The post road to Oxford was very good, and by setting out early Sir Rowland was able to arrive in time for a slightly late luncheon. He sauntered to Merton, exchanged pleasantries with the head porter, who remembered him, and then sought out his brother, whom he found looking rather less pleased to see him than he had expected. In fact, Tom looked rather sickly and very sheepish.
‘Roly, I … I have been an almighty fool.’
Sir Rowland’s heart sank, imagining an entanglement310with some young woman of dubious morals.
‘You have?’
‘Yes. It was Arthur Stirchley’s birthday yesterday, and the end of term and … We were on the go a bit. Not sure quite how it happened, but we ended up in a gaming house.’ He saw his brother wince. ‘Yes, I know. Goodness knows I am no gamester by choice, but my wits were not with me, and of course neither was luck, if such a thing exists in such a place. I am afraid I left vowels to the tune of fifty pounds, Roly, and I do not possess that much, not at the end of term.’
Sir Rowland shook his head.
‘So you need me to bail you out.’
‘Rather. I will pay y—’
‘Do not be an even bigger fool, Tom. I am glad you had at least the sense to make a clean breast of it, however much I resent losing the money. It is far easier learning by other people’s mistakes than one’s own, but we all make them. Your “error” was in getting so foxed you were not able to think, and I doubt you will let yourself go as easily in the future.’
‘You can say not. Especially if I want a career in the Foreign Office. One can scarcely lose one’s faculties in diplomatic situations. It could cause immeasurable harm.’
‘Well, give me the direction and I will go and settle for you. Then hopefully you will be recovered enough to dine with me tonight and we can set off for Gloucestershire in the morning.’311
‘You do not want me to come with you?’
‘No, Tom, I will handle this myself.’
Tom looked both guilty and relieved, and wrote down the address, which he said he had obtained from Mr Stirchley that morning. He also added, rather cryptically, that he had some very important information for his brother, but that it could wait.
Sir Rowland found the gaming den to be an unassuming-looking house, the door of which was answered by a man who had clearly been employed for his bulk rather than his politeness, and who was at first unwilling to let the unknown gentleman over the threshold. When it was explained that he was come to redeem vowels from the previous evening his manner thawed, and Sir Rowland was let in, and shown up to the first floor, where he waited in a chamber that smelt of stale spirits. After some minutes he heard a low-voiced conversation outside in the passage, and then the door was opened by a man perhaps younger than himself, but with marks of dissipation upon his face, and a hastily tied cravat.
‘Good afternoon. I do hope I have not disturbed you,’ said Sir Rowland, his voice heavy with sarcasm. ‘My name is Kempsey, and I have come to redeem the vowels of my brother, who was so unfortunate as to enter this house last night in a state of inebriation.’
‘I hold his vowels, but I doubt you have a roll of soft large enough.’
‘Indeed? What sum are you claiming?’312
‘Claiming? Why, what it says upon the paper, five hundred pounds.’
‘Show me.’
‘Why should I do that?’ The man scowled.
‘Because my brother does not lie, and he told me the sum was fifty pounds.’
‘He was foxed. He did not know what he was doing.’
‘Ah yes, and you, despite being “a man of honour”, thought him just the lamb to fleece?’ Sir Rowland’s voice was very even.
‘I cannot prevent a young fool from being a fool.’
‘Oh, you do yourself an injustice. I am sure you could, really.’
‘The sum is five hundred pounds.’
The man withdrew a slightly ragged piece of paper from an inner pocket, being sure to hold it so that Sir Rowland might not be able to snatch it. Sir Rowland laughed.
‘No, really, you cannot expect anyone to treat that as genuine. The amount is in numerals and an extra nought has been clearly added in a different hand.’
‘He made a mistake and was too drunk to alter it.’
