Surrender of Trust (First Volume of the Surrender Series) (8 page)

"Unfortunately, I'm very aware of the
potential consequences. The potential consequences are terrifying.
However, if I don't do this, all may be lost. This sounds dreadful,
but other than you, should Lucien pass, who would know he didn't
actually sign anything? Since I know he's going to live, he will
just have to find it in his heart to forgive me when he is well.
Besides, it appears he wanted this arrangement with the
Marquis."

"That may or may not be true."

Lucy stared at her. "At this point, I will
just have to trust that this is what he wants. I wish I could have
had access to the details of this transaction before the contract
was drawn up. I would have asked for some money concession for
forgoing the spring stud fees. Not knowing what this was about,
however, and supposedly consulting with Lucien, who naturally would
have known everything, questions on my part would have seemed
suspicious."

"Do you think you can you copy Lucien's
handwriting very convincingly?"

"I'm not sure. I've never tried."

"Then you'd best practice before you sign the
contract. Lord Chalifour has been corresponding with your brother
and will know his signature. Your signature must pass for Lucien's.
Remember, Lord Chalifour is focused on ridding thoroughbred racing
of dishonest tactics and cheating. I daresay that would extend to
things of this nature as well. Though Lucien may have wanted this
to occur, he is not the one who will be signing this document. I'm
not sure Lord Chalifour would forgive you for committing forgery.
It has that odor of corruption to it."

"You're right, of course. Let me practice
signing Lucien's name and see how it appears to you."

Lucy went to Lucien's desk and removed
various documents which bore his signature. She stared at Lucien’s
signature, trying to memorize his style, the flourishes that made
it uniquely his. She took out a quire of folded foolscap.

Lucy was cognizant of the high cost of paper
and wanted to waste as little of it as possible. Taking quill in
hand, Lucy laboriously formed each letter on the linen paper. Over
and over she wrote out Lucien Goodwin until she was satisfied with
her effort. Lucy looked over at Monique resting on the Egyptian
inspired settee, legs curled under her, eyes riveted to a book.
"What do you think?"

Monique stood and stretched like a sleek
feline and glided to her side. She compared Lucy’s handwriting to
that of Lucien. She pointed at Lucy’s forged signature. "That looks
very good. I think you need to work on the G, though. It doesn't
look quite right yet."

Rolling over for the umpteenth time, Lucy,
rubbed the sleep from her tired, scratchy eyes. She had tossed and
turned all night thinking about what she needed to do today.
Rising, Lucy dressed in her morning dress and padded
downstairs.

Cook took one look at Lucy and frowned. Lucy
sat at the table and stared down, lost in thought. Without a word,
Cook put a pot of tea and plate of toast with butter in front of
her. Startled, Lucy looked up at her and smiled.

Nibbling at her toast, Lucy considered her
plan. Monique needed to return to Town tomorrow so they should pack
today. Lucy also needed to check on the horses. While she knew the
stable personnel were fully capable of taking care of the horses,
she would feel better if she could see them and talk to them.

Monique had not appeared by the time Lucy
finished morning repast so she returned to her bedchamber to dress
with Millie's assistance. Lucy was so tired of drab mourning
colors. She was certainly entitled at this point to dispense with
her mourning wardrobe.
No more mourning colors from here
on.

Lucy chose her pale blue riding habit with
its jaunty matching hat and Millie helped her dress. Just wearing
her first bright color in nearly a year lifted her spirits. Leaving
her room she went to check on Lucien.

Alistair beamed at Lucy when she entered
Lucien's bedchamber. "He woke for a few minutes very early this
morning. He asked where he was. I told him he was home and was able
to shovel some cold porridge down his throat before he drifted back
to sleep." He laughed. "I don't think he much cared for the cold
porridge!"

Relief surged through Lucy and she slumped
against the door frame."That's the best news we've had in these
last five days. It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly a week. I
know Lucien's been waking for a few minutes here and there, but
this. This is wonderful!"

"Yes, I think he'll be on the mend now, but
it's going to be a slow recovery I suspect."

