Once Upon a Time in Bath (The Brides of Bath #7) - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,2

to a man like Wolf!”

“Exactly. That’s why I had to give him the cut direct. Turned my back to him.”

“Good for you! I wouldn’t let him within ten feet of my sisters. Not after that business in Windsor.”

* * *

A clean shave, freshly starched cravat, and finely tailored clothing could do little to compensate for Appleton’s bloodshot eyes, throbbing head, or his oppressive melancholy as he and Sir Elvin strode into the walnut-paneled library half an hour later. The emerald velvet draperies had been opened to reveal a day as gloomy as he felt.

When Henry Wolf rose to greet him, Appleton would have cast up the contents of his stomach—had he not already done so these past several hours until not a drop remained.

Wolf’s thick black mane and caterpillar eyebrows contrasting with pasty white skin accounted for the nickname Penguin. Appleton’s good manners had prevented him from actually addressing the fellow in such a disparaging way. Still, there was no love lost between the two.

Though Appleton prided himself on his courtliness, it was impossible for him to be civil to Henry Wolf now. Appleton had only to recall how the foul creature had ruthlessly stolen the innocence of a young Windsor maiden when they were Etonians.

The Wolf family fortune had insulated him from any penalties for his wrongdoings, but Appleton and his friends had long memories, a disgust of abusing maidens—and a disdain for evading justice.

Appleton crossed the small chamber and came face to face with the visitor, who was the same height as he. “You wished to see me?”

Wolf reached into his well-cut black jacket and withdrew a handful of IOUs from Mrs. Starr’s. “Yes. I purchased these from the proprietress of Bath’s finest gaming establishment. I believe one of them is for the ownership of the very house in which we now stand.” His malevolent pale green eyes repulsed Appleton.

How in the devil was Appleton to get these back when he’d lost everything? Had Wolf come here solely to take pleasure in his misery? “I did not know you had a fancy to live in my house and displace not only me but also my three unmarried sisters.”

“My good man, you misjudge me. I’ve come to help you. In fact, I should like to give all these back to you. It would be as if last night never happened.”

Henry Wolf was incapable of helping anyone except himself. He would push his own mother off a bridge if she prevented his passage. “I never took you for the benevolent sort, old fellow.”

“Ah, but you have something I want.”

Of course. Appleton’s eyes widened. He failed to see what he could possibly have that Henry Wolf would want. “I am perfectly willing to hear you out, but I think you must be mistaken.”

Wolf moved toward the fire. His shiny black Hessians abutted the gleaming brass fender surrounding the hearth..

“Would you care to sit?” Appleton asked. “Can I offer you Madera?”

“Nothing to drink, but I will sit.”

Wolf sat on one end of the emerald sofa that faced the fire and Elvin at the other end. Appleton seated himself in a large, armchair near the fire and faced the man he loathed.

The notion that there might be some way to reclaim this house lifted Appleton’s spirits, but he knew Wolf could not be trusted. What game was he playing? Appleton tried to think of things that he might be asked to do, services which might need to be performed in exchange for the return of the IOUs.

Perhaps this friendless man merely wanted an introduction into the Bath society where Appleton and his friends mingled so easily. For such a reward, Appleton could put aside his dislike of Wolf and take him to the Upper Assembly Rooms.

Just as long as he kept away from Appleton’s sisters.

Appleton heaved a sigh. “So. . . what can I do in order to regain ownership of our house?” He was careful to say our instead of my. He knew Wolf hated him. Perhaps Appleton’s sisters’ plight might elicit a more sympathetic ear.

“I should like the hand of your sister Annie in marriage.”

Elvin gasped.

Appleton felt as if a saber plunged into him as he leapt to his feet and drilled Wolf with hatred in his eyes. “Never!”

A slow, sadistic smile on his chalk white face, Wolf rose from the sofa. “You have four weeks in which to decide if you’ll accept me for your sister’s husband or lose everything except that pile in remote Shropshire, where I assure you,