The last time Lucy cried was when Giles died. Most believed she was heartbroken over the loss of the husband she had been dedicated to. She was upset about his death, but for another reason. She cared for him but didn’t love him in the way expected in her role as his wife. The shame and guilt of how he died had brought her to tears.
Now she wanted to shed tears of a different kind. She felt a deep sense of loss while standing next to the feeble and emaciated man who had sheltered and fed her, who’d given her everything she could ever want except his compassion and approval. She wanted to weep, not because Father might die, but from the sudden outpouring of emotion from Rue. Her kind and loving sister sat near Father and cried. The nurse whispered encouraging words, but she continued weeping.
Lucy left the room, hugging her waist as her stomach bubbled. Good thing she hadn’t eaten anything earlier. She would have cast up her accounts on the green-and-white needlepoint rug lining the hallway. Inhaling deeply through her nose, she walked down the stairs to the foyer.
Memories of her mother dying after the intense labor bringing Chase and Colby into the world haunted her. Seeing Father now, the stench of sickness permeating the room much like when her mother succumbed to death over twenty years ago, made her want to run home and hide in her bed, secluded from the rest of the world. But that wouldn’t happen. She wouldn’t allow it. She would be strong and face Father’s possible death head-on. Her family expected it of her, and she expected no less of herself.
Clutching the banister, she took a few steady breaths. Wiping away the wrinkles on her bodice, she pressed down each button, all eight of them, before she joined the others in the sitting room. She entered, swallowing back bile when the smell of the tea and roasted chicken assaulted her.
Freddy and Chase set their plates with half-eaten sandwiches on the table in front of them and rose. She sent them a tepid smile and joined Aunt Sera on the sofa.
“How is he?” Aunt Sera asked.
“He’s sleeping. Rue is with him. Would you like to go upstairs and see him?” She hoped her aunt would agree so she could talk freely with the men.
Aunt Sera finished her tea and stood. “My voice might rouse Geoff. If I chatter on, he might wake up to tell me to bugger off.”
“Aunt!” Chase’s jaw dropped, and a flag of red covered his cheeks.
With a chuckle and a swoosh of her skirts, she left the room.
“I think she misses Uncle Hal. You should hear their discussions when I have them over to dinner.” Lucy swallowed a giggle.
“Now I know where Rue gets her…opinionated nature.” Freddy smiled and poured Lucy a cup of tea.
“Opinionated? Our Rue? You must see a side to her we don’t.” She sipped her tea. The only one not afraid to speak his mind was Colby, who, on many occasions, had done so, mainly with Father.
“Perhaps I do.” Freddy stared at the foyer, as if Rue would appear. His face grew softer and his smile more pronounced.
Her stomach flipped again, but in a more agreeable manner. She wished she had a marriage like Rue’s, free of falsehood and deceit.
Silence filled the room as she drank her tea and the men ate the remainder of their meal. She cleared her throat, ready to broach the delicate topic of Father and Colby. “If Father doesn’t get better, will he be sent to a hospital or an institution for medical treatment?”
Chase set his plate down and brushed the crumbs from his fingers. “There’s a possibility he may have to be sent somewhere for better treatment than he’s receiving now. If he doesn’t recover, he may worsen. He can’t speak or sit up and opens his eyes for only a few minutes at a time. He’s wasting away, and Colby is, too—” He jumped up from his seat and stared out the window overlooking the street. His hand shook as he rubbed the back of his head.
“He isn’t the sole reason for Father’s attack.” She approached her brother, who turned around with a stricken look. Her heart broke for him. Chase and Colby had been extremely close until recently.
“You haven’t been around, so you don’t understand what Colby has been doing these past few years.” He shook his head. “He’s gambling and drinking heavily, running around with women of questionable reputations, and has made friends who are bad influences. He’s racked up debt and gone through most of his inheritance from Mother. Father wants to cut him off without a penny, and, if it happens, Colby will be all alone with no one to support him. He’s made quite the mess of things.”
“How can this be?” she asked her brother-in-law, who leaned forward and folded his hands on his knees.
“I’m afraid so. Geoff has discussed with me, on more than one occasion cutting Colby off to teach him a lesson.”
