”
“Yes. But please do not tell my papa,” he insisted. “It will v-vex him terribly. He is particularly strict.”
“Of course not. Neither of us shall breathe a word to him,” Georgina promised.
Edmund gave her a sharp dig in her ribs. He required her to provide more reassurance to Arthur, it appeared.
She gripped the handrail of the carriage to avoid striking Edmund. Had he not been so foolish, she might have been resting in Lottie’s embrace at this moment, sleepily sated.
“M-must m-marry M-Maggie,” Arthur declared.
His determined stutter softened Georgina’s heart. “It sounds like you must. Tell me, why do you like her so much?” she pressed, tilting her head slightly. People in love fascinated her.
Arthur’s dewy eyes glistened, and an irrepressible grin exploded onto his face. “She is sweet, makes me laugh all day, loves animals, dances beautifully, paints with me and kisses so well.” He ended this with a cheeky wink that made Georgina and Edmund chuckle.
“Well, we need to put this to rights, do we not? These matters have a way of ruining all one’s enjoyment of life, I find,” Georgina sympathised.
Arthur nodded, his eyes ever-trusting.
“I am skilled at helping people out of scrapes,” Georgina said.
“Usually myself, if I’m honest. That said, this is simple to fix.
I am willing to supply you with everything you lost at Solitaires, and we can transfer the notes into my name.
Then you need never think about it again.
” Whatever the sum, Georgina was willing to pay—if only to alight from the carriage forthwith.
Arthur’s mouth pressed into an unyielding line. “No. My debt. My honour.”
A weary sigh escaped Georgina’s lips. This would be neither quick nor simple.
Why did people insist so much on integrity?
Damn -Arthur’s parents for instilling in him such a rigid sense of propriety.
Georgina would have to employ a different approach.
Both -gentlemen were staring at her, unblinking and expectant.
She forced a smile. “I have hatched another plan to retrieve your money!”
Edmund clapped his hands. “I knew you would, George.”
Arthur beamed at her. “You have hatched a plan?”
“Oh yes,” Georgina lied. At this point, she would say almost anything to be allowed out of the carriage.
“So, while I implement my strategy, I would like to offer you the sum of twenty pounds. Just so that your father does not guess our plot.” She wrinkled her nose a little.
“He is a delightful fellow, but I suspect he might hinder our success if he learned of it.” She retrieved a wad of pound notes from her pocket.
Arthur squinted suspiciously at the bills.
“You will, of course, pay me back at a later stage,” Georgina assured him, aware that he might be hesitant to accept a further loan.
“But I must ask you to promise me you will not gamble further. That never serves to reinstate one’s fortune.
” Georgina extended her hand across Edmund once more to seal the agreement.
After a thoughtful moment, Arthur took her hand in a firm shake and accepted the notes. “Thank you, George. It is so kind of you to help me.”
Georgina thumped on the roof of the hackney and told the driver to stop. “Now, as much as I would like to linger with you both, I must take myself home.”
She climbed out, not minding that she had descended into the centre of the bustling road.
This was the quickest way to exit the vehicle, and she did not want to delay her departure.
She dodged out of the way of an oncoming coach and a pair of riders on horseback, darting between them at an optimistic speed.
After the coach driver hurled a few choice expletives in -Georgina’s direction, a lovely face peeked out of the carriage window to ascertain what all the fuss was about.
Georgina winked at the lady before narrowly missing a gentleman on horseback, who was obliged to tug at his mount sharply to avoid a collision.
Georgina chuckled and retreated to the safety of the footpath.
She had no idea how she might assist Arthur, but at least she could address her most pressing issue: getting some sleep.
Ten minutes later, Georgina arrived at her house on Half Moon Street, and her butler, Jarvis, greeted her on the threshold.
At her request, he settled her in the library with a generous glass of brandy and sent down for a large pot of coffee.
Ensuring the drapes were closed, he waited patiently for further direction.
“Is it too soon to return to Yorkshire, Jarvis?” She crossed her feet and stretched back on the sofa with her eyes closed, recalling the series of events that had snatched her from the comforting shadows of Mem Lavigne’s and seemingly placed her at the centre of Arthur and Edmund’s ominous scrape.
Even the monotony of Yorkshire seemed favourable by comparison.