Della’s brow puckered at this. “Do you mean to tell me you don’t know any of his secrets? Jane, however can you get away with trouble of your own if you’ve nothing to bargain with?”
“Idon’tget away with things,” Jane returned. “As you may recall, I’m presently engaged because I kissed Eli in view of a window.”
“You enjoyed a few interesting diversions before you were discovered, though,” Della reminded her, suppressing a smile.
Once Jane had made the journey back home with a hurried step and reassured herself that Eli hadn’t come in the short time she was out, she went in search of Edmund. Happily, he was reading in the study and not out riding.
“Has Uncle Bertie come home?” He looked up at her approach.
“No, though I expect he’ll arrive any moment. I was hoping to speak with you alone first.” Edmund blinked in surprise, and Jane decided to press on before she could lose her nerve. “I’ve decided to expand my gambling club into a proper business, and I’d like to withdraw some funds from our bank account for an initial investment. I wouldn’t need much. A hundred pounds should be enough to rent—”
“It’smyaccount, not ours,” he corrected.
Oh dear.This wasn’t the beginning she’d hoped for.
“The only reason your name is on it is because I’m a woman,” Jane said, her tone clipped. The bank’s refusal to serve female clientele still rankled. “But you know the funds from Mama and Papa are mine as much as yours. And I’ve been adding my extra pin money and my club winnings.”
“You always told me that was for my education,” Edmund observed.
“W-well, yes, I did say that. But that was before I’d formed more definite plans for my future. And besides, I’m not proposing to clean you out. We’re discussing an equitable share.”
Why was he being difficult? She’d expected that they might quibble a bit over the exact figure, not that he would behave as though everything were rightfully his. Edmund could be stubborn, but he wasn’t cruel.
“If you’re worried there won’t be enough for your studies, I’m willing to repay whatever I can in a few years, once my club is established,” Jane offered. “You know I don’t live extravagantly. You’ll have the money back before you even need it.”
“I need it now,” Edmund said, his tone grim. “You didn’t see the letter that came this morning, I take it.”
“No…” Jane hesitated. She’d been too preoccupied with her plans to check. Had Bertie written? “Why? What’s happened?”
“Aunt Nora had her baby. A boy.”
“Oh no.” Some of the wind went out of her sails. No wonder Edmund was worried about his finances. His status as a future landowner had just gone up in smoke. “I’m so sorry, but we knew this day might come.” The prospect of another heir to supplant him had always lurked in the background.
“I need to make some other provision for myself,” he continued without missing a beat. “I’ve decided to join the army.”
“The army?” Jane echoed hopelessly. “With things in China being what they are? That’s madness! You’ll get yourself killed.”
She couldn’t blame her brother for wanting the same financial independence she did—but to choose such a dangerous course! Even if he escaped injury, he would pass his life going from one battle to the next on the orders of a Parliament more concerned with lining its pockets than any sense of justice. It was unthinkable.
“Most of my friends without an inheritance have joined the army or the navy. It’s the best option for me.”
“What about the church? It would be a much more sensible way to establish yourself.”
“With what living? Uncle John already sold the one at Ashlow, and we don’t have a wealthy patron.”
“If you attend Oxford, you might make connections that could assist you. At least take a year or two to think about it before you make any rash decisions.”
“What good will a few more years studying Latin and Greek do me? Oxford won’t help me earn an income; I’ll come out in the same position I’m in now, only a little older and a lot poorer.” Edmund cutthrough her suggestion as swiftly as an ax splitting wood. “If I buy my commission now, I might use that time to build a name for myself and save funds for advancement. My mind is made up.”
He must have been considering this even before the letter came. Why hadn’t he said anything? The headstrong adolescent before her was a stranger, so different from the child she’d tried to protect after their parents died. Jane didn’t know how to talk to him. He had an answer for everything.
“Very well,” she conceded. “I don’t agree with your choice, but if you’re determined to risk your life for no good reason, you’re old enough that I can’t stop you. But you can’t decide my future. Let me do as I please with my share.”
“Ensign-level commissions start at four hundred pounds. I’ll need our entire inheritance to cover the expense. I’m sorry to set back your project, but it can’t be helped.” Edmund was perfectly calm as he explained his reasoning, which only made Jane more furious.
Set back her “project,” indeed! As though all her dreams were nothing more than an idle fancy that couldn’t be allowed to interfere with his grand plans.
“Who’s to say that your goals matter more than mine, just because you’re a gentleman?”
