Challenge #15: January BINGO Table of DOOOOOM! (7 prompts)
Title: In Your Cups
Prompts Used: I'm All In, Loot, Feast, Clash, Oops! Ceremony, Little Cups
Word Count: 812
Rating: PG
Original/Fandom: Georgette Heyer
Pairings (if any): Harry/Selina (future)
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/etc): None
Summary:Harry gets drunk and gambles more money than he has. He doesn't remember a thing, and his good friend Hubert helps him along. (part 1)
Harry Merriville woke up the next morning with a sharp pain in his head. The events of the night before lingered on the edge of his memory, and the harder he thought about it, the more his head hurt. All he knew for sure was that there was alcohol and cards involved. Oh, and a large sum of money that no longer lined his pockets.
When his chocolate and biscuits were brought in to him, he was still nursing a throbbing headache, but didn't let the servant see how bad it was. And to his surprise, by the time he had sipped all of the chocolate, and one of the biscuits, he felt half better.
It was then that there was a knock so loud that it shook the door on it's frame. With no announcement, Hubert Rivenhall burst through and made his way to Harry's bed.
"It was capital!" he said and sat down on the edge, looking enviously at the last biscuit. "Harry, you have completely outdone yourself this time!"
Harry was squinting at him through the pain that his outburst had caused. The words rolled over slowly in his mind. "You'll have to enlighten me, Hubert, because I don't remember a thing."
"Is that so?" Hubert was grinning at him. "Well, we played cards with Carrington last night and some of his cronies. You were in till the end, Harry, the very end! Any other man would have bowed out long ago, but no! Not you! You faced him, one on one when everyone else had laid down their cards. I swear I never seen anything like it!"
Harry blinked at him. He vaguely remembered staring at Carrington's ugly face. "Then what happened?"
"Well, you were in your cups, you know," Hubert said, making a gesture. "I daresay it gave you liquid courage."
"I know that, Hubert. For the love of God, tell me what happened!"
"Well, he won. Nothing to it! He had the devil's luck!" Hubert's gray eyes shined. "It's too bad really, but everyone was on your side, cheering! Do you realize you're a hero to almost everyone there last night?"
Harry shoved his breakfast tray towards his friend. "Go ahead. Have it. I've lost my appetite."
Hubert plucked the biscuit from the tray and took a large bite. "Why so glum? It was capitol, really!"
"You're not the one who lost two thousand pounds!" Harry said, frowning at him. "I'm sure it was capitol to you, however, my pockets are empty!"
Hubert was smiling at him guiltily. "Two thousand, you say? I swear it was a round five... though I could be wrong."
Harry put his head in his hands and groaned. If Hubert was right about the figure, he was sure to have written out a stack of IOUs. "And where in heaven will I find an extra three thousand? I won't get paid till next month."
There was a pause, and when Harry looked up from his hands, Hubert was looking at him with big eyes.
"Apply to Alverstoke," Hubert said.
"Oh, no! I will not ask my brother-in-law for money." He let out another groan. "Not again!"
Hubert put the last of the biscuit in his mouth. "What's it matter to him, anyway? He won't miss it, and besides... you're family."
"I am not family! My sister married him when I was already of age. Only Jessamy, Charis, Amaris, Felix, and Bryony are his wards."
Hubert stared at him for a moment. "Then why are you living here? If he didn't consider you family he would have turned you out ages ago."
Harry glared at him. "I only stay here when I'm in town. Otherwise, I stay at my father's home in the country. You know that better than anyone, so I don't know why you ask!"
"Well, I don't see what you're to do." Hubert shrugged. "Can't go around owing three thousand pounds for a month or more."
"You must make sure I don't play cards when I'm that drunk again!" Harry pushed his breakfast tray aside and got out of bed.
"I won't on any account!" Hubert said, staying exactly where he sat on Harry's bed. "I'm telling you, it was the best entertainment I've had in a fortnight!"
Harry stood at the window and sighed. "I don't know what I"m going to do, but at least I have a few days to think about it. I won't get dunned till next week at the earliest. Don't you think?"
"Surely not!" Hubert finally stood up. "Is this all you're eating? It's almost time for your luncheon."
Harry turned to glare at him. "I just woke up! If you want to share luncheon with me, you can wait downstairs while I get ready."
Hubert shrugged. "Oh, Lord! You know you don't stand on ceremony with me! But sure, I'll wait. Just please don't let it be above an hour!"