"At least it looks as if he will recover. I
don't want to, but I need to go into Town with Monique tomorrow.
I'll likely stay tomorrow night and probably Monday night as
well."

"There's nothing you can do for Mr. Goodwin
here that I can't. As a matter of fact, there are things I can do
for him that you shouldn't be doing anyway, like his sponge baths.
So don't worry about Mr. Goodwin. I'll take good care of him."

"I know you will. I didn't mean to imply
otherwise. You are, of course, right. I've just been so worried
about him."

"I understand that. It's only natural you
would be. There's no reason for it, though, at least as far as his
care goes."

Lucy looked at Alistair and moisture filled
her eyes. She gave him a smile of gratitude. "I hope to be back on
Tuesday. Dr. Willets should be here Monday or Tuesday. If I'm not
here, make sure he knows Lucien has finally spoken and eaten."

A spring in her step, Lucy left her brother's
room and stopped in the kitchen to pilfer a few apples before she
headed to the stables. Walking into the stables, she inhaled the
rich aromas of oat hay and timothy and the musky scent of the
horses. Lucy walked directly to Zeus's stall.

"Hi, Zeus, Lucien’s getting better! What do
you think of that?" Lucy scratched the horse’s ear. "I've missed
you. Have you been a good boy? Will you forgive me for neglecting
you?"

Reaching into the pocket of her riding skirt,
Lucy retrieved an apple and offered it to Zeus. His soft lips
quivered over her hand and accepted her offering. After Zeus
finished crunching his apple, she rubbed his neck affectionately.
Hearing Thor's impatient whinny, she moved to his stall.

"Good morning, Thor. Did you think I forgot
you?" Lucy held out an apple for Thor. Unlike Zeus, he gobbled it
greedily from her hand. She laughed and rubbed his ears.

Lucy next moved to Heather Mist's stall and
offered her an apple. Heather Mist nibbled the apple delicately
from her palm. These horses were so alike, and yet so very
different. Their differences never ceased to amuse her.

Every time Lucy thought of what she must do,
her hands trembled. Forgery was a serious offense. She couldn't
even be sure that this was what Lucien wanted, but she couldn't
imagine Lord Chalifour had shown up for no reason and lied.
Chalifour had no inkling what had happened to Lucien and had merely
arrived for a prearranged meeting. Even if this wasn’t Lucien's
wish, it was the only recourse she had to salvage their reputation.
Her stomach plunged when she thought of the alternative.

To quiet her nerves, Lucy decided to take
both Zeus and Thor out for a short ride. Since Thor was the most
difficult to manage, she rode him first. Lucy allowed Thor to
gallop freely across the countryside, hoping that by allowing him
to burn off some of his excess energy, it would help her cope with
her own anxiety. After a brief period, Lucy reined Thor in to walk
for a spell and cool down.

After returning Thor to the stables, Lucy
took Zeus out for a run. Feeling satisfied both horses had been
thoroughly exercised, she meandered up the path to the house. Lucy
wished she had time to ride Heather Mist, but she would make it up
to her horse when she returned. Lucy instructed the groom to make
sure Heather Mist had a good romp sometime that day.

Lucy’s unease grew rather than diminished and
she dawdled along the path, her stomach becoming queasy. Reaching
the kitchen, Cook informed her Monique was taking breakfast in the
dining room. Monique's cheeks were full when Lucy walked into the
dining room.

"You look like a chipmunk!"

Monique swallowed hard and said, "You look
like something the cat drug up! You must have gone riding. Pity you
didn't wait, I'd love to go."

"All right, then. Why don't we pack for the
trip into Town. Then we'll plan to ride together in the afternoon."
Anything to take my mind off signing the documents and
Perdan
.

"Alistair told me about Lucien waking. That's
wonderful! Maybe he'll be better soon and can begin to take control
of things again."

"I would like to believe that is true, but,
realistically, I think it will be some time before he is hale and
hearty again. I also don't want him to worry about anything until
he fully recovers. It could be detrimental to him until he is
stronger."

