The Lady's Gamble Read online

  Were women playing at this game? She hadn’t expected that but she was glad for it. It would help her to feel a little less overwhelmed.

  The front door closed and then there was the quiet rhythmic thump of shoes crossing the foyer and through the dining room, into the smaller sitting room for playing cards. She took a deep breath. It was time. No point in hiding in the library.

  As if summoned by her thoughts, Lord Harrison stepped in. He was wearing a proper coat now and he looked less disheveled. Yet, there was still something relaxed about him.

  His posture was easy and sloped with no tension. His mouth seemed ready to slip into a smile at any moment. If she were but to close her eyes and focus on the feeling she got from him, she would have pictured him in naught but a shirt and trousers.

  It must have been because he was in his own home and trusted the people he had invited. She still could not figure Lord Harrison out but they had made promises to one another. She saw no reason for him to betray her. Therefore, if he trusted his guests, then she could trust them.

  “Come now, Puck,” he told her. “The time for hiding in the library is over.”

  “Are you certain you should be using such nicknames where guests can hear?” Regina asked.

  She crossed the room to him anyway, strangely drawn to him as if she was the moon and he was the earth, his gravity inexorably tugging at her.

  “I can assure you, these guests won’t mind. They’re all reprobates of the worst sort.” Lord Harrison winked at her.

  “Oi!” Someone shouted from the sitting room. “We can hear you, Harrison!”

  “Yet I don’t hear you denying it!” Lord Harrison shot back.

  He smiled at Regina and held out his arm for her. “Come along. They’re all dying to meet you. Partially because they don’t believe I have a cousin.”

  “That’s because you don’t have a cousin,” Regina replied.

  “But they don’t know that,” Lord Harrison said, and then he was leading her into the smaller sitting room—the parlor, he had called it—and she couldn’t say anything more about it.

  She’d noticed earlier that the sitting room behind the dining room was small, or at least smaller than the other rooms. Now it seemed even smaller but in a cozy, comfortable sort of way.

  One of the tables had been moved into the center of the room, and there was a fireplace going. The warm light from the fire highlighted the gold accents in the room and made the gray seem warmer and more inviting.

  At the table were seated four people: two women, one of them Lady Cora, and two men. Regina paused as they all looked up at her upon her entrance.

  Her hand instinctively tightened on Lord Harrison’s arm. To her surprise he laid his hand over hers, a reassuring gesture.

  “Everyone, may I introduce my cousin, Miss Regina.”

  Regina curtsied politely. The two men stood and bowed to her while the two women inclined their heads.

  Lord Harrison gestured to them. “These are the most disreputable companions, I can assure you. Scoundrels, every last one of them.”

  Regina had never heard anyone call somebody a scoundrel in such a casual, friendly manner. It was obviously an inside joke.

  “It takes one to know one,” said the first gentleman, the one on the far left. Regina recognized his voice. He was the one who’d yelled just a moment ago.

  He was tall, though not as tall as Lord Harrison, with light blond hair and a sharp, thin face. Regina could easily have found herself afraid of him given the severity of his features, but he relaxed it all with an easy smile. His eyes were so pale they looked gray. When she looked at his hands, she could see the pale blue veins beneath the skin.

  All in all, he looked almost more like a ghost than a person. Regina saw a large handkerchief resting by his hand on the table. She wondered if he was quite well.

  “The one who won’t stop running his mouth is Lord Edmund Mannis, eldest son of the Duke of Whitechester,” Lord Harrison explained.

  “Not for long,” Lord Mannis replied.

  Regina was confused. Not for long? Did that mean his father stood to lose his title? Such things had been commonplace back when lords were actively warring for land and for the throne. But nowadays to have a Duke stripped of his title was next to unheard of.

  Her confusion, as usual, must have shown on her face, for Lord Mannis laughed. The laugh turned into a hacking cough. One of the ladies, the one Regina didn’t know, quickly handed him his handkerchief. The other gentleman gently patted Lord Mannis on the back.

