Page 29 of One Night with a Prince
Eleanor laughed. “Not as often as Talbot would like.”
“Don’t listen to them, Lady Haversham,” Lady Hungate said as she rearranged the cards in her hand.
“This is the first I’ve even heard of it. Appalling idea—taking off one’s clothes before a group of cardplayers. Mr. Talbot and Lady Jenner are only trying to shock you. It’s their favorite pastime.”
“Then they’re in good company with Byrne,” Christabel remarked.
“Oh, Byrne isn’t as shocking as he sometimes seems.” Lady Hungate cast him an arch look. “Boys will be boys.”
Gavin stifled a chuckle. Lady Hungate was the only former mistress whom he counted as a friend, even if she was the biggest hypocrite in London. They’d made abysmal lovers—she’d had tastes too bizarre even for him. But he still enjoyed talking to her; her gossip sources exceeded his own by a mile.
“Speaking of boys,” Eleanor said, “a few weeks ago I ran into that young card cheat Byrne and I played in wicked whist. The fellow said little Lydia had left him to work in some dress shop the day after our game. It seems his mistress didn’t approve of his manner of making a living, and adamantly refused to help him cheat people anymore. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you, Byrne?”
Gavin concentrated on his cards, though he could feel Christabel’s gaze boring into him. “Why should I?”
“You seemed rather taken with the pretty young Lydia, as I recall.”
Hard to be “taken with” a girl little more than eighteen. Especially when she stared up at you with haunted eyes, utterly bewildered to have ended up naked in a stranger’s bedchamber instead of her card cheat lover’s arms. What was he supposed to do with a chit like that? Not bed her, that’s for sure.
“Don’t be absurd, Eleanor. The girl was nothing more than a night’s entertainment. I haven’t given a thought to her since.” He played his only decent card, trumping her king. “And you would be better served paying attention to your game than annoying me with stupid questions.”
“Indeed, she would,” Lady Hungate said tersely, as they finished the round with a surprising win for Gavin and Christabel. “Stokely is going to eat us for breakfast if you don’t attend better than this, Eleanor.”
To his and Christabel’s misfortune, Eleanor began to pay better attention at once. They’d had some luck with that last hand, but neither his skill nor their luck could continue the wins. Christabel’s playing simply wasn’t sophisticated enough to beat the likes of Eleanor and Lady Hungate. Nor did the other distractions in the room help—Talbot’s leering down her bodice, Markham’s lewd jokes, and Talbot’s wife kissing her lover with her husband right there in the room. It was a scene straight out of some obscene novel, and clearly Christabel couldn’t blot it out. More than once, she played out of suit, forcing him to ask if she didn’t have a card in suit after all. And her strategy for trumps was deplorable.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlUnfortunately, the more she lost, the worse she played. Unsurprisingly, the good widow Haversham was a sore loser, and in keeping with her tempestuous nature, she allowed her emotions to affect her playing. They lost the second game, and Eleanor sat back with a gloating grin. “Well, Byrne, I do hope Lady Haversham’s prowess in bed exceeds her prowess at whist. You’ll need her to console you after you lose every single rubber at Stokely’s house party.If he even invites the two of you, that is.”
Christabel bristled, but before she could say anything, Lady Hungate responded. “Don’t be an idiot, Eleanor,” the matron said coolly. “The woman is clearly only trying to lull you into letting down your guard at Stokely’s. You should know Byrne well enough to realize he’d never let his lust overtake his judgment. If he says the woman can play cards expertly, then she probably can.”
As Eleanor’s face fell, Gavin stifled a laugh. Leave it to Lady Hungate to punch holes in Eleanor’s armor. He couldn’t have done it better himself.
“They’ve found you out, Christabel,” he said smoothly. “Next time we play, you’ll have to show them your true mettle.”
After a second’s surprise, she fell right in with Lady Hungate’s lie. “Iwas showing them my true mettle,”
she said with a secretive little smile sure to give Eleanor pause. “I can’t imagine why Lady Hungate would think otherwise.”
“Let’s play again then,” Eleanor snapped, taking up the deck of cards. “I’d like to see this ‘true mettle’
of yours.”
“Certainly,” Christabel said mutinously.
Gavin wasn’t about to let her pride destroy the illusion Lady Hungate had so conveniently created. Taking out his watch, he made a show of examining it. “Sorry, Eleanor, but we’re done for tonight. I have to be at the club in a couple of hours, and before that I’d like to…escort Lady Haversham home.”
Eleanor scowled at him, but she knew his habits well enough to accept his reasons. Gavin’s favorite time for lovemaking had always been right before he left for the club. He’d often “escorted” Eleanor home…and right up to her bed, whenever her husband was dining with his own mistress.
“Very well,” Eleanor said, pouting. “Perhaps we’ll see you next Tuesday.”
“Perhaps,” he said noncommittally. He stood and rounded the table toward Christabel. “Shall we go, my sweet?”
She had the good sense not to gainsay him. “Of course.” She rose and took his arm. “Thank you, Lady Jenner, for a most enlightening afternoon.”
They’d already started for the door when Eleanor said, “And thank you, Lady Haversham, for clearing up a little question I had about your late husband.”
Bloody hell. He’d almost extricated them from this situation without incident. He tried to keep Christabel moving, but she halted, turning to face her adversary with a look of sheer belligerence. “Oh? What question is that?”
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlAlarm bells rang in his head, especially when Eleanor skimmed her gaze down Christabel’s black-gowned form with clear contempt.
