Read Online Althea by Madeleine E. Robins - Free Book Online Page A

ceiling of
her room.
    o0o
    Mr. Edward Pendarly, making his way home from the
Fforydings’ house, was embroiled in a piece of reasoning that he could not
settle to his satisfaction no matter how he concluded it. He had gone to the
party that night to fill an otherwise empty evening, and had found himself, as
he melodramatically thought of it, smitten by Miss Ervine’s beauty, wit, and
all the various parts that could recommend a lady to a gentleman. In itself
such an infatuation would not have been harmful, but Mr. Pendarly was,
regrettably, very much engaged, and no matter how he reasoned, he could not
imagine explaining to his fiancée, or worse, to her mother, why he had suddenly
begun to find such amusement in ton parties while his betrothed was in
the sickroom. Still less could he presently imagine telling Miss Ervine of his
encumbrance — not if it would mean, as it certainly would, that the lady would
banish him from the ranks of her serious admirers. For if Edward Pendarly was
anything at any time it was serious. There lay the possibility, then, of
prevarication, or at least omission. Which meant the danger of discovery and
the subsequent wrath of Miss Ervine, Miss Laverham, and the Dragon, Mrs.
Laverham. There was no question but that he must eventually be married to Miss
Laverham: a man with debts such as his and a family full of expensive relations
could not afford the luxury of wooing where he wished, and having found a
financial prize like Georgiana Laverham, he could not afford to lose her.
Without really resolving what his course of action would be, Mr. Pendarly
decided that perhaps the morning ride would show Miss Ervine to be less
attractive than he had thought. He slept very poorly that night.
    o0o
    Lord Bevan, having said good night to his sister-in-law,
left his house with no certain idea as to where to go. A turn in the night air
cleared his brain somewhat, but also afforded some time for quiet reflection,
most of which contributed to an already strong feeling that he should not
return to his house just yet. In order to avoid doing so, Lord Bevan hailed a
chair and gave the direction of Watier’s. It was to be hoped that there would
be some good play there, and the night was still relatively young. It was a
damned shame that Maria had had to spoil Althea’s first ton party with
her willfulness, but Maria was not likely to consider anyone else’s welfare
above her own. The evening had started out so well, too, which only made
Maria’s behavior the worse. And his own, he admitted, had not been of the best.
    By the time Lord Bevan reached Watier’s he was in a state
half of indignation, half of self-abnegation, a combination that had often
proven fatal to his gaming sense.
    On entering the club, he at once encountered several friends
engaged in a hot discussion of the favorite in a private race to be run later
in the week. Lord Bevan was welcomed enthusiastically and invited to take a
chance on the race, which he gladly did, to the tune of five hundred guineas,
placed on Ever Faithful. He knew nothing about either the horse or its rider
but only liked the name, but this extravagance set the tone for the evening’s
gaming. By betting blindly where he liked, he managed to lose seven hundred at
the dicing tables and a round two thousand at faro. When, some few hours later,
he quit the faro room and sought rouge et noir , Lord Alvanley, who had
been watching with a certain amusement young Bevan’s attempts to throw himself
to the wind, intervened, suggesting that Francis had done more than enough to
impoverish his future heirs for one night. Francis, whose drinking had more
than kept pace with his gaming, did not take kindly to the suggestion, but said
that he must be the judge of his own business. Alvanley sighed and nodded at
the young fool, strolling back himself to the faro room. Francis’s taste for rouge
et noir , however, had deserted him, and he turned back to the hazard rooms
with a look in his