Page 6 of His Forbidden Duchess
Felix’s fingers hovered over his chips, his face unreadable. The crowd held its collective breath. His mind raced, calculating every card that had been played. Radcliffe, sensing an advantage, leaned back in his chair with an air of superiority.
Felix’s friend, Percy Covington, the Viscount of Stentford, had been sitting quietly behind Felix.
Percy whispered urgently into Felix’s ear, “You have come this far. No shame in stepping away now. A loss like this is not worth it, old boy.”
Felix ignored his advice, his gaze still fixed on Radcliffe, his lips curling into a slight smile.
“I never lose,” he said with quiet confidence, his words carrying more weight than the idle banter being thrown about the room.
The final round began. Radcliffe placed his bet, eyes gleaming with a sense of inevitable victory. Felix remained cool and collected, letting Radcliffe believe he had the upper hand.
Radcliffe placed his cards on the table with snap. “Take a look at that,” he sneered.
His mistress, still lingering, giggled into his ear. “I told you that you could do it,” she sang. “You are always the winner.”
The smug nobleman began to reach for the pile of gold sovereigns, but Felix held his cards in the air, ready to reveal them.
“Not so fast, Radcliffe,” he said as he laid his superior hand down on the table.
The stunned silence lasted for only for a heartbeat before the room erupted in a chorus of cheers and gasps. Radcliffe’s face fell, his overconfidence shattered.
“But… No!” Radcliffe cried, staring wide-eyed at the cards. “It cannot be! How could… How… No, I say!”
“Let us just say that the better man won, yes?”
Felix leaned back in his chair, savoring the moment as the crowd buzzed with excitement, voices rising in disbelief and admiration. Even though he took no pleasure in seeing a man so defeated, he could not deny he enjoyed the thrill of the win.
Percy slapped Felix on the shoulder with an incredulous laugh. “You madman,” he breathed, shaking his head. Felix shrugged as a satisfied grin spread across his face.
“I told you,” Felix said smoothly. He leaned forward to collect his newly won coins. “I never lose.”
Lord Radcliffe didn’t move. He remained perfectly still, staring down at his loss with such intensity that Felix almost felt sorry for him. But the man had kept on betting even when he had known he shouldn’t. He should have folded while he was in the lead.
“Not all is lost, Radcliffe,” Felix said with a chuckle. “I am sure you shall have plenty of opportunities to win it back in the future. If I let you, of course.”
As the cheers subsided and the crowd began to disperse, Lord Radcliffe’s face twisted with barely concealed fury. He stood abruptly, shoving his chair back with a sharp screech.
“This is not over,” he spat, glaring down at Felix.
Felix methodically collected his winnings, ignoring the bitterness in Radcliffe’s tone.
“Of course, it is. Do not be an idiot.”
The nobleman stormed off, his pride deeply wounded, but not before his mistress, draped in her fine silks, cast a lingeringgaze in Felix’s direction. Her lips curled into a faint smile, eyes glinting with interest as she watched him rise from the table.
He noted that she did not leave with Radcliffe, and he was about to say something to her when Percy clapped him heartily on the back, still chuckling from the spectacle.
“You never cease to amaze me, Felix. Just when I think you have pushed your luck too far, you pull off something like that.” He shook his head in admiration and disbelief.
Felix pocketed a few coins and shrugged with a half-smile. “What can I say? I strive to please,” he replied casually, a glimmer of satisfaction dancing in his eyes.
As they moved away from the table, Percy leaned in conspiratorially. “Any word from our friend Danridge? How has his overseas trip treated him?”
Felix’s playful demeanor faltered for a moment, his expression darkening slightly. “None, I am afraid.”
Percy sighed. “I do hope it all goes well. I understand his family has its share of issues… Hopefully his luck will turn in his favor.”
Felix paused, his thoughts briefly returning to his own life. “We all have our burdens, do we not?”
