familiar air about him. Curiosity propelled him forward and he craned his neck to try to get a better look at the stranger.
“This is preposterous!” the man railed, pounding a fist against the counter. “Surely even a man of your station can see that these are easily worth twice what you are offering, and at such a ridiculous interest rate besides!”
Nick knew that voice. His interest in the encounter had just been piqued.
Mr. Gould merely straightened, lowering a round jeweler’s loupe from his eye. “My assessment is a fair one, as is the interest. Need I remind you that you are in need of my assistance, and that no broker in London will offer you such a fair price?”
Mr. Martin Lewes was beyond hearing the man. Swiping his things up from the counter with a noisy clank, he whirled to take his leave.
“I think I’d rather take my chances with the other scheming, thieving—”
He drew up short as he recognized Nick, eyes going so wide the whites flashed bright in the dim light. Nick raised an eyebrow and bowed.
“Lewes, what an unexpected surprise, seeing you here.”
The man’s face reddened to the shade of an apple, his throat working as he seemed to try to overcome his sudden embarrassment.
“Mr. Burke,” he snapped.
For the first time since meeting Lewes, Nick recognized the signs of a man living above his means. While his clothing was well made and of high quality, his boots were worn, and his waistcoat was a color that had been in fashion two years prior. The next time he would encounter Lewes in the evening, he was sure to notice the absence of jewelry or any other opulent adornments, as most of them would likely have been sold.
It would seem the man was as desperate as Nick had been, pawning his finery in order to make it a few more months.
What then? Did Lewes somehow have an inkling of the amount of Calliope’s inheritance? While she’d said her wealth wasn’t widely known, a cunning man need only take notice of her contributions to the London Home for the Care of Foundling Children to realize she was well-off. For some reason, knowing he might be after Calliope’s fortune rankled, despite the fact the majority of the ton’s marriages were made for the purpose of money, connections, and power. Calliope wasn’t a high-standing lady of the nobility, but she was wealthy and had a viscount for a father and an earl for a brother-in-law. It was enough to tempt a man like Lewes, who had yet to inherit and might not for years to come.
Lewes seemed to have recovered from the shock of being seen in a pawn broker’s shop, and gave Nick a knowing look. “Having heard of your love for the gaming tables, I must say I’m not actually surprised to encounter you here.”
“And yet, I am the one who is here to retrieve his belongings rather than sell them. Stroke of bad luck?”
Lewes’s face deepened in color until it was nearly purple. Before he could offer a retort, Mr. Gould called out from behind the counter.
“Mr. Lewes, wait!”
After giving Nick a murderous look, Lewes turned back to the counter. He and the broker spoke in hushed tones, and Nick heard snatches of what sounded like a renegotiation.
“It’s the best I can do,” Gould said, giving Lewes a sympathetic look.
With a sigh, Lewes laid his bits and bobs back on the counter with a defeated nod. “Very well.”
They completed their transaction, and Nick passed the other man on his way to the counter. Lewes glared at Nick, jaw working as if he chewed on the words he wanted to let loose. He made his exit, and Nick turned his attention to his own business.
Yet again, he was struck by the notion that Calliope was prepared to marry a man she hardly knew anything about. It shouldn’t bother him, when many newly-wedded couples of the beau monde went into their marriages practically ignorant of one another. It was none of his affair.
Only, it had become his business the moment he’d decided to pursue Calliope for himself. It disturbed him to think of her having to dim her brilliance to snare a man as undeserving as Martin Lewes.
It didn’t take him long to pay Gould and receive his pawned jewelry, after which he promptly returned to the waiting carriage. The rest of the day would be long and tedious knowing he wouldn’t be seeing Calliope at the end of it. However,