What Will He Do With It?

Jasper Losely comes to Guy Darrell's estate at the worst possible moment and is met with a scene of private anguish: Lady Montfort leaving in tears, Darrell's cold recognition of the man who once deceived his daughter, and an immediate clash between desperate blackmail and wounded aristocratic pride. Jasper demands to be treated as a son-in-law and presses for money, even hinting that he can cause trouble through the child he once claimed, while Darrell offers only exile and contempt. When Jasper suggests he may know the truth behind the lie that destroyed Darrell's former love, Darrell's restraint breaks, and the confrontation ends in violence and a gunshot. Rejected, Jasper returns to town, overhears gossip that reveals a forthcoming rent-day gathering and a vulnerable connection between Fawley Manor-house and Darrell's private chamber, and resolves to rob the place. He recruits Cutts, a seasoned criminal with a respectable front and hidden pawnbroking trade, who is tempted by the promise of easy money but soon senses the danger. Jasper's scheme becomes less about theft than revenge, as he refuses safer targets and insists on confronting Darrell. Meanwhile, Arabella's confession forces Darrell to confront old wrongs, legitimacy, and atonement, while Jasper's failed night ride leads him to a roadside inn, where he encounters Rugge and begins to drift back into the world of shabby, cunning survival. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.