Page 90 of One Night with a Prince
A week ago, she wouldn’t have attempted it. But that was before she’d seen the side of Gavin that understood how important it was to save one’s family. If she made him understand that she must protect her father as he’d protected his mother, she might get through to him. Or she might not. Did she dare risk it, with Papa’s life hanging in the balance? Did she dare not? She needed him to get the letters—that grew more painfully clear with each passing day. And the barony wasn’t enough to motivate him to remain onher side—having a title wouldn’t take away his mother’s pain, a pain that so clearly ate at him. Gavin wouldn’t stop until he’d avenged her. Unless Christabel could show him that vengeance brought only more pain. You make me want to be good.
Oh, Lord, she prayed he’d been telling the truth. Because now was his chance. And if he decided to use the knowledge for vengeance instead…
Hehad to do the right thing. Hehad to. This wasn’t a gamble she could afford to lose.
Chapter Twenty
The man is always the last to know when
Cupid has struck him.
—Anonymous,Memoirs of a Mistress
Gavin wasn’t sure how to read Christabel’s mood. Ever since they’d left Bath this morning, she’d been staring out that bloody window as if the answer to her troubles lay in the softly carpeted hills and autumn-hued trees they hurtled past.
Perhaps he shouldn’t have brought her to meet his mother. But now that it was done, he couldn’t regret it. Unless it was Mother’s tale that haunted her. How muchhad his mother told her about those dark, early years?
“What’s wrong, lass? Why so quiet?”
“I’m thinking about what will happen when we return to Lord Stokely’s.”
He relaxed. Now,that he understood. “You’re worried about the eliminations, I suppose.”
Her gaze shot to him. “I wasn’t. Should I be?”
“It depends on who’s left to play.”
“You and I will be partners from now on, won’t we?”
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlHe cast her an indulgent smile. “Of course, my sweet. Tonight Stokely will gather everyone who has the money to stay in the game. When he asks us to choose our partners, we’ll choose each other, simple as that. From then on, it will be the two of us, for better or worse.”
“Until death do us part,” Christabel said dryly. Before he could react to that astonishing comment, she asked, “Is that why you never partnered with any of your mistresses? Because even that bespoke a more permanent connection than you wished to have?”
“I never partnered with any of my mistresses, darling, because Stokely’s a better player than any of them.”
“Including me,” she said with a frown.
“Untilyou,” he corrected her.
She snorted. “If I didn’t have to play to stay—and if you hadn’t made that wager with Lord Stokely—I would quit right now. Because I know I can’t play well enough to beat everybody who’s left.”
“Nonsense. When you put your mind to it, you’re as good as any of them. The only one who might pose a problem is Eleanor, because she tends to rouse your temper. But perhaps fortune will be with us and her injury will take her out of the game entirely.
“As for the others, Lady Hungate plays better than you, but she lacks your aggression. And when you play Lady Kingsley, remember that she tends to save her trumps. That should help you best her.If you pay attention. Which I begin to think might be a problem.”
“It won’t. By tonight, I’ll be ready to focus on the game.” She dragged in a heavy breath. “But first, there’s something important I must discuss with you.”
“Oh?” He eyed her warily. After last night, he had no idea what to expect. Especially after her comment about “until death do us part.” Was that what she wanted from him? Marriage? Did hewant her to want it?
That was the crux of it, wasn’t it? He began to think he wanted far more from her than a short affair. Or even a long affair. She made him yearn, and that scared the hell out of him. He’d taught himself long ago not to yearn for anything he wasn’t absolutely sure he could have.
“Let’s put our cards on the table, Gavin,” she said. “So to speak.”
His pulse began to race. “Why not?”
“If you could gain the letters right now, what would you do with them?”
He blinked. The letters. She was talking about the bloody letters. “What do you mean?”
