“Come.” Lord Wiltsham’s fingers tightened, and William was pulled bodily backward. “We must leave at once!”
It still took William some moments to respond, but eventually, he allowed Lord Wiltsham to walk him out of Lord Gillespie’s study. The two gentlemen stared at each other as they stood in the silent hallway, joined in their rapid breathing from the shock. Pins and needles were making their way through William’s limbs, bringing a coldness behind them that seemed to take over every part of his being.
“Lord Gillespie is dead.”
Speaking those words aloud seemed to make it even worse. Staring at Lord Wiltsham, William tried to consider what he ought to do next, but nothing came to his mind. It remained dull, frozen in shock at the horrific discovery they had made.
A sudden sound behind them made both gentlemen whirl around. The next second, William found his legs moving quickly towards the front door. He did not know who else was in the house, but he certainly did not want to be caught standing next to the room where Lord Gillespie lay dead. Lord Wiltsham hurried with him, and together they stepped outside, closing the door slowly behind them. It did not make much of a sound save for a single creak, although that in itself was enough to make William wince.
“What shall we do?”
William stared into Lord Wiltsham’s pale face. His friend was looking for him to come up with some sort of plan, but William’s mind remained entirely blank.
“My Lords, I did wonder if I heard someone knocking. You must forgive me. Lord Gillespie sent us all below stairs for a short while.”
It took William a few moments to realize that the door was now open, and that Lord Gillespie’s butler was standing in the doorway.
“Yes… thank you.” Hearing the rough croak in his voice, he cleared his throat and clasped his hands behind his back. “Is Lord Gillespie at home? We had a note from him inviting us to call at this time.”
Giving the butler their names, they stepped inside after him. The man disappeared, leaving William and Lord Wiltsham to stand silently together, their hands clasped lightly in front of them. It was very strange to be waiting for a gentleman that they both knew would never appear.
“I do not know if we are even doing the right thing.” William threw a glance towards Lord Wiltsham, who merely shrugged, his face rather white. “What if we should-”
A scream followed by a loud exclamation of voices soon followed. Evidently, Lord Gillespie had been found.
* * *
“Gentlemen.”A man came to stand directly in front of them as they tried to enter White’s. “Lord Wiltsham and Lord Foster, is it not?”
“Yes.” William, in desperate need of a brandy, folded his arms tight across his chest. “Is there a reason that you are blocking our path? We are patrons here.”
“I am afraid you cannot be so any longer.” The man gave them a tight smile, speaking with authority. “News of your current financial situation has reached us and as such, we are no longer able to continue with your membership of White’s at present. That is, unless you have the funds to not only clear your tab, but also to pay for your continued membership.”
William flicked a glance towards Lord Wiltsham. The gentleman was still white-faced, although his eyes now began to blaze with the fire which had also ignited itself in William’s stomach.
“You will let us into White’s.” Lord Wiltsham stepped forward, one hand pointing towards the man’s chest. “I am aware of the betting book within White’s, but I did not think that you would be someone who would take such rumors so seriously. For that is all they are. They areonlyrumors.”
The man did not appear to believe them.
“Be that as it may,” he replied, lifting his chin as his gaze became steely. “You are not permitted to enter unless you can do as I have asked.”
The hardness in his tone made William wince and he turned his head away. All he wanted to do was to sit in White’s and forget about Lord Gillespie as he sipped a large glass of the finest brandy. He had always enjoyed a brandy at White’s, ever since his first days in London.
Now it seemed that pleasure was to be taken from him.
“Come, Wiltsham. Let us go and fight another establishment… one which is not so persnickety.”
Throwing a hard look at the broad-shouldered man, William turned away from him, ignoring the fact that his heart was dragging lower with every step. Not stopping to check whether or not Lord Wiltsham was following him, William strode away. Anger was bubbling near the surface, but he did not permit it to express itself anywhere other than in his heart. He had known this was coming. He had tried to ignore it, but it had been impossible to avoid. News of his poverty had reached the echelons of society, and now he was doomed in their eyes.
Perhaps it does not matter whether or not I will ever regain my fortune. To them, it matters only that I have lost it.
It was painful to realize that he might never again achieve the status he had once held in society.
At once, the words of Miss Lawrence came back to him. He had laughed at her suggestion, believing his future was not as bleak as she had stated, and quite certain that he would not require the services of a young woman to aid him in regaining his fortune. But now that he had been ejected from White’s, he began to wonder whether or not Miss Lawrence’s proposal ought to be taken up. After all, it did not appear as though he would ever be able to find a wife - not for many years, at least, and that was not something he wished to delay. He wanted to enjoy time with his wife, wanted to raise a family. The truth of it was that society could continue to reject him, even if he regained his fortune. The scandal could linger for many years, meaning he might well be in his dotage before he was able to secure a bride, and even then, there was no guarantee that she would be a lady of quality. He might have to settle for the daughter of a Baronet!
And here now is the opportunity to wed the daughter of a Viscount.
“You are troubled.” Lord Wiltsham’s voice was hard. “I confess that anger is my strongest emotion, however. I did not think we would be ejected so soon from White’s.”