“That dreadful man,” Aunt Julia muttered. “What did he do this time?”
I hadn’t told herallthe details of our encounter at Lady Benton’s dinner party the night before. That was for the best. But she knew enough to find him disagreeable and unfriendly. “Oh, nothing. I am simply avoiding him.” I turned casually from the window and interlocked my fingers behind my back. “Where is Freddy?”
“In his bedchamber, I imagine. I don’t believe I saw him leave this morning.” Aunt Julia carried on with her embroidery as I started toward the next floor. In such close quarters, it was difficult to speak with my brother alone. I shared a bedchamber with my aunt, and Freddy’s was just next door. One maid was all we could afford, and her quarters were just above mine. The safest place for Freddy to be was home, locked in his bedchamber where he couldn’t cause any more trouble, but the isolation could not have been beneficial for his health.
I knocked briskly on his door. “Freddy?”
I waited. I raised my fist to knock again, but the door flew open. My brother stood behind it, hair mussed, eyes half-closed, shirt hanging loose over his breeches. “What time is it?” he groaned.
I planted one hand on my hip. “Half past eleven.”
Freddy’s eyes opened wide and he reared back. “I ought to leave my curtains open,” he mumbled, staggering back into his dark room. With a quick tug on the drapes, the space was flooded with light. “Hmm.” He placed a hand over his middle with a faint laugh. “I’m hungry.”
“You did miss breakfast.” I took two steps into his room, grimacing at the piles of clothing in the corners. “You cannotstay in here all day. May I suggest you take a walk? The weather is pleasant.”
Freddy combed his fingers through his straight dark hair, tossing it a few times over his forehead before giving his reflection an approving nod. He glanced in my direction with a somber look. “I’m surprised you would trust me to leave this building.”
“Not alone. You might bring Aunt Julia with you.”
“Very well. If she wishes for a companion, I will join her.” He paused, his voice slowly fading. “Have you…have you had any success?”
I stared at his downcast expression, my heart in my throat. I managed a small nod. “I do think I captured the attention of one gentleman, Sir William, yesterday. Let us hope it’s enough.”
Freddy fell silent. I supposed he had run out of words to thank me for what I was doing, or to apologize for his hand in it. He was young—only nineteen. It was partially my fault for neglecting him during our first month in Bath. Aunt Julia had invited us here to keep her company while she enjoyed the health benefits of the mineral waters from the Pump Room. She claimed that her health and spirits had improved already, but after what Freddy had done, mine had been steadily declining.
I had allowed him too much freedom. My mother had trusted me to supervise him, and I had failed. So I felt that it was my responsibility to repair his mistakes.
I was the only one who could.
Aunt Julia didn’t know about Freddy’s gambling during our first week in Bath. She didn’t know that he had lost far more than he could ever repay or that he had tried to repair the problem on his own. Aunt Julia and I had both been oblivious to that, and I had only been made aware of the situation after Freddy had crossed the most dreadful line of all.
He had forged our elder brother’s signature in order to obtain a loan.
Freddy had confided in me late one evening when the potential consequences had finally caught up to him. His debts had been problematic enough, but if the forgery was discovered, he would face legal consequences. Our brother, John, was not known for being forgiving or generous. The money would have to come from Freddy, or, as we had planned, fromme.
If I could secure a large enough fortune through marriage, the loan would be a small price to pay to avoid the ruin of all our reputations. My new husband would wish to prevent such a connection, of course, so he wouldn’t object to paying it. My deception was necessary if I wished to spare my brother from a terrible fate. I didn’t dare imagine what would befall Freddy if he was caught. As vexing as he was at nineteen, he had been even more vexing as a child. Yet I still loved him. Fiercely. I wouldn’t allow anything dreadful to happen to him.
His gaze dropped to the floor, his hands twisting in front of him. “I’m sorry, Arabella. You don’t have to do this. I’ll tell John what happened. He might be willing to pay the loan.”
“He cannot afford it.” I walked forward, drawing Freddy’s gaze back to my face. “He could barely afford to send us here.” Our late father’s small estate had passed to John, who had his own habit of gambling. I could hardly blame Freddy for his actions, not entirely, when his closest male influence was John. The moment our elder brother had come of age to inherit, he had taken to London, spending freely and frivolously. Our poor mother had tried to reason with him, but John was a horrible combination of greed and recklessness. In recent years he had learned to manage himself a little better, but Mama still lived modestly within the walls of the estate, with few servants and few comforts that our father surely intended for her to enjoy.
Coming to Bath had been a welcome escape for me. Even the idea of marriage wasn’t so very bad. It was the only thing that could ensure that I never had to return to that house. I missed the countryside and Mama, but I certainly didn’t miss John.
“I will sort it out.” I reassured Freddy with a light touch on his arm. “So long as you never gamble again.”
He released a tense breath. “Never. I swear it. You are the world’s greatest sister.”
“I know.” I crossed my arms. “And because of that, I am going to the assembly rooms again this evening. Let us hope I can continue to charm Sir William.”
Freddy smiled. “I have faith in you.”
I thought of Sir William’s youthful face and mussed blond hair. I had never given a great deal of thought to who I might marry, besides that he would be pleasant and kind, and able to provide me with a comfortable life. I had never been a romantic. I was rather logical when it came to such things. I felt very few qualms about basing my interest in potential suitors on how rich they were, because they based theirs on how pretty or accomplished I was. It was only fair.
Besides, it was far past time I seriously consider marriage. At three and twenty, I was no longer a fresh young face in society. I had only as long as John allowed us to remain in Bath, which by my estimation was only one more month. During her first season, Kate had secured her proposal from Mr. Ollerton in two weeks.
Surely I could secure mine in four.
That evening, I pulled the ivory silk gloves I had borrowed from Kate up over my elbows. My gown matched, the cream fabric ofthe bodice dotted with translucent white beads. Kate would not be attending the assembly that evening, so it would only be Aunt Julia and me. It was the first time I had been in a public setting during my fortune hunting endeavors without Kate to instruct me.
