Page 84 of A Duchess to Fight For
He brought two full glasses of whisky to Hobart’s parlour where he had two couches, one table with candles, and a shelf with nothing on it.
“Aren’t you going to say it, Frederick?”
“I love what you’ve done to the place. You say it every time you come into my parlour.”
“Why, thank you,” Hobart bowed, and they both laughed.
“You look tired,” Hobart said.
“Emotionally drained. I just had dinner with Percy. I let him know Louisa has changed her mind and would marry him if he asked her. He said he wouldn’t.”
“Humph. Do you think he’ll come around?” Hobart asked.
“I don’t know. Not in the near future,” Frederick said.
“He moved heaven and earth for her.”
“I know. She didn’t ask him to. He did it all on his own.”
Hobart grimaced. “Isn’t that even more reason he would be hurt? He shouldn’t have expected anything in return, and maybe he didn’t. It’s still hard. Everyone likes to be appreciated.”
“He’s coming to tea tomorrow, but he made no commitment after that. She may never see him again when tea is over and he leaves the townhouse.”
“That’s too bad,” Hobart said in a low voice.
“Yes, it is. Tell me, what’s been happening here?”
“When you left town, things settled down fast. Barton has been pursuing other girls at the balls. Apparently, his interest level coincides with the young lady’s dowry size. Being a peer of the realm has been good for Barton. All his sins slide off his back. No one could prove he was trying to kidnap Louisa, so life goes on as usual for him.
“Xavier Abernathy is almost never seen. He doesn’t attend ton events and rarely leaves the Earl’s townhouse when in London.”
“Are Barton and Victor horse trading?”
“Yes. Barton can raise the price of a horse by as much as ten thousand. I’ve heard he’s making headway in settling that bad investment.”
“Good for him. The better he does financially, the less I worry about Louisa.”
“I wrote you that our last run was the best yet. I want a run where you and I are the only investors.”
“Done, Hobart. My investors will be so happy with this payout; they will let a ship go without complaining. Should we try my investors in America?”
“Yes,” Hobart jumped up. He settled down then poured Frederick more whisky. Frederick cooperated more when the whisky was flowing.
“You need to promise me a full hold of salable goods on the return trip. Under that condition, I’ll do it.”
Hobart laughed. “It’s always been about the return trip.”
Frederick gave Hobart a broad smile. “Yes, it has.”
*****
Emma came early for tea. She wanted to leave the townhouse before Percy came, but she wanted to see Louisa. She repeated what she wrote in her letter, downplaying what she said about Percy and Nora. If both Percy and Nora were at tonight’s ball, Emma didn’t know how much interaction they might have.
That news lifted Louisa’s spirits. If Percy wasn’t spending so much time with Nora, she had a chance.
Her father had told her at breakfast that he saw Percy. He asked him to tea, and Percy accepted. But he wasn’t hopeful that Percy would pick up where they left off. Louisa may have lost her best friend.
So, when Emma told her about Nora, Louisa grabbed the news with both hands. She tried to keep her expectations low, but she couldn’t. After all, this was Percy they were talking about. Her best friend. The person she knew above all others.
