AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I did nothing he would not have done for me, ma’am. It was the nature of things, you see, and I was fortunate to be in a position to assist.”
He bowed over her hand and turned to the door. The groom would have Hector prepared and waiting for him by now, and the horse wasn’t known for his patience.
“Mr. Jennings.”
The marchioness’s voice was commanding, so Lucas immediately turned back to her. “I would have you know unequivocally that you always have an honored place with us in our home.”
He nodded his head in acknowledgment. “Thank you, Lady Ashworth.”
“See that you remember it.”
“I shall, ma’am.”
And that was that—the end of a chapter, a very large chapter in Lucas’s life. There had been a certainty that had come with serving in the military, beyond the variables thrown at them by the weather and the enemy. An order of command. Structure. A sense of purpose.
This new chapter in his life was a blank slate. There was opportunity, yes, but at present Lucas could see only uncertainty and unfulfilled expectations, with the barest glimmer of optimism. He felt oddly like the poor chaps who volunteered to be the first to charge during battle. The forlorn hope, they were called, and not without reason.
There was nothing for it now, however, but to move forward and write his destiny as best he could.
“Time to go, old friend,” Lucas said to Hector as he secured his saddlebag and patted the horse’s neck before hoisting himself into the saddle. “Time to face our future.” He took Hector at an unhurried pace away from Ashworth House and on through the streets of London. It was dusk, and the grayness of the atmosphere around him matched his mood entirely.
He eventually found himself in front of White’s club and could see several gentlemen of his acquaintance through the large bow window. Lucas, however, had not become a member, despite being the son of a viscount. Such things had not been foremost on his mind as a youth when he’d enlisted in the army, and during the past few weeks, while he’d been back in London, he’d been more concerned about seeing to Anthony’s health than socializing. Other than making arrangements for a basic wardrobe and the occasional night out with old army friends, he’d done little else.
The scene through the window at White’s left Lucas feeling even more melancholy, so he rode Hector several blocks north to the Hissing Goose, a local pub he’d visited on a few occasions, to fortify himself before continuing on his way. Dusk had descended into full darkness now, with only the occasional streetlamp offering a weak respite from the gloom.
Upon entering the pub, Lucas immediately saw Sir Michael Foresby, with whom Lucas had a passing acquaintance, playing cards with a few of his friends. “Jennings, well met. Come join us,” Sir Michael said with a welcoming gesture. “You look to be ripe for the plucking this evening.”
Lucas picked up the ale the barman had poured and wandered over. “Sorryto disappoint, but I’m only here for a quick drink before continuing north.”
“North, eh?” the fellow to Sir Michael’s left said. “Had your fill of the debutantes and their meddling mamas, have you?” He laughed as though he’d made a tremendous joke.
“Returning home from an extended vacation in Spain,” Lucas said.
“Ah,” another fellow, a man named Harris, said. “Been off fighting the Corsican, then. Well done. Join us, sir, do. The next drink is on me.” He gestured to an open space at the table. “A few hands and some agreeable company before you go on your way, eh?”
“Rumor has it you’ve been hidden away at Ashworth House since returning from the Continent,” Sir Michael added. “Since you’ve waited this long to return home, a few rounds of cards won’t make much of a difference, will they?”
Lucas sat, banishing the thought that he was procrastinating once again, and he sent the accompanying guilt along with it. One of the men at the table proceeded to collect the cards and shuffle them, dealing to Lucas along with the others.
“It’s fortunate you and your money came along,” another gentleman said as he studied his cards with an inscrutable face. “I’ve won nearly all my friends can afford to lose. Are you in?”
“I’m in.” Lucas tossed a few coins on the table.
The men got down to the serious business of card playing, and Lucas won and lost right along with them.
“You’ve got the luck tonight, Jennings,” another fellow, Pinckney by name, said. “I daresay you’re a few quid richer than you were when you entered the Hissing Goose a few hours earlier.”
A few hours?Lucas checked his pocket watch.
Blast, it was later than he’d realized.
He stood. “Gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure, but I truly must be on my way.” He would barely make it out of London tonight if he didn’t go now.
“That’s quite all right,” Sir Michael said, his words a little more slurred than they had been earlier in the evening. “I was about to leave for the Orpheus Theatre anyway. Who’s with me?”
“Now,there’sa bet to wager on,” Harris said with a sly, somewhat drunken grin. “And how is The Darling of Drury Lane these days, Sir Michael? Takenyou up on your generous offer now, has she?”
The others at the table laughed and guffawed. Lucas had no idea who or what they were talking about; apparently, he’d been a littletoosolitary since his return to Town. “The Darling of Drury Lane?”
