Page 47 of The Pleasures of Passion
“Then I consider myself lucky to be invited.”
Raines snorted. “Sir Oswald is the lucky one. I daresay he wants you for the same reason he wanted me: your deep pockets.”
“I suspect the reason is merely my new family connection to him, since my pockets aren’t as deep as I’d like. But I’m hoping to plump them up this evening.”
“Well, don’t hope too hard. Whiting is a terrific player. We both are.” Raines stated it as fact. “We’ll give you a run for your money.”
“I have a trick or two up my sleeve myself. No pun intended.”
The conversation then turned to other things. Niall itched to ask Raines about Whiting’s family connections, but aside from the fact that Raines probably didn’t know much, it was unwise to rouse the man’s curiosity, in case hehadheard the gossip about Niall’s long-ago duel.
They were engaged in an amicable conversation about Spanish cuisine and where Niall might find a cook familiar with it when Raines trailed off. Niall followed the man’s gaze to see Fulkham entering the club.
Raines’s lips tightened into a grim line. “Do you know the undersecretary?”
“We’ve conversed a few times. Why?”
“What did you think of him?”
“That he’s good at what he does.”
If that alarmed Raines, he gave no sign. “No doubt he is,” he said blandly, then rose. “I’ll see you later at the game.”
The reason for the man’s abrupt departure became apparent when Fulkham approached Niall. As Raines disappeared into another room, Fulkham took the man’s seat and raised an eyebrow. “You see what I mean? Always flees when I come near him.”
“There might be any number of reasons for that. Could it have something to do with his mother’s being Spanish?”
“I doubt it. I was posted in Spain long after she married Raines’s father.” Fulkham tapped his fingers on the chair arm. “It’s odd. That’s all I’m saying.” He looked around the room, but for the moment, it was still empty. His gaze arrowed in on Niall. “So, how did it go with Sir Oswald?”
“I met him and his brother.”
“Ah, yes, Toby Payne.”
“You didn’t mention him.”
Fulkham shrugged. “He is as respectable a gentleman as his brother is not. To my knowledge, he’s never been accused of so much as one infraction, in business or otherwise. Besides, the counterfeit currency appeared weeks before he showed up in London. So I’d be very surprised if he were involved.”
“Ah. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to look at him more closely.”
“By all means, keep an eye on him. I’ll see if my associates at the French embassy can tell me anything about his business affairs in Paris. After the debacle with Durand, they owe me a favor.” He drew out a cigar and lit it. “Have you had any luck in your attempt to get chummy with Sir Oswald and the rest?”
“I have. Sir Oswald invited me to their card game tonight, but it’s just four of us—him, me, Raines, and a man named Sir Kenneth Whiting.”
Fulkham started. “Where didhecome from?”
“Apparently, he’s Pitford’s cousin.” Though Fulkham looked genuinely surprised, Niall fixed him with a hard glance. “Is he Joseph Whiting’s relation as well?”
“If he is, it’s a distant connection. I’ve never heard of him. But I can find out. I’m sure he’s inDebrett’s.” He gazed uneasily at Niall. “If heisconnected to Whiting, you’re not going to have a problem with that, are you?”
“Not ifhedoesn’t. Which he may, if they were close and he’s heard that I killed his relation. Though if the latter is the case, I’m sure he’ll make that quite clear tonight.”
“Perhaps you should cancel. Wait until he’s not one of the cardplayers. Or until I can find out more about him and why he’s in town.”
“I can handle it. Besides, he’s as much a suspect as the rest. And tonight might be my only chance to play, anyway.”
A scowl knit Fulkham’s brow. “Why?”
Blast, how he hated admitting this. “I have somehow managed to . . . infuriate Mrs. Trevor. She refuses to go on with our faux engagement.”
