They were coming to the last few cards and Isabel willed herself to focus on the game and not Mr. Vance’s various conversational outrages.
He took the last three tricks.
Isabel stared at the table as she began to comprehend how he’d done it. He’d held back during the calling, choosing to forgo those points so that he might hide their existence in his hand and leaving her to guess they were still in the stock.
It was a daring play, and not often done.
“Did you sink those cards?” she asked.
“I did,” Mr. Vance said smiling. “It seems I always have a trick up my sleeve.”
Chapter Fourteen
Harry could nothave been more delighted with the happenstances of the evening. First, he was unexpectedly invited to Lady Fitzwallen’s card party, then he had the opportunity to speak plainly to Miss Thompson, and then Lady Isabel had miraculously appeared and he’d maneuvered himself as her partner.
He’d found Miss Thompson worlds away from a shrinking violet. He’d asked her for her opinion of Lymington and he’d got it. She found the fellow handsome in his own particular way and thought his seemingly always rumpled appearance had a certain charm to it. She found his way of being in the world delightful. Further, she was a keen horsewoman, as was he. He might not be a renaissance man, but he knew horses.
Harry had been hard-pressed not to laugh when she said, “I saw him in the park today and we spent a good half hour discussing how MacBeth was managing to throw shoes so often. I advised him to stop blaming MacBeth and get a new farrier.”
That was a rather good thought.
Miss Thompson went on. “He was delighted with the advice, though he also told me he is not to speak of horses in certain quarters. Only the weather, which he is being educated on by some lunatic of a butler who thinks fish have something to do with it.”
“Oh yes,” Harry had said, “the dolphins.”
“You know, when he spoke of it at Ryland’s ball I assumed it was a passing fancy and was amused by it. Today, when I realized he was intending on making it a permanent topic, I gave him some advice. I told him, there is not a thing wrong with talking about horses and I am always happy to do it. He seemed very relieved to hear it.”
Harry had appreciated Miss Thompson’s forthright speech and said, “While Lymington may have certain charms, understanding subtlety will not be one of them. My advice is, hit him over the head with your interest.”
Miss Thompson had laughed and said, “You mean, club him and drag him into my cave.”
Yes, Miss Thompson, that is exactly it.
He’d proceeded to apprise Lady Isabel of where things stood. She might be willing to ignore her own heart, but then she might have more of a care for Lymington’s.
He’d flustered her all the way through cards, he knew that.
Harry did not wish to cause Lady Isabel pain or upset, but she must see where she was going wrong! A person could not arrange their entire life around only safety.
He was not immune to the feeling of wishing to be secure. He’d worked hard to see that it was so on his estate. But that could not be the one and only driving force of a life.
No. It was not enough.
He’d beaten her handily at piquet. He had, for a moment, thought of allowing her to win. But then, he’d decided that it would be better for her to see how clever he could be when he put his mind to it.
He’d sunk three cards and she had not seen it coming.
After he’d had the difficult conversation regarding Miss Thompson and Lymington, he’d moved on to another topic—his estate.
He described every aspect of it in great detail. Perhaps in making it real, he would also make real the idea that there was nothing to fear. It was prosperous, and he made the point that he followed Lord Bertridge’s method of stewardship—diversify, expand, carefully maintain, buy land when the opportunity arose, hire the best people, and pay them fairly.
She was that lord’s neighbor and must be well aware of his success.
Harry thought he’d made some important inroads this night.
Now, his valet was taking his clothes from him.
“Well,” Smith said, “dare I ask for highlights?”
