He glanced down at his hand as his knuckles started to throb.
“You might want to get some ice for that.” Milo nodded. “Ask the housekeeper to bind it, too. I’d better go mingle before Father sends me to a corner, too. He hates it when his children brawl.”
Milo strolled from the room whistling and Jeremy was left alone with Samuel.
Jeremy turned to Samuel. “I thought the duke was coming to the library, too?”
“My father sends everyone to the library when he wants to cool his own temper.” Samuel smiled and flicked up his fingers. Jeremy was astonished to see a folded piece of paper in his possession. “I’m thinking you’ll be wanting this back.”
Jeremy blinked. “Where did you get that?”
Samuel smiled as he unfolded it and appeared to read it rapidly. “From my father’s own pocket. I possess none of your unique skills at picking pockets, but I have a habit of hugging him still, so…voilà. Well done pinching back Fanny’s paper from Wilks. How on earth did he get hold of it?”
Jeremy wet his lips. “Why do you think it’s Fanny’s?”
“The paper and handwriting is hers. She writes all her family correspondence on the same sheets, too. Also, it’s signed by her…and you. A fascinating arrangement you have here.” Samuel passed it over. “You should really keep something so sordid under lock and key. People could misunderstand.”
Jeremy began to feel uneasy about that contract. What else was in it that he hadn’t understood? “I will.”
Lord Samuel inclined his head and turned about, heading for the exit.
Jeremy followed more slowly, stuffing the note inside his shirt. Samuel had already disappeared when Jeremy paused in the front hall. He did not want to return to the ball with the contract in his possession, certainly Lord Wilks lurked about and would watch for another chance to frisk him.
He turned for the stairs.
“Mr. Dawes!”
He shut his eyes briefly, wishing Fanny hadn’t come looking for him. He turned politely though and saw Thwaite lurking at her side again. “Lady Rivers. Lord Thwaite.”
She wet her lips. “We wondered where you’d gone. I heard…”
He thrust out his hand to show her his knuckles were only barely marked. “It was a misunderstanding. I was just on my way to get some assistance from the housekeeper.”
Fanny caught his hand in hers and peered at his reddened knuckles, wincing. “How bad is this?”
“Stings a bit but Milo feels nothing is broken.”
She sighed in relief. “I’m very glad to hear it.”
Thwaite smirked, eyes sliding to Fanny. “I assured Lady Rivers that there’s no ill feeling on my son’s part either. The duke settled the matter. Wilks had a bit too much to drink. Besides, a bit of competition between young men over a lady’s affections is good to see, especially when so great a prize is at stake.”
Fanny’s eyes dropped and he saw she was uncomfortable with the comment. Did she know Thwaite had taken their agreement, and passed it off to his son? Perhaps she did, or perhaps it was only the talk of winning her favor that bothered her. “My lady, might I have a private word with you?” he asked.
Thwaite held out his arm impatiently. He might as well have snapped his fingers, for the action caused Jeremy’s hackles to rise. No man should treat Fanny that way. She belonged to no one but herself. “I’m afraid your word will have to wait. Lady Rivers has agreed to dance with me next, and then my son.”
Her smile was brittle. “Yes. Indeed.”
Jeremy took a step in her direction. “It will only take a moment.”
She seemed torn but shook her head. Her face never rose to his as she whispered, “If you would excuse me. I must go.”
She gathered up her skirts and headed into the ballroom with a grinning Thwaite following closely behind. Jeremy moved down one step, keen not to lose sight of her.
“It’s fascinating that my family continues to associate with that slimy bastard,” Samuel said as he emerged from the shadows of a nearby chamber. “Don’t fret about m’sister. I’ll keep an eye on her for you tonight. Get that hand looked at and leave Thwaite and his lecherous son to me. And for heaven’s sake, put that piece of paper in a safer place than where they must have found it the first time.”
Startled by his accurate assessment of the problem, Jeremy nodded and started up the stairs. Once he was in the dubious safety of his chamber, he fished the agreement out of his pocket. Squinting at it by moonlight, he tried to make sense of it for the next hour. But the task defeated him. He nearly crumpled it in frustration. He simply had to find someone trustworthy to read it to him…but who to trust in this place escaped him. The best person for the task was Fanny, but then she would find out he could not read.
And with Thwaite and Wilks hovering about her, he likely couldn’t ask until tomorrow.