  “I’m afraid my younger brother will be the one to inherit the dukedom,” Lord Mannis explained. He pulled the handkerchief away from his face and Regina saw a spot of red upon it. The spot glistened.

  She felt slightly ill.

  “Must you frighten the girl?” Said the unknown lady, the one who had passed Lord Mannis his handkerchief. “We all know you are dying, you needn’t go on about it.”

  “The lady hiding her undying devotion behind a scolding is Lady Elizabeth Thornby,” Lord Harrison said.

  Lady Thornby was a tiny woman, the same size as Regina. She had light brown hair and light brown eyes that matched. In contrast to Lord Mannis, Lady Thornby looked the picture of health. Her skin had a robust glow to it and every movement spoke of contained energy.

  “Miss Eliza, please,” Lady Thornby said. “As if we stand on ceremony around here.”

  “Miss Eliza is in love with Lord Mannis,” Lord Harrison said. “And he with her. Although you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at them.”

  “Simply because you don’t know what love looks like doesn’t mean the rest of us have to suffer for it,” Miss Eliza replied.

  She then smiled warmly at Regina. “I beg you, ignore how we snap at one another. I assure you that Edmund and I are entirely devoted to one another, and our friendship with Harrison is just as strong.”

  “Why are you not Lady Mannis then?” Regina blurted out. She nearly clapped a hand over her mouth.

  “There’s the awkwardness everyone was telling me about,” Lord Harrison said. He sounded delighted. “I’ve been waiting for it to show up.”

  Regina had been hoping that she could get through the evening without saying the wrong thing. Apparently that had been too much to ask of her runaway mouth. Why could she not stay quiet? She managed it ninety percent of the time. If she had to speak why did it always end up being something like this?

  Miss Eliza only laughed. Lord Mannis winced but it didn’t seem to be because of Regina.

  “I’m afraid that I don’t have long,” he admitted. “Eliza and I have spoken at length and we thought it unfair for me to wed and bequeath all my lands to her and deprive my brother. George will undoubtedly live for quite a long time. And Eliza is sought after by many men. She can marry after I am gone. It is better for both of them.”

  “He refuses to believe me when I say I shall never love anyone but him,” Miss Eliza pointed out.

  “I never said you would love again, I said that you would marry again,” Lord Mannis replied. “There is a difference.”

  He looked at her then, his gaze bright and full of love. Regina found that there was a lump in her throat. She swallowed it down. In that moment there was no doubt in her mind that Lord Mannis loved Miss Eliza with a terrible, all-encompassing devotion.

  When she looked into Miss Eliza’s eyes, she saw that same devotion reflected back at Lord Mannis.

  “I am a selfish woman,” Miss Eliza admitted. Her voice was softer now. “We are not marrying so that George may become Duke and inherit the lands when his father and Edmund are gone. But I refused to let Edmund leave me without living as his wife, even if it is not so in the eyes of the law.”

  “And so you will not see us about much in society,” Lord Mannis added, turning back to face Regina. “There have been enough to see and object to our closeness even if they do not know the full truth.”

  “They fraternize with me instead,” Lord Harrison s
aid. “Adding to their rakish reputation.”

  “Oh come now, I am merely a beguiled young woman,” Miss Eliza protested. “Seduced by the charms of rakish men. But I myself am not rakish.”

  “Whatever helps you to sleep at night, my dear,” Lord Harrison replied.

  “And what are we?” Said the other gentleman. “Scraps for the dogs?”

  “Ah, yes, of course, we mustn’t forget to stroke your ego,” Lord Harrison said. “Miss Regina, this is Lord David Quentin. He’s been a friend of mine since childhood.”

  Lord Quentin was on the shorter side, with a broad chest and dark skin that told with no reservation the truth of him having mixed heritage. His hair was short and curled against his head but he had light green eyes. It startled Regina, for she had expected dark ones.

  Regina gathered herself. This man was a lord. She would treat him with the same respect that she would the others.

