A Deceptive Wager Read online

  Lilly turned her attention back to Kitty. “I don’t know much about Aaron. Roger says they play chess a lot at White’s. The few times I’ve seen him we haven’t said anything to each other beyond the usual pleasantries.”

  Kitty tried not to hide her disappointment, but she was afraid it showed on her face anyway. “Besides chess, do you know anything about him?”

  Lilly winced. “I’m sorry, but I don’t. He’s like a portrait. He’s there, but he doesn’t do anything.”

  Kitty sighed. She had hoped her friends would assure her that Aaron was a kind and sweet gentleman who’d make a good husband. Apparently, that wasn’t going to happen.

  “I wish I could have my dowry and do whatever I want to with it,” Kitty mumbled.

  “What would you do with it if you had a choice?” Emilia asked.

  “I’d get my own townhouse and spend the rest of my life unmarried,” Kitty replied. “Society says I should want to marry and have children, but I’ve been happy with things as they are.”

  “Tell me the truth,” Emilia said. “Is that why you refused to marry Benjamin when I offered to let you take my place?”

  “No,” Kitty slowly said, unsure if her friend would welcome her reasoning for rejecting the offer. “I wasn’t the least bit attracted to him.” She winced. “I’m sorry. I know you adore him.”

  To her relief, Emilia laughed. “I wasn’t attracted to him when I married him, either. But, over time, he’s become handsome to me.”

  “Sometimes a person’s beauty develops as we get to know them,” Lilly said. “Kitty, you won’t have that problem with Aaron. He’s a good-looking gentleman.”

  Yes, Kitty couldn’t argue that point. He had dark hair, a strong jaw, and broad shoulders. All were things she liked on gentlemen. He had been blessed with male beauty. Still, it didn’t make her inclined to anticipate marrying him. Looking at a gentleman was far different from having to spend her life with one.

  “I’m sure everything will be all right,” Emilia said. “If I can fall in love with Benjamin, anything is possible.”

  Maybe. Or maybe not. Kitty wasn’t all that hopeful her marriage would be anything like the kind of marriages her friends had. They had love matches, and they had both wanted to get married. Granted, Emilia hadn’t wanted to marry Benjamin, but she had wanted to get married. It wasn’t all that surprising that Emilia ended up falling in love with him since he treated her so well.

  Kitty’s situation was different. Neither she nor Aaron wanted to get married, but her awful brother forced the union. She doubted her marriage would end up being anything like Lilly’s or Emilia’s. And that gave her a terrible sense of foreboding about the whole thing.

  ***

  Aaron turned from the chessboard. “I’m not in the mood to play a game today.”

  Mr. Roger Morris took another one of Aaron’s pawns off the board and set it on his side of the table. “Well, you’re playing miserably, so I’m not surprised.”

  Aaron got up from the table and poured another glass of brandy. He downed the entire glass in one gulp. Maybe coming to White’s had been a bad idea. There was far too much liquor in the place, and he was so restless that he kept going back for more of it.

  Resisting the urge to pour another drink, he returned to Roger and plopped into the chair. Then he slammed the glass on the table and crossed his arms. “The more I think about how Lord Halloway duped me, the angrier I get.”

  Roger put the pawns that had tipped over back up. “Yes, I can tell. But you could have done worse. Kitty is Lilly’s friend. She’s nothing like your mother. You won’t have to worry about her acting inappropriately.”

  Aaron rolled his eyes. “No lady can be trusted. Some just hide their transgressions better than others.”

  “That’s not true. Some are good. What your mother did was terrible, but you can’t say that all ladies share her sins. That’s not fair to them.”

  “Of course, I can say all ladies share her sins because they all do the same things she did. Or still does. I don’t even know if she’s still alive.”

  “I know you want me to feel sorry for you, but my sympathies go to Kitty. She isn’t the lady you’re assuming her to be, and my wife isn’t, either. Lilly would never take a lover.”

