“I’m sure,” Percy commented, shaking his head. “You’re an ungrateful wretch. All these fine matches your mother pushes your way, and you don’t even bother to try. Shocking, I say.”
“Give over. I know I ought to marry, but…” Henry trailed off, shaking his head. Percy knew about the will, and the predicament the Willenshire siblings found themselves in. Just like William had had to confide his friend, the very same Timothy Rutherford who was now married to Katherine, Henry had found himself in need of somebody to speak to. Percy was discreet, and it was pleasant to have somebody who knew just how vile the old Duke could be, how unreasonable and unloving.
It didn’t change things, but it made them better, somehow.
“How long do you have left? I heard that…” Percy trailed off, eyes darting over Henry’s shoulder. The back of his neck prickled, and Henry turned to find a tallish man standing behind him.
The man was ordinary-looking, with black hair turning a delicate grey at the temples, and a neatly trimmed beard. His clothes were expensive, but worn scruffily, hanging on him as if they’d been tailored for somebody else. In places, Henry spotted neat lines of darning, and even a button missing from the waistcoat.
“I know you, don’t I?” the man drawled, with the bleary-eyed slur of a man drunk at noon.
“I’m afraid I don’t have the pleasure of your acquaintance,” Henry responded tautly.
“Hm. Well, I know whoyouare – Lord Henry Willenshire. I’m Lord Richard Grenville. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
He extended his hand, and when Henry took it, Lord Richard gripped it tight and hauled him close.
“We’re both second sons, you and me,” he said, voice low and conspiratorial. His breath stunk of whiskey. “Got to make our own way in the world, while our luckier siblings have all the fun, eh?”
Henry pulled his hand free. “I’m afraid that hasn’t been my experience, sir,” he answered frostily. “Was there something you wanted?”
The other good thing about Barrett’s, besides the fact it was quieter, was that there were fewer rules. If one wanted to cut somebody, one could. One could be fairly rude and not risk being thrown out.
In this situation, however, it did not work. Lord Richard chuckled, sagging against the counter, and gestured for the footman to bring him a drink. Henry noticed the footman’s mouth tightening, and he reluctantly turned to obey.
“Sour-faced wretches they are here,” Lord Richard observed, eyeing the footman’s turned back. “You’d think they’d allow a gentleman a longer line of credit, wouldn’t you? But no, nothing but complaints. I’m fairly sick of it.”
“Why not go to another club?” Percy piped up.
Henry bit the inside of his cheek. He would have bet money that Lord Richard wasn’t permitted at most of the other clubs. Barrett’s had famously low standards.
“I like it here,” Lord Richard said, grin widening. He jerked his head back in the direction of the card table. “Stakes are higher. I like that – got to make it worth my while, you see?”
Percy frowned, and Henry cursed his friend’s naivete.
“Well, aren’t you missing your turn?”
Lord Richard tilted his head. “I’m not playing anymore.”
“Oh,” Percy finally seemed to get the hint, and sagged a little in his seat. Henry glanced over at the card table and didn’t fail to notice the looks the other men were shooting at Lord Richard. Suspicious, angry looks. He spotted a little pile of notes – Notes Acknowledging Debts, of course, he’d seen plenty of Alexander’s Notes Acknowledging Debts to recognize the little notes at a glance – which Lord Richard should really have taken with him.
I wonder how much he lost today.
“Do you play?” Lord Richard asked suddenly, making Henry flinch. “Cards, or whist, or whatever. Do you have a game?”
Henry smiled tightly, showing no teeth. “I’m not one for cards. Or gambling in general. I’ll sit down to a few hands of something tame with my mother, if she insists, but I prefer to use my money on more profitable endeavours.”
Lord Richard let out a hoot of laughter, so loud it made several men nearby startle and turn to glare at them.
“Of course, of course, how could I forget! You, Lord Henry, are sniffing around the Fairfax business!”
A cold chill ran down Henry’s spine. “With all due respect, I’m not sure what concern that is of yours, sir.”
Lord Richard was unfazed. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head.
“What a small world it is, eh? Fairfax. Perhaps you’re the sort of gentleman who likes the idea of business, but never wants to get his hands dirty. I’ve seen a lot of them like that. Second sons, not cut out for the army or the clergy, not willing to marry somebody suitable and settle down to producing spare heirs. They like the idea of becoming a self-made man and rubbing their older brother’s nose in it. Making more money than him, perhaps. Becomingsomebody. Somebody other than the spare. That was the saying, wasn’t it? A family needed two boys – an heir and a spare, just in case. You and I are spares, Lord Henry, and now we find ourselves at a loose end.”
The footman reappeared with a glass of brandy, and watched disapprovingly as Lord Richard tossed it back. Henry drew himself up, catching Percy’s eye.
