An Affair So Right (Rebel Hearts #4)(47)
“Emotional?”
William leaned forward, lowering his voice. “You were the one who recklessly dove off a cliff after Mary when she drowned herself.”
“You were right behind me, if I recall.”
“I swam out from the shore, not dive from the cliff top. We’re lucky we didn’t bury two bodies that day,” William ground out.
Many thought William a cold man, but Quinn had seen through his facade of restraint long ago. William felt too deeply to bear to show it sometimes. William and Theodora had that in common, except for the anger. Even though Quinn had been grieving over losing Mary, William had torn strips off Quinn later in privacy about that reckless dive. “We were both desperate.”
“It was a shock to all of us to lose her like that.” William sat back, worrying at his lower lip. “Perhaps, now that your father is out of the way, we can finally put the matter to rest.”
“Father denied any involvement in her death but the topic came up recently, and I thought he acted very guilty. Of course, he fell ill before I could discover more, and is dead now, so what he knew died with him.” Quinn glanced toward the study that was now his. “I’ll have to look elsewhere for answers, if there are any to be had.”
“I’ve already told you all I know, but do you need my help?”
He considered William’s suggestion seriously. Whatever had happened before Mary had died must have been terrible. The fewer people who learned the details, the better. However, there was one person who might approach his problem with clearer eyes. He’d already begun to seek Theodora’s opinion on many things, including how women viewed romantic situations. Sharing his concerns with Theodora would require that he trust her with a very dark moment in his past. It was a risk he wasn’t sure he should take with his family’s reputation yet. “No, but thank you.”
The door creaked open and Falstaff, the Newberry House butler, slid through the gap. “My apologies for the intrusion. Mr. Cushing has arrived earlier than his appointment. What should I do?”
“Send him in,” Quinn told the butler.
Quinn stood, smoothing his waistcoat as Mr. Cushing strode into the room a moment later. The man was of middle years, ruddy complexion, but not smiling. He steered his daughter Genevieve into the room on his arm, a girl Quinn had found quite timid and, well…dull.
William gave him a warning glance, and he restrained his smile of welcome a bit more.
Quinn shook hands with Cushing and nodded politely to the daughter. “Sir. Welcome.”
“Thank you for seeing us, Lord Templeton. And Captain Ford, I did not expect to see you today.”
“So I see,” William stated coldly.
Cushing swallowed. “Yes, well. May I present my daughter, Genevieve, to you, Captain?”
William nodded politely to the young woman, even as Quinn noted her hands were shaking. She clutched them to her stomach rather than offer them. Was she ill or terrified of William’s looks? The wound William had barely survived in battle made many ladies of their acquaintance decidedly uncomfortable.
“Please do sit down,” he said, speaking to Genevieve. He was not prepared to have the young woman faint today. “Would you care for tea?”
The young woman shook her head quickly and glanced toward the door as it closed. Quinn was rather glad she did not want to be there. It meant he had a chance to turn the matter to his benefit without hurting her feelings.
Rather than draw out the tension, Quinn got straight to the point and addressed her father. “You said the matter was urgent. How may I be of assistance?”
“I won’t pay,” Cushing blurted. “Not unless you marry her first.”
It was almost comical that he had expected such a scene that morning, but he found nothing to smile about. William seemed to agree, as he chimed in with a bored-sounding, “Marry whom?”
“My daughter, of course,” Cushing ground out as he gestured to the girl on the verge of fainting.
Quinn ignored the mention of marriage to Genevieve and worried about the bill instead. He kept his attention on Mr. Cushing. “You mentioned a debt. Forgive me for my ignorance. I am still unaware of many of my father’s financial entanglements.”
The fellow dug into his pocket and procured a well-folded scrap of paper. When he passed it over, Quinn smoothed it out and read very quickly. Five thousand pounds lost at Faro and owed to the Templeton estate. The repayment of such a large amount was no small matter. It was enough to bankrupt a business and ruin a family. Damn his father for this!
That Cushing attempted to delay the repayment by offering up his daughter suggested the amount could very well be more than could be repaid at all.
Acid burned in his stomach at the inexcusable situation he’d been placed in. It was not Quinn’s way to gamble with the livelihood of others, and he would never take advantage of desperation over money. “This debt is forgiven.”
He stood, moved to a desk, and scrawled his signature across the promissory note, marking it as paid in full. He could bear the loss of that money better than he would tolerate a marriage begun under these circumstances.
When he passed over the paper, Mr. Cushing stared at him in shock. “That was five thousand pounds,” the man whispered.
“I am not my father. I will not be bribed to take a wife.” He turned to Genevieve and inclined his head. “No slight intended, my lady. I am sure you would make someone else a perfectly suitable spouse. But not me. I wish you all the best for an enjoyable season.”