  Aaron couldn’t believe how naïve his friend was. “Even after all Lilly put you through, you insist on seeing what you wish was true.”

  “That’s not fair. Lilly was a virgin when we consummated the marriage.”

  “I was talking about the way she continually rejected your affections, chose another gentleman to get engaged to, and then decided she had to have you once you stopped chasing after her like a hopeless puppy. Had you kept pursuing her, she never would have taken an interest in you. Now that she has you, it’s only a matter of time before she does take a lover.”

  Roger’s expression turned hard. “Just because you’re miserable, it doesn’t give you the right to be nasty.”

  “I’m merely stating the truth. My father believed my mother would be faithful to him if he just catered to her whims long enough. I don’t blame you for being misguided. You want to see the best in people, so you’ll do whatever it takes to justify their actions.”

  “I’ve had all I can take of this.” Roger rose to his feet. “When you find yourself in a better mood, I’ll be happy to talk to you. Until then, keep your misery to yourself.”

  Aaron watched him in disbelief as he left White’s. Was the truth really so hard for Roger to accept that he couldn’t at least consider it? Aaron shook his head then set the chess pieces back where they belonged on the board. He had just finished placing the last piece down when Lord Edon came over to him.

  “Do you want to join the wager?” Lord Edon asked.

  “If it has anything to do with Lady Richfield, I’m not interested,” Aaron replied.

  “No, this has nothing to do with her. I would never endorse a wager as foolish as that. Any gentleman who thinks he can conquer her lacks intelligence.”

  Not too long ago, Aaron would have agreed with him, but Lord Halloway wasn’t stupid. He’d managed to pin him into marriage to his sister, and the more Aaron thought about it, the more he suspected the gentleman had been looking for a way to get rid of his sister the entire time. The wager had just been a ruse.

  Aaron was the one lacking intelligence. He’d fallen for the trap. And a casual asking around London had revealed that prominent members of the Ton really were expecting him to marry Kitty. Lord Halloway hadn’t been bluffing. Aaron couldn’t bring himself to cause a scandal to his family’s name. His father was an honorable gentleman. Everything his father had done had been for him and his future. His father didn’t want him to be tainted by his mother’s scandals. The least he could do was honor his father by doing the same for the family legacy.

  “The wager has to do with Mr. Robinson and Lord Roderick,” Lord Edon said. “Now that Lord Roderick is in London, Mr. Robinson is determined to frighten him. Do you want to place your bet on whether or not he can do it?”

  “I don’t know. Does this bet come with a sister I’ll be forced to marry if I win?” He tried not to let the bitterness seep into the question since he was sure neither Lord Edon nor Mr. Robinson had a sister, but he couldn’t seem to rein in his bad mood no matter how much he tried.

  Lord Edon’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment then understanding lit up his eyes. “Is that what Lord Halloway did to you?”

  Aaron’s expression darkened. “Did you know the wager was a trap?”

  “No, I had no idea it was a trap. He’s such a braggart that I thought he believed he could conquer Lady Richfield when other gentlemen have failed. The reason I didn’t make the wager with him is that it didn’t interest me. I don’t like wagers where the outcome is certain. I like the possibility of losing. It makes the game fun.”

  “You’ve never lost a bet though.”

  “Not yet, but one of these days, I will. I can’t win them al
l. It’s impossible.”

  Aaron studied him. “Do you want to lose?”

  Lord Edon shrugged. “I wouldn’t be devastated if I did.”

  “So what is your bet in this wager? Are you putting your money on your friend or Lord Roderick?”

  “I’m putting it on Lord Roderick.”

  “Hmm… For a moment, I thought you would bet on your friend because you like him.”

  “I do like him. Mr. Robinson is the gentleman I most prefer to talk to. The fact that I think he can scare Lord Roderick is really in support of him. All he needs to do is figure out something to scare Lord Roderick. Everyone has a weakness.”

  “And your friend is all right with you betting on Lord Roderick solely for the purpose of losing a bet?”

  “Sure. Why wouldn’t he be? As long as he knows I think he can win, he knows he has my support.”

