Page 39 of The Danger of Desire
“I told him I didn’t see how there could beanylords with tattoos, on account of its being such a vulgar practice, but he insisted—”
“Thank you, Dickson. I’ll see that he’s told.”
The man blinked, but apparently realized he was being dismissed. With a shrug, he headed back to the taproom.
“Dickson has a point, you know,” Warren drawled. “It’s very unusual for a lord to have a tattoo of any kind.”
A pox on the man. He was a dog with a bone, andshewas the bone. And she had no desire to see him sink his teeth in her.
Although the thought of his mouth on her...
No, she mustn’t let that image rattle about in her head or she would lose her ability to trounce him. And she fully intended to trounce him, if only to wipe the smirk off his lips.
An onlooker spoke up. “Sailors have sun tattoos, you know. To show they’ve crossed the equator. I suppose a lord who’s a naval officer might have one.”
Thatwas what the sun stood for? Perhaps it would help her narrow her search.
Warren snorted. “Yes, but sailors are one thing. Lords are quite another. Gentlemen don’t mark their bodies to announce such things.”
“How doyouknow?” she asked. “It’s not as if tattoos are easily visible.”
“Yes, but I know a few naval officers—friends whom my army officer brother grew up with. I’ve seen most of them casually dressed but have never spotted a tattoo on them.”
“Perhaps not on those particular men, but that doesn’t mean no one has them. Your brother’s friends might even know some. I’m sure Owen would like to talk to your brother or his friends.”
Warren lifted an eyebrow. “That will be rather difficult. Hart’s friends spend most of their time at sea. For that matter, Hart has been posted with his regiment on James Island for a couple of years now. SoOwenis out of luck. And he’s probably looking for someone nonexistent, anyway.”
She stared him down. “I’m sure Owen knows whom he’s searching for.”
“Whatever you say. Seems spurious to me.”
Blast Warren. He was making everything difficult. On purpose? She didn’t think so, but she honestly didn’t know.
They were almost done with the game, anyway. Soon it would be over, and he would leave.
Please, Lord, let him leave.
Warren dealt the cards for the finalpartie. In a short while, she’d finished him off. Even knowing that he had probably let her win, she took a certain pleasure in it.
When they were done, she raked in her winnings. “Thank you, my lord. My family greatly appreciates your generosity.”
“Then let’s play once more. Give me a chance to recoup my losses.”
“I don’t think so, sir. You talk too much.”
“Afraid to take me on again, are you?”
She bristled. “Just bored with your conversation.”
His eyes gleamed at her. “Bored, eh? Well, how about we make it more interesting. We’ll up the stakes to a thousand pounds.”
Her heart dropped into her stomach. A thousand pounds would go a long way toward forestalling the foreclosure. It was more than she’d taken in during all these weeks of gambling.
Yet the longer she stayed here, the more chance he might expose her. For all she knew,hecould be the man with the sun tattoo. She hadn’t seen his right wrist, only his left. He could even be planning to cheat her.
She sighed. That seemed unlikely. It was probably his way of giving her money to help her out of her situation. Which she would consider lovely and sweet,ifhe had no ulterior motive. And she wasn’t sure of that.
Well, if he was fool enough to throw funds at her, she should take them. A gambling debt wasn’t the same as a loan, and she could easily trounce him. She’d better. She didn’thavea thousand pounds.