Prompts Used: I'm All In, Loot, Feast, Clash, Oops! Ceremony, Little Cups
Word Count: 812
Rating: PG
Original/Fandom: Georgette Heyer
Pairings (if any): Harry/Selina (future)
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/etc): None
Summary:Harry gets drunk and gambles more money than he has. He doesn't remember a thing, and his good friend Hubert helps him along. (part 1)
Harry Merriville woke up the next morning with a sharp pain in his head. The events of the night before lingered on the edge of his memory, and the harder he thought about it, the more his head hurt. All he knew for sure was that there was alcohol and cards involved. Oh, and a large sum of money that no longer lined his pockets.
When his chocolate and biscuits were brought in to him, he was still nursing a throbbing headache, but didn't let the servant see how bad it was. And to his surprise, by the time he had sipped all of the chocolate, and one of the biscuits, he felt half better.
It was then that there was a knock so loud that it shook the door on it's frame. With no announcement, Hubert Rivenhall burst through and made his way to Harry's bed.
"It was capital!" he said and sat down on the edge, looking enviously at the last biscuit. "Harry, you have completely outdone yourself this time!"
Harry was squinting at him through the pain that his outburst had caused. The words rolled over slowly in his mind. "You'll have to enlighten me, Hubert, because I don't remember a thing."
"Is that so?" Hubert was grinning at him. "Well, we played cards with Carrington last night and some of his cronies. You were in till the end, Harry, the very end! Any other man would have bowed out long ago, but no! Not you! You faced him, one on one when everyone else had laid down their cards. I swear I never seen anything like it!"
Harry blinked at him. He vaguely remembered staring at Carrington's ugly face. "Then what happened?"
"Well, you were in your cups, you know," Hubert said, making a gesture. "I daresay it gave you liquid courage."
"I know that, Hubert. For the love of God, tell me what happened!"
"Well, he won. Nothing to it! He had the devil's luck!" Hubert's gray eyes shined. "It's too bad really, but everyone was on your side, cheering! Do you realize you're a hero to almost everyone there last night?"
Harry shoved his breakfast tray towards his friend. "Go ahead. Have it. I've lost my appetite."
Hubert plucked the biscuit from the tray and took a large bite. "Why so glum? It was capitol, really!"
"You're not the one who lost two thousand pounds!" Harry said, frowning at him. "I'm sure it was capitol to you, however, my pockets are empty!"
Hubert was smiling at him guiltily. "Two thousand, you say? I swear it was a round five... though I could be wrong."
Harry put his head in his hands and groaned. If Hubert was right about the figure, he was sure to have written out a stack of IOUs. "And where in heaven will I find an extra three thousand? I won't get paid till next month."
There was a pause, and when Harry looked up from his hands, Hubert was looking at him with big eyes.
"Apply to Alverstoke," Hubert said.
"Oh, no! I will not ask my brother-in-law for money." He let out another groan. "Not again!"
Hubert put the last of the biscuit in his mouth. "What's it matter to him, anyway? He won't miss it, and besides... you're family."
"I am not family! My sister married him when I was already of age. Only Jessamy, Charis, Amaris, Felix, and Bryony are his wards."
Hubert stared at him for a moment. "Then why are you living here? If he didn't consider you family he would have turned you out ages ago."
Harry glared at him. "I only stay here when I'm in town. Otherwise, I stay at my father's home in the country. You know that better than anyone, so I don't know why you ask!"
"Well, I don't see what you're to do." Hubert shrugged. "Can't go around owing three thousand pounds for a month or more."
"You must make sure I don't play cards when I'm that drunk again!" Harry pushed his breakfast tray aside and got out of bed.
"I won't on any account!" Hubert said, staying exactly where he sat on Harry's bed. "I'm telling you, it was the best entertainment I've had in a fortnight!"
Harry stood at the window and sighed. "I don't know what I"m going to do, but at least I have a few days to think about it. I won't get dunned till next week at the earliest. Don't you think?"
"Surely not!" Hubert finally stood up. "Is this all you're eating? It's almost time for your luncheon."
Harry turned to glare at him. "I just woke up! If you want to share luncheon with me, you can wait downstairs while I get ready."
Hubert shrugged. "Oh, Lord! You know you don't stand on ceremony with me! But sure, I'll wait. Just please don't let it be above an hour!"