Page 39 of An Affair with a Notorious Heiress
“Lord Andrew is ever so clever,” she said, smiling brightly. “He always seems to win.”
Especially with the ladies. He wasn’t very discreet with his affairs. Rexton grinned at the chips stacked in front of her. “You seem to have done well for yourself while I was away.”
“I’m having a marvelous time.” She glanced past him, furrowed her brow. “Where’s Tillie?”
“Resting in one of the parlors.” He leaned down and whispered, “I wondered if you might like to see something that very few have: a view of the gaming floor from the balcony.”
She looked over her shoulder and up, a smile spreading across her face, before she turned back to him, her eyes sparkling like emeralds. “You can get me up there?”
“There are benefits to being related to the owner.”
“What about my winnings?”
He signaled to a young man dressed in livery. “Collect Miss Hammersley’s winnings. I’ll pick them up later.”
“Yes, m’lord.”
Rexton stepped back, indicating she should follow.
She touched Andrew’s arm. “Once again, my lord, thank you for keeping me company while your brother was seeing to other matters.”
He lifted her hand, placed a kiss on her gloved knuckles. “Once again, Miss Hammersley, it was my pleasure.”
Andrew was an incredible flirt. Rexton might consider him a possible suitor for Gina if his brother hadn’t vowed quite emphatically and on numerous occasions to never marry.
“Good night, all!” she chirped, waving at the others gathered around the table. He wondered if any of the other gents in attendance might take an interest in courting her. Strange how he took no satisfaction in the thought. He’d wanted to find someone who would appreciate her.
After offering his arm, he led her away from the roulette wheel.
“Should we see if Tillie wants to join us?” she asked as they strolled around various tables.
“I’d prefer to have a few moments alone with you.” If she had pinned her hopes on him as her sister indicated, he wanted to break the news to her gently while giving her a special memory so she might think less harshly of him.
“It sounds as though I might be in want of a chaperone, that my reputation might be at risk.”
To his surprise, she wasn’t teasing, but appeared a bit worried. “The people here don’t usually worry about chaperones, and I assure you that I intend to be a perfect gentleman.”
“I don’t know whether to be grateful or disappointed.” She fluttered her lashes at him teasingly. He was a fool not to be taken in by her amusing mien and lightheartedness. Not bothering to respond, he removed a key from his pocket and used it to unlock the door that led to the offices and some private rooms where the games involved a great deal of money exchanging hands. She preceded him into the darkened hallway.
“I suspect people get up to some mischief here,” she whispered.
“They can. This way.” He led her to a set of stairs where the shadows were thicker. He had the ungentlemanly thought that if he brought Lady Landsdowne here, he’d be taking advantage, his heart