“How can a father do that to his younger son? Colby has always been spirited.” She shook her head, baffled she’d been kept in the dark for so long.
“He became wild after you left us and married,” Chase announced, his voice turning cold.
She trembled with indignation. One too many times she had allowed Father to talk to her in such a way. She refused to let her brother do the same.
“How dare you speak to me this way? You have no right to do so.” She pointed a finger in Chase’s face. He tried to touch her. She drew her arm away, ready to march out of the room, when Freddy stood.
“Throwing accusations around won’t solve anything. The best thing is for both of you to keep a level head.”
She slowed her breathing, and when Chase apologized, she accepted. He gave her a quick hug and lowered his head in supplication. She combed her fingers through his hair like she used to do when he was a boy. He smiled. She smiled in return, and they both sat down.
Freddy settled back in his chair, looking pleased. “Lucy, you must speak with Colby. He’ll listen to you.”
“Fine, let’s go get him now. Maybe I can talk some sense into him.”
“It’s not as easy as it sounds.” Chase crossed one leg over the other. The lines on his forehead became more evident.
“Do you know where he is?” Trepidation for her younger brother ran down her spine.
“Yes. He’s at his favorite place in all of London, the Pythos Club.”
Pythos Club? The probability it was a den of inequity with licentious activities and unscrupulous people fed into her fears that Colby had succumbed to the darker side of London.
“Is this Pythos Club is located in Whitechapel, or near the docks where most of these clubs of ill repute are?” She shuddered, glad she lived in a village where no such corruptible place tempted young, impressionable men like her brother.
Chase chuckled. “Pythos is one of the most popular gaming establishments in all of London, located on St. James Street. There are card games, dicing, and drinking, of course. A few times a month, there’s a singing and dancing show.” The corner of his mouth tilted up. “Genteel women may also attend and take part of the festivities there.”
“Excuse me? You can’t be serious.” Shock ran through her, not at the location of the club, but that any decent woman would dare enter such an environment.
“I’m very serious,” Chase said. “I’ve been there many times, usually with Colby. The Pythos Club is run by an Irish businessman named Teague McGrath. He has a daughter who acts as hostess, and a stepson, Aidan, who is his right-hand man. Aidan and Colby have become good friends.” He slouched back in his chair. “Colby prefers his company over mine.”
“Oh, Chase.” She lay her hand on his arm, feeling his tremors. He not only hurt for his brother but the loss of his best friend. “Do you think this Aidan is leading Colby astray?”
“I can’t really say. Aidan is an amicable sort, but something about him rubs me the wrong way. He once invited me to a high-stakes card game, and when the pot became too much for my blood, I backed out. He didn’t like it and said a few insulting words, calling me a coward and the like. I thought it best to take a break from Pythos after that altercation. I tried to talk Colby out of going back there, but he wouldn’t listen. Most nights he comes home in the wee hours of the morning. He sleeps all day and wakes up right before sunset, only to visit Pythos.” He rubbed the sides of his head. “He’s drinking and gambling his money away until there’s nothing left. I have no idea what debt he’s accrued. Father refused to give him a loan or to pay off anything.”
“This is horrible.” She twisted one of her buttons. If Chase couldn’t help Colby, how could she?
“Earlier, I stopped by the club to see if Colby was there or perhaps talk to McGrath about Colby’s situation. I was hoping if I appealed to McGrath, he would bar Colby. The majordomo wouldn’t let me in or tell me if Colby was there. I’m truly at a loss at what to do.”
“You could always go there tonight. Don’t they have some type of celebration planned in honor of the end of the Great Exhibition?” Freddy asked.
“I forgot it’s been going on these past few months. It’s something I would like to see, but with Father and now Colby….” She shrugged. Shame overcame her at daring to entertain the notion of attending the exhibition while there was so much sadness in her family.
“It’s a masquerade. Most of the women there wear masks. The men can also, but some don’t. Perhaps Lucy can…no, I can’t ask that of you.” Chase shook his head even as he gave her an inquisitive stare.
“You want me to go to this club with you tonight in order to find Colby, who may or may not be there? What about my reputation?” she asked.
“If you wore a mask and a different style gown, no one would have any idea.” Freddy walked to the bar in the corner and selected a bottle filled with amber liquid.
