Love in Spades

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Cassie watched the scenery pass by outside her sister’s traveling carriage window. The city was beginning to creep up on them. She’d only been to London a few times, but she could already tell they were getting close.

“Are you ready?” Cynthia asked as she stretched her feet out on the seat next to Cassie. Normally, her sister would never put her feet up on the seat, but there wasn’t any room on the floor for them to put their feet down. Cassie had filled all the available space with her pots of roses.

Cassie shifted slightly to face her sister. Her feet were tucked up next to her. “I don’t think so.”

Cyn gave her a small, encouraging smile. “Don’t worry. It’s going to be fine, you know.”

“I just don’t like meeting new people. I can be so awkward,” Cassie admitted.

“I completely understand the feeling, believe me. You will have two things to make it easier, though.”

Cassie tilted her head to the side and waited for her sister to continue.

“One is the Ladies’ Wagering Whist Society. We’re all very good friends, and all the ladies are truly kind and supportive. They will help you without you even needing to ask.”

Cassie smiled. “You are so lucky to have such good friends.”

Cynthia nodded. “I am. And that’s the other thing you have—friends.”

Cassie frowned. “You mean your friends?”

“No, I mean yours. The Kendrick twins—or well, they are Lady Conway and Lady St. Vincent now—but Bee and Bel are both going to be in town for the season.”

Cassie gasped. “I’d forgotten that! Oh, my goodness! How wonderful! I can’t wait to see them again!”

“I figured you would be eager to do so. I invited them over for dinner this evening.”

If she could have, Cassie would have hugged her sister. Since she couldn’t even put her feet down on the floor, she reached out her hand. Cynthia took it in her own. “You are the best of sisters, do you know that?”

Cynthia laughed. “Well, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy for you and… well, I just did for you exactly what I wished someone had done for me when I’d made my debut.”

Cassie could only shake her head. “You are too good, Cyn. Thank you.”

Now she actually had something to look forward to. Maybe this season wasn’t going to be as bad as she’d feared.

~*~

Archer jumped down from Mrs. Tilbury’s coach and turned to thank her once again while the driver lifted down his trunk.

“It has been such an honor, Mrs. Tilbury. I do hope we have a chance to meet again,” Archer said through the open carriage door.

“Entirely my pleasure, sir. And yes, I’m certain we shall.” She gave a wave, and Archer closed the door and turned to tip the driver.

After watching the carriage continue down the street, Archer turned and strode up the three impressive steps to his closest friend’s home. He paused to admire the columns flanking the sharp black door before lifting the brass knocker and letting it fall loudly.

The door was answered immediately by a footman in bright blue livery. “May I help you, sir?”

“Yes, I am Archer Fitzwalter, here to see Lord Kineton.” He passed over a visiting card which, unfortunately, stated that he was from Fort St. George, Madras and a lieutenant of the East India Company Army, Madras Presidency, neither of which were currently true.

The man bowed and allowed him entrance to the house. “If you would wait here for one moment, Lieutenant Fitzwalter. I will see if his lordship is at home.”

“It’s just plain old mister, now, but thank you. He should be expecting me,” Archer said with confidence.

The man bowed and went to check, nonetheless.

His good friend came bounding down the stairs a few minutes later. His straight, dark blond hair bounced with every step, his brilliant blue eyes danced with laughter. “You’ve come! It took you long enough,” Kineton said, reaching out for Archer’s hand and giving his shoulder a friendly slap.

“Well, it does take some time to travel nearly half-way around the world. My apologies for the slowness of the tide,” Archer said, laughing. He gave his childhood friend’s arm a squeeze. “It has been a long time!” he said, looking his friend over.

The last time they’d seen each other was three years earlier, just before Archer had left for India. Kineton had been at Oxford when Archer’s father had bought him his commission.

“You haven’t changed a bit!” Kineton said. He narrowed his eyes a bit. “Was your hair always that blond?”

Archer laughed. “That hot Indian sun has bleached it a bit,” he admitted. “Combined with my tanned face, it looks lighter, I imagine.”

“Yes, that must be it,” his friend nodded. “And you’re still taller than me! I was hoping I would have caught up by now.”

Archer laughed again. “In three years? Have you grown since I left?”

“A little,” his friend hedged.

“Well, I’ve always been taller than you, always will be.”

Kineton just shook his head, but his smile didn’t waver. “It’s not fair, you know. The girls always did go for you at the dances.”

“I never left you behind! Always made sure you had a partner too. And besides, who’s the one married now? It’s not me!”

