Surrender of Trust (First Volume of the Surrender Series) (10 page)

Dinner concluded and the ladies exited the
dining room for the drawing room. The women conversed about the
usual topics, the new play at the Drury Lane Theater and recent
excursions to Astley's Ampitheatre and Vauxhall Gardens. Lucy
remained silent, ignoring the exasperated looks from Monique.
Eventually, the gentlemen rejoined them and the evening droned on
for Lucy.

After what seemed far longer than a few
hours, the tea board was brought out and supper was served. The
diners selected from the multitude of cakes, biscuits, pasties and
sandwiches which were presented. Lucy sighed a relief when the tea
board was finally removed and the guests began to depart one by
one, though not quickly enough to suit Lucy.

Lucy could scarcely wait to escape to her bed
chamber. She was tired and wanted time alone to prepare herself for
the meeting with Perdan. Lucy reached her room and closed the door
behind herself, grateful for the solitude only to find herself
pacing the floor in agitation.

Morning had not come fast enough. Sleep had
eluded Lucy all night. She rubbed at her dry and scratchy eyes.
Fine sight you'll be
, she chided herself. Lucy rose and
began to brush out her hair. The maid entered and helped her dress
in a simple, white muslin gown trimmed in dainty coquelicot
ribbons. Lucy tucked the chemisette over her bosom and checked
herself in the mirror.

The white was reminiscent of her mourning and
might remind Perdan of her loss, though Lucy doubted he would care.
Thinking about Perdan, she patted the chemisette again to make sure
it was firmly in place. Taking from her reticule the cheque paper
she had signed, Lucy stared at it for a long moment. The paper
shook in her hands. When she physically handed the cheque to
Perdan, it would be her first real act of forgery.
Calm
yourself
. Lucy exhaled slowly. She needed to charm Perdan, but
keep him guessing.

Lucy went downstairs. Over the protest of her
stomach, she consumed some tea and toast in the dining room. Formal
breakfast would be served later, though Lucy doubted she would be
here. Besides, she didn't have much of an appetite. It might be a
little gauche to call on Perdan before breakfast was typically
served, but she was anxious to be done with this. Moreover, she was
calling on a gentleman without the benefit of a chaperone. Monique
had offered to accompany her, but she had rejected the notion.

Monique, perhaps sensing Lucy's trepidation,
came down earlier than was her custom.

Smiling encouragingly at Lucy, Monique took
her hand and squeezed it. "You'll be fine. Flutter your eyes at him
and show him your feminine side, you'll have him eating out of your
hand."

"We both know that's not true."

"Well, perhaps I was being a little
optimistic!"

Lucy laughed. It was good to laugh. She
laughed so rarely now. "I just need to make a payment to ensure we
are not dishonored of the debt and find out what the terms of this
obligation are."

"You most certainly do. Just try to be polite
and do your best to win him over, at least a little."

"What if he tries to make advances?"

"You'll just have to use your wits and act
accordingly. Are you certain you don’t want me to accompany
you?"

"I’m sure. I just want to be done with
this."

Monique called the coach for Lucy and
directed the coachman to Lord Perdan's townhouse. Lucy climbed into
the coach and settled back into the seat. Her eyes, unseeing,
registered little of the grand mansions they passed by outside the
window. The coach pulled to the front of Perdan’s residence. Lucy
removed her filigree card case from her reticule and handed a
calling card to the tiger.
When was the last time you actually
used a calling card?
She seldom called on anyone, it was a
wonder she remembered the etiquette at all.

Not surprisingly, Lucy was invited inside
Perdan’s townhouse. She stepped into the entrance hall, which was
not nearly as grand or imposing as that which belonged to Lord
Glenhurst. Lucy was led into a receiving room where Perdan stood
staring out the window, his hands clasped behind his back.

Perdan turned to face Lucy. "Well, how lovely
to see you again, Miss Goodwin. Do you have money for me, or
perhaps you have something else in mind?" His eyes slowly traveled
the length of her body.

"I brought you a payment, as we
agreed."Quelling her nausea at Perdan’s suggestive looks, Lucy
reached into her reticule and withdrew the cheque paper.

