He walked towards her where she was gawking at her present. “You are my best friend and my blood-brother, Lizzy. I know I am an arrogant and proud idiot at times but I truly need your honesty and friendship and I hope you will forgive me for my cruel words. Not only was I truly blind but I nearly made a big mistake and I have you to thank for saving me.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “You are my heroine.”
Lizzy beamed, “At your service, Sir Fitzwilliam.” She kissed his cheek in return.
“No,” William smiled, “I am at your service, my queen.” He stood and walked to the door to allow her to change her clothes. “A penny for your thoughts?” he asked.
Lizzy quirked her brow. “Tom Jones? Why are you quoting Henry Fielding’s book? Are you asking me for my thoughts? I am very happy and eager for our outing right now, Will.”
William grinned broadly, “I am glad. I was testing you and you passed. See you in a few minutes, Lizzy.” And he closed the door to return to the breakfast room.
Chapter 17
“This is by far the most exciting moment of my life, Will!” Lizzy jumped up and down. “I have never been to a horse race before and I cannot believe how many people are here already. It took two hours to get here but it was worth the effort!”
William pointed to a window. “That is where we place the bets. I will give you some money to make the bet but you must choose the horse. Who do you think will win?”
Lizzy looked up the see the horses’ names written out. “I will choose Ghosthunter, since my horse is named Ghost and I miss her terribly.”
“Good choice!” William smiled. “He is ranked with a pay-out of one to ten; he has a good track record but not a constant winner. Let us go place your bet.” He handed her a ten-pound note.
Lizzy’s hands shook as she held the banknote. “How do you just hand this over to the man behind the window? This is a quarter of my annual allowance!”
“This is why I adore you, Lizzy. That is how bets are made and you are learning. Every pound should be carefully economised but people do bet such sums. I know men who had bet hundreds or thousands of pounds before.” He explained. “It is not uncommon to hear of men losing their entire fortune by gambling it away. Your birthday gift is not only your clothes but a trip to the tracks and a life lesson. Now, make the bet before they close. Once the race begins, you will lose your chance. Go on. I can afford it this time.”
Lizzy placed the bet and pocketed her receipt. They waited for the race to begin and Lizzy jumped up and down to see the horses take off and race around the tracks. While the upper level spectators were quiet and reserve watching the race, the people of the lower levels were rowdy with them cheering loudly for their horses.
Lizzy could not help but yell, “FLY, GHOSTHUNTER!” as her horse drew closer and closer to the finish line and won the race.
She squealed in joy and embraced William. Several cheers could be heard along with many more groans in disappointment.
“We will go pick up our winnings now.” William instructed. They began to walk towards the window when they were stopped by William’s associate from school.
“I see your little friend has won. Who is this boy?” William’s friend asked.
William rigidly scoffed, “This is Liam Gardiner from Shropshire. He is my second cousin twice removed. Liam, this is Thomas Bertram of Mansfield Park. Son of Sir Thomas Bertram, Baronet.”
“Good looking boy there, Darcy.” Bertram commented. “Congratulations on your winning horse, young man. I hope you win many more bets.”
Lizzy answered as deeply as possible, “Thank you, sir! I wish you the same!”
Bertram left them and William laughed loudly. “Good job, Liam. Your disguise was perfect.”
Lizzy grinned. “What exactly is ‘second cousin twice removed’? Would that be your grandfather's sister’s grandchild or something?”
“I have no idea!” William chuckled. “Anyone who knows my family knows I have very few cousins, removed or not. We might be related after all, Li... Liam. At least as far back as Adam and Eve.”
Lizzy giggled, “So true! But then wouldn’t everyone be related?”
They laughed and collected their winnings and Lizzy had the broadest smile in her face. “I do understand the temptation of the easy win and why people would gamble away their entire fortune. I have in my hand at least two years’ allowance and it is an incredible feeling. It is absolutely insane.”
“Shall we place a few more bets?” William asked. “There is a saying of a ‘beginner's luck’ and you certainly seem to have it.”
Lizzy’s eyes opened widely again. “I could never! There is more money in my pocket right now than I have ever seen in my entire life. I know it is yours but it is incredible to hold it in my own hands and I could not risk losing a penny of it.”
“I had planned on splurging on you today so we will place a few more bets. Your winnings are yours to keep.” William smiled. “A few smaller ones with higher risks, perhaps. This will help you with your arithmetic skills and budgeting. Who shall we choose next? A few shillings or a pound at most.”
Lizzy made several choices and they spent the next hours laughing and conversing, making note of character study of the patrons in the upper sections as well as the lower.
Lizzy leaned
