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“What is it?” Ester asked.
“I also wagered ten thousand pounds at the roulette table and lost.”
Caroline’s spine snapped straight, horror darkening her gaze. “You didwhat?”
“I truly believed I would have won! I swear I will never visit another gambling den. Iswearit, Caroline,” he said to his sister, who had frozen, fresh tears pooling in her eyes.
Good heavens. It was even worse than they had imagined. Their home and all the money they presumably had. The shock of it almost felled Ester to the sofa. “How outrageous you are! What were you thinking, Samuel?”
“I…” A tight grimace of regret crossed his face. “I do not know. I feel so damn stupid.”
Suddenly Ester was angry, and not only at Samuel but also at those mercenary gambling den owners. They took advantage of young fools like her cousin, lured by the promise of making greater fortunes at their sinful tables. Why did they not warn these gentlemen that they could also lose their reputations, honor, and fortune? Worse, these gentlemen believe gambling debts were matters of honor and must be paid even at the cost of their family’s well-being.
Her sisters had always teased Ester that she was the quickest to enact revenge when she perceived a slight against those she loved because she expressed her emotions fiercely. She loved passionately, and she also hated with a similar intensity. As proven by those she did not forgive for how they treated their family when they lived in Penporth and were considered the no-good Fairbanks. Now that Colin was the Earl of Celdon, many people who had previously shunned them clamored to be associated with their family. Ester did not forgive even though her mother had.
She was also of a similar mind to not forgive the wretched creature who preyed upon others’ weaknesses.
“What are you thinking, Ester? You are frowning so fiercely,” he asked softly. “Will you truly not plead to Ellie’s husband, ask him to perhaps ask…ask for the debt to be forgiven?”
Could Lucien Glendevon intervene for Samuel? They were cousins of a sort. Perhaps he could be reasoned with to honor such a family connection, even as she doubted it could be that simple. They were talking about thousands of pounds and a tenuous connection. Ester bit into her lower lip as icy cold gray eyes set in a terribly handsome yet harsh and foreboding face swam in her vision.
Mr. Edmond Glendevon.
Nerves coursed through her, and her belly alarmingly flipped. Ellie had explained more than once that her husband was the financial brains of the gambling den. However, the brother who ruled over everything with an iron fist was the eldest of the Glendevon siblings—Edmond Alexander Glendevon. Ester had only met the man twice, and each time she had been barely able to maintain his gaze or accept the uncomfortable awareness she had of him. The eldest Glendevon did not seem like a man who could be reasoned with and was the opposite of his brother, Lucien, whom the entire Fairbanks family had grown to love. Edmond was rumored to have a ruthless and uncompromising reputation.
“No,” she responded quietly. “I shall not put Lucien in that position when there is another solution.”
“Tell us of this solution,” Caroline said, taking a deep breath.
“I have been to the gambling den twice with Ellie. It was recent, and I recall the layout clearly.”
“Oh, dear,” Caroline said again, while Samuel frowned with some confusion.
Samuel looked from his sister to her. “What exactly are you thinking, Ester?”
She hugged her arms around her waist. “What have you handed over to the club?”
“A promissory note.”
Hope burned inside her chest. “And what does the note say?”
Shame filled his expression. “That I will sign over the deed to our manor and a bank draft of ten thousand pounds by the end of the month.”
“That is in eight days,” Caroline cried, aghast. “This will kill our mother!”
“I mean to retrieve the note before then,” Ester said firmly, trying to appear more assured than she did. Her heart skipped a mad beat inside her chest, and she fisted her hands to prevent them from shaking.
Caroline stood, her eyes widening. “Ester!” Then she laughed incredulously. “You mean to steal back theIOU?”
“Yes.”
“That is the most reckless, silly plan I’ve ever heard!” Samuel burst out, surging to his feet. “I will not condone you acting in this manner. Colin would kill me should he learn of it.”
“Truly?” Ester demanded, glaring at him. “Was it not idiocy for you to have lost your fortune in the first place!”
“Can you really do it?” Caroline softly asked. “It isstealing, Ester.”
“Those gambling den owners are the bigger thieves,” she muttered, brushing aside the pinch of discomfort. “This is not stealing but righting a wrong that was done. This, my dear cousins, isjustice. Where is the conscience of this man that he lured Samuel to gamble, knowing he might lose everything? What sort of man takes a man’s home and fortune without losing sleep at night? A knave…avillain!”
