A Simple Matter of Cards
Mr. Cargreave’s temperament ached at the incessant prattle of dinner table chatter flooding around him. He looked about at his companions. They were all honorable men and women of means, educated and well versed in the in the ways of the world. However, despite the loftiness of their positions they suffered from that adverse trait of wealthy society, that is to limit themselves to well-articulated babble that is beautiful to the ear yet means absolutely nothing. Departure at this point may be considered inconsiderate however, he thought, throughout the evening he’d conversed, danced and in general met all his societal obligations. Therefore, he decided change was for the better, so he pushed himself away from the table, stood up, straightened his tails coat, and retreated to somewhere a bit more comfortable.
After a short search he found the library and thought it the perfect refuge. He found the library’s aura that echoed the modern tastes of the dawn of the nineteenth century very satisfying. Silky scarlets complimented the dark oak of the ceiling high bookshelves while a slight hint of a musty odor filled the air. A fire cracked in a large stone fireplace giving the room the sense of comfort like an old quilt on a cold evening. Within the room stood a rabble of assorted chairs and end tables strewn about. Cargreave gazed around, he noticed a young man sitting hunched over in a chair in the corner. He instantly recognized the young man as Mr. Thornton whom he knew well and had a fondness for him much like that of an older brother.
“Mr. Thornton. It seems your usual bright countenance has turned gloomier.” Cargreave exclaimed as he strode towards Mr. Thornton. “What on earth can be so troublesome?”
“Ahh, Mt Cargreave it does me good to see you.” Mr. Thornton stood smartly, bowed in greeting and immediately returned to his chair. “It enlightens my evening and relieves me somewhat of my melancholy.”
“Melancholy?”, asked Mr. Cargreave.
“Yes” Thornton shuffled nervously. “I’ve been a bit under these last few days. It’s almost whimsical if you look at it a certain way.”
“What...what’s whimsical?”
“Well see, you go through life with a certain understanding of the world and the things around you or, I could even say the people with whom you are acquainted or even intimate. Is that not correct Mt Cargreave?”
“Certainly.” Mr. Cargreave answered as he took a seat next to Mr. Thornton.
“You see it’s my wife. She’s...”
Mr. Cargreave flashed into concern “Dear Mrs. Thornton, is she well?” he asked.
“NO... No... no nothing is wrong Mr. Cargreave. Mrs. Thornton is quite well.”
“I am relieved.” Mr. Cargreave exhaled, “She’s quite a sweet young girl and I would hate it for something amiss to happen to her.”
“Yes well, as I said she is quite well, but the issue is not so much her condition but mine. I thought I understood her but perhaps not “. Mr. Thornton laughed slightly. “Sir I see from your quizzical expression that you may be at a loss. Perhaps I should begin at the beginning?”
“That would be excellent sir.”
“You see, a few days ago I made the acquaintance of a Mr. Fletcher. Do you know him?”
“I know of him.”
“Well, we started to speak together and after a while we made off handsomely. Enough so that at our conversation ended in an invitation for supper at his home the next night. Mrs. Thornton and I are relatively new here and besides yourself we have few friends and refusing such an invitation could have severe consequences on our future. So, I happily accepted. The next day arrived and unfortunately my wife was not feeling well so I, being eager to foster a closer friendship, called upon Mr. Fletcher myself.”
“Seems fair.”
“I found Mr. Fletcher to be a fine host and I enjoyed dinner quite considerably.’
“So, what is the trouble my dear Thornton?”
“It was after dinner that my fortunes turned sour. Mr. Fletcher invited me to a game of cards. Now I’m not well experienced in cards but since Mr. Fletcher seemed so eager to play and my wanting to maintain such an illustrious acquaintance, I agreed to play.”
“Did you play for wagers, please tell me you didn’t. As I said before I know of Mr. Fletcher through reputation. He does have a reputation with the cards I say. Unfortunately, there are those who say he is untrustworthy.”
“Yes, I understand that now but at that moment I did not, so we did play,” Mr. Thornton took a deep breath, “and by the end of several hands and bottles of Madeira, he held several expensive promissory notes.”
“You have fallen into quite the frightful situation” Mr. Cargreave acknowledged.
“Yes, but the actual weight of my recklessness didn’t dawn upon me until I saw the disappointment in Mrs. Thornton’s eyes.”
“She was displeased?”
“An understatement for sure.”
“Mr. Thornton, my years have given me experience in matters such as this and I am willing to help you if you are in want. Have you started to devise a remedy?
“Well, it has already been attended to my satisfaction.”
“It has?”
“Yes sir, everything is well.” Mr. Thornton confirmed, “However therein lies my difficulty. I am uncomfortable as to how it all happened and especially Mrs. Thornton's role.”
“Uncomfortable…I’m not understanding Mr. Thornton.”
“Let me explain. When I told Mrs. Thornton about the gambling debts, she was understandably upset. But after she had thoroughly scolded me, she sat for a moment then suddenly her demeaner abruptly changed. I thought that she had accepted that our situation was going to be affected but to my astonishment she insisted that we invite Mr. Fletcher for dinner, and the sooner was to be better. Not to aggravate Mrs. Thornton any further I said I would call upon Mr. Fletcher the next day. Which I did and he arrived that evening.”
“I would expect the situation to be uneasy given the specter of the debts floating nearby,” stated Mr. Cargreave.
