Page 101 of When the Marquess Was Mine
Georgiana whirled to gape at her, but Sophie put a finger to her lips. “Don’t say a word,” she said firmly. “Yes, Jack knows. No, he didn’t stop me from coming tonight. Yes, I will be absolutely fine. Shall we go in?”
“Well—all right,” said Georgiana, disconcerted.
She’d seen the lobby in daylight, but at night the club glittered. Crystal chandeliers with dozens of candles illuminated the room, ringed by potted palms at strategic intervals. The guests were as elegantly dressed as they would be at any ball, although the men far outnumbered the ladies. She couldn’t stop herself from craning her neck to see as much as possible, knowing it might be her only opportunity.
Sophie strolled through the club, speaking to several people who exclaimed to see her there again. She introduced Georgiana as her special guest, with Mr. Dashwood’s permission. It was rather overwhelming, but also a magnificent joke, in a way. Gentlemen who knew her from more respectable venues gazed at her in shock, and the few ladies looked scandalized—an odd look on a woman playing faro, Georgiana thought. Still, for a moment, she couldn’t resist enjoying it.
It wasn’t until they reached the far end of the room that she spotted Rob. He sat at a large oval table with a green felted top. She recognized Lord Philip across from him, and Viscount Heathercote beside him.
“Georgiana!” She almost leapt from her skin at the sound of her name, and then blanched as she recognized the speaker.
“Sterling,” she said as brightly as she could manage. “How lovely to see you.” She held out her hand.
He stared incredulously. “What are you doing here?”
“I came with Sophie, as you see.”
Sterling flushed, and jerked his head in Sophie’s direction. “Your Grace. May I have a word with Lady Georgiana?”
Sophie looked to her. “Of course,” Georgiana said quickly, adding to her friend in an undertone, “I’ll just be a moment.”
Sterling took her hand and hurried her away, into a sheltered area behind some potted palms. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you, I’m with Sophie. Tonight only.” She looked around with real interest. “I’ve long wondered about the famous Vega Club.”
“What isshedoing here? She’s not a member now.”
“She is! She requested a renewed membership and Mr. Dashwood granted it.”
He ran his hand over his head. “Georgiana. I know you better than that.”
She raised her brows. “Do you? Then you know I won’t be deterred by your fit of hysteria.”
“That is not what this is,” he whispered furiously. “You’re an unmarried lady!”
“I assure you, unmarried ladies can withstand the same sights as unmarried gentlemen. And in any event, you have no right to tell me what to do.” She slid her hand free of his grasp.
Sterling expelled a frustrated breath. “Very well. I shall warn you that someone who does have that right is here”—Georgiana started, thinking he had guessed about Rob—“and he looks in an ill temper,” Sterling finished grimly. “I saw Wakefield arrive not long ago.”
Her heart thudded. “I didn’t know he was a member...”
Sterling flipped one hand. “I doubt it. He’s probably here as a guest. But if he sees you, Georgiana—”
He’d send her and Nadine home to Yorkshire, probably this very night. She’d sworn to Nadine that wouldn’t happen. She swallowed her alarm; Nadine was safe at Ware House, and she had friends here to prevent him doing anything to her. “Thank you for telling me.”
He gazed at her with concern. “I don’t like this. Whatever you’re up to, you’re playing with fire.”
Yes. But she did not intend for it to consume anyone other than Alistair and Mr. Forester. “I know,” she told Sterling. “And I’m not afraid.”
Rob was relieved when the Duchess of Ware arrived, but only for a moment; contrary to plan, Georgiana was not with her. Her eyes met his for the barest moment, and then she spoke to Philip. She didn’t seem alarmed, so he told himself to relax.
She inserted herself into the game beautifully. Philip wagered high and lost in the next hand, and she teased him lightly. Philip made a face and said he wasn’t doing so badly. Then he lost again. Philip made a show of mourning his small number of markers before rising. “I’m out, chaps.” He made a show of offering her his chair. “Would you care to take my place, Your Grace?”
She took the seat with a smile. “Your best play of the night, Lindeville,” Marlow said to Philip, as Georgiana appeared at last.
She came to stand silently behind the duchess, but Wakefield caught sight of her and went white with unmistakable fury. Rob tensed to intervene, but Georgiana was poised. “Good evening, sir,” she told him, dipping a polite curtsy.
“Bless my soul,” said Sackville in an awed voice. “This evening improves by leaps and bounds! Good evening, Lady Georgiana.”
