Page 78 of War of the Wedding Wagers
“Really, Miss Playford—” Edward demurred, but she turned to him with a frown, asking, “And how else would you phrase it, Edward? Oh, I know you were only trying to help. I knowyou said you were so fond of your sister and were sure you’d be able to double her income by wagering it on a sure bet so that she could retire to the country in much greater comfort, but the truth is that you made a very foolish wager, thinking that Sir Frederick’s sister was Sir Frederick’s potential bride, and really dropping Miss Fairchild right in the middle of it.”
“What?” Now she had Sir Frederick’s full attention. “What was this wager? And what has Miss Fairchild to do with it all?”
“Go on, Edward, you tell him if you think I’m not telling it properly. It’s time to come clean, as I’ve heard the expression.” Miss Playford suddenly looked a little more combative.
Edward hung his head, shuffled his shoes, then, with a big sigh, looked up at Sir Frederick.
“Truth is, that I always thought my sister was more suited to high jinks than moldering in the country. That is, before she met that curmudgeon, Thomas Blackheath. And then he went and died, making himself a hero and a martyr in her eyes, so finally she persuaded me she’d turned recluse and her only path to happiness was a cottage in the country to which she’d retire when she gained control of her inheritance at the age of twenty-five which is in a few weeks. Well, not so long ago, I overheard you mention the word marriage while talking to a very lovely blonde young lady and, being a little in my cups, I accepted a wager when needled into it. As you can imagine, my sister was not happy—”
“You heardmespeak of marriage? And whatwasthis wager?” Sir Frederick asked, growing increasingly impatient. “So you say your sister had nothing to do with the wager? She didn’t gamble away her own inheritance?”
“Amelia? Gamble?” Edward laughed. “My sister has a very dim view of wagers and gambling, which is why she was understandably furious when I told her what I’d done.” With a sigh, he went on, “Having heard you mention the word marriagewhile speaking to an attractive young blonde, the wager was dependent upon you walking a vivacious young blonde down the aisle within six weeks. I stood to double my sister’s inheritance, and it seemed a sure thing at the time.”
“Except that what you observed was Sir Frederick talking to his sister,” Miss Playford interjected, “and no doubt the word ‘marriage’ you heard was not said meaning at all what you thought he meant.”
“Indeed, not!” Sir Frederick said with some ire. “Good lord, lad, what were you thinking? And what right had you to do that to your sister?”
“I was trying to help her,” Edward defended himself, his face flaming. “And quite rightly, she was incensed. And then, when we were invited here, we thought that if we could encourage your acquaintance with some suitably blonde and vivacious contenders, that I would, in fact, win my wager, and all would be well.”
Sir Frederick suspected he looked as thunderous as he felt. “You…and Miss Fairchild…tried to ally me with—” He stopped, his mind suddenly going over all the blonde and vivacious young ladies who had crossed his path these past few days.
His gaze rested on Miss Playford, and she glanced away before looking up, embarrassed. “I had no idea about this wager when we went on the treasure hunt, Sir Frederick. I certainly wasn’t trying to help Edward win his wager.” She hesitated. “But Icanhelp him—and so you can—without anything more than simplywalkingtogether down the aisle of a church. You see, the wager was written into White’s Betting book by two young men in their cups who apparently used language that didn’t at all stipulate that a wedding had to have occurred. A simple wander with some witnesses should ensure that Edward wins his wager, and his sister can in fact substantially increase her inheritanceso she can enjoy much greater comfort when she retires to the country in a few weeks’ time.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Around her, dozensof beautifully garbed women of all ages seemed to talk and laugh with ease, their fashionable clothes making the room appear like a mass of butterflies to Amelia’s eyes. She wished she could be like them. She wished she belonged, but Mrs. Perry’s spiteful letter just reminded Amelia that she had never belonged in places like this.
“Miss Fairchild, you look particularly charming this evening.”
Amelia glanced up to see Lady Townsend bearing down on her, a gleam in her eye. “And I see you were just talking to Sir Frederick. What a charming gentleman he is.”
Amelia had no answer. Lady Townsend had always had a strange preoccupation with Sir Frederick. And Amelia had once felt a thrill whenever the lady had coupled the pair of them in a sentence.
Right now, though, her words evoked the opposite.
“Indeed,” Amelia agreed, her answer sufficiently lackluster that Lady Townsend raised her eyebrows and was about to answer when a slight disturbance near the doorway caused them to glance in that direction.
“Why, it’s Caroline,” Lady Townsend murmured as the crowd parted and Caroline made her way through the room, hurrying in such an unladylike fashion that many turned in curiosity. She seemed oblivious, her gaze roaming the room as if she werelooking for someone. When Amelia stepped in front of her, the young girl gasped, then asked, still looking about her, “Where’s Henry? Oh, Miss Fairchild, the most terrible thing happened. Mr. Greene…”
“He hasn’t hurt you, has he?” Amelia asked before she could stop herself, for Caroline appeared highly agitated.
“No! I mean—Please, I need to find Henry!”
Amelia’s disquiet escalated. “Henry’s not here, Caroline. He…he went after you!”
“Why?!”
Amelia swallowed, then lowered her voice so that the interested group of guests nearby who’d stopped talking would not hear. “He was afraid you’d do something…rash. He went to stop you.”
“Stop her?”
Sir Frederick’s deep tones cut into the conversation and, gasping, Caroline turned, her anxiety metamorphosing into near panic. She stepped back suddenly, almost stepping on Amelia’s foot.
“Frederick! I… I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said as if she didn’t know what else to say.
“I don’t know where else I would be,” her brother said drily. “Please tell me why you appear so discomposed and why you are so anxious to see Henry, who left rather abruptly about half an hour ago.” He appeared to gather himself, taking a step closer to his sister after ascertaining that they were not under public scrutiny, and asking, “What are you not telling me, Caroline?”
Caroline’s large blue eyes appeared to well with tears and Amelia took her hand to comfort her, murmuring, “Sir Frederick, this is not the place.”