“I have to admit, it was. Please do not misunderstand, Mr. Fletcher was a most affable dinner guest, and he never mentioned the debts or even of playing cards.”
“Sounds like a most pleasant thing for him to do.” Mr. Cargreave remarked.
Mr. Thornton nodded. “After dinner we had excellent conversation but when that slowed, Mrs. Thornton suggested we play cards. This was to my surprise because Mrs. Thornton had never expressed an interest in playing cards whenever we were with company. I looked at her with abhorrence trying to convey my severe apprehension at such an idea. She either didn’t recognize my expression or totally ignored me because she radiated an air of amusement.”
“If you were in a bit with money, how did you get funds?” Mr. Cargreave asked.
“Some very agreeable people provided me funds for living when I explained the situation. Unfortunately, that with what was in my pocket added to little. Mrs. Thornton knew how we were off but that seemed to concern her little. In fact, when we sat down at the table to play, she produced a purse that I had no idea even existed. She said that it was from her weekly games with her friends. Mr. Fletcher inquired about the game, and she told him that they play but not to the skill level that Mr. Fletcher was accustomed to.”
Mr. Cargreave’s eyebrows raised somewhat, and he smiled slightly, “Oh I see. Please Mr. Thornton please continue. You sir are keeping my interest.”
“Well, the first part of the game went as you would expect. Mr. Fletcher was victorious in every hand. Now I, while watching my resources shrink to such a low, became alarmed, however, Mrs. Thornton seemed the least bit concerned, maybe even amused perhaps.”
“Amused? The fact that you took notice is a surprise to me because I’ve known Mrs. Thornton for as long as you and she has never shown me anything but a charming and affable demeanor. So, what do you mean?”
Mr. Thornton recoiled slightly,” She is the most genial person I know for certain, but this time I detected a certain falsehood that I have never noticed in Mrs. Thornton, almost as she were acting in a play.”
“As if she were playing a game besides that on the table?” Mr. Cargreave inquired.
“Yes. I thought so but please let me continue. We had played several hands which, as I said before, were less to my liking when suddenly Mrs. Thornton produced a winning hand. I was awestruck, as I think Mr. Fletcher was as well, to which he stated that he should be paying closer attention.”
“A case of simple luck perhaps?”
“That is exactly how Mrs. Thornton described it. I thought so too until she prevailed on the next two hands. Mr. Fletcher said that luck was looking upon her and to enjoy it’s favors for as long as possible. She agreed.”
“Did Mr. Fletcher take well to his change in fortune?”
“Mostly, but I would say he continued with a more serious bearing.”
“As we were playing Mrs. Thornton may have tried to lower the anxiety and maybe explain herself somewhat by relating how she learned to play cards. It seems that after the war, her family was cast out of New York with nothing but that which they could carry. Well, a rather charitable sea captain, I think his name was Bennett, yes Captain Bennett, took pity on them and offered his lodgings in Savannah for their use till they were settled. Mrs. Thornton was a child at the time. Captain Bennett was a jovial and engaging host and enjoyed entertaining, especially the children, but he had lived mostly with men at sea and knew little of games to play with children. So, he taught them cards and they spent their time playing.”
’How humorous.” Mr. Cargreaves said with a chuckle.
“We kept playing however I had to resign due to the loss of all of my capital. Mr. Fletcher and Mrs. Thornton kept the contest alive though. At first Mr. Fletcher would win, followed by Mrs. Thornton. This trading ensued for some time until it seemed Mrs. Thornton was winning the majority. Mr. Fletcher’s manner steadily deteriorated until he thew his cards down and stated that he needed to take our leave. Muttering something about business the next day he hurriedly donned his cloak and left. I would also like to say that at this point Mrs. Thornton’s winnings far outdid Mr. Fletcher’s.”
“Are you still on good relations with Mr. Fletcher?”
“I would like to say yes but I think our future relations will be more restrained.”
“If I understand.” Mr. Cargreave stated, “It seems to me that neither of you understood the depth of Mrs. Thornton's skill.’
“Yes, I can understand Mr. Fletcher’s but as to mine I am at a loss. It seems there are aspects of my wife that I am unaware of.” Mr. Thornton admitted.
“Do you not speak to you wife Mr. Thornton?”
“I do much. We have conversations but I always regarded them as more superficial, as I expect them to be. Much less challenging than the ones I have with other men, or even the ones I have with you.”
Mr. Cargreave shook his head, “Mr. Thornton you have been married for two years now?”
“Closer to three.”
“My best advice to you is, By God Man Go Home and Talk to Your Wife! My wife and I have made it essential to know each other’s core because we realized that when every night is over, we are the only ones left and we are going to live as the companions we wish to be. I recommend you do the same.”
Mr. Thornton sighed, I do believe you have given me advise that should be practiced and I think I will.”
“Capital Mr. Thornton!”
“As the last point of this subject, I’d like to further illustrate my ignorance as to Mrs. Thornton’s nature. When I inquired about the level of her skill.” Mr. Thornton added,” Now let me be clear, this is coming from my dear Mrs. Thornton who has never done me or any of our acquaintances wrong and has never demonstrated any behavior that could be interpreted as wrong or ill. When I asked, she drew in close to me and with a mischievous smile she stated that her skill is truly elementary, but Captain Bennett also taught her how to alter the odds for more favorable outcomes.”
At that, Mr. Cargreave laughed boisterously.