Highest Stakes (56 page)

  "Now, 'tis not as much the debt at issue as the deception you suggest. I shall have none of it! By my troth to thy father, Thomas, have I pledged to look after thee whence thou arrived to attend Eton. Thy father's purpose was that thou shouldst acquire a gentleman's education, not a gentleman's vice."

  Much chagrinned, the lad protested. "I accompanied a few fellows to Newmarket, and what is race without a sporting wager? 'Tis done as well in Virginia, though the usual stakes are made in tobacco rather than coin. 'Tis all the same, is it not? Just a bit of harmless sport. Have you never attended the races, Mr. Hanbury?"

  "The Society of Friends forbids gaming, Master Lee, but being well acquainted with Virginia, I understand thy enthusiasm for horse racing. This does not, however, say that I condone gambling. Wagering is an evil pursuit, and no good may ever come of it. Thy present indebtedness renders proof."

  The young man flushed. "With the imminent arrival of our ship, I believed you would advance me against the tobacco sale."

  "But 'tis thy father's money! Though I am entrusted to care for thy needs whilst thou remain in England, this surely precludes the payment of gambling debts! By my faith, I cannot support it."

  "But as a Quaker, you are avowed to honesty in all your dealings. So how could you permit me to renege on a debt of honor?"

  "'Tis a small sum, Master Lee, but a larger principle."

  "But a gentleman must honor his obligations! I would disgrace the Lee name if I do not pay what I owe to Henry Sharpe."

  "Though I offer regrets for thy distress, I am unmoved."

  The young man spoke no more, and the pair finished their meal in silence.

  Devington and Wiggins ordered two more tankards of ale while the elder man departed to settle his reckoning and inquire further into the anticipated arrival of the ship carrying his tobacco cargo.

  "Almost feel sorry fer the young blighter," Wiggins commented.

  "Aye." Devington commiserated with the young man, remembering his own similar folly in making his wager with Sir Garfield without the purse to back it up. This one fateful event had brought him to his present predicament. It already seemed a lifetime ago.

  "'Tis only tragic, Wiggins, when we fail to learn from our mistakes."

  "Mayhap ye should make acquaintance wi' the young gen'leman, Captain. He be headed to Virginia, by the like, and you has no acquaintance in the colonies," Wiggins suggested helpfully.

  "I had considered as much. 'Twould appear the young man has connections with a tobacco plantation. Pray excuse me a moment, Wiggins. I think I shall have a word with him."

  Feeling that somehow his destiny had revealed itself, Devington staked what little remained in his pocket for an alliance with the Virginia planter's son.

  Robert had attempted several times to negotiate transport for Mars on the vessel but was denied each time he brought forth his request. Increasingly anxious, he again approached the first mate.

  "Mr. Blakely," he began, "pray might I speak briefly with the captain?"

  "If this is about your cargo, I have already told you, Mr…"

  "Robert… s, Daniel Roberts," Devington hastily volunteered, resolved to leave his old life and old identify behind.

  "Mr. Roberts, this ship is full and unable to accommodate livestock. You might wish to inquire with the port authorities after another vessel. There will surely be a suitable ship within the for'night to carry your cargo."

  "But it must be
this
ship," he insisted.

  "On the contrary, sir.
It will be another ship
."

  "But 'tis imperative the horse travels with me. I am willing to pay any reasonable fee for his passage. If I might but speak with your captain, sir."

  "'Tis no use to petition the captain. This ship
cannot and will not
accommodate your request. Now, if you will excuse me, I have pressing matters to attend." The first mate abruptly directed his attention to the personal cargo of a first-class passenger, the same young man whom Robert had met earlier in the tavern.

  "Mister Roberts," the young man began, "I perceive you are having some difficulty."

  "'Tis of no consequence, Master Lee," interrupted the first mate.

  "I believe I addressed Mr. Roberts," he answered in haughty dismissal. "As you so kindly assisted me out of my own recent predicament, might I perform some service for you in kind?"

  "I thank you, Master Lee, but unless you can persuade the captain to take on my cargo, there is naught to be done."

"Indeed? And what cargo might that be, Mr. Roberts?"

"I desire to bring livestock aboard the vessel."

  "I am sure Mr. Blakely has made you aware that this ship is not specially equipped to carry livestock, but might I ask why 'tis such an urgent matter that your livestock accompany you when another ship shall soon arrive."

  "This animal has a particular value to me."

  "Indeed? I am intrigued. Might I inquire after this extraordinarily precious animal?"

  "'Tis my horse."

  "A horse, sir? You have quite an unusual attachment if you wish to convey him across the Atlantic with another so easily acquired in the colonies. Unlike England, where horses are quite dear, the equine species is right plentiful in Virginia. Indeed, you might acquire a more than serviceable saddle horse for as little as five pounds, far less than it will cost you to transport yours."

