A Time for Honour

Chapter 21

'Cass, I'm afraid, I'm going to have to set out for London tonight,' Damien said as he looked at the message he had been given upon his arrival at Abbotgate House. 'It must be urgent if they sent a messenger,' he then said almost to himself.

'Who is it from?' Cassie asked curiously.

'It's from a firm of solicitors in London called Morton, Melbury and Hartley. I've never heard of any of them,' Damien said, still looking at the message puzzled. 'They're nothing to do with my grandfather's estate. His solicitors were based in Canterbury, not St Paul's in the centre of London.'

'Do you have to go today?' Cassie said, looking at him with concern in her eyes. 'It is getting late, and the roads between here and London are in a shocking state of repair.'

'If I ride as far as Canterbury before sunset, I can stay the night at The White Horse. If I leave early the following morning, I can reach their offices by midday,' Damien said as he went to a bureau that stored all his papers.

'Should you ride?' Cassie said, a little alarmed, 'your shoulder is still very stiff, and I know it is still painful. You should, at least, take Appleby with you.'

Damien went over to her and put his arms around her waist and gave her a kiss. 'I love you,' he said as he looked into her eyes, 'and I love the fact that you care about what happens to me. But, you must not worry. If I leave now, I still have at least three hours of daylight. I don't want poor Appleby traipsing after me all the way to London. He doesn't even like going to town, let alone a big city. Anyway, he has to go to the market tomorrow. I need to stock up on livestock if I'm to be a gentleman farmer.'

Cassie nodded. 'Please be careful,' she said, holding onto him tightly, 'I do not want to lose you.'

Damien kissed her. Then he lifted her head and gently pinched her chin between his fingers. 'By agreeing to marry me, you have made me the happiest man on earth. I will be back before you know it. When I return, I'll go and see the parson, and arrange for the bands to be read next Sunday. All being well, we should be Mr and Mrs Laws by the end of May.'

Cassie smiled at him. 'You better get going,' she said as she tried not to cry. She then stepped away from him and walk towards the door. 'I'll go and pack your things.'

✽✽✽

Sir Henry Cavendish was sitting at the breakfast table at his country seat, Hatton House, looking at the unopened letter that had been placed next to his plate. Sir Henry knew that the arrival of this letter heralded the demise of his opulent and comfortable world. The lavish lifestyle, he had enjoyed over many years, would soon come to an end, unless he could find a way out of his predicament.

The problem was, Sir Henry liked to gamble. And, over the years, since he had gained his majority, he had frequented every gaming hell in the capital. It had not been long before his vast fortune had become a modest dependence; and that modest dependence; a pittance. He had had a rest bite from his financial troubles when he married, but it had not taken him long to dispose of his bride's substantial dowry as well. Many years ago, when he had found himself in serious financial trouble, he had mortgaged his estate, including all the prime farming land associated with it, to pay his immediate debts. Two years ago, the mortgage should have been repaid, but, as usual, Sir Henry had no money.

Sir Henry had not bothered to go to a bank for a loan. He knew that the establishment would never lend a substantial amount of money to a risky client, who had already mortgaged his land and could not even make those repayments. Instead, he had borrowed the money from a well-respected member of the ton, Lord Melrose. He had thought when he had initially applied to his lordship for the loan, that Melrose would be far more accommodating than any bank. He had thought that a fellow member of the nobility, would forgive any tardiness in repayments. After all, Lord Melrose, who had paid off the mortgage and now held the deeds to the land, understood the complicated nature of overseeing such a large estate.