Chapter 17
Rowe bit back a muttered curse. When he had made the arrangement to walk with Miss Eubank, it was with the intention that not only would he meet her in a public place, but that it would not reach Camilla’s ears.
Not that he knew of anyone in her sphere likely to gossip about him, and certainly not in a way that might cause her to doubt his interest. Then again, he wondered briefly, had anyone else in the family guessed at his interest?
He had not even told Miles. Regardless, he would not have wished to cross paths with her at that moment for anything.
She would likely believe that Miss Eubank was his object, which would make his behavior at the theater dastardly.
The purpose of their meeting that day was innocent, although he could not explain it to Camilla.
“Lady Camilla is a friend of yours, I believe.” Miss Eubank was kind, he was learning, in addition to all the other qualities that would make her a good wife for some worthy gentleman.
“Yes,” he said shortly. “Her sister is married to my cousin, and we are often in each other’s company.”
“She seems to be an amiable woman.”
Rowe left the comment unanswered. Camilla was more than amiable, but he was not about to speak of her to Miss Eubank, even if to sing her praises. He could not say how much he esteemed Camilla, then follow it with either silence or empty compliments to Miss Eubank. She deserved better.
“You were saying,” he prompted instead.
Their agreement to walk today was the natural progression of a discussion they had begun at the Answorths’.
He had accepted the invitation for their supper ball to please his mother, although he knew Camilla would not be invited and that it would be dull.
It was only when he encountered Miss Eubank there that he suspected his mother was still arranging meetings in hopes he might develop a tendre for the girl.
He could not wish to give Miss Eubank false hope, nor did he feel he could ignore her.
And then, she had been so obviously distressed, though she tried to hide it, when he asked her about it.
She replied that she would be much obliged if she could explain what was a rather personal dilemma at another moment when they were not in such a public setting.
That was when he had proposed this afternoon’s promenade in Hyde Park, where it was public enough to keep the threat of forced matrimony at bay but intimate enough for a conversation.
“Lord Pembroke, I think I should begin by disclosing something that is not known outside of our intimate circle, and I hope you will be kind enough to keep it to yourself.” She paused, and he nodded for her to go on.
“At the end of January, my father suffered a mild apoplexy. He remained bedridden for weeks, and though he now shows little signs of it and wishes to keep the fact hidden, the doctor said he must avoid anything of a vexing nature. If he grows upset, it might provoke another attack, and the second might be fatal.”
She recounted the story with a steady voice, but he could see how affected she was. “I am terribly sorry to hear it. You may be assured of my discretion.”
“Thank you. I did trust that I could. I thought this an important detail to share so you understand why I am approaching you on a matter upon which I would otherwise have remained silent.” They walked in silence while she prepared her next words.
“Mr. Wells, one of my brother’s friends from Cambridge who lives within ten miles of us, confided in me of his fears about Christopher.
He suspects he has been playing for very high stakes at his club.
” She rushed on, “And as my father has become somewhat infirm and cannot oversee the matter himself, and Christopher has no older male relation to keep an eye on him, I own myself to be worried.”
Rowe had a nodding acquaintance with Christopher Eubank.
He was younger than his own friend set and frequented The Cocoa Tree and Brooks’s.
To his knowledge, there was nothing about Eubank’s behavior to give away that he was dipping too deep.
No rumor circulated among the ton, and there was nothing Rowe had seen that would make him suspect that this was the case.
However, if he told her as much, the information would little reassure her—especially not if she had evidence to the contrary.
“I don’t often see your brother at the clubs, for I am more frequently at White’s, myself. If I can offer you any consolation, it is that he does not have the reputation for casting away his fortune on the dice, whatever might be the case.”
It took her time before she spoke again.
Another man might appreciate such a restful silence, but whenever Rowe was with her, he was reminded of the fact that he was not such a man.
He missed Camilla’s quick speech and raillery.
Even when she was withholding her conversation, her expressive looks challenged him as well as her words, and he was kept entertained.
“I do not wish to give you the impression that I have any expectations that you do something about my dilemma.” Miss Eubank sent him a miserable glance that he was just able to see from around the rim of her bonnet.
“I did not consider how my request to speak to you might be misconstrued. I have no claim upon you at all. It is only that you were kind enough to ask, and I feel quite helpless on the subject. What is more, should my father receive any sort of shock from the result of Christopher’s failings—in whom he possesses a great deal of pride—I should hate to think what the result may be. ”
It had not taken Miss Eubank’s explanation for Rowe to understand all that was at stake.
It was not only her brother’s behavior that was cause for concern; without her father to set the family’s affairs to rights, she and her mother were alone in the world.
Mr. Eubank owned a small estate, but the majority of his wealth came from shrewd investments he had made over the years.
If Christopher had spent his life watching his father make speculations, Rowe supposed it was not a far leap for him to try to do the same, only at the gaming tables.
If they should lose everything, it would be catastrophic.
The weather was balmy, and he briefly thought about the picnic Weatherby had promised for the next week at his grandmother’s house in Hampstead.
It was warm enough that they might take a boat out on the lake, which he had done once when he was staying there.
As long as they did not fall into the pond, he thought, imagining himself rescuing Camilla.
Before he could force himself back to the matter at hand, Miss Eubank’s next comment brought another matter rudely upon his conscience.
“I do not know if you noticed it, my lord, but I could scarcely look at Mr. Laverock when we met him. From what I had been made to understand from Mr. Wells, Mr. Laverock is the one who urges him on at The Cocoa Tree, leading him into all sorts of unwise play.”
As unwelcome as the notion of meeting Camilla while walking with Miss Eubank had been, the sight of her with Laverock at her side had been more so. Now, the knowledge that Laverock might be purposefully leading a young man astray made him clench his teeth in grim resolution.
“Indeed? How does Mr. Wells know of this?”
“He also frequents The Cocoa Tree. But he does so for light betting and amusement and doesn’t feel he has any sway in curbing Christopher’s behavior.
” She glanced at Rowe. “You must not think that he offered this information to me in an impertinent way. I had begun to suspect things were amiss when Christopher asked me to collect the post and put aside any letters that were addressed to him before my parents saw them. He received a great many, and they all appeared to be from creditors. Once I knew that, I had to know the true state of affairs, and I approached Mr. Wells.”
They had reached the tip of Rotten Row, and he guided Miss Eubank along the more frequented path in the direction of the gate at the end.
Now that he had already seen Camilla, there was no point in hiding his walk from the rest of Society by taking the quieter path.
His mind was half wrestling with the unhappy coincidence of meeting her and its ramifications, and half with the unhappy situation that Miss Eubank found herself in.
He did have compassion for her plight and would do what he could.
“My friend Mr. Wilmot spends more time at The Cocoa Tree than I do. He also has acquaintances there. If you give me leave to speak of it to him, I will see if he can find out more on the matter.”
Relief shone in her eyes when she turned to him.
“I am exceedingly grateful to you. And if Mr. Wilmot would not be too shocked by my proposition, it would reassure me to be able to exchange a few words with him, for I could tell him what I learned from Mr. Wells. It is forward of me, I know. Do you think he would mind it?”
Gerry was one of his more easygoing friends, and he did have a heart.
Besides, Rowe thought spending time with someone like Miss Eubank was not likely to annoy his friend.
Gerry had a weakness for large brown eyes and would probably appreciate them looking up at him in a beseeching manner.
And even if he did not, he was more than capable of fending for himself.
He would just have to convince him to agree to it.
“I will speak to him and send you word by messenger with his response.”
“Thank you, my lord,” she said in a heartfelt tone.