“You said there were two types of wager.”
“Yes, the second has a much smaller number of bettors, thank God, but it’s the one that’s far more concerning. This is the wager that a man will be the one to ruin her. Essentially, each of these bettors is betting on himself to complete the deed by the date he set.”
“Evans was one name.”
“How’d you know?”
“He took Miss Blake for a ride in the park today and just happened to ‘break’ a wheel in a secluded area. Luckily I was passing and extracted her before any harm could be done.”
“A broken wheel? Amateur,” Carlos snorted. “But you’re right. Evans stated he’d do it by Thursday. Evidently, Evans was drunk when he made the wager, and he’s probably drunk now, because he’ll probably lose now that you and Miss Blake are onto him. He wagered two hundred pounds, which he doesn’t have.”
“Who else?”
Carlos smiled meanly, saying, “I’ve written the names down for you. There’s a half dozen that I could identify, and all of them deserve a dawn appointment.” He handed Adrian a slip of paper.
“I’ll reserve that option,” Adrian said, taking a sip of the brandy as he read over the names. “But for now, I’d prefer to keep this whole situation as quiet as possible. Six duels in a week would create talk.”
“And a new cemetery,” Carlos added.
“Was Hynes mentioned? I thought he’d wager something, after being there that night.”
“No, he wasn’t. Perhaps he came to his senses?”
“Doubtful. He’s not known for that. Several of these men are his cronies. Odd that he restrained himself.”
“Gambling is expensive when you lose. He might simply be wary of a financial risk.”
“No, he’s quite wealthy.” Adrian didn’t like the omission, but he tried to focus on the names Carlos did bring him. He’d warn the Blakes that these men were not to be trusted around Rosalind.
“I could inform Mr. Blake. Or perhaps I could just tell Poppy,” he mused out loud, not wanting to involve a barrister in the sordid news of an underworld wager. He’d probably want to bring the law into it.
“Hmm? What’s that?”
“I was saying that it might be best to offer the names to Miss St. George, who serves as Miss Blake’s companion. She’ll be best placed to guard her cousin from them.”
“Let me do it,” Carlos said. “That would be more discreet.”
“That may be true. Tell her the names, but don’t tell her the situation.”
“Jesus, as if I’d explain such a wager to a young woman like her. You know, we might be making this unnecessarily complicated. Can’t the family just go to the country?”
“Not soon enough. On our ride, Miss Blake mentioned that Mr. Blake is a barrister and has several important cases to argue. He can’t leave the city until they are resolved.”
“The ladies of the house could go ahead of him, though.”
“Evidently, they do not have a second home themselves, and the rented house they normally stay at in the summers is not available until June.”
“I suppose it would not do for you to offer the use of your country house,” Carlos said, knowing full well it was out of the question.
“Can you see the gossips catching fire with that tidbit?” Adrian responded with a short laugh, seeing the humor in it, even though he was still irate about the whole thing. “No, we’ll just find a way to get you and Miss St. George in the same spot for a few moments so you can give her those names. With luck, the whole business will stop there.”
“Is she that formidable?”
“Oh, just wait.” Adrian smiled as he thought of his friend going against Rose’s cousin. At this point, he would not place a wager on who would survive the encounter.
Chapter 9
Dear Daisy,
