Page 4 of A Viscount's Stolen Fortune

William took a deep breath. He was quite certain that he would never have behaved in such a foolish way as was being suggested, but the fear that lingered in his friend’s eyes was enough to unsettle him. If it was as they said, then he might well discover himself to be in the same situation as they.

“I am quite sure that I cannot…” Trailing off at the heaviness in each of his friend’s eyes, William sighed, nodded, and rose to his feet. “I will have my man of business discover the truth,” he declared, as his friends glanced at each other. “Itcannotbe as you say. I would certainly never…”

A sudden gasp broke from his lips as the memories began to pour into his mind. He recalled why the pain in his head was so severe, remembered the gentleman who had insisted upon him betting, even though William had been somehow unable to speak. A memory of attempting to declare that he would not bet anymore forced its way into his mind – as well as the pain in his head which had come swiftly thereafter.

“You remember now, I think.” Lord Wiltsham’s smile was rueful. “Something happened, did it not?”

William began to nod slowly, his heart pounding furiously in his chest.

“It is as I feared.” Lord Wiltsham sighed and looked away. “We have all been taken in by someone. I do not know who, for it appears to be different for each of us. Going to that east part of London – to those ‘copper hells’ instead of our own gambling houses - has made a difficult path for all of us now. We have very little fortune left to speak of.”

“But I did not wish to gamble.” Hearing his voice hoarse, William closed his eyes. Thoughts were pouring into his mind, but he could make very little sense of them. “I told him I did not wish to gamble.”

“Then perhaps you did not.” A faint note of hope entered Lord Wiltsham’s voice. “Mayhap you remain free of this injury.”

William opened his eyes and looked straight at his friend.

“No, I do not believe I am.” The truth brought fresh pain to his heart. “I remember now that someone injured me. I do not recall anything after that, but my butler informs me that I arrived home in an unconscious state. If it is as you say, then I am sure that whoever I was playing cards with made certain that they stole a great deal of coin. Lifting his hand, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Perhaps I have lost everything.”

“I will be blunt with you, my friend.” Lord Thornbridge’s eyes were clear, but his words brought fear. “It sounds as though you will discover that youhavelost a great deal. It may not be everything, but it will certainly be enough to change the course of your life from this day forward.”

The frankness with which he spoke was difficult for William to hear. He wanted to awaken all over again, to imagine that this day was not as it seemed.

“We ought never to have left our usual haunts.” Lord Pottinger dropped his face into his hands, his words muffled. “In doing so, we appear to have been taken advantage of by those who pretended to be naught but gentlemen.”

“They have done more than take advantage.” William’s voice was hoarse. “I recall that I did not feel well last night. My vision was blurred, and I do not even remember the gentleman’s face. And yet somehow, I have managed to lose my fortune to him. My behavior does not make sense, and nor does any of yours.” Silence filled the room as he stretched his hands out wide, looking at each one in turn.

Lord Thornbridge was the first to speak in response.

“You believe that this was deliberate. You think that these… scoundrels… gave us something to make us lose our senses?”

“In my case, I am certain that they did.” William bit his lip. “I cannot give you a clear explanation for it, but I am quite certain that I would never have behaved in such a manner. The responsibility of the title has been heavy on my shoulders for many years, and I would never have given such a fortune away.”

“Nor would I. But yet it seems that I have done so.” Lord Pottinger shook his head. “I cannot see any recourse.”

“And yet it is there.” William took a step closer, refusing to give in to the dread which threatened to tear away every single shred of determination that tried to enter his heart. “The only way we will regain our fortune is to find those responsible, and demand that they return our coin to us. I will not stand by and allow myself to lose what should see me through the remainder of my days – and to set my heir in good standing!”

His friends did not immediately reply. None answered with hope nor expectation, for they all shook their heads and looked away as though they were quite lost in fear and darkness. William could feel it clutching at him also, but he refused to allow its spindly fingers to tighten around his neck.

“We have each lost our fortune in different ways.” Lord Thornbridge shrugged, then dropped his shoulders. “However are we supposed to find those responsible, when we were all in differing situations?”

William spread his hands.

“I cannot say as yet, but there must be something that each of us can do to find out who is to blame. Otherwise, the future of our lives remains rather bleak.”

A sudden thought of Lady Florence filled his mind. He had been about to ask for her hand, but should he tell her about what had occurred, then William was quite certain that she would refuse him. After all, no young lady would consider a gentleman who had no fortune.

His heart sank.

“You are right.” Lord Wiltsham’s voice had a tad more confidence and William lifted his head. “We cannot sit here and simply accept that our fortunes are gone, not if we believe that they have been unfairly taken. Instead, we must do all we can to find the truth and to recover whatever coin we can.”

“I agree.” Lord Stoneleigh tried to spread his hands, then winced with the pain from his injury. “I simply do not know how to go about it.”

“That will take some time, and I would suggest that you give yourself a few days to recover from the shock and to think about what must be done.” Lord Thornbridge now also appeared to be willing to follow William’s lead. “Since I have very little coin left, I must make changes to my household immediately – and I shall have to return to my estate to do it. Thereafter, however, I will consider what I shall do to find out where my fortune has gone. Perhaps we can encourage each other, sharing any news about what we have discovered with each other.”

“Yes, I quite agree.” Letting out a slow breath, William considered what he would now face. It would be difficult, certainly, yet he was prepared. He knew how society would treat him once news about his lack of funds was discovered and William would have to find the mental strength to face it. What was important to him at present was that he found the perpetrators, for that was the only way he could see to regain some of his fortune – and his standing in society.

“I should speak to my man of business at once.” William dropped his head and blew out a huff of breath before he lifted it again. “This will not be a pleasant time, gentlemen. But at least we have the companionship and encouragement of each other as we face this dreadful circumstance together.”

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