“What if she won’t have you?”
A tiny doubt blossomed in Marcus’s mind. Withersby might have the power to coerce his cousin into marrying him, but did he really want to wed a woman against her will? Of course, that was exactly what Withersby was counting on. If he declined the marriage in order to spare the woman’s feelings, Withersby would have won.
“If the woman refuses me, then it’s
his
problem.”
James sat back in his chair, looking defeated. Marcus paced across the room and wondered how far the estate was from London. He wanted this unsavory business finished as soon as possible. “Tomorrow you will contact Withersby’s solicitor. Find out the location of the property and anything you can about the woman. Then you’ll need to procure a special license, so the marriage can take place as soon as we obtain the woman’s agreement.”
“If I had any moral principles, I’d refuse to help you,” James said, gloomily.
Marcus smiled at him. “You know very well that even if you decline to be part of it, I’ll still go through with my plans. This way you can make certain everything is done properly and as befits a transaction between gentlemen.”
“
Gentlemen
do not barter off their female relatives to settle gambling debts.” James’s gaze met Marcus’s. “Nor do gentlemen acquire wives simply to enrich themselves.”
Marcus felt the familiar bitterness. “Maybe I’m not a gentleman. That possibility has been suggested to me on several occasions, usually by women who can no longer convince me to satisfy their whims, or men who have come out badly after a night of gaming. I don’t allow such accusations to trouble me.” He gave his friend a grim smile. “There are advantages to being a cold-hearted devil.”
****
Penny was putting Juno through her paces when she saw her cousin coming down the trackway.
What the devil does Adrian want now? More money to gamble away, no doubt!
She dismounted, tied the reins to the fence, and approached him. “’Lo, Adrian. What are you doing here?”
He glared at her. “What do you mean what am I doing here? I’m the guardian of the estate. I have a perfect right to visit and see how things are going!”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you want—more money? Well, there won’t be any until we sell off the newest bunch of hunters. And I refuse to do that until they’re fully trained and we can get the best price possible. If you’re completely dipped, you’ll have to look elsewhere for funds.”
“How dare you suggest I’ve come here demanding money! In fact, I made the long trip here for
your
benefit.”
“My benefit?” She raised a brow, feeling extremely skeptical.
“Indeed. I’ve arranged for you to wed a fine gentlemen by the name of Revington. Marcus Revington. I decided I would salvage the family reputation and find you a husband.”
She stared at him incredulously. “I don’t want a husband. I’m perfectly happy with my life as it is!”
“Nonsense. It’s not at all the thing for a woman past eighteen to remain unwed. People will talk, say you’re ‘on the shelf’.”
“I don’t care what people say. This is madness, Adrian. I’ve never done anything to make you think I want to get married. Besides, if I marry, the responsibility for the estate will pass to my husband. I can’t imagine any man would tolerate your interference in… Oh!” She paused and stared at him. “That’s it, isn’t it? You’ve made some sort of arrangement with some greedy ne’er-do-well like yourself. You want me wed to a man of your choosing, so you can control both of us!”
“Now, Penny, I swear that isn’t the way of it at all.”
“Oh, really? Don’t lie to me, Adrian. I know what you’re up to.”
His expression turned hostile. “You’ve always thought the worst of me and never given me a chance. I’m sick of it. I do you a favor, and you act like I’m some sort of manipulative bastard who’s coercing you against your will.”
Penny told herself to remain calm. She knew how to handle Adrian. “No, I don’t think you’re coercing me, because I’m not going to do it. I won’t wed this man, no matter what!” She turned and started back to the corrals.
He hurried after her. “But Penny…please. Revington’s a fine-looking man. And clever. And…” He hesitated. “I imagine he’s probably a very good rider.”
She turned, shaking her head. “Really, Adrian. If I were ever to wed, I might have some other criteria in choosing a husband than those qualities. I would want a man with a kind nature and a generous heart and…” She thought for a moment. “And someone who enjoys life and loves to laugh.”
His face changed. All at once he looked defeated. “But Penny, you don’t understand. If you don’t do this, I’m utterly done up.”
“What do you mean? What sort of trouble are you in now?”
“I-I lost Horngate in a wager.”
