An Inadvisable Wager (The Curse of the Weatherby Ball Book 2) by Eliza Lloyd (the best novels to read txt) 📕

“Everyone will wonder why we are leaving early.”

“No, they won’t,” he said, smiling with something other than humor. Nora shook her head, unwilling to accept his simple reasoning. In nearly all things, he had acted as though they really were married. It was hard to accept, not because she didn’t want to believe it, but she had deceived him, intentionally, to get what she wanted. How could he be so forgiving?

“But we’ve decided nothing!” she said.

“You have many things figured out, up here.” He tapped her temple. “But there are things you haven’t considered. I agreed to return Henbury Hall if you weren’t in love with me at the end of ninety days. That is the sort of thing that cannot be written into a contract. You’ve agreed to be my wife in all ways, but what if you are with child at the end of that time? You have been away from Henbury for many, many years. What if it is nothing like you remember? What if you find out your father really did just sell the estate and it truly belongs to me? Are you then going to concede that it is not yours?”

“Don’t make things more complicated than they already are.”

“What I have decided is to treat this marriage like any other. Well, since it is my marriage, I hope that it isn’t an average marriage. I’m even hopeful that ninety days will come and go, and we won’t even realize the time has passed.”

“But Henbury Hall?”

“My dear, it has been yours since the moment you said I do. What I have is yours. There is nothing that will take that away.”

“I have spent my life wanting and waiting on vengeance. You can’t just disregard my feelings. I won’t let you dismiss them with a few honeyed words. Of all people, you have a motive to keep me from pursing the truth. And it’s not just Henbury Hall.”

“What would it take to satisfy you? Do you need to travel to East Anglia and review the estate records?”

“Yes! Along with the rental and estate labor books. And if there were any notices of sale and who was paying the land taxes. And when.”

“You need me to help you do these things? Me? So far, I’ve only heard that I am the cause of your problems.”

“I have no one else.”

He shook his head. “One minute I am the devil, the next a saint.”

“And every minute, I am the supplicant.”

Chapter Five

Gabriel married a woman abounding in questions, contradictions and temptations. Was it best to pack the carriage and wend their way to Henbury Hall? Let the truth come out in one horrible burst of emotion? Or ease her into this?

More importantly, how did Nora come by the idea that the three families had conspired against her father? By her own account, she’d been ensconced in Dorset for the majority of her years. Carlow didn’t disbelieve Nora, but he doubted there was any sort of proof Henbury Hall was acquired illegitimately.

Damn, Gabriel knew just enough to wonder at what had gone on.

The truth was Gabriel had no idea why Nora thought there was something nefarious about Father’s ownership of Henbury, other than the desperate hopes of an abandoned daughter. But he did know why his father wanted and acquired the property, and so far, Nora hadn’t mentioned a thing about it.

Blasington’s Hoard.

Twenty-five years ago, there wasn’t a gentleman of the ton who didn’t know about the rumored treasure. Gabriel’s father had become obsessed with it. Were they friends or acquaintances? Or had he befriended George Blasington in his final years because of the rumored treasure?

Gabriel’s father had been at the hanging.

His father had never hinted that he had anything to do with the Earl of Wargrove’s death at the hands of the Crown, but the cloud on the horizon seemed to be growing darker. However, it was pointless to dispute that two earls could be particular acquaintances, regardless of how one of them had died.

Would Nora feel differently about him if she knew that the treasure is what drove his father mad? Gabriel had never believed his father’s madness was anything dangerous, only inconvenient and embarrassing. That is, until he’d slashed the side of Gabriel’s face open.

It was an obsessive insanity. Toward the end of his father’s life, as it became clear he would not find the treasure, he could neither eat nor sleep, plunging into his own chimerical world. Him and his garden trowel, shovel and sledgehammer.

Mintz knocked on the library room doorjamb, since Gabriel usually left the doors open to hear the comings and goings of the household. “My lord, a few packages have arrived for Lady Carlow.”

“Probably the first delivery of her new clothes. Have them taken to my room, if you would, please.”

“Uh, my lord, she moved to the countess’s room this morning.”

“I see. Well, take them to her room.” Carlow shook his head in wonderment, as if they weren’t going to leave for Henbury in a few days. “Do you know where Lady Carlow is? I haven’t seen her since breakfast.” They had arrived home from the Exeter Ball late. Too late to press his suit.

“She was reading when I last saw. In the terrace garden,” Mintz said.

“I’ll let her know she has a few boxes to open. That should get her attention.” Carlow glanced at the time. “Has she asked for tea?”

Mintz shook his head. “No, but I’ll see to it.”

Mother had left an hour ago for morning calls; otherwise, the house was fairly quiet. Some servants had gone to a morning service, others to spend a half-day with families they hadn’t seen during the week.

He found Nora on the terraced garden overlooking the large park square upon which the