  Aaron had to admit the two had a splendid friendship if they could be so forthcoming with each other. That, in itself, was enough to make him want to see Mr. Robinson succeed. He stood up. “I’ll wager that Mr. Robinson can do it, too.”

  “Excellent! Come sign the book so we can mark you down.”

  With a nod, Aaron followed him to the other room.

  Chapter Three

  “I can’t believe Aaron is going through with the wedding,” Lilly whispered to Kitty as she peered into the drawing room of Kitty’s townhouse. “He’s actually here.”

  Kitty glanced into the room and saw that a very sour looking Aaron was sitting in a chair while her brother talked adamantly to the vicar. Nearby, Roger was pouring a brandy for himself and Benjamin. It was far from a festive occasion, which Kitty figured was fitting since neither she nor Aaron wanted this marriage.

  Emilia peered around her until her gaze fell on Aaron. “He looks the way I felt on my wedding day.”

  “I’m not excited to be marrying him, either,” Kitty whispered.

  “I know, but you don’t look like you’re about to go to a hangman’s noose,” Emilia replied.

  Perhaps she didn’t, but she was dreading it as much as he was. “I wish I didn’t have Willard for a brother.”

  Emilia snickered. “I always thought his name was silly.”

  “It’s silly because he’s such a cad,” Lilly said. “If he was a decent human being, it’d be just fine. He never should have manipulated Kitty into this union.”

  “My brother’s never been a saint,” Kitty replied. “This is just another one of his schemes.”

  “Are you three going to come into the room, or do you plan to stay out there during the ceremony?” Roger called out.

  “There’s a choice?” Lilly asked, a teasing tone in her voice.

  He tried to look serious, but Kitty noted the amusement in his eyes.

  Since she wasn’t going to get out of this, Kitty entered the room. Her friends followed, and, to her relief, they stayed near her. She gave them a smile to express her gratitude for their support.

  Roger and Benjamin put their drinks down and walked over to them.

  “Now that everyone is here, we can get this blessed event underway,” Willard said, looking much too happy about the wedding.

  Aaron rolled his eyes but stood up.

  Kitty glanced away from Aaron before he made eye contact with her. She didn’t need for him to look directly at her to know he resented her as much as he resented her brother. For all she knew, he assumed she was in full agreement with what her brother had done.

  If the vicar noticed the unease in the room, he didn’t show it. He simply opened his book and began speaking.

  Kitty was barely aware of the words the vicar spoke. She’d been there when Emilia was married. She recalled the beautiful words that went with the ceremony. It was actually lovely to think of two people uniting their lives together, promising they would have no one else. If she and Aaron even had a cordial acquaintance, the words might have convinced her that marriage wasn’t such a bad thing for someone like her. But she and Aaron didn’t even have a situation where they could offer one another a polite greeting. So the words were meaningless.

  The ordeal went on far longer than she remembered Emilia’s wedding being, but that was probably because she opposed the union. Whenever one didn’t like something, it was bound to go on for too long.

  Aaron let out a defeated sigh once in a while as the ceremony progressed, but she pretended not to notice. What was the point? All she would have done was roll her eyes. Did Aaron think he was the only person who didn’t want to get married? Didn’t it occur to him that this was as painful for her as it was for him?

  When the vicar was over, she could feel that everyone in the room was relieved. She hadn’t realized the others had picked up on the tension between her and Aaron.

  “That was a splendid ceremony,” her brother said.

  The vicar murmured some kind of reply, and her brother said something in return. She turned from her brother. She had no interest in anything her brother had to say. As of this moment, she was free of him.

  Free of one gentleman but under the thumb of another.

  She ignored the thought. She needed to look at what little good there was from this. At least wives were respected more in London than spinsters. No one would feel sorry for her. She would be accepted more easily with other ladies. And, if her husband were to die before her, she would have the benefit of real freedom.

  “You were a beautiful bride,” Lilly whispered to her in an attempt to lift her spirits.