  "While I appreciate the advice, mine is a vastly superior horse, even by English standards, and I am indeed exceptionally attached to him."

  "Is it a racehorse?"

  "He is of the type, though he has seen more military service than races."

  "But he has raced?"

  "In a manner of speaking. He has run several races."

  "You've intention of racing him again? Or is your desire to put him to stud?"

  "To be honest, Master Lee, I had not yet made that determination."

  "I should like very much to see this animal."

  "I would be happy to oblige; however, time runs short, and I have yet to negotiate his passage."

  "If he is as you say, I shall personally assure his passage. My father is part owner of this shipping enterprise. 'Tis not impossible the captain would make an exception upon my request. Now pray show me the beast," he said excitedly.

  True to his word, Philip Ludwell Lee, of Stratford, Virginia, not only negotiated the stallion's passage but also gave up his personal cargo space to make accommodation. Moreover, the young man extended his munificence to sharing his first-class cabin with his new acquaintance.

  Having struck the beginnings of friendship, the pair cemented their bond in the following weeks at sea. With a growing burden of guilt at deceiving the young man who had proven so generous, Roberts was led at last to confess.

  "What would the high-minded Hanbury say upon the revelation that you have moved from horse wagering to taking up with a transported convict?"

  Master Lee reflected for a moment after hearing the entire history and then laughed. "I fear he would be shocked indeed, but the colonies have flourished for having welcomed those cast upon us from our motherland's gaols. You will find no small number of English convicts who have made new lives as honest citizens. I do believe a new life awaits you, Devington."

  "Let it be Roberts, if you please. I have left my former life behind."

  "Agreed, Roberts, but pray call me by Ludwell, as I should hate to stand a constant reminder of your false friend. I hope to prove more loyal than my namesake."

  "You could scarce do worse," he commented ruefully.

  "We arrive soon in Annapolis. What are your plans?"

  "To be honest, I have yet to make any, not knowing what awaits."

  "'Tis only ninety-six miles from Annapolis to my family home of Stratford. If you have no particular destination, why not accompany me? I am confident that among my father's vast circle of acquaintance you could find some manner of gainful employment."

  "Even with a maimed arm?"

  "You have some education, have you not? Perhaps you could obtain a clerkship. Thomas Lee is very well connected."

  "Need I remind you the government would likely frown upon hiring a convict?"

  "Indeed. I had not considered that." The young man flushed. "I daresay my father might have qualms, should this become common knowledge. My family suffered misfortune at the hands of vagrants who torched our ancestral home. My mother, heavy with child, was obliged to jump from a second-story window and lost the babe, and a serving girl burned in her bed. Our home, a vast fortune in cash, and priceless books were all lost."

  "How tragic."

  "It might have been far worse if not for my father's resilience. Thomas Lee is quite an indomitable man and recovered his losses well. As a matter of fact, I have yet to see the new family home. Stratford Hall was completed during my time at Eton."

  "Is it a tobacco plantation?"

  "We grow tobacco, among other crops. The land is very fertile and conducive to planting, now the more savage Indians are repulsed."

  "Savage Indians?"

  "Indeed! 'Tis a wild land. The earlier colonists feared for their very lives when they settled. Many were killed in raids on their homesteads. 'Twas a most uncivilized place until a mere decade ago." The young man laughed.

  "Then I must give serious thought to my livelihood. A one-armed man might find himself at considerable disadvantage in your Virginia."

  "How much use of the arm do you have?"

  "Though it pains me less these past weeks, out of the sling, it's rather wont to hang lifeless," he replied ruefully.

  "Yet you rode your horse from London to Bristol?"

  "I can yet ride, Ludwell. After numerous cavalry charges holding my reins in my teeth while wielding pistol and saber, riding one-handed is no great inconvenience. Just don't ask me to do it while fighting off wild savages."

  "If you can still ride, what of training a horse, putting one under saddle?"

  "I spent fifteen years of my life tending, driving, and racing horses, Ludwell. Though I confess to limitations, given time, I believe I shall adapt to my disability. After all, horses and soldiering are all that I know."

  "I am moved to speak to Mr. Tayloe on your behalf. The man owns the best stables in Virginia, and his horses are nigh unbeatable, though you will find Colonial racing differs greatly from English racing."

  "How so?"

  "First off, the English regard it as a diversion exclusive to the privileged class, but in Virginia, 'tis prodigiously popular with all men. Secondly, most of our races are run straight out at the quarter mile, though I have heard of a one-mile track at Williamsburg. If your horse is as good as you say, you might consider running him there."

  "I shall take it under serious advisement, Ludwell."

  Sailing with unusually calm seas and favorable winds, the merchant ship
Venturer
arrived in Annapolis in nine weeks time, and Daniel Roberts disembarked to face a new life.