She gritted her teeth, then said, “No, you didn’t, Adrian. You didn’t lose Horngate. It doesn’t belong to you, so you
can’t
lose it.”
“Unfortunately, the man I lost it to doesn’t see things that way. In fact, he’s suggested that if I don’t cede the property to him, he’ll kill me.”
“What? Why, that’s extortion! The law will deal with him.”
“No, it’s the gentlemen’s code. If I renege on the wager, he has every right to call me out. And you know I’m a terrible shot. He’ll kill me for certain.”
“I can’t believe this. I simply cannot believe this.” She made her way to the fence and sagged against it. She’d always known her cousin was a wastrel. He’d already drained the estate of a good bit of blunt. But she’d never dreamed he’d do anything this foolish. Horngate was all she had. It was home. And it provided the means of doing what she wished with her life, which was training horses. If she lost Horngate, she would lose everything.
If Adrian had to fight a duel and this Revington fellow killed him, it was hardly her fault. But she couldn’t do something so heartless. Adrian might be a worthless fool, but he was the only family she had left. She didn’t want to live the rest of her life with his death on her conscience.
She straightened and faced him. “Very well. Give me the facts. What does Revington expect? Does he think we’ll simply hand the place over to him? Because if I leave Horngate, I have no place to go. If he’s any sort of gentlemen, he can’t possibly mean to leave me utterly destitute.”
“Oh, he doesn’t intend that. Nor would I ever allow such a thing to happen. I told him, if he wanted the estate, he would have to marry you.”
“Oh, dear heavens, we’re back to that!” The sick feeling inside her deepened. Bad enough to have to marry and lose her freedom, but to wed some ruthless blackguard—it was unendurable.
“Don’t look so glum, Penny. He doesn’t intend for it to be a real marriage. And I promise you, I’ll win back the property somehow. Or, we could sell all the horses. Then I’d have the funds to challenge him and win back Horngate…and more besides!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Adrian.” She wanted to grab her cousin by his immaculate waistcoat and shake some sense into him. But that would never work. He was a hopeless bacon-brain and selfish besides. Sell the horses? She’d rather go to London and sell her body in a brothel. Somehow she was going to have to fix this. Find some way of making Revington forget Adrian’s ridiculous wager. But to do that, she needed to know more about her adversary. “See, here, Adrian, what’s this Mr. Revington like?”
He shrugged. “Usual gamester. Hard. Cunning. Arrogant.”
Oh, wonderful.
“Does he have any weaknesses you can think of?”
“Don’t know him well enough to say.”
“And his family background—where does his gambling money come from?”
“He’s the younger son of a viscount. Suppose he gets his blunt from them.”
“He’s a gentleman, then?”
“Of a fashion. Fairly well known among the
ton
. But I think many people avoid him because he’s so dashed lucky at cards. Always winning, from what I’ve heard.”
“So, of course, you challenged him,” she said, coldly.
“I think he cheats.” Adrian’s face had flushed an unpleasant shade of red. “He’s too clever to get caught, that’s all.”
Penny closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The more she learned about her prospective bridegroom, the more disheartened she felt.
She opened her eyes again. “If he’s so ‘dashed lucky’ as you put it, then he can’t be in desperate need of funds. Which raises the question, why is he willing to marry a woman he’s never met in order to acquire a modest property like Horngate?”
“I’ve no idea,” Adrian answered. “Maybe he’s just so stubborn and proud that he refuses to ever forgive a wager.”
Stubborn. Proud. Those qualities could end up being weaknesses. After all, it was Adrian’s pride that was
his
downfall. She tried to consider what was the worst thing Adrian could ever experience. Probably it would be to endure some sort of public humiliation. If that was Adrian’s bane, then it might be Revington’s also.
How could she take advantage of Revington’s arrogance and make him back down? Exposing him as a cheat would do the trick, but her cousin had obviously tried that and failed. What other means of embarrassing him might there be?
She glanced down at her scuffed hessions, and then at the worn, dirty buckskins and much-mended linen shirt she’d borrowed from Tad when the groom outgrew them a few seasons ago. Adrian was always telling her how disgraceful she looked. How she dressed like a street urchin and acted more like a stable boy than a lady. She assumed he said such spiteful things in part because he was jealous of her skill with horses, but there was probably some truth to his words. Which meant a London gentleman like Revington might consider her less than desirable as a wife.