“No, but we’re going to fix that, aren’t we?” Kineton wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “But let’s not stand here in the foyer. Come up and meet my wife.”

“Yes, yes! Oh, er, my trunk is outside. You did say it was all right if I stayed with you until I could find rooms of my own. Lady Kineton won’t mind, will she?” Archer asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course she doesn’t mind!” He turned toward the footman, standing discreetly by the door. “Fetch Mr. Fitzwalter’s trunk and put it in the green room,” he directed the man. The fellow nodded and went off to do his bidding.

Archer paused. “That trunk’s rather heavy, maybe I should—”

“Don’t you even think of lifting a finger,” Kineton protested. “If he can’t manage, there are two more footman to help him. Now, come upstairs.”

Archer nodded, but watched as the footman went out to get his trunk, worried about the man lifting something that heavy. The sailor had been used to lifting heavy loads; he didn’t know about this footman, no matter how broad his shoulders.

“Coming?” Kineton’s voice pulled his thoughts back to what he was supposed to be doing—following his friend up to meet his lady wife. Archer jogged up the steps after him.

Lady Kineton was a beautiful petite thing with pale brown hair and large brown eyes. When she stood to greet him, Kineton towered over her.

“My darling, here is my dearest childhood friend, Mr. Archibald Fitzwalter.”

“Mr. Fitzwalter, how lovely to meet you,” she said, inclining her head and extending a child-sized hand in his direction.

He quickly took a few steps forward to take it in his own and allow his lips to hover over the back of it. “It is an honor, Lady Kineton.”

“I understand you will be spending the season with us,” she said, smiling at him, her eyes crinkling ever so slightly.

“Hopefully, it won’t take me quite that long to find someplace to stay. I promise to be out of your hair as soon as possible. I do thank you most sincerely for your hospitality,” he said, bowing once more.

Kineton waved a negligent hand. “It is no trouble at all. And do not rush to find rooms, we’re very happy to have you stay as long as you want.”

“No trouble at all, truly,” his wife agreed. “We have plenty of room, and it will be lovely to get to know Kineton’s good friend. You’ll have to tell me every embarrassing thing you can remember about my husband.” She gave a tinkling little giggle.

Kineton burst out laughing. “Oh, no, Archer wouldn’t do that! If he did, I might have to tell some tales myself.”

Archer smiled at them both but stayed quiet. He was certain Kineton wouldn’t appreciate him sharing embarrassing stories, just as he wouldn’t. As Kineton was being so kind as to put him up, he was not about to jeopardize his friendship in any way. He was also hoping to use his friend’s contacts to find the financial investors he needed to get his new company up and running—the entire reason he had come. No, no, he’d be telling no tales, that was for certain.

“Well, we will leave you to your stitching, madam, and go down to my study for some gentlemanly talk,” Kineton said, giving his wife’s cheek a quick buss.

Archer gave the lady another bow and followed his friend out the door and back downstairs. In his study, which was a refreshingly masculine room of dark wood paneling and paintings of horses and the countryside, Kineton handed Archer a glass of amber liquor.

Archer sniffed at it.

“Brandy,” Kineton said.

“Ah! It’s been a while since I’ve had anything so refined,” Archer said. He lifted his glass to toast his host and then took a sip. It was sickly sweet but burned pleasantly down his throat.

“What do you drink in Madras?” Kineton asked, taking a seat on the red leather sofa and indicating Archer sit in the matching wing-back chair across from him.

“Very bad wine, when we can get it. And my superior is a Scotsman who always has a few bottles of whisky handy. I think he brings it over by the barrel.”

Kineton shook his head. “Ugh! Can’t stand whisky.”

“I’ve actually developed quite a liking for it.”

“Well, tell me all about this new endeavor of yours. You’re planning to undercut the East India Company?”

Archer choked on the sip of brandy he was taking just at that moment. When he stopped coughing and laughing, he said, “No, no! Not undercut. I couldn’t possibly do that. I want to start a business that actually pays a fair price for the goods purchased. It’ll be a small endeavor that will simply export spices from Southern India. The East India Company is much more interested in cotton and silk. They won’t even notice a small spice merchant.”

“I thought you worked for the Company,” Kineton said, frowning.

“I am in their army. Or, well, I was. I quit.”

“So you could start this business?”

“Because I had problems with some of their policies. Just before I joined, there was an uprising near Madras where over 600 men were murdered for standing up for their religious practices. Once I learned about that, I… I just couldn’t stomach the Company’s rule any longer. They don’t pay a fair price for their goods in order to squeeze out as much profit as they can, and they don’t treat the native people well. It just… well, it floors me how they can treat people that way,” he said with much more heat than he’d intended. “I’m sorry, but it infuriates me.”