  “I must admit I have not heard of the Quentin family,” Regina said, giving a curtsy. “Are you from up north?”

  Lord Quentin gave a small laugh, flashing brilliant white teeth. “My father is a baron, but I doubt you will have heard much of us. After he conceived me and then dared to bring me home from the Caribbean and raise me as his own, society has been less inclined to invite him to parties.”

  “Quentin here and I have known each other for years. He helped me when I was gambling to earn my family’s money back.” Lord Harrison spoke with a deep fondness and respect.

  “They let me keep the title and all for now,” Lord Quentin said. “But the moment my father’s dead they’ll find some way to take it all from me. Best to have an independent fortune I can rely upon.”

  “I admit, I shall continue to call you Lord,” Miss Eliza said. “Even when you have become a lonely ‘Mr.’.”

  “You never call me Lord anyway,” Lord Quentin pointed out. “It’s all Quentin fetch me this, and Quentin read me that.”

  “There are some who claim I’m spoiled,” Miss Eliza said, giving Regina a conspiratorial smile.

  “I am deeply sorry,” Regina said, for she was. Lord Quentin would get to have no piece of his family history. And it was because of something he had no control over. He hadn’t asked to be born out of wedlock and he hadn’t asked to have darker skin.

  “Why be sorry?” Lord Quentin asked. “I have good friends and have gambled my way to quite an extensive private fortune. The gentry might not let me own land but I’ll never lack.”

  Regina considered that. It was an unconventional way to look at things. It was also pragmatic. But it was Lord Quentin’s decision and his life. If he was not concerned then why should she be?

  “And of course you already know our final guest tonight,” Lord Harrison said, “The lovely Lady Cora Dunhill.”

  “I’ve had the distinct pleasure of becoming this charming lady’s chaperone,” Lady Cora said. She looked over at Harrison accusingly. “Harrison has been quite cruel to hide a little sprite from us.”

  “Perhaps I didn’t want my dear young cousin corrupted by such as you,” Lord Harrison replied.

  Lady Cora laughed. “If she were determined to be corrupted in the way that I am, then I should think she’ll have already started without any help from me.”

  Regina had no idea what they were talking about and decided it was best not to ask and stumble into more awkwardness.

  “Now that we’re all introduced,” Lord Harrison said. “Perhaps we can get on to the reason I called you here?”

  He guided Regina to a chair that had been set out for her. It put her with Lord Harrison on her left and Lady Cora on her right. Miss Eliza, as she had insisted Regina call her, was directly across from her. Lord Mannis was diagonally to her left, next to Miss Eliza, and Lord Quentin was diagonally to Regina’s right, in between Lady Cora and Miss Eliza.

  Immediately, Lord Mannis leaned in and spoke softly into Miss Eliza’s ear. Miss Eliza’s cheeks grew pink not with embarrassment but with warmth, and she responded with her own whisper.

  “They really are in love, poor things,” Lady Cora murmured.

  “It is rather bold of them, is it not, to risk society’s wrath to be together?” Regina asked. “Surely it would be better for their reputations to simply marry.”

  “Mannis has only a few months to live,” Lady Cora replied. “He could marry Miss Eliza and produce an heir, but then his younger brother would be left out. And Miss Eliza would be beset by suitors anxious not for her heart but only for her land and the title. And who wants to leave their love to raise their child all alone?”

  Lady Cora shook her head. “This way, Mannis gets to take care of his brother, and Miss Eliza can marry one of her other suitors who will give her lifelong companionship and healthy children. Children who are not cursed with Mannis’s affliction and will live long lives.

  “Furthermore, she will know that the suitor, whoever he is, married her for her personality and looks rather than whatever title and land Mannis gave her. It is the wiser decision all around.”

  “But until then, they must avoid society,” Regina pointed out. “Otherwise someone might notice their unusual closeness.”

  “It is a small price for them to pay,” Lady Cora replied. “A year out of society but with the person they love most in the world? People have sacrificed far more for love.”