A plan slowly unfolded in her mind. What if Revington met her and was so appalled at the thought of marrying her that he decided Horngate wasn’t worth it? Adrian was right. Revington couldn’t simply turn her out. He had to marry her if he wanted the estate. All she had to do was make that course of action so unappealing he would agree to settle for some other form of compensation. If she could get him to wait until fall and sell off the latest bunch of hunters, she might have enough to satisfy at least part of the debt. She’d certainly rather owe him the estate’s profits for the next few years than marry him!
“I have an idea,” she told her cousin. “It’s a simple plan, but it might work.”
****
As the coach drove down the long gravel drive to Horngate House, Marcus gave a low whistle. “Even if my wife-to-be is as homely as sin, marrying her will be worth it to acquire this place.”
“It looks rather rundown,” James said. “And there’s no telling how much of this pastureland and woods belong to the estate. I didn’t have a chance to look at the deed before we left London. It might include no more than the house and the grounds immediately surrounding it.”
Marcus gestured to a pasture in the distance where a several chestnut mares and their foals grazed. “Someone is raising horses on the property. I can’t imagine a wastrel like Withersby would be involved in such an endeavor.”
“All the more reason to think the land we’re passing through belongs to some neighboring landowner.”
As they progressed down the drive and neared the house, Marcus knew an intense satisfaction. The house itself was a fine old dwelling, built of grayish stone with a slate roof and high mullioned windows. “If I ever have a fancy to retire to the country, this would be the perfect place,” he mused.
“I can’t exactly see you as a country gentlemen.”
“Quite true. But it might be entertaining to come up in the fall and do some running to the hounds. That is, if the estate still retains hunting rights.”
The phaeton rolled to a stop in front of the house; the two men climbed out and stretched. “I wonder if there are any grooms or footmen about. The place looks deserted,” Marcus said.
“Perhaps Miss Montgomery heard you were coming and ran away. I can’t say I would blame her under the circumstances.”
“She’d better not have disappeared. If she has, I swear I’ll find Withersby and call him out. He promised her consent would not be a difficulty.”
James sighed. “I have to say one more time that I don’t like this above half. The whole arrangement seems quite uncivilized.”
Marcus regarded his friend with a lazy smile. “I know, James, I know. That’s why you’re the solicitor and I’m the gamester. With your fine moral sense, you wouldn’t last a week in the circles I frequent.”
They both turned at the sound of hoof beats. A huge stallion barreled down the drive, its rider bent low over the withers. Halfway to the house, the rider reined in the magnificent animal. Blowing and snorting, the beast slowed to a trot and, finally, a walk. As horse and rider approached, Marcus couldn’t help gaping at the young woman controlling the stallion. He’d never seen a female ride like
that
before!
She halted the stallion and, before either of them could assist her, leapt down and faced them. The woman was dressed in soiled men’s clothing, and her brown hair hung down in messy wisps around her face. “So, which one of you is the London bloke I’m supposed to wed?”
James gestured to Marcus. “This is Mr. Revington. I’m James Ludingham, his solicitor.”
The woman extended a grimy hand to Marcus. “Pleased to meet you.”
Marcus stared at her in astonishment “You’re Miss Montgomery?”
“Yes, but you can call me Penny, everyone does. The house is there, see.” She pointed. “Mrs. Foxworthy will offer you something if you knock. I really can’t be bothered with playing hostess. I’ve got to get back to the stables. We’re gelding the colts today, and they need me to do the cauterizing. Good meeting you though, Mr. Revington, Mr. Ludingham.” She turned and mounted the stallion, then cantered back down the lane.
“Hmmm,” James said. “What were you saying about marrying the woman sight unseen?”
Marcus swallowed, trying to get over his shock. “I’ll allow she is a bit eccentric, but that hardly matters. It’s really quite simple. She’ll go her way and I’ll go mine.” His words belied the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Gads! The chit was an utter hoyden. He’d encountered Covent Garden orange girls who had more polish than Miss Montgomery. But at least she wasn’t unattractive. Despite the dirt and her disheveled hair, she had huge blue eyes and pert, pretty features, and the masculine clothing only served to emphasize her leggy but clearly feminine form.