"What's this? Cheque paper?"

"Yes. You can exchange it at the bank
today."

"Rest assured that I will do so."

"Lord Perdan, please tell me more about this
debt. My brother has been, well, less than forthcoming."
Perhaps
because he hasn't been able to speak
, Lucy wanted to say.

Perdan examined the amount of the cheque and
grunted in approval. "What would you like to know?"

"What is the balance now, after this payment
is applied?"

"Six thousand quid. The balance is exactly
the same as it was before you paid me."

Lucy gasped. "What do you mean? We, I mean,
my brother just paid you a substantial sum! How could the balance
not be less?" She stared at him in incomprehension.

Perdan's eyes glittered with avarice, "It's
quite simple. Your brother is a cheat. He cheated in a race. I
caught him. In exchange for my silence, he pays me."

"How dare you say such a thing! Lucien would
never cheat! Ever! He would not do that!" Anger boiled up within
Lucy.

"Remember the races Lucien ran in Newmarket
last year?"

"Yes, of course. We had a sick horse during
the first race."

"You should, perhaps, think back to the
scandal a few years ago with the Prince of Wales. Do you see the
parallels?"

Lucy returned his stare. "You can't be
serious! You know this is a not true."

Perdan's lips turned up into an arrogant
smile, "It's my word against your brother's word, or yours, for
that matter. I am a peer. Who do you think they will believe, you
or me?"

Lucy hated him in that instant. Bitter
contempt swelled within her. "You are despicable."

"That may be. However, I am the one holding
the money, am I not? Just one hint of scandal and your family name
would be ruined. You might have sweet goers, but no one would want
to buy them, or be associated with the taint of scandal and
cheating. It's doubtful anyone would extend you credit either under
those circumstances. What would you do?"

Perdan moved closer to her, much too close.
He reached out and took a single curl of Lucy’s hair and wrapped it
around his finger. He looked down at Lucy and undressed with his
eyes. She refused to flinch under his obvious scrutiny and stared
him in the eye.

"I find the proposition of your lovely body
scintillating. There’s always room for negotiation there. But money
is equally tantalizing. You and your brother can pay me to keep
this sordid matter between ourselves, face disgrace, or share my
bed. It’s your choice."

Incredulous at his suggestion, Lucy glared at
him, speechless.

"You do not seem overly enthusiastic about
sharing my bed, so I take it you would rather pay this debt, which
you, or more accurately your brother, will continue to pay on for
the rest of his life. You are staying with Lord Glenhurst and are
obviously in his good graces. His connections could help your
marriage prospects considerably. You could certainly help your
brother with an allowance from a well off husband, though I imagine
your husband might wonder where you spend your allowance."

Lucy turned on her heel and walked out of the
room without a word.

Lucy couldn't think. She couldn't feel
anything. Her arms and legs wouldn't cooperate and she stumbled
into the coach. She was physically ill when she considered Perdan’s
suggestion she become his mistress. The allegation of ruin from the
spurious charges of cheating was equally repugnant.

"Miss Goodwin! Miss Goodwin! You look pale.
Are you all right?"

Lucy blinked her eyes and focused.
How
many times had the coachman asked her the question before she
finally registered their frantic voices?
Looking into the
coachman and the tiger’s anxious faces, she forced a smile and
reassured them, "I'm, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, but I'm
fine."

The coachman studied Lucy a moment, his face
dubious. He held her eyes. "Are you quite sure?"

"Yes, I’m sure. Could you please return me to
the mansion now?"

"Of course." The driver closed the door of
the coach and his weight settled into the driver's seat, tipping
the coach slightly. A moment passed and the coach began to rock
rhythmically with the horses drawing it down the road. Sighing
heavily, Lucy leaned back in the seat.

This could not be happening. Lucien would
never cheat. But was Perdan right? Would anyone believe Lucien's
innocence once accused? She shuddered. The parallel was there, Lucy
had to admit. The scenario of that race was eerily similar to the
cheating scandal years ago when the jockey for the Prince of Wales,
Sam Chifney, had ridden the Prince of Wales’ horse, Escape, at
Newmarket. Chifney lost badly in the race on the first day of
Newmarket, only to win handily the next day with five to one odds
against him. The resulting scandal led Sir Charles Bunbury, the
Senior Steward of the Jockey Club, to ban Sam Chifney from racing
for life.