“So, in your typical fashion, you’re going to do something about it,” Kineton said with a laugh.

“I don’t know what you find amusing about poor people being hung out to dry,” Archer said, putting his glass down with some force.

“No, no. No offense meant. I can see this is something you feel very strongly about,” his friend said, immediately holding up his hands. “You just tend to… well, you tend to jump into things.”

“I’m not jumping into this. I’ve thought it out, and this is the best way to help these people. Philip, you haven’t seen the way the Indians live—if you can even call it that,” he said. He shook the image of the poverty he’d seen out of his mind’s eye. It was too disturbing, especially when he was sitting here in his friend’s luxurious home in London, enjoying a glass of fine liquor that probably cost Kineton a pretty penny.

“You know I would…” Kineton started.

“No, no, I told you in my letter I’m not asking you to invest,” Archer replied quickly. It was one thing the two boys had in common while growing up—both their fathers had been in difficult financial situations. They figured it was the boggy land the neighbors were attempting to farm, but they hadn’t known the particulars. Of course, now Kineton had inherited his father’s land. Archer didn’t know how well he was doing with it, but it couldn’t be much better than Lord Fitzwalter who, Archer knew, was always struggling, living on the edge.

“Well, you know, all I have is thanks to Martha-aaah!” Kineton snapped his fingers, his eyes lighting up with excitement. “But of course! That’s just what you need!”

“Martha? Er, your wife?” Archer was confused.

“Yes, Martha’s my wife, so you can’t have her. But you need someone just like her—an heiress! I’ll introduce you to all the girls who are known to have large dowries. That’s where you will get the funds for your business.” Kineton sat back with a very self-satisfied grin.

Archer just laughed and shook his head. “No, thank you. It worked for you because you’re very happy living here in London, playing escort to your lovely wife, but I’m going back to Madras as soon as I get the money I need. I can’t marry someone, take her money, and abandon her here.”

“You could bring her—”

“And I would not submit a gently born young lady to the trials of living in India. No! Honestly, all you need to do is introduce me to some of your wealthier gentleman friends, and I’ll do the rest. I’m certain I can convince a few people to invest in this business. It’s a sound idea.”

Kineton shook his head sadly. “You’re making a mistake, Archer. You’re young and not that bad looking. I’m sure you could find a very willing miss—”

“Thank you, no!” Archer insisted.

His friend sighed heavily. “Very well.” He sat up again as another thought seemed to strike. “What about a wardrobe?”

“Are you referring to mine? I’ve been living in a uniform for the past three years.”

“Just what I thought. I’ll take you ‘round to my man. He’ll get you fixed up in no time.”

“Excellent!” He looked down at his coat and breeches and then over at Kineton’s clothes. It was painfully obvious that Archer hadn’t seen a tailor in some time, and certainly not one who had been on Bond Street recently. And besides, who didn’t like getting new clothes?

“And don’t even think of laying out the ready for them,” Kineton added. “I know you’re strapped for funds. I’ve got a good allowance, and I just won a monkey off of old Merriton a few nights ago.”

“You have an allowance?” Archer asked.

Kineton’s cheeks turned slightly rosy. “Er, yes. Howden—that’s Martha’s father—keeps a tight fist on his money. I’ll get a good chunk in the end since Martha’s an only child, but for now I have to put up with him.”

“Didn’t you get ten thousand pounds when you married? I remember you writing me about the fantastic dowry you received.”

Kineton shifted uneasily in his seat. “Yes, but it all got divided between my estate, trust funds for Martha, and any children we might have as per the terms of the marriage settlement. I actually saw very little of that. I tell you, Howden’s a sharp one.”

Archer gave a little laugh. “In other words, he arranged it so you couldn’t possibly squander his blunt.”

“Yes.” Kineton clearly wasn’t happy about the arrangement, but he had agreed to it, so he truly couldn’t complain.

“Well, I appreciate you lending me a hand for now, and I will pay you back just as soon—”

“No worries, old man! No worries!” Kineton sat forward again. “I can’t wait to introduce you to society. I tell you the ladies are going to be eating out of your hand. You’ll have your funding in no time.”

“Kineton, I told you, I’m not marrying—”

“Right, right, so you say. Just don’t… don’t dismiss the idea completely, all right?”

Archer sighed. “Fine. I suppose it’s always good to have a contingency plan.”

“That’s my boy!”