“Why would you choose to come here?” she whispered.
He stopped and looked down at her. “You know I’m not accepted anywhere socially, which is why I chose not to renew my membership to my club a few years ago—no point in paying extra to drink alone when I can do so just as easily in the comfort of my home or in places like this.” Straightening himself, he nodded toward the men at the table in turn. “Horton. Windham. May I present to you my wife, Lady Rebecca Neville? She wished to join me this evening. I hope you don’t mind.”
Horton and Windham got up from their seats and bowed toward her. “How delightful it is to make your acquaintance,” Horton said, smiling in a manner that suggested he didn’t consider Rebecca’s presence very delightful at all. His friend seemed to share his sentiment, for he just watched her skeptically, mumbled a greeting and resumed his seat.
Rebecca tried not to take offense. She had after all unsettled the delicate balance of a very peculiar habitat, and they probably saw her as an obstacle now—a lady around whom they could not enjoy the freedom they’d come here seeking and who was likely to ruin their evening as a result. With that thought in mind, Rebecca determined to prove that she could be both fun and entertaining as well as a good sport, and that they needn’t concern themselves about her presence. “I am most delighted to meet you as well,” she said, claiming a seat that Daniel had pulled up alongside his own. “Now then, what are we playing this evening?”
Silence.
“Becky,” Daniel whispered as he leaned toward her. “You’re not suggesting that you want to participate, are you?”
“Why ever not?” she asked as she looked to each of them in turn. “It’s certainly better than just sitting here and watching you.”
Daniel groaned, and Horton cleared his throat. “Whist is my first choice, since there are four of us.”
“Mine too,” Windham agreed. “Especially after Neville beat both of us at vingt-et-un last time. What say you, Neville? Care to humor us?” With a subtle gesture, he brought over a man dressed in elegant black, who placed two unopened decks of cards on the table.
“I . . . er . . .” Daniel sounded perplexed as he looked from Horton and Windham to Rebecca.
She knew what he must have been thinking and decided not to bother herself with his concerns. She was here now, and she had every intention of having a splendid evening. “Sounds like a marvelous idea,” she said, presenting each of the gentlemen with a dazzling smile. “I will partner with my husband, in which case I should probably switch seats with you, Horton, so I may sit across from him.” If she wasn’t mistaken, Daniel groaned again, which in turn made her chuckle with amusement.
What the blazes had he been thinking to bring her here? He’d never been more perplexed by a decision before in his life, and now his wife was grinning happily as she prepared to gamble with two seasoned players. “I’m not entirely sure of the procedure,” she was saying as she took the seat that Horton had vacated. “Should I place my bet now or after the cards have been dealt?”
Good God!
“Becky, perhaps it would be best if you sat this one out and just watched the first hand. I’m sure I can find someone else to . . .” His words trailed off at the disappointment in her eyes. Devil take it, so they’d lose a few pounds, but at least she’d be happy. He sighed and tried to look more optimistic.
“You may place your bet after you’ve taken a look at your cards, Lady Rebecca,” Norton said. “I will deal the first round, if that is agreeable?”
“I have no issue with it,” Daniel said as he glanced toward Rebecca, who looked undeniably cheerful. Her demeanor didn’t change much when she picked up her cards and sorted them in her hand. But then she frowned, and Daniel felt doomed; she was looking at her hand as if it had been the most confusing thing she’d ever set eyes upon. Since his own hand looked fairly miserable, he decided that he might as well forget all chance of winning and just enjoy the game for the hell of it. He certainly wasn’t about to gamble on their chances of winning.
The thought had just entered his head when Rebecca pulled two pounds out of her reticule and placed them on the table. Daniel stared at the money, speechless. It was a large sum for anyone to risk on one single hand. What are you doing? he wanted to ask, but Horton and Windham had already added their own two pounds to the pot, leaving Daniel with no choice but to follow suit. The evening was not turning out the way he’d envisioned.
Sitting at Horton’s left, Daniel led the first card—the two of clubs. Rebecca stared at the card for a second, then plucked a card from her own hand and placed it on the table—the king of clubs. Windham discarded a five, and Horton took the trick with the ace.
The next card played was the three of spades. Daniel placed his only good card, the jack, on top of it, hoping that Windham wasn’t sitting with the queen, king or ace. Rebecca put a low three on it, and as he’d feared, Windham took the trick with the ace. Changing colors, Windham then played the four of diamonds to his partner, who in turn played the queen. Daniel didn’t even bother trying to compete with that, since he didn’t have a single diamond anyway, so he played a low heart instead.
But then Rebecca leaned forward and placed the king on the table, and everything that happened from that point on was nothing short of impressive. She played the queen of clubs next, followed by the jack, the ten, the seven and the six, taking all tricks, since the rest of the clubs had already been played. She then played the king of spades, the queen of spades, the ace of hearts and eventually gave the last trick to Windham, who had the ace of diamonds.
