And he would enjoy mentioning that, he thought, when he saw Lord Buxton at his club that evening.
When he arrived at White’s, however, he was still thinking of the peculiar woman he had met that day. She was older than Philippa, but there was still something so youthful about her. He thought that it was because she was not a wife, and therefore had no real responsibilities, and chuckled to himself.
She was undeniably a pretty lady, and under different circumstances he might have had a conversation with her, but he was not foolish enough to ever think that she was fit for marriage to him. She was curt and irrational, which a duchess could never be, and more to the point he found her aggravating. George was a man that could maintain his composure under any circumstance, but the moment he saw her that fell apart, and he was acting almost as ridiculously as she was.
He arrived at his club and took a brandy, trying not to drink it in one. He did not want to return home in a stupor, but he also wanted rest from what had happened in the park.
“Your Grace!” a voice came, and he knew at once that he would not be resting.
“Buxton,” he greeted. “What a pleasure.” It was anything but.
“Believe me, the pleasure is all mine. Come, I thought we might play a game of cards.”
George knew better than to think that was all his creditor wanted. He would want to gloat, to beat George at whatever game they played, and feel superior to a duke. If that was what made him happy, George saw no harm in placating him.
They took their seats, and Buxton shuffled the cards. He gave George a smug smile, one that George had trained himself to ignore.
“I have a rather good feeling about this match,” he grinned. “I believe I shall be victorious.”
“Time will tell,” George replied.
“Indeed, and it may then transpire that you owe me even more money than you already do.”
He said it too loudly for where they were, and one or two gentlemen looked their way, but George laughed it off and nobody paid them any mind. He did not know why the creditor was acting in such a manner, but George knew what to say to make him stop, as long as he said it at the right moment.
“Faro?” Buxton suggested.
A perfect game for a predatory creditor, George thought, but he nodded and they prepared to play.
“So,” Buxton began as he placed the two cards down and play began, “how is your sister? She prepares for her debut, I hear. She would make a perfect bride. You know, that would be a way to settle things between us.”
It was a disgusting suggestion, but George did not react. Inside, he was burning, but he refused to give Buxton that satisfaction. Not only that, but he knew it was exactly what the man wanted. He delighted in knowing that he was causing misery, and George was not going to play into it.
“Yes, I often forget that you never married,” he replied simply. “One would think that those winning charms of yours would have secured a match years ago.”
“I have only ever focused on building a life for myself, so that when I do take a wife, she will live in luxury. I do not act like some other men, who build ruin for their families to mend instead.”
He gave George a knowing look, and George looked down at the card. He was not referring to George himself, but he said it with such venom that he might as well have been.
“Turn it over,” he instructed.
“Do you not wish to change your wager?”
“No, I am perfectly happy with it. Turn it over.”
Lord Buxton did as he was told, and in seconds George was revealed to be the winner. He heard the man’s sharp inhale, the accusatory glance as though he had somehow cheated, but just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone again.
“How very well played, Your Grace. Truly, it is remarkable.”
“Let me make something very clear to you, Buxton,” George said in a low voice. “You told me that I have a year to repay my father’s debts. In a mere six months, I have almost entirely settled it. In two months, this will all be done with, and then we can both be on our way.”
Lord Buxton was humiliated by the loss, but George knew that it was more than that. He had been opportunistic in telling a man in his twenties that he owed so much money, and George knew that he had never once expected him to be able to follow through with the agreement. For George to have almost entirely done so was nothing short of a miracle, or at least it would have been if it was what Lord Buxton truly wanted.
“One month,” he said simply.
“Excuse me?”
“You have one month. It is, indeed, surprising how quickly you have corrected your father’s mistakes, and so I am certain that you will be able to manage it. Think of your poor sister, and how she would struggle on the marriage mart if it became known just how dire her situation had been. She might be the sister of a duke, but scandal affects us all. She would not be immune to it,and when gentlemen will not glance in her direction, whatever will you do?”
