Fortune's fools (15 page)

"Very well," said Max, taking Kate's hand and kissing it briefly before rising and leaving the room.

When he was gone, Kate put down her cup and sighed. "I hate waiting. I am ever so impatient."

"You and Max. If ever there were two people ... I am sorry," said Tristram. "I should not have said that."

"Think nothing of it. Your brother and I are alike in many things. I suppose that is what has made us friends. We share so many interests."

"So you do not mind that Max is planning to ask for Philippa Beauchamp's hand?" asked Tristram.

"He is only doing what he has to do, Tristram. It would be unfair of me to get angry over that."

"But if Max did not need to wed an heiress?"

"I have always been a very practical person, Tristram, and since we cannot change our circumstance, I would prefer not to answer that question," she said.

They fell into an awkward silence. Finally, Tristram cleared his throat and said, "Do you play piquet, Kate?"

"Yes, though it is not my best game," she replied politely.

He smiled, reminding her of his dark-haired brother. Picking up a deck of cards, he said, "No matter. We will play for imaginary stakes, so it will not matter that we are both only adequate players."

They played for an hour. Kate was glad of the diversion, for as the time wore on, she wanted to tear at her hair. Waiting had never been a pleasant pastime for her.

Finally, they heard the front door open. The cards were forgotten as they waited for Max to appear. Kate gasped at his grim visage.

"What happened?"

Shaking his head, Max said, "Palmer decided he did not want to lose his precious horse. And that, as you know, was part of the agreement, that whoever lost would have the option of paying cash instead of giving up his horse."

"Did he not pay you?"

Max reached into his pocket and pulled out a purse. He handed it to Kate, who tore it open, spilling the contents onto the table.

"Five hundred pounds? For a racehorse? How could that be a fair price? He would bring twice that at auction."

"Yes, but since Palmer had in his possession his receipt for the horse, which he purchased only this past summer, there was not really anything I could say to dispute his reckoning. His receipt showed that he purchased the gelding for four hundred pounds. After I flattered him about how much more valuable the gelding was after being properly trained by him, he agreed to up the price to five hundred guineas. It is still not a great sum. I am sorry, Kate."

"Oh, Max," she said. "What am I to do now? That will never be enough. Papa will still feel he has to sell Early Girl."

"I have an idea," said Tristram.

They both swung around to stare.

"Max, why not go to Tattersall's and buy the mare? Perhaps five hundred will be sufficient."

"That is an idea," said Max.

"Furthermore, I have another fifty guineas you may have," said Tristram.

"Oh, no, Tristram. I could not allow you to do that," said Kate.

"But I want to. Here, Max, add this to the purse," said Tristram, placing his own coins on the table with the others.

"I think we must let him do it, Kate. When a fellow has a mind to be noble, we should not stand in his way," said Max.

"Very well," she said, rising and kissing Tristram on the cheek. Turning back to Max, she said firmly, "I'm coming with you."

"No!" said both brothers at once.

"Out of the question!" said Max.

"That is not a good idea, Kate," added Tristram.

"I really do not care what you say, either of you. Early Girl is my horse, and I am going to Tattersall's either to buy her or to say good-bye."

She glared at each of them in turn. Tristram merely shrugged his shoulders. Max opened his mouth to protest, but when Kate put her hands on her hips, he threw up his hands in surrender.

"Very well, but you cannot go dressed like that. You would never get inside. Tristram, what do we have that might fit Master O'Connor?"

As Kate and Max entered the huge stables that resembled a Greek temple, she whispered reverently, "Tattersall's. I never thought I would get to see the inside of it."

"Sh! If you want to stay, keep quiet. I have no desire to have you thrown out. Your father would have me horsewhipped, and rightly so, for bringing you along," said Max.

"Sh!" she replied, pulling her hat farther down on her face.

Kate was not really concerned about people guessing her identity. With her height, no one would guess she was not a young man. She wore one of Tristram's coats over his shirt, the collars arranged so high that the nape of her neck and that flame red hair were covered. In lieu of the usual cravat, Barton had found a hideous spotted neckerchief that fell over the front of her coat, hiding her generous curves.