Daniel blinked in disbelief. Raising his gaze from the table, he met Rebecca’s eyes and laughed. It was impossible not to, when she looked so darn pleased with herself. “I must say you’re full of surprises. After our other recent card game, I hadn’t expected you to be so good.”
“That’s because we weren’t playing whist,” she said, eyes sparkling with merriment. “I’m good at whist.”
“I can see that,” Daniel said. He was ridiculously proud of her for doing so well and noted that they made an excellent team. They played three more rounds before Norton and Windham declared themselves so thoroughly impressed with Rebecca’s card skills that they would rather try their luck elsewhere. Both of them bowed to her as they took their leave and wished both her and Daniel the best of luck with the remainder of the evening.
“What now?” Rebecca asked when she and Daniel were once again alone.
“Now, dear Becky, we find another table to play at, but this time, I’m playing vingt-et-un.”
“But I’m terrible at that,” Rebecca muttered. “I mean, I haven’t had nearly enough practice.”
“Which is why you’re not playing,” he said. He didn’t like the look of disappointment on her face and decided he’d better explain his reasoning. “Remember why we’re here, Becky. It’s not to have fun but because we need an income, and as much as I’ve enjoyed playing with you, the stakes at whist aren’t high enough. We need something with better winnings, and vingt-et-un is perfect for that, especially since I’m good at it.”
“Very well,” Rebecca muttered. She still didn’t look too pleased about his decision, but at least she was willing to accept his reasoning.
Looking around, he spotted a table with four players who were currently receiving their cards from a dealer, a young man with a red scar slicing across his cheek. There was a vacant chair, so Daniel hurried over and claimed it, greeting the other players as he asked if he might be allowed to join them.
“By all means,” a burly-looking chap with a cigar jutting out of his mouth muttered. Whoever he was, he’d decided to get comfortable, for he’d taken off his jacket and rolled up his shirtsleeves. His cravat was nowhere to be found.
“You’ll have to add five pounds to the pot,” another fellow added. He looked familiar, and Daniel realized that he’d actually seen this man before—yet another gentleman who favored the relaxed atmosphere that Riley’s offered.
Daniel had no issue with adding the necessary blunt, and soon the game was under way. He was aware of Rebecca’s presence at his right shoulder, her scent blending with the otherwise smoky air. Determined to avoid distraction, he forced his attention away from her and focused on his cards instead, claiming victory ten minutes later with a pair of aces.
He won five more rounds, but when he lost on the sixth and was forced to part with ten pounds, he fought the urge to try and win it back. Be responsible, he told himself. Walk away. He turned to tell Rebecca that he was ready to leave, only to find her gone.
What the devil?
Where could she have got to? Grabbing his winnings, he shoved the money into his jacket pockets, then rose to his feet and scanned the room. It took him no more than a moment to spot her through the throng of onlookers gathered around the various tables, and when he finally did, his stomach lurched. She was not alone but having what appeared to be a very animated conversation with Solange.
Jesus, bloody, Christ!
His gut reaction was to turn away and try to ignore the incident. Who could blame him? He couldn’t imagine any man relishing the idea of his wife making the acquaintance of his mistress, not even if he was no longer involved with said mistress. It was all most distressing, but to pretend he hadn’t noticed what was going on would be cowardly. Besides, it was too late for that now—Rebecca had turned her head and seen him watching them—especially if he wanted to share a bed with her once they got home.
With a heavy sigh, he started making his way toward them, smiling as he reached Rebecca’s side despite her look of displeasure. He linked his arm with hers, hoping to show where his loyalty lay. “Good evening, Solange,” he then said smoothly. “I see you’ve met my wife.”
“Indeed, I was just offering her my congratulations on her marriage,” Solange said, her smile lacking any measure of kindness.
Daniel wondered what he’d ever seen in the woman, and then recalled that their relationship had been exclusively sexual and that he’d never given her character much thought. The notion that he could have been so shallow embarrassed him now, though not nearly as much as his concern for what Solange might have said to Rebecca. “Thank you,” he said. It seemed like the polite thing to do.
Looking at his wife, he noted that she stood stiffly at his side, completely mute and with a look in her eyes that would have sent a demon back to hell. What the devil had Solange said to her? The woman in question leaned toward him, her lips drawn into a deliberate smile. “Should you ever reconsider the offer I gave you last night, I shall be only too happy to oblige. You know where to find me.”
Hot, primal rage poured through Daniel, giving him an alarming urge to place his hands about the woman’s neck and strangle her. By God, he’d never been so furious with anyone before in his life. That she would say such a thing in public, and with his wife present, was beyond the pale! It was nothing short of hateful, and he despised her for it.