“It isn’t because I’m a gentleman,” Edmund replied easily. “It’s because I have the greater assurance of success. The army is a respectable career. You’re proposing to sink a hundred pounds into a gaming house for ladies, with no guarantee that you won’t be met with scorn and censure from the ton. It’s only logical that if we don’t have enough for both of us, we prioritize the one with better prospects.”
He said it with such assurance, it was plain he thought her a bit foolish for expecting otherwise.
“Oh, I could just—consider yourself lucky I can’t blackmail you!”
“Beg pardon?”
“Never mind,” she snapped, “but I don’t accept this. I need that money, and you have no right to deny me a share. If I have to take this up with Uncle Bertie when he returns, that’s what I shall do.”
Jane wasn’t proud of the threat, nor did she relish the idea of running to their uncle with her tale like a child, but there was no other choice. Their legal guardian was the only one liable to carry any weight with the bank.
Even so, Edmund didn’t seem bothered by her threat. “You really think he’ll consider a gambling club to be a better idea than a military commission? You know he disapproves.” He didn’t smirk, exactly, but there was a muted sympathy on his face that Jane could’ve done without.
“I haven’t the faintest idea what he’ll say to my plans,” she admitted. “But I’m confident he’ll agree that my offer to take a hundred pounds for myself and leave you with three times that amount is a generous one.”
It was the first time her brother actually hesitated. Perhaps cold numbers didn’t provide him as much opportunity for excuses as her explanations had.
“Let’s not draw Bertie into it.” He backtracked without a trace of shame. “You know I’d be happy to give you your hundred pounds if it would leave me with enough to buy my commission, but it’s impossible. You can always save your pin money for a few more years and expand your club later.”
“You could always purchase the commission later,” Jane returned. “It only seems fair that the eldest go first.”
She couldn’t give in, not when she’d convinced Eli to stake his future on this. They’d already lost so much time.
Jane thought she saw a trace of fear in the widening of Edmund’s eyes. She didn’t relish it, but she had to admit it was better to be taken seriously than brushed aside without any real consideration.
He looked around the room as if expecting to find some help there, and grew agitated to see none. He fussed with his cravat, his tone suddenly businesslike once more. “Very well. If we can’t settle this reasonably, then I suppose I don’t have much choice.” He studied her for an instant, seemed to settle on some course of action, and then left the room.
“Where are you going?” Jane rushed after him, struggling to keep up with Edmund’s long stride. He walked with a purpose. This wasn’t the stomping defiance of a child going to sulk in his room, but the step of a man who knew his destination. He didn’t answer, but descended the stairs and went directly to the entrance, where he found his hat and crammed it roughly atop his head. “I said, where are you going?” Jane repeated, tugging at his arm and trying to quell the panic that was swirling inside her.
She was trembling before he even gave his response. Perhaps she already knew how easily her little brother might reduce her dreams to ash with a snap of his fingers, and she didn’t want confirmation.
“To the bank.” He didn’t look at her as he delivered the killing blow, intent upon his coat buttons. “I’m sorry about this, but I won’t let you cost me my commission.”
“Edmund.” She tightened her grip on his arm, but he shook her off with a rough motion. “Don’t do this. I need the investment. Eli is counting on me.”
“Please don’t follow me. It will only make a scene, and it won’t change anything.”
The truth in that statement was nearly as devastating as the decision unfolding before her. What would the bank managers do if she turned up on their doorstep pleading for her portion of the inheritance? She didn’t have a trust to protect her, and the account was in Edmund’s name. They would judge her hysterical and send her home without a second thought, and he would still take everything.
There was no way to stop him.
Edmund left her in the entranceway, her thoughts darting helplessly like moths around the flame. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn’t ask Della to shoulder the costs of their venture alone and still expect to take half the profits for herself, and Eli didn’t have any funds to contribute without his income.
Oh God, the hearing.
He’d said he would broach the subject of a discharge today. Eli was about to sacrifice his career for her—had perhaps already done so—because he’d trusted her so completely that the idea of giving up a stable source of income to start a ladies’ gambling club didn’t seem ridiculous. And when he came to call on her, she would have to explain that she’d been too hasty. She’d assumed that she could access her own money without obstacle, taking Edmund’s assent for granted.
Hadn’t she always known that marriage would bring misfortune? Only she’d had it backward. Jane hadn’t dared risk her future on a man, and in the end, it was Eli who’d risked his future on her and would lose everything for it.
If only she’d known what her brother was planning!
When the hoofbeats and jangling harness of a carriage sounded outside a short time later, Jane had the urge to hide. She couldn’t face Eli. Not without a plan.
But it was Uncle Bertie who entered the vestibule a moment later with Cecily in tow.
“Hello there, my dear.” He smiled as he removed his hat and gloves. “Have I missed the lieutenant’s call? I meant to arrive sooner, but I wanted to check on Cecily on my way back into town.”
“Thank goodness you’re home,” Jane cried, sweeping her uncle into an embrace that was less of a welcome and more of a clutch for dear life. She should probably have shown more restraint in front ofher cousin, but there was no time to worry about that now. Edmund couldn’t have more than a ten-minute head start, and the only person who might be able to talk sense into him was standing before her. “I need you to go directly to the bank and try to find Edmund. No time to unpack your things.”