She looked up to find Max grinning at her. Her eyes flashing, Kate hissed, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, Master O'Connor," he replied. "I want you to wait here while I go find out when the mare will be brought out."

Kate nodded and watched him saunter closer to the ring. At the moment, a large gray hunter was on the block. The bidding was quite high, so Kate guessed that the horse, or his owner, had a reputation.

Suddenly her breath caught in her throat. Palmer and his friend Osgood walked through the doors to her right. She tried to melt into the woodwork as they passed in front of her. When they paused, Kate attempted to sidle away.

Turning, Osgood said, "Oh, sorry, young man. We didn't see you there. Didn't mean to stand in your way. Come on up and stand in front of us."

Seeing no way to avoid complying without speaking, Kate mumbled a gruff thank you and moved forward. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end when she saw Max returning. Her eyes signaled him to look behind her, and she breathed a sigh of relief when he passed her by. Extending a hand to greet both Palmer and Osgood, Max put himself between her and them.

"Surprised to see you here, Darby," said Palmer.

"I was about to say the same," drawled Max. "It is not as if you needed to replace a horse."

Palmer stiffened, and Osgood laughed, saying, "Good one, Darby. Palmer is forever going on about that horse of his. I guess he was not as fast as you thought, eh, Palmer?"

"No, and that is why I have decided to sell him after all. He's coming up next."

Max jumped as Kate put her foot down on his heel.

"Really? Then if he sells for more than the five hundred, you will not mind paying me the rest of my winnings."

Palmer snarled, "We already settled, Darby."

"We settled on what you said was a fair price, but if, three hours later, you sell the animal for, say, a thousand, I will expect to be paid the difference."

"It makes perfect sense to me," said Osgood, as his friend turned an ugly shade of purple.

"And I'm telling you it is no better than robbery," said Palmer, his voice rising so that other men close by were beginning to notice.

Kate scurried back to the shadows as Max continued, "How can a horse be worth one value at eleven o'clock and another at two o'clock? If you were to pay for losing that race with either your horse or his value, then honor dictates that you do so."

"Do you question my honor?" demanded Palmer.

Max stood chest to chest with the man and looked him in the eye. "That depends. Will you pay me fairly? I understand your hoping to unload the beast before people find out he lost the match race against Thunder-light."

"It is nothing of the sort!" exclaimed Palmer.

"You cannot have it both ways, Palmer," said his friend Osgood.

"Very well, I will pull him from the sale!" said Palmer.

"Suit yourself," replied Max.

Palmer took a step in the direction of the platform, then paused as he took in all the accusing stares around him.

Turning back, he glared at Max and said, "Devil take you, Darby. Have it your way. Whatever Pinnacle sells for, I will pay you anything over five hundred."

"Why, thank you, Palmer," said Max, his expression nonchalant.

As the bidding began, he sidled close to Kate, winking at her. She bit her lip to keep from laughing. Then her attention was caught by the big bay gelding being led into the ring. Her smile widened as the bidding topped five hundred, ending with a final bid of nine hundred and fifty pounds.

"Gilroy Beck," muttered Max as the new owner went forward. "Another wily horseman."

"Sh!" hissed Kate.

A few minutes later, Palmer stalked up to Max and thrust the four hundred and fifty guineas into his hand.

"There!" he said. His glare fell on Max and then on Kate. His eyes narrowed, and his lips twisted into a snarl. Tipping his hat, he stalked away, but not before saying, "Good day, Miss O'Connor."

Then he was gone, and Kate had to hold onto Max to keep herself steady as her knees buckled.

"Max, he recognized me," she whispered.

"Don't worry. He will not dare to expose us. We know too much about him." Kate frowned a question, and he added, "When I went to meet with him for the bill of sale, I mentioned that I thought his manner of starting the race

was a bit havey-cavey. However, since the outcome was in our favor, I was not going to press the matter."

"What did he say?"

Max shrugged. "Can't repeat that to a lady."

"Oh," murmured Kate as this information sank in. Then she asked, "How much longer?"

"Two, perhaps three more before Early Girl. I know you love her, but I do not think the bidding will go much past eight hundred."

