Page 52 of Mentor to the Marquess
“Very well,” she said. “I will be back shortly.”
After the woman left, they took their seats around the table and Olivia shuffled the cards. Her heart was beating so rapidly that she nearly dropped them and had to re-shuffle when several cards ended up flipped the wrong way. It had been months since she had exercised her skill.
Her first hand was a mix of low values across all suits, which was perfect for her intentions, as was the glint in Mr. Dawson’s eyes. She hoped his dislike for her would lend authenticity to her loss.
Constance started by throwing down the two of clubs. Thel added the five and Mr. Dawson the eight. Olivia pulled the four of hearts from her hand and placed it on the table.
“Ah, are you sure?” Thel asked.
She gave him her best wide-eyed stare. “Did I do it wrong?”
He scooted his chair closer. “Let me see your hand. Yes, that’s what I thought. The leading suit was clubs, and you have several. You must play one of those.”
“Oh, I see,” she said. She replaced her card on the table with the ten of clubs. “That means I win this one, right?”
“Yes,” Thel said. “There were no hearts in that set, so you’re safe. But since you won, now it’s your turn to start.”
The game continued, with Olivia taking most of the tricks. “Luck is not on my side today,” she said as she pulled the last of the cards toward her.
It was time to prime the trap. She removed the heavy bag of coins from her reticule and thumped it on the table. “Perhaps we could make this more exciting.”
“Yes!” Constance cried. She tugged Mr. Dawson’s arm, and he mumbled his agreement, although there was a tensing of his shoulders that belied his apprehension.
A small kerfuffle followed as they distributed the coins, sorted out the bets, and agreed to set the scores back to zero.
When Mrs. Quill returned, a black shawl draped over her arm, she frowned at the table. “Gambling, my lord?”
“You could join us,” Constance said, accepting her shawl.
The woman politely declined and settled in a nearby chair to watch.
Then Mr. Dawson dealt, and when Olivia saw her hand, she quickly slid three of her coins into the center of the table.
“Confident?” Mr. Dawson said, matching her bid.
She shrugged. “Perhaps.”
Thel and Constance added their bids, and then the game began in earnest.
The amount wagered was only the cost of a new bonnet, but the increasingly stiff way Mr. Dawson laid his cards on the table told her it was more than enough to lure him in.
The game progressed as she’d intended, with Mr. Dawson in the lead until the first heart made its appearance. She grumbled as she drew set after set toward her and when there was only one hand left, she made a show of slapping her king of spades on the table, only to have Mr. Dawson gleefully counter it with the queen of hearts.
She sighed and sank into her seat. “I have a lot to learn, it seems.”
Thel squeezed Olivia’s thigh beneath the table.
“When I win, I will buy myself a set of watercolors,” Constance said as she lost her ace of hearts. “Lady Cowper showed me what one can do with them, and I fancy trying it myself, but they are quite expensive, the good kind from Japan.”
Mr. Dawson appeared too busy dragging the coins toward himself to respond.
“Another game?” Olivia asked.
Mr. Dawson tightened his arms around his winnings. “I… should not. I do not have a good history with gambling.”
Constance turned her large eyes to her betrothed. “Oh, can we please? I only need a bit more to afford the watercolors.”
Mr. Dawson groused but eventually agreed. Sweat beaded on his face as he dealt the cards.
