Tuesday, 19 July 1825
Campion’s Gentlemen’s Emporium
Ten in the evening
From his hawk’s-eyeperch in the office, Robert watched the man move from one table to another, each time his debt to the house expanding into a dangerous territory, an arena from which many men could not return. Jeremy Shank had deep pockets, but they were not bottomless. He also had a wife, two children—including a daughter who would debut next year—a demanding father, and a series of secrets that endangered them all. The depth of his gambling debt to Campion’s was minor in comparison to some of the other secrets.
Secrets that Robert knew all too well.
Bill Campion had taught him early that secrets could be an even more valuable commodity than money or property. Property could be sold for gain; money re-earned. But secrets could destroy a life, and over the years, Bill had accumulated most of the secrets buried beneath the façade of nobility. It was the very reason that Robert’s inheritance would be scandalous. Having a secret revealed by a member of the lower classes—even a business owner—could be managed. Having that information revealed by a peer’s son entailed another danger entirely. Jeremy Shank’s secrets, however, were not ones Bill had collected but that Robert remembered. Remembered from that dark time more than a decade ago.
Some men would do anything to protect their secrets. Tonight, Robert hoped Jeremy Shank was one of those men.
Shank thrust out his arm, sending a pair of dice careening across a table. Those gathered around it cheered as they landed, and Shank broke out in laughter. The dealer put on a show of annoyance—he was one of the emporium’s best actors—and set the table again. Robert smiled, watching it play out. Shank would win twice more—which would set the hook—before the table would turn on him. The game was honest—Bill’s dealers did not cheat or they were quickly dismissed—but a wise man never bet against an experienced dealer for too long. That’s when the house wins.
If Shank held to his usual pattern, he would lose big, then in a fit of pique, storm out, seeking out his next greatest pleasure. And when he did, Robert would be there.
A tap on the door drew Robert’s attention away from the floor. “Enter.”
Gilley opened the door, a smirk twisting his face. “Ya, um, friend is back.”
Robert hesitated. He had not expected Eloise to return so soon. Especially not tonight. He’d have to send her home, which made him grimace.
Gilley misread the expression. “Ya want me to send her—him—away?”
Robert shook his head. “No. Send her up. What is Shank up to?”
“The Corinthian?”
The moniker, a slang term for a pretentious libertine from the middle ranks of society, fit aptly. “Yes.”
“About 400 guineas tonight.”
Robert huffed. That brought Shank’s total debt to the hell close to five thousand pounds. Enough.
“Ya gonna call it in?”
Crossing his arms, Robert said, “I am preparing a barter for Mr. Shank. We will see if he is interested.”
“To find the boy.”
“If all goes to plan, it could help.”
Gilley gave a stiff nod, then turned and made a gesture toward the bottom of the stairs. A few moments later, Eloise entered, looking all the world like an apprentice to a successful tradesman in a dark cotton suit and flat cap. The collar of a white shirt poked from beneath the coat and a miniature cravat hid her neck. His eyebrows arched. “You’ve changed ranks again.”
“I am an adventurous sort.”
Robert nodded at Gilley, who shut the door as he left. Robert crossed to her and reached for her hand. “Why are you here?”
Eloise’s amber eyes brightened as he stroked her palm, and Robert fought the urge to sweep her into his arms and carry her into Bill’s private chamber. Still focused on his face, she gestured at the mountain of papers and ledgers on the desk. “I thought I could start looking through your accounts.”
He stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Every time you come here increases the risk to you.”
She grasped his hand and brought it to her lips. “And I know you are doing things to help find Timothy that you are not revealing to me. We both know our time together is short. Let me help while I can.”
Cupping her face in both hands, he kissed her, barely touching her lips with his. “I will not be here tonight. I have to go out in a few moments, and I may be gone most of the night.”
She kissed him again. “Then I will have the books to myself, without you looking over my shoulder.”
