Land opened his mouth to speak, but Lydia waved him into silence. “How much do you owe? What more do I have to give to make sure you stay in a warm bed and off the streets? I’m married now which means you are on your own. What worries me most is someone taking you for all your worth or worst, you get yourself in another duel.”
He pulled out a sheet of paper and looked at it with a sickening expression. “four-hundred-fifty-two pounds, eleven shillings and fifty-two pence.
“Well, I suppose that is less than you owed the Duke, but it is hardly a small sum.”
“That is only what I owe the bank. I owe Lord Davis another three-hundred pounds. Baron Matthews six-hundred pounds and Lady Emiline two-hundred-thirty-two pounds, four shillings, and four pence—though I think she may be willing to cut me a little slack.” He flashed her a winning smile. “She thinks I’m rather charming.”
Lydia bit her tongue, many unladylike words threatening to spill from her mouth. Ripping the hide off Landon with a string of profanities was not going to do either of them any favors.
“Fine,” Lydia whispered. “I can only give you my dowry. The Duke said he had no need for it, so you can take that to pay off what you can, but I do not have that great a sum. That will be enough to pay off your debts and to hopefully keep you from destitution. The allowance I get is for the house, so I am afraid you will have to do without it.”
Landon’s eyes lit up in feverish desperation, and before the words could even come out of his mouth, Lydia struck him down.
“Do not even think about asking the Duke for money.” Lydia shook her finger at him. “Where was your humility when you were in Hyde Park, moments away from getting shot? Honestly, Land, get your priorities straight.”
“I wouldn’t have asked him.” Land swallowed.
“You would have. But that is the last thing we need. He will not be as willing to help as I am.” Lydia shook her head. “But for goodness’ sake Land, we cannot keep doing this. You have squandered thousands, Land! What on earth could have possibly possessed you to rack up such massive debts?”
“I don’t know how it happened. I started owing money to merchants and business associates, so I took out loans to pay off my debts and build new businesses. Only they never panned out. So, I borrowed more money to pay off those debts and attempted to regain the losses from gambling.” He wrung his hands.
“What on God’s green earth did they teach you in that school? I have half a mind to sue them for neglect to properly educate.”
“Um, I did not finish school.” Landon’s face was stark red with shame. “I had to come home and take care of you,” he mumbled.
Lydia’s anger died as she looked at her little brother. He was only eighteen, barely old enough to look after himself let alone her. He had been the child in need of care, not her. And she felt it was all her fault; she had failed to teach him properly.
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall,” Lydia quoted from the bible. “If father were here, that is what he would tell you. He may not have been a religious man, but he found many of their teachings to be virtuous. I wish you could have spent more time together.”
Landon only nodded solemnly.
“If I ask His Grace’s accountant if I can start investing a sum of my money, we cannot pay off all of your debts immediately, but it will be enough to keep you out of prison, I hope. In time, the profits should remove all your debts. But you need to get your act together.”
“Thank you, Lydia.” Landon pulled his sister into a big hug, squeezing her fiercely. “Thank you.”
Lydia said nothing, wondering if this would be the rest of her life.
Chapter Eleven
Lydia awoke the next morning and turned over in her bed. It was the first morning that she hadn’t awoken with Iris gently prodding at her face, and she found that she missed it.
“It’s only a few days Lydia, and Juliet needs new dresses for her season next year. And it will be good for Iris to see a bit of London,” Lydia tried to tell herself, but she could not help but feel lonely at their absence.
“I suppose I should be relieved. Goodness knows how messy things would have gotten if they had been around for Land’s visit.” She clenched her fist. “How can he have been so stupid?”
And why is it he only cares about me when he wants something?
There was a knock at the door, and her lady’s maid appeared carrying breakfast. She helped Lydia get dressed and thendeparted. Lydia sighed and helped herself to a croissant, her eyes falling on the ugly chair by the fire.
Thank you. Thank you so much, Lydia.Before she knew what she was doing, she had hurled one of the heavy books at the chair. It landed with a satisfying thump.
You should not have had to sacrifice.The Duke’s voice echoed in her head. How was it that he saw what she had done, but her own brother either did not see it or did not care?
She was working herself up into a frenzy.
“This cannot be my life!” she shouted at the walls and drove her fist into the chair.
She tore at the fabric with her hands, hearing the satisfying rip as she pulled it apart. “Stupid. Stupid. Not fair!”
