What the devil was happening to him? Truthfully, he did not want to look too deeply for the answer. He shook his head as he ordered Giles to have his horse readied to take him to Amesbury’s.
His horse’s gallop, though as smooth as always, jarred him and once again his stomach clenched. There were times he feared he would not be able to keep his seat. The pain dulled as he slowed his horse to a canter and then to a clomping walk down the long drive.
Arriving at Amesbury’s door, Thomas took the stairs two at a time and almost ran to Amesbury’s chamber, where the door stood ajar. He entered and found his friend sitting up and dressed in a deep green robe. His face had some color, his eyes alert. On his lap sat a breakfast tray with plates of food. Taking a deep breath to steady his relieved heart, Thomas walked further into the room.
“You look much better.” Thomas sank down on a chair positioned beside the bed. “How do you feel?”
His friend blushed. “Good...” Amesbury paused and Thomas could almost see his mind struggling for words. “I must apologize for my behavior, and I thank you and Myles for keeping me alive. There is no doubt in my mind that is why I’m here today.”
As he brought a steaming cup of tea to his lips his hands trembled. “I feel a fool. Who would have thought I would become…an opium-eater? There, I’ve said it.”
“Don’t. From what the doctor says he sees this sort of thing more often than you think. Laudanum is a powerful drug. Too widely used and abused, in his opinion. I hope he warned you not to take it again?”
His friend flinched. “Did he ever. My doctor has never shied away from the wrath of the nobility, and he speaks the truth, popular or not. I believe he thinks he is superior to all of us. Actually, he is. If it were not for him, I might be dead, and so would many other people.”
Thomas wasn’t sure of that, but he settled more comfortably in the upholstered chair, stretching his legs out straight. “So, do you want to explain how this all came about?”
Amesbury’s face clammed up tight. “No.”
Just then Myles entered the room, a wide grin plastered on his face. He looked from one friend’s face to the next. “What is with the grim faces?” he asked.
Would Amesbury speak for himself? After glancing at Amesbury, his brows raised in question, Thomas answered the query. “He won’t share what happened to him. What caused his addiction?”
“Yeah, well,” Myles said, “I probably wouldn’t either if our roles were reversed. But they are not, and I want to know as well.”
Amesbury glared at both men. “You want to know the truth? Well, here it is. I have struggled with opium since the accident that killed my family.”
Stunned, Thomas let his jaw open and close. Christ, that was nearly three years ago. “How did you hide it and why? you could have come to me or Myles for help.”
“Hiding it was easy. The why of it, you ask? Well, perhaps someday I’ll share that with you, but not now.”
“I’ll let it go for now.” Thomas didn’t want to, but he would give Amesbury time. “Change of topic. Did Myles tell you my news?”
Amesbury sat up straighter in the enormous bed and look at him, then at Myles and back. “No.”
“Hell, I didn’t think he could keep a secret.” He eyed Myles and tipped his head down slightly. “I’m getting married in three weeks at my country estate. Will you both stand up with me?”
“Married?” Amesbury said in disbelief. “To whom, and how did this happen?”
Thomas found himself chuckling at his friend’s reaction. “Suffice it to say I compromised Emma, and now I’m going to be chained to her for all eternity.”
Myles turned to him and grinned. “You actually sound pleased about it today. What happened between yesterday and this morning to change your mind?”
“A gentleman never divulges such personal information.”
Both his friends laughed. “She wiggled into your heart, did she now?” Amesbury asked.
Had she?
She had indeed, but Thomas would never admit it to them or to Emma. God only knew how it would be held over his head if he did.
“Never mind me, what about Lady Beth?” Thomas had spoken with Lady Beth last evening at the Boonevilles’ and convinced her to break the betrothal. Deep down he hoped he was not meddling where he didn’t belong. But Amesbury had truly been terrified to marry her. Surely Thomas had done a good thing for all parties?
The relief on Amesbury’s face confirmed that his interference was, indeed, a good thing. “As a matter of fact, I received a missive from her father early this morning breaking the betrothal. No explanation. But I’m relieved. I don’t know what I was thinking when I proposed, anyway. I’m most definitely not ready for the parson’s mousetrap.” Amesbury grinned and shrugged his shoulders, looking like the old Amesbury they all knew. “I’m sorry for your circumstances, Wentworth.”