Paul held it up. “It’s quite the loot you have here. What are you two up to carrying around this much gold?”
“Gold?” three voices said in unison.
Malcolm ran a hand down over his face.Christ.“We ran into some trouble. Which is why I thought to bring her here. Where no one would look for us.”
“Can we do introductions?” Paul asked. “I’ll start. This is my wife, Marielle Bretton. And these are her cousins, Jacob and Hank Tanner.”
Malcolm stood. “This is Adeline Amberley. She is my…my…” Future wife seemed too presumptuous, friend to banal, and he certainly wasn’t going to introduce her as his lover. He looked down at Adeline, hoping for some help.
Her lips twitched. “His damsel in distress?” she offered.
Malcolm laughed. He lifted her fingers to his lips for a quick kiss. “Yes, that’s just it. My damsel in distress.”
“So, she is not your wife?” Marielle asked.
Malcolm shook his head.Not yet.
Paul frowned. “Wait, Amberley? As in the Earl of Rawlings’s daughter?”
Malcolm nodded. “Yes.”
“I can’t believe you are consorting with Rawlings’s daughter.”
“Hang on, I don’t care for your tone, brother.” Malcolm bristled.
Paul pointed an accusing finger at Adeline. “Her father and the Duke of Lavensham ruined my life!”
Chapter Thirty
Adeline flinched. Thefury on Malcolm’s brother’s face was frightening. But Malcolm looked equally furious, and she feared the two brothers might begin to fight again. She gripped his hand hard in warning.
Malcolm sighed instead of exploding. “Well, her father is who we are running from, or rather the thugs he sent after her and those artifacts, so I guess nothing would fucking surprise me at this point.” He ran a hand through his tousled hair. “But before we share what led us here, I need you to tell me why the hell you are alive. You owe me that much.”
Paul nodded. Marielle sat on one settee and patted the spot next to her. Her husband crossed to sit beside her. Then she turned to her cousins. “Jacob, Hank, retourner au travail. Finish supervising the haul. You’ve heard this tale before.”
The two men nodded. As they opened the door to leave, Mrs. Ford returned, pushing a cart with a silver tea set and a basket full of sliced bread. The smell of fresh bread made Adeline’s stomach growl. She tugged Malcolm’s hand and led him to the second settee. They sat facing his brother and Marielle.
Tea was set out on the low table between them. Since there was no hostess, Adeline took it upon herself to pour a cup for everyone. She took a piece of bread, slathered it with butter and what looked like strawberry jam, and passed it to Malcolm. “Eat something.” Then she made herself an identical piece. “Thank you, Mrs. Ford. This smells heavenly.”
“Enjoy.” Mrs. Ford pushed the cart back out the door before closing it behind her.
Paul took a swallow of tea and then began to speak. “You have to understand that after everyone died, I had a lot of trouble coming to terms with becoming the Marquess of Kingsbury. Everyone was calling on me, and inviting me to things. I was no longer simply a boy at university but a peer of the realm. It all went to my head very quickly. And it was all a welcome distraction from my grief.” He paused to take in a deep breath.
“Looking back, I realize gambling had already become a problem. I was wagering in games at Oxford, wasting all the pin money father gave me. But then I had access to all of the money. And all these invitations—to private games and exclusive rooms at the hells—began rolling in. My compulsion to wager got out of control.”
Adeline thought about her father and how his gambling had led him to care about little else, not even his own family’s well-being. “My father is the same. His gambling is the reason he bartered me to Lord Bellamy for money to pay off his debts. It is why he wants those stolen artifacts back so badly.” She pointed to the bag. “He cares about gambling more than his own family.”
Paul’s eyebrows rose at her outburst.
She lowered her eyes to her lap. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“It’s true, the gaming took over my life. The thrill of the next wager, the drama, the win was all I could think about. Then, the Duke of Lavensham invited me to a private game at his home. Several of father’s friends were there, including Lord Griffen and Lord Rawlings. They said he had been part of their regular games and how much they missed him. I felt so special to be included, to be taking father’s spot. But the gaming was deep, far deeper than I had played before. I lost great sums. But I always went back thinking I could win it all back, that I belonged at that table. When I owed more than I could cover was when Rawlings and Lavensham first asked to use the cove.”
“Use the cove for what?” Malcolm asked.
“For bringing in their smuggled brandy and silks.” Paul let out a bitter chuckle. “You must remember it was still wartime, and no French goods were coming into Britain. And foolish me could not see how well I played into their hands. They already had the connections in place. Father had been turning a blind eye to the smuggling for years as a favor to his friends. I’m sure he was getting a percentage as remuneration, but they thought, why pay a percentage to the boy when we have him on the ropes with so much money owed? Of course, none of this occurred to me at the time.”
She was horrified at the manipulation that her father and his friends had carried out. “How old were you?” she asked.
