Page 36 of An Affair with a Notorious Heiress
Still he was left to wonder if Lady Landsdowne would have made different choices had she been his wife.
In the end, Rexton insisted that their first foray into gambling be on him. He made the offer at the roulette table in such a manner that it would have been ungracious for Tillie to argue against it, especially as several people were eyeing them with curiosity. It took her only a few minutes to determine there was no point to the game other than to hand over money. Whether she placed her chips on a number, a color, or a line, she always seemed to get it wrong.
Gina had a bit more luck, was very vocal with her wins, squealing her pleasure. When she lost, she simply said, “Next time.” And went about putting down more chips.
Naturally, Rexton was guiding her sister as though he knew a secret about the wheel, as though he could look at it and determine where the little ball would land long before the wheel was spun. He’d offered to assist her, but she’d pointedly declined. She didn’t want his gloved hand closing around hers and leading it to the numbers. She didn’t want him whispering his magic into her ear. She didn’t want him so near that his earthy fragrance drowned out all the other smells. She didn’t want him drawing her attentions when she was striving to get a better sense of the place.
He, however, seemed incapable of not leaning in and saying in a low voice, “If you believe you’ll lose, you’ll lose.”
“Are you insinuating my mind controls the ball?”
“I’m saying there is more to gambling than simply placing a bet.”
“I suspect everyone at this table believes they’ll win.”
“And they will.” He rocked his head from side to side. “Now and then.”
“Yet I’ve failed to even once.”
“Because you don’t believe at all, because you don’t want to be here.”
“This game requires no skill,” she said defensively, trying not to take it personally because she had yet to experience the thrill of a win.
“Perhaps you would prefer cards. There are several games. Some require more skill than others. We could start with one that requires only being able to count to twenty-one.”
She wished he wasn’t so close that looking into the blue of his eyes was like swimming in a vast ocean, one in which she could so easily drown and not care. He needed to return his attention to Gina. An insult should work. “I suspect you cheat at cards.”
His devil-may-care grin left her wanting to feel it pressed against the pulse at her throat. “Depends whom I’m playing.”
So much for causing him to lose his patience with her. He leaned in nearer, those luscious lips brushing against her ear, his voice a low intimate hum. “When I play against Landsdowne, I take him for every farthing he has.”
Pulling back quickly, she stared into his eyes, searching for the truth of his words. It was there, clear and concise, but somber as though he’d done it as a means of defending her honor, as though he were aware that her husband had brought her as much dishonor as she’d brought herself. Only he couldn’t know that. He couldn’t know the truth of her circumstances, the reality of the farce her marriage had been.
She wanted to look away; she needed to look away. Instead she wondered how he would react if she rose up on her toes, wound her arms around his neck, and kissed him. Would he be horrified, would he push her away, would he proclaim his undying devotion to Gina?
The truth was she wouldn’t be kissing him as a test of his loyalty to Gina. She would be kissing him because she selfishly wanted to experience passion, and she was rather certain that Rexton could deliver it in spades. Without guile, she licked her tingling lips. His eyes darkened. And she had the titillating notion that he might snatch her up and plant his mouth on hers. Gina would be mortified, her Season ruined. A woman publicly scorned.
It was hellish enough to be scorned in private, behind closed doors, but to be so in public would be a humiliation from which her sister might never recover. Not to mention that being kissed in a gaming hell beside a roulette wheel was not going to bring Tillie any closer to redemption. No matter that ladies were probably often kissed within this establishment. Wickedness thrived here. It was the reason people came.
“Can you direct me to the necessary room?” she asked, her voice strangely steady as though she’d somehow managed to disconnect it from the remainder of her quivering body.
He blinked, seeming to emerge from some sort of spell. Was Gina correct? Could Tillie lure him away from her sister’s side? Did she want to? Turning slightly, he pointed. “That hallway leads to a host of rooms for ladies only. I suspect you’ll find it there.”
“Thank you.” She eased around him. “Gina, I’m going to the necessary room. Would you care to join me?”
Her sister didn’t take her gaze off the spinning wheel as she shook her head. “Not while I’m winning. I don’t want to change my luck.”
“I won’t be long.”
Without looking back, Gina lifted her hand, waved her fingers. “Take all the time you need.”
If she took all the time she needed, she’d be gone until dawn. As she walked away, she could feel his gaze on her, wondered why it was she seemed unable to escape her awareness of him. Just knowing he was in the same building as she was enough to have her nerve endings rioting. It was bothersome.
She forced herself to concentrate on her surroundings. The crystal chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceiling. The various gaming tables. She considered stopping to observe the play at each one as each game was unfamiliar to her. She was rather certain she could figure out the generalities but it would be so much more pleasant to have Rexton whispering the rules in her ear. The man’s deep, husky voice could make the most mundane tantalizing. And here she was thinking about him again. At least her nerves had settled a bit, so he’d no doubt taken his gaze off her.
She was surprised that few gave her a passing glance, and those who did proceeded to do little more than raise an eyebrow. Perhaps she should have considered that here where sin ruled, she’d be more welcomed. Seeing so many people smiling, laughing, enjoying each other’s company brought home exactly how lonely she’d been for so very long. Her friends had abandoned her. Her acquaintances had crucified her. She’d been the fodder for gossip and disdain. Only Gina had remained loyal. Her sister deserved a special sort of happiness, and Tillie suspected Rexton could provide it. She needed to be more open to the possibility of his becoming her brother by marriage. Needed to put her own biases aside. As well as her lust-filled musings. No doubt her interest in him was simply because he was the first man of any consequence to spend time in her company.
Perhaps she should consider visiting the notorious Nightingale Club where ladies of quality could find a well-heeled gentleman to keep them company for the night. It would be something to consider. It might do something to settle her body’s heightened sensitivity. Although she’d never found it particularly enjoyable to suffer through a man’s groping. Perhaps it was simply better to endure the shame and guilt of seeing to her own needs. A private affair with herself would certainly remain secret.
