Page 11 of A Wager With A Rake
“You are right.This is a problem that might not have a solution.At least not a noble one.”
“I even went so far as to beg the man who owns the property now to give it back, but of course he won’t.Even though funds frommyinheritance paid for the renovations.”
Lady Andover’s expression shifted to one of sympathy.“I would think not.That shouldn’t surprise you.”
“I know.I was just desperate.He offered to let me…” Theodosia’s words trailed off, an idea forming.“My lady, do you suppose you might know someone who could teach me the art of gambling?Card games in particular.”
“I know a couple of individuals, yes.”She took a sip of her tea and stared back at Theodosia, waiting for her to continue.
“He said he’d allow me to win it back from him in a wager.The way my father lost the estate in the first place.”Theodosia let her shoulders drop, realizing why her plan would never work.“But I have nothing to offer him to wager.I’d have to put up something of value to him.”
Both ladies sat in silence, each staring at their hands, Theodosia desperately searching for another solution.
“Does this man fancy you?”Lady Andover finally asked.
“He wanted me to join him in his chamber, if that is your meaning.”Theodosia’s cheeks heated again from the scene in the hallway that would forever be etched in her memory.She had touched herself many more times, recalling the feel of his stubbled jaw against her cheek, the bergamot scent she’d forever associate with him, and the way her entire body was aflame from his hot breath against her ear.
“And did you succumb to his advances?”Lady Andover asked, placing her saucer on the table.
“No.”Her response was more sorrowful than proud.Rejecting him had been the hardest thing she’d ever done.Not that she hadn’t wanted to join him in his chamber.She had.Very much so.More than she ever wished for him to know.But something held her back, even if her body clearly questioned why she had done so as soon as she’d locked the door between them.A simmering rage about losing Rosewood burned within her, which was part of what pulled her away.She also wasn’t certain she wished to bed men from theton.And then there was the fact that he was the brother of her closest friend, which would only make things awkward.
“Don’t you see?”Lady Andover asked, pulling her from her thoughts.“That is what you shall offer.We’ll ensure you train with the best, and you put yourself up as the wager.You’ll appear to him, seductive and enticing, and I’m certain he will take the bet.And then you shall win the property from him.If you choose to invite him to your bed after you have the deed in your hand, that is for you to decide.”
Theodosia pondered her words.Would Court truly put a property on the line for the chance to get her in his bed?He didn’t have to look very far to find willing bed partners.
“I see the doubt in your eyes,” Lady Andover said.“But I assure you.He shall take your bet.If it’s one thing a warm-blooded man hates, it’s being rejected.It drives them mad and challenges their fragile egos.”
NowthatTheodosia could believe.She also found men to be quite predictable.
“I’ll teach you a few things in the art of seduction, and I’ll summon a man I know who runs one of the most prestigious gaming hells.Join me here for a couple of weeks and we’ll have you ready to win what is rightfully yours.”
Theodosia hesitated for a moment.It felt just a bit wrong to trick Court in that way.But she supposed he had only possessed the property from similar tactics.
And he had offered to make a wager on it.Still, she knew he was more skilled than she was in games of cards.She was a decent Piquet player, having watched her father play for so many years and played with several of the widows, but that didn’t mean she could best him.
But he wasn’t born with a penchant for gambling, was he?He had to learn the craft from time and experience, which was what she would do.It would still be a fair game that he’d have an equal chance to win.And at least it would give her prolonged hope that she might get to call Rosewood hers again.
“I’ll do it!”Theodosia finally exclaimed.“And I appreciate your assistance in the matter.”
“You shall reside here with me while we complete your training,” Lady Andover commanded.“That will make things far simpler and will prevent anyone from being the wiser about what it is we are plotting.”
“That is agreeable, my lady.When might we begin?”With hope restored and a plan to focus her energy on, Theodosia wasn’t willing to accept anything but their plan being met with success.She’d work hard to learn everything she could.Rosewood would be hers, and there was nothing more important than winning that wager.The rake may be sinfully handsome, but he wouldn’t know what hit him.
Chapter 5
1 week later
Court
Theflickeringcandlelightcastlong shadows across Court’s study as he pored over the ledgers spread before him.Trying as he might to focus on the columns of figures, his mind kept drifting to Theodosia, much as it had done for the past several days.He couldn’t stop picturing the curve of her neck, the sparkle in her eyes when she challenged him, and the wicked moans she made.
Court had never been one to lose himself over a woman, yet she had somehow seeped into his every thought, igniting a restlessness he hadn’t yet been able to shake.And all he’d done was kiss her.
With a frustrated sigh, he pushed the ledgers aside and reached for a folded piece of parchment tucked just inside the top drawer of his desk.He unfolded the worn paper and ran his finger down the list of crossed-out items, a litany of his father’s misdeeds he had vowed to make right.The matters that, once rectified, would prove to himself that he was a better man than his father had believed him to be.Near the bottom, he paused at the word “Rosewood,” now struck through with a bold line.
“Rosewood is mine,” he murmured, a bittersweet ache in his chest as he recalled the disappointment that winning the estate had caused for Theodosia.
Many years ago, losing Rosewood had been a devastating blow when his father gambled it away.Winning it back from Theodosia’s drunkard father had been immensely satisfying, though the victory now felt somewhat hollow.He had enjoyed visiting the estate as a boy with his mother and sister.It was one of the few places he felt peace because his father rarely attended with them, and he didn’t have to suffer his father’s continual verbal lashings and lips pursed with disappointment.