  Regina wanted to object that it was silly, but then she would be a hypocrite. Was she not risking herself and her reputation to save her sisters? Was it not all fueled by her love for them and her father?

  Like her father’s love for her mother, however, she still could not understand such a devastating romantic attachment. Perhaps one day she would understand. But today was not that day.

  Today, she had to focus on playing well.

  As if he was reading her thoughts once again, Lord Harrison produced a deck of cards. “I believe there was a reason I gathered you all here. Besides poking fun at Mannis, of course.”

  “I believe you’re confusing me with yourself again, Harrison,” Mannis replied.

  Lord Harrison began shuffling the cards. “I thought we should start with loo. Miss Regina?”

  Regina nodded. Loo was the best game to win against Lord Pettifer. It was considered a rather disreputable game, partially because the stakes could be increased exponentially. Regina would be counting on that when she played him.

  As she waited, Lord Harrison began to deal out the cards. Loo was a game that could be played with as few as five people, upwards to as many people as you liked. Although, Regina could imagine that after a certain number it became far too confusing.

  Loo was actually the shortened name for the game. Its official name was Lanterloo, which as far as Regina could tell was a nonsense word. It had no actual meaning. Perhaps this was a reflection upon the game itself.

  For those who gambled away their fortunes, however, the game could mean quite a lot.

  It started with a pool, and then each player was dealt either three or five cards. Regina saw that Lord Harrison was dealing out five cards to everyone.

  “Normally the person who cuts the lowest card deals first, but I like to break rules,” Lord Harrison said. He finished dealing and set the deck down.

  After this, Regina remembered, the play would start to the left. She then saw that Lord Harrison hadn’t dealt her any cards.

  So that was why he had invited four friends. Including Lord Harrison, that left five. It was the smallest number one could have to play the game.

  Regina relaxed slightly, glad that she didn’t have to focus on playing at first. Lord Harrison noticed this and flashed her a small smile. It was there and gone in a flash, and Regina liked to think that it was just for her, and only she had seen it.

  It didn’t occur to her then what a dangerous thought that was, but later on she would look back and think, oh.

  Lord Harrison turned the top card of the deck face up for the trump. Everyone looked at their hands.

  “Go on,” Lord
Harrison whispered. He nudged her lightly with his elbow. “See what everyone has.”

  Regina stood up and made her way slowly around the table. The other players must have been informed ahead of time that she would be doing this, for none objected.

  The entire time, they kept up a steady stream of conversation. Regina suspected this was partially because that was how it would be when she played Lord Pettifer. It was only polite, and talking meant you could distract other players and win the hand.

  She also suspected, however, that it was because all five genuinely enjoyed one another’s company.

  Having inspected everyone’s cards, Regina sat back down. This was the only chance the players had to throw their hand in and walk away without any further losses.

  Nobody threw their cards down. Instead they each, in turn, announced, “Play.”

  So the game was on.

  The goal was to have cards that were of a higher value than the card turned over on the deck. To make things trickier, there were bonuses or penalties based on the other cards in one’s hand.

  For example, if you had four cards that formed a suit with the card placed face up, then you immediately swept the pool and won it all. So if the card turned over was a king of spades, and you had the ten, jack, queen, and ace of spades, then you won.

  The card placed face-up was known as the Pam. This, Regina had read, would lead to phrases such as “Pam, be civil.” She wasn’t entirely sure what all of the phrases meant yet but she hoped to find out tonight.

  If nobody had a winning hand immediately, then the player could trade as many of his cards as he pleased. However, once a card was traded, he could not trade it back.

  For example, if one traded four cards and got four new cards, those four new cards could not be traded for another four. You were stuck with them.

  After this, there was another chance for someone with a winning hand to sweep it all, at which point the others would also have to pay a penalty, adding to the pool.

  If not, then the rest of the play would begin.

  Lord Harrison looked around the table. “Any trades?”