Carefully and methodically, he confessed all to his mother, who listened with quiet patience.
“Darkmoor has all but cleaned me out. I never win a game. The more I lose, the more I keep playing, and the more I keep playing, the more my debts pile up…”
“Please continue,” she said.
“Mother, my gambling has reached the level of a ruinous vice. It is like a heinous disease that has infiltrated my mind.”He wrung his hands. “I keep thinking that with the next game of cards or the next toss of the dice, I will be able to pay off my debts, but it’s never worked out that way.” Stephen hung his head.
“How much, son?” she asked gently. “How much do you owe?”
“I owe him twenty-five thousand pounds. But there’s more.”
“That’s a lot of money,” she said.
He exhaled a long breath. “Yes, it is. And it’s not just money that he thinks I owe him. He wants Bella.”
“What?”
“Somehow, when I was in my cups, I revealed how Bella inherits this house on her twenty-first birthday, which is not long from now. The baron has been pressing for a union, and now he’s going to force an engagement—as a down payment for all the money I owe him. He plans to marry Bella, no matter what I say. That lovely young woman who has been through so much, losing both her parents at such a young age. Even though I protested and have tried to dissuade him, he refuses to back down.”
“Well, it is completely out of the question,” she said adamantly. “Baron Darkmoor is a vile man. I can see it in his eyes. And make no mistake, I saw the way he looked at Bella at the ball. Like a wolf eyeing its next meal.
“And Lord Dudley cares for her,” Stephen said. “I realize that now. He is a good man.”
“He certainly is,” his mother agreed. “William would make a fine husband for Bella.”
“I know,” Stephen said. “Can you believe that I gave thought to asking him to whisk her away to Gretna Green?” He shook his head in despair. “My God! This isn’t how the mancharged with caring for his dead brother’s child should take care of her.”
“Is that what you spoke with William about?” she asked, her voice faint.
“No. I may have thought it, but I would never ask him to do so… I could never do that to my niece. She wants to marry for love, like you and Papa, and like her parents.” He sat down and rested his head in his hands. Without looking up, he continued. “I thought the baron would have an apoplectic seizure at the ball when he watched Bella dance with Lord Dudley. He was furious. I refuse to let that devil of a man marry my niece, but what can I do to stop him? I am in debt to him up to my ears. Believe me, I’ve been trying to find an answer. But the man is like a dog with a bone.”
“What if we pay him off?” his mother said suddenly. “If we pay off all of the debt, then he cannot force the issue with Bella, and you will be free of him. That’s the answer. And I have enough money to do it.”
“No, Mother. I must deal with this.” Stephen felt the tension leave his body. He had no more secrets—and he planned to get rid of the baron’s threat, somehow. But he could not take all that money from his mother. William had also offered to help. Just knowing that family and friends were willing to help him gave him a surge of strength he had not experienced in years. “There’s more.” His lips curved up in a crooked smile. “I feel hope for the first time in my life.” He told her about Elizabeth. “I plan to ask if I may escort her to the fête.”
“Oh, Stephen,” his mother said, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Lady Elizabeth Rivers is a wonderful woman. I always thought she would have been perfect for you. I still do.”
“Thank you, Mother. Lizzy is indeed quite special.”
“Stephen, for the first time in a very long time, you have spoken to me from the heart. Instead of giving me excuses, youhave given me an explanation. You have given me the truth. I’m proud of you. I believe in you. Please, let me help you.”
“I can’t take your money, Mother.” He reached for her hands and held them in his. “I am trying to be the kind of man Miles was. The kind of man he wanted me to be.”
“Consider it a loan. You have so many gifts that you have yet to discover, my son. I want you to know that if you ever doubted my love for you, if you ever thought I loved Miles more than you, you were mistaken. I have always loved both of my sons equally. I want you to do well, Stephen.”
“Thank you, Mother,” he said in a ragged voice, wrapping his arms around her frail shoulders. “What you are doing for me… I won’t let you down. I give you my word as a gentleman. I promise I’m giving all of this up.”
“We must hurry and get this done. I want that horrid man out of our lives as quickly as possible,” Lady Bridgewater said. “I’ll give you a draft. This money is just sitting in the bank when it can help you… help all of us.” She went to her desk and withdrew a box. From it, she took out a piece of paper and began to fill it out. “Here,” she said, handing him the draft for the full twenty-five thousand pounds. “When you give this to him, insist on a witnessed letter confirming the debt is settled, with a reliable witness present. That way, he cannot dispute it later. Do you think he’ll have your vowels on him?”
Stephen chuckled. “How do you know what a vowel is?”
His mother smiled. “Son, women know what happens beyond the framework of their homes. And we read. A lot. And I can assure you, we understand a great deal more than you think—”
The door to the parlor suddenly flew open and slammed against the wall, startling both Stephen and his mother, who turned to see the very man they were discussing storm into the room, followed by a harried and breathless Garrett.
“Forgive me, my lord, my lady. Baron Darkmoor insisted on making his presence known when I tried to explain you were occupied.”
Darkmoor stood in front of the two of them, his hands on his hips and his chest heaving.