  Kitty smiled her thanks. “I don’t think anyone looked as lovely as Emilia did on her wedding day.”

  “My parents spent a fortune on my gown,” Emilia whispered. “I don’t think anyone noticed me in anything that fancy.”

  “You two shouldn’t deny yourself a compliment when someone gives it to you,” Lilly told them. “Emilia, you are beautiful no matter what you wear. That’s why Benjamin never noticed your drab clothes. He was too busy looking at your face and figure. And Kitty, your face and figure are beautiful, too. While some ladies pick ugly friends in order to make herself more attractive, I don’t do that. You two are just as attractive as me.”

  Emilia’s lips curled up into a smile. “You have a way of complimenting yourself while complimenting others.”

  Kitty chuckled. “She’s always been that way.”

  Someone cleared his throat behind them, so Kitty turned. She blinked in surprise when she saw it was Aaron. Up to now, he hadn’t spoken to her. She thought it’d been her brother, Roger, or Benjamin who had wished to interrupt their conversation.

  “I suppose I should take you with me,” Aaron said, his tone letting her know he would rather leave her here but knew he couldn’t.

  “If you allow me my dowry, I’ll be happy to find my own townhouse,” she replied in a sharp voice.

  She didn’t think of the words or her tone before she gave the reply. They just came out. For a moment, she wondered if she should take them back. The vicar, after all, was still in the room, and it wasn’t wise to snap at someone when a man of God was nearby. It almost seemed like a sin. But the slight scowl on Aaron’s face convinced her to stick with her words.

  “You think I’m going to let the money I won in the wager go to waste on lovers and wine?” Aaron asked.

  She gasped. What did he just say to her? Did he really think she was that kind of lady?

  “You have to go with him,” her brother told her. “The money is his. For all intents and purposes, you’re a pauper.”

  “She could live with me,” Lilly said.

  “Or me,” Emilia added.

  “No, she’s my wife,” Aaron began, “and that means she’ll stay with me. I need to make sure she doesn’t end up with someone else’s brat.”

  Kitty’s face grew hot as the meaning of his words sunk in. How dare he say that? And in front of her friends!

  “Do you really think speaking that way is reasonable?” Roger asked.

  “She’s my wife,” Aaron replie
d, glaring at him. “Though I was tricked into this arrangement, there’s no getting out of it. She is now my investment, and I’ll do what is necessary to protect my interest.”

  “I can’t believe you’re talking about my friend that way,” Lilly snapped.

  “I can’t believe it, either,” Emilia agreed.

  The vicar, Kitty noticed, hurried out of the room as if his backside was on fire. She didn’t blame him. She’d do the same if she could.

  “Add me to the people who can’t believe what they’re hearing,” Roger said as he walked up to Aaron. “You need to stop this comparison at once. Kitty is not your mother.”

  Kitty wondered what Roger meant by that, but Aaron shooed the others away with his hands. “The rest of you can handle your marriages however you want. I don’t tell you what to do with your wives, so you have no right to tell me what to do with mine.”

  Before anyone could respond, he took Kitty by the elbow and escorted her out of the room. Kitty was too shocked to do anything to stop him.

  When they reached Aaron’s carriage, his footman already had the door open for them. Her steps slowed when she realized someone was already in it.

  Aaron let go of her elbow and waved for her to get in. “I don’t want to stay at this wretched townhouse any longer than I have to.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him they were no longer in the townhouse, but since she wasn’t all that thrilled with the way her brother was watching them from the entrance with a large grin on his face, she got into the carriage.

  “Sit next to Miss Britcher,” Aaron told her as she got ready to sit across from the middle-aged lady with a frame so thin that it looked like she rarely ever had something to eat.

  Deciding not to ask him why, she sat next to her. She glanced the lady’s way, and the lady scanned her up and down as if she was trying to figure out what to think of her. The lady’s posture was stiff. Her hands were clasped in her lap. Her bun was pulled tight under her hat, and she wore black clothing.