There was no way this was true of Lucien.
Lucy knew it in her bones. She knew Lucien inside out. He would
never cheat. Was this why Lucien had begun to pressure her to
marry? Did he think she might derive an income from a good marriage
that would save him? Did Lucien seek to protect her from harm by
making sure she was safe and not associated with him?

It was agonizing not knowing all of the
pieces of this convoluted puzzle. If only Lucien could speak to
her. Even if he was lucid, the doctor had cautioned her against
worrying or exciting him. Could she risk upsetting Lucien with all
of this when he had just awakened and was only beginning to
recover?

What should she tell Monique? Should she tell
her the whole truth? Would Monique believe her? Would Monique look
at her and Lucien askance? Her head ached thinking about it.
What to do, what to do?

How was she going to face Chalifour? Lucy had
ruthlessly suppressed her thoughts of him. She was intensely aware
of him when he was near her. It was unnerving. If she didn't
deliver the contract, he would be suspicious. If she delivered it
to him, she committed forgery. Moreover, she committed Chalifour to
a business alliance in which her brother stood to be accused of
cheating.

Even if the accusations against Lucien were
untrue, rumors had a way of taking on a life of their own. Those
rumors could potentially taint Chalifour’s sterling reputation and
hamper his efforts to fight real corruption in the sport. Would
Chalifour ever forgive her if any of this should a cheating scandal
become widely known? She knew Chalifour’s only interest lay in the
potential profit aspect of the business liaison. However, he was
not aware of all of these undercurrents and thus not able to make a
fully informed decision about this business alliance. It wasn’t
fair to him.

And what about her and Lucien? This alliance
with Chalifour was something Lucien had obviously been working on
and wanted. Lucien apparently believed it to be a prudent move for
the breeding business. It seemed she was playing a game of Hazard
with their lives. She was the caster and the dice were in her
hands. What number should she call for the main? Would she win or
lose? Lucy wasn’t a gambler and it was distressing to be in this
position.

The coach slowed to a halt and pulled into
the alleyway behind the mansion, breaking her train of thought.
Lucy exited the coach and thanked the coachman. Lifting her skirts,
Lucy picked her way through the mews to the house. Lucy breathed a
sigh of relief upon discovering Monique was out visiting. Grateful
for the reprieve, she retired to her bedchamber. Lucy was not
prepared to answer the onslaught of Monique's questions since she
hadn't yet decided what she should reveal.

Without undressing, Lucy fell into the bed
and rolled over onto her back. She stared up at the ceiling. She
could not tell Monique about Perdan's accusation and blackmail. It
was simply too vile. Canterbury tales may not be true, but they
could still be ruinous. Lucy couldn't bear, or afford, for Monique
to view her differently.

It was terrible, and lonely, not to trust her
best and only friend with this particular secret, but Lucy just
could not. Now that she had decided not to tell Monique the whole
truth, what exactly would she tell her? She would just have to
decide when the time came.

Lucy mulled over the entire situation. It was
imperative she find a way to escape this trap. Perdan would settle
for her as his mistress and use her, but what he really wanted was
money. What if she had a large lump sum of money with which she
could bribe Perdan in return? Why couldn't she have him sign some
sort of admission clearing her brother of any allegation of
cheating related to his participation in that race as well as
cancelling any alleged debt? A plan of sorts began to take shape in
her mind.

Lucy slipped into a light doze, her dreams
disjointed and fragmented. She woke abruptly, bathed in a sheen of
sweat. Lucy struggled to sit and brushed her damp hair away from
her face. How could she be so tired when she had just awakened?
Lucy was anything but refreshed.

A wave of homesickness washed over Lucy. She
suddenly couldn't wait to escape home tomorrow. Her reprieve,
however, would be short lived since she would have only a day or so
there before she would have to leave again to face Chalifour. Not
only would she be forced to continue this charade and commit the
crime by handing Chalifour the forged document, she was also going
to be committing him to a potentially damaging business
relationship.