Page 35 of An Affair with a Notorious Heiress
“Why would you do that?” she asked. “In exchange for what?”
“You are a suspicious wench.” He wondered if she’d been so before her marriage. He rather doubted it. “I’ll fund you both so you enjoy the night. Say, a hundred pounds each.”
“That’s rather generous.”
“It’s more than rather. It’s incredibly generous,” Gina piped up. “It’ll be no hardship for us to pay our own way, however. I don’t mean to be vulgar but we both inherited a grand sum when Father passed.”
“Shh, Gina,” Lady Landsdowne said quietly. “You shouldn’t speak of your inheritance.”
“Why not?”
“Because it could influence a man into charming you when all he wants is your money.”
“My wife’s money will remain her own,” Rexton said, feeling a need to defend himself. “My father felt the same. My mother brought a fortune with her, and he never touched a penny.”
“Your mother was an heiress?” Gina asked.
Shaking his head, he laughed. “No, she was a bookkeeper.” He waved his hand in a gesture to encompass all that surrounded them. “And a partner in this establishment back when it was known as Dodger’s Drawing Room. Vice is a lucrative enterprise. Now, let’s go add to their coffers, shall we? As the odds of winning are against us.”
He shoved back his chair, stood, and assisted Gina while a footman stepped forward to help Lady Landsdowne. He wished he didn’t envy the servant his role.
Gina looked up at him. “I don’t know any wagering games, my lord.”
“We’ll give several things a try until we find something you enjoy.”
“I suppose you know every game there is,” Lady Landsdowne said.
“And then some.” Even though Gina clung to his arm as he led them into the gaming area he was far more aware of Lady Landsdowne walking on the other side of her sister. “Not to worry. You shouldn’t get much censure here. Although Drake is very particular about who is granted membership—and they are all upper class—they are a largely tolerant sort.”
“Then Downie’s membership has been terminated has it?” the countess asked.
Damnation. He’d forgotten about her idiot husband and his friends. “Once people realize you’re with me, they won’t give you any trouble, even if their allegiance rests with Landsdowne.”
Gina came to an abrupt halt. “Perhaps you should escort her in on your arm. I can walk beside her.”
That would undermine his plan. In order to spark others’ interest in Gina, he had to give the impression that she was his mark. “One on each arm,” he suggested. “As we did at the theater.”
“I’ll be fine,” Lady Landsdowne said.
“Must you be so stubborn?” he asked.
“The ladies are the worst and there aren’t going to be that many here, are there?”
“There will be some,” he assured her.
“SomeI can handle perfectly fine.”
He knew that for the lie it was. She could handle themallperfectly fine. She’d been doing it at the theater before he’d come to her aid. He liked that she was strong and relied on herself. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t have minded her relying on him just a tad. “Very well. Onward.”
As Lady Landsdowne charged ahead he could feel the hesitation in her sister. He leaned down. “Not to worry. I won’t allow anyone to disparage her.”
“Thank you, my lord. She puts on a brave front and would go through hell for me. I just wish I could make things easier for her.”
“We must all live with our decisions, Miss Hammersley.”
“Even when they’re forced on us, my lord?”
“Even then.”