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Monique
said, "Let's talk about what you need to do when we get to Town.
You know you need to try and keep from alienating Lord Perdan if
you can. The old adage about catching more flies with honey rather
than vinegar and all that. From what you told me, you had him
thoroughly confused after I left the room the other day. It worked
to your advantage Lord Chalifour arrived when he did. However, you
can't count on such a distraction this time when you see him."

"I've thought about that. You're right, it
was fortuitous that Lord Chalifour arrived in time to thwart Lord
Perdan, though I was in a panic at the time for fear Lord Perdan
would make a comment about Lucien's real state of health."

"I think it would be best if you could flirt
with Perdan a little and keep him guessing. Since he has a hold
over your brother, better to keep him off-balance if you can rather
than antagonize him. Remember, honey for flies. I think he counts
as a fly."

Lucy couldn't help but laugh. Then her
stomach protested and she swallowed hard. "Being nice to him may be
easier said than done, though I understand your meaning. Should I
let him think I am actually considering his preposterous proposal?
I fear it could lead him to trying to take liberties."

"I agree it could be risky. I think you will
have to judge how you handle things as they occur. Your only goal
right now is to appease him."

They both went to their rooms to ready
themselves for a ride. Lucy was thankful for Monique's presence.
Monique was her only real friend, and the only woman she could
confide in. When she finished choosing the wardrobe she would take,
Lucy asked Millie to pack it for her and went downstairs. Lucy sat
at Lucien's desk and stared at it. She couldn't put this off any
longer.

She smoothed the pages of the contract and
dipped the nib of the quill into the ink. Holding her breath, she
committed herself. Hands shaking, Lucy signed the document in
Lucien's name.

Lucy then took out one of the printed cheque
papers drawn on their, or more accurately, Lucien's account at the
Bank of England. With trembling fingers she wrote out The Right
Honble. Perdan into the payee portion of the cheque. Pondering the
amount, she pulled Lucien's ledgers from the shelf and reviewed
them again. The previous payments had ranged between five hundred
and one thousand pounds.

Taking a deep breath, she made the cheque
payable in the amount of one thousand pounds. Leaning back in the
chair, Lucy stared up at the ceiling. Monique would soon join her
for their afternoon ride. At least they wouldn’t be disgraced for
not paying a debt. Though Lucy might face prison if anyone
discovered the forgery. She honestly wasn’t sure which threat was
worse.

Chalifour greeted his sister, Lady Elizabeth,
in the dining room. He plopped into a chair at the dining room
table. Eyeing his sister, he watched her slather marmalade on a
thick slice of toast before she lifted it daintily to her lips and
devoured it in a most unladylike fashion.

"You're up rather late this morning,"
Elizabeth said. "I rarely see you here when I'm having
breakfast."

Chalifour yawned. "I didn't sleep well. I've
been a bit preoccupied."

"I'll say. You've been downright cranky, an
absolute dudgeon. What's wrong? I thought you were happy to have
your way about the horse breeding."

"I am," he snapped.

"Well, you certainly don't sound like it,"
she snapped back.

Ignoring her, Chalifour reached for several
slices of crisp bacon and two pieces of toast. A servant swooped in
and poured him a hot cup of coffee. He sipped his coffee and leaned
back in the chair. "Ah, that's good. This is a lifesaver."

Chalifour sighed and rubbed his faced with
his hands. "I'm sorry to be short with you. I just have a few
things I need to work out. Oh, by the by, I've also invited Miss
Goodwin here on Thursday to look at some of our fillies and
mares."

"Miss Goodwin? I presume she will be arriving
with her brother?"

"No. Her brother was in a coach accident and
has been indisposed. She will be delivering the signed contract to
me in her brother's stead."

"She agreed to this? You can't be serious!
It's highly improper for her to arrive here at the residence of an
unmarried man with no chaperone. Do you want to ruin the girl?"

"She didn't exactly agree. In truth, I didn't
give her a choice. I told her you were here and could serve as a
chaperone. Besides, I have been playing the role of delivery boy
much more than I care to do."

"You may not care for the role, but she
cannot help that her brother is incapacitated, and your bringing
her here could be trouble for her."