The lord swiped at his forehead with a lacy handkerchief, and Helen watched the motion with a small frown.
Something was wrong, she felt it in her gut.
“Can I assist you with something, my lord? Perhaps you are looking for Lady Caroline? I had heard that the afternoon entertainment will start with a game of lawn bowls after luncheon.”
“No, no, I was looking for you.” He glanced over his shoulder, then back at her, and Helen felt her stomach twist, that deep-down intuition making itself known.
“I have something I need to confide in you,” Lord Holsen muttered as he slipped a hand inside his waistcoat and rocked on his heels. “I had debated whether or not I should tell you, but I find my conscience outweighs my sense of propriety in this case.”
“Is that so?” said Helen carefully, her eyes narrowing.
“I have observed you keeping company with a certain…Captain,” he said, his mouth twisting with something like a facsimile of pity.
“Isthatso?” repeated Helen, keeping her tone mild.
Inside, her heart sped up.Who else had noticed her interest in the man?
“It has come to my attention that he is an agent of mischief, a proverbial cat amongst the pigeons,” Holsen said, leaning close in a conspiratorial manner.
Helen bit back a smile.
Oh, you wouldn’t believe the sort of mischief the man could get up to, she thought to herself.
Instead, she raised a brow questioningly.
Holsen frowned in her direction. “I heard him mention you by name. Quite by accident, I assure you. But, it was rather ominous what else was said.”
“And what exactly was said?” asked Helen slowly, her pulse picking up as her senses pricked with foreboding.
“He was talking to someone, I know not who, about a seeming plot to discredit you. Paint you as dishonest, perhaps even cheating at cards.”
Helen blinked, stunned at the idea. It was utterly preposterous.
“You heard him say that? That he is going to set me up somehow?”
Holsen pursed his lips, nodding. “Yes. Quite. That is exactly what I heard.”
He looked around again, then reached for her hand.
Helen steeled herself not to flinch.Why was she always so unsettled by Lord Holsen’s manner?
“Of course, I don’t believe it. But I can only imagine the damage that could be done to your reputation, thestrainit would place on you if word got around that you were somehow gaming the table.”
Helen pulled her hand firmly from his grip, her heart careening in her breast as she absorbed the meaning behind his words.
Ruined. She would be ruined.
All her outstanding winnings could be withheld, perhaps there would even be a case to sue her for what had already been paid.
It mattered not that she was innocent, it only mattered what those in power chose to believe.And it would be in a lot of powerful men’s interest to have her completely discredited.
She raised her chin, flashing Holsen a strained smile. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I don’t know how to repay you.”
Something flickered in the older man’s gaze, and Helen knew before he opened his mouth what would come next.
“Oh, I am sure you could think of something, my dear. After all, I am in your debt, and now you are - in a manner of speaking - in mine.”
“Of course, I completely understand,” said Helen, swallowing hard against the tight panic in her throat.