Chase stroked his chin, observing Lucy. She cleared her throat and studied her lap with great interest.
“It was a farfetched idea. I don’t know what I was thinking. Although, you are a widow and have more freedom than single misses,” Chase said in the cajoling tone he used when he wanted something.
“Freddy, couldn’t you go with Chase? Colby will listen to you,” she volunteered when Freddy returned with three glasses.
He set two glasses on the table and kept one for himself. “How would I explain to Rue? She tends to become more emotional now with the babe on the way. Why, last week when I was late for dinner, she burst into tears and locked herself in our bedroom. It took me hours to get her to unlock the door,” he grumbled then sipped from his glass.
“But you know I’m not comfortable in such large crowds. I never have been,” she lamented, wondering what it would be like to pretend to be someone other than the proper and befitting Mrs. Endcott most thought her to be.
“Like I said, it was farfetched. You’re too dignified now, and your days of such daring acts are long past,” Chase said with a teasing lilt.
“Whatever are you going on about?” She lifted a glass and sniffed. The fumes from the brandy burned her eyes.
“I remember a time when you and Irena, the Marchioness de Macey, stripped down to your chemises and bloomers in the Serpentine on a dare.”
The mention of Irena’s name caused a slight buzzing in her ears. She ignored it and slapped his hand. “We were ten years old at the time! Father’s rage was unlike anything I’d ever seen. I couldn’t sit still for days after the strapping he gave me.” Her bottom grew numb just thinking about it.
“You’re no longer a little girl who will be punished by her father. It might do you a spot of good to see how the other side of London lives. Most who visit the Pythos Club are respected members of society. Only the best are allowed in. Even Rue attended one night,” Chase added.
“When was this?” She turned to Freddy, who stared at his glass.
“When we first got engaged. It was um…something she wanted to do and asked it as an engagement gift.”
“Really? I remember it differently.” Chase grinned, showing teeth. “Before you and Rue were engaged, you used to visit Pythos once a week, or so you had said. And when you found out Rue went there with her friends and no chaperone, you—”
“Lucy doesn’t want to hear about this.” Freddy downed his drink and shot Chase a warning with eyes suddenly transformed into slits.
Hmm, interesting. She was more curious than ever about this Pythos Club. Perhaps she should investigate it like Chase wanted her to. If Rue had gone, why couldn’t she?
“I would love to hear more about Rue’s adventures at Pythos, but for now I think it’s best if we concentrate at the matter at hand. If you think it would help Colby for me to attend tonight with you, then I’ll go. As long as I wear a mask and can find something sufficient to wear.” She plucked at her drab wool skirt.
Chase clapped. “It’s all settled. We’ll go and search for Colby. We should be there an hour or two at the most. I’ll make sure to be by your side the entire time.” He puffed out his chest, looking pleased with himself.
She rolled her eyes at her brother’s playfulness. “But where would I get a mask and a suitable dress in time?”
“I may have a solution.” Freddy tapped his glass to hers. “Rue has a few masks from various masquerade balls she’s attended in the past. I don’t think she’ll have a problem with you borrowing one of her gowns as well since she can’t fit in any of them. She likes to take a nap before dinner. While she’s resting, you can look through her wardrobe.”
“Um, all right.” She and Rue were comparable in the waist and height, but her chest was a cause for concern. Rue was tiny in that area, whereas she had too much. Hopefully, one of the maids had a solution to her problem.
“Excellent.” Chase raised his glass. “Here’s to our Lucy, who will prevail in helping Colby get back on the right track, with a little adventure in the mix.”
She drank more than half the glass to settle her nerves. Once upon a time, she had been a willing participant in her share of adventures that had led to her father’s disappointment. But it had been when she was much younger and idealistic about her future, especially with a companion who enjoyed those fancies. Now she was alone and had others counting on her to be successful in order to save her wayward brother. How? She had no clue, since she usually ended up destroying those who loved her because, underneath it all, she was selfish and wanton. Giles had learned all too well what darkness lay inside her. He had paid for it with his own life.
She would save Colby by any means at her disposal. She refused to have another death on her conscience because of her unscrupulous nature.