Not My Idea (A Gentleman of Misfortune Book One (Rough Draft))

Chapter Twenty

It was quite a group of us that gathered in the drawing room right before the appointed time. Mama was even there, sitting in front of the fire with a shawl around her shoulders. She had only glares for Rosamund and George who sat on the edge of the room. Jane and Talbot sat side by side on the sofa, incongruously in the middle of everything though they had the least to do with it than anyone.

"Where is Papa?" Philippa asked with an obvious pout. "I am promised to walk with Mr. Talbot in an hour."

"I'm sure your Mr. Talbot will wait," Jane said, her tone sharp with irritation. "There are more important things at hand, Philly."

"No, she is right," George said, sending a glare at Jane who was two years older than him. "We have all of us better things to do than sit around."

"Children, kindly remember your manners," Mama said patiently. "You are all of an age where I shouldn't have to remind you."

"If this meeting results in my receiving my ring back, I will gladly submit to it," Rosamund said, pointedly glaring at me.

I chose not to respond to her statement as I had defended myself already, and had little energy to do so yet again. Not when she clearly had no inclination to listen. George only had ears for her, and everyone else in the room was on my side.

"So which of you two is to blame for locking me in my bedchamber?" I asked instead, glancing between George and Rosamund. "Father has already denied knowing anything about it. Philly also had no hand in confining me. So you are the only two left who have not been acquitted."

George fidgeted as everyone focused on him and Rosamund. "I—may have overstepped," he said. "I have nothing more to say on the matter."

"Ah, good. You're all here," Father said as he came through the doorway, preventing any of us from pursuing the matter. He stepped aside and waited for Mr. Lamotte to enter the way. "I believe most of you are acquainted with Mr. Lamotte."

Father glanced around the room and gave a decisive nod. "Well, we can now resolve all points of this matter, and nothing more will be said about it. Granted, all our servants must be aware of it, and so many of our neighbors have a good idea what occurred last week."

Mama smoothed her gown. "My dear, leave our neighbors to me."

With a fond smile appearing on his face, Father moved to stand behind Mama's chair, and he rested his hand on her shoulder. When he focused again on Lamotte, who had not been invited to sit down, his face was severe. "If you would be so kind, tell everyone in this room what you told me yesterday evening, Mr. Lamotte."

Lamotte's eyes narrowed for an instant, and then he focused his gaze on the wall. "I frequently support myself through card winnings," he said, his tone expressionless. "Mr. Miles Russell had the misfortune of losing to me earlier this year, and he handed over a family ring as security that he would repay the debt."

"And has the debt been repaid?" George asked.

Fidgeting, Lamotte cleared his throat. "It has not."

The answer made George shake his head reprovingly. Even though he had not been much a friend of late as one would have wished, I couldn't stand for Miles to be thought of disapprovingly. "As I recall, Mr. Russell attempted on several occasions to repay you, but you refused even to see him," I said. "Which, of course, begs the question: do you still have the ring, Mr. Lamotte?"

He glared at me before he said with reluctance, "I do not. It...went missing soon after I moved here. I suspected one of the servants, but could not prove a thing. Therefore, I dismissed them all and hoped I would find the item somewhere in the house."