"Perhaps we should just go and tell Papa," she said.

"In this place?" asked Max, casting a glance around the smoky male audience. "How is his temper? Would he take the news that his daughter had gone against his express wishes and come to Tattersall's calmly?"

"Never mind," she said, pulling her hat even lower over her face.

"The next horse is Early Girl, a proven broodmare out of.. ." began the announcer in the ring.

"I cannot bear to watch," said Kate, starting for the door. She had thought it would be interesting, but the suspense was unbearable. Max, however, was not ready to let her go, for he took her by the elbow and kept her by his side.

"You cannot leave now. How would you get home?"

Kate's green eyes, practically the only part of her face showing, begged him to understand.

Max smiled and said calmly, "Don't worry, Kate. I can handle this. In a few minutes, Early Girl will be all yours."

Gazing into those deep blue eyes, Kate felt a peace come over her. Though she might be naive, she felt a perfect confidence in Max at that moment. With a nod, she turned back to watch as he placed his first bid.

"I have two hundred from the gentleman in the back,"

said the announcer. "And three hundred from the gentleman on my left. Do I hear four?"

Max nodded, and the announcer continued. Kate began to fidget as the price rose—six, seven, eight hundred. Kate searched frantically for the person bidding against Max, but she could not guess who it might be.

Max nodded again, and the announcer said, "Eight hundred fifty. Do I hear nine hundred? Nine hundred to you, sir."

"All done? I am selling the mare for eight hundred and fifty guineas to Mr. Darby."

Kate threw her arms around his neck, and Max laughed, quickly removing her arms. To the interested onlookers, he said, "A gift for my young cousin from the country."

Kate quickly stepped back into the shadows while Max went forward to pay for the mare and lead her out of the ring. When they were safely away from Tatter-sail's, Kate linked arms with him, grinning hugely.

"Thank you, Max! If we were not in public, I would throw my arms around your neck again and kiss you!"

He shot her a wicked look and began leading the mare more quickly. Kate had to step lively to keep up with his pace.

Soon, she demanded, "Why are we rushing so?"

"I am looking for the closest place that is not public," he replied, giving her another wicked smile.

"Wretch!" she said with a gurgle of laughter.

Seven

"Papa is going to be furious at first, Max. I really think you should let me speak to him alone." Kate, who had changed back to her riding habit by now, was matching Max stride for stride as they headed for her house.

"I will do nothing of the sort. I refuse to play the coward. I know very well that you will not bother to tell him that the entire plan was my idea," said Max, planting one foot stubbornly in the opening of her front door.

Kate had no choice but to step aside and allow him to enter. They had already spent thirty minutes at the stables, delivering Early Girl and giving MacAfee an abbreviated explanation. Kate was quite certain the head groom had wanted to punch Max in the nose, and only her presence had stopped him.

Her father's reaction would be-even worse, and she had sworn Mr. MacAfee to silence. She had even persuaded him to keep Early Girl hidden until she had had a chance to speak to her father. Her father had a quick temper, and anyone nearby was considered fair game.

"Come this way," said Kate, leading him to the small drawing room. "Thank heavens Mama is visiting my aunt today. By the time she gets home, Papa's temper

should have cooled. Perhaps he will not even want to mention this to her."

"Kate, surely your father will be too pleased with the results to question our methods too closely."

"Oh, he will eventually be laughing about it, calling me his clever puss, but that may take a month ... or twelve."

Max chuckled and said, "At least he is an honest man, not an inveterate gambler like my father. When we were children, my twin and I, our family owned a great deal of land. We had horses and carriages. After my mother died, I suppose it was, my father started gambling. He would be gone for a month or two, then come home and tell us this parcel of land, or that parcel, had been sold. It wasn't until we were older that we understood what was happening."

"How terrible for you, losing your mother and your father like that," said Kate.

Max cocked his head to one side. "I had never thought of it like that, but you are right. I suppose, in a very real way, we did. That is why Tristram has so little patience for our father. He has never been close to him. Monty and I, on the other hand, remember how he used to be, always happy and singing. He used to sing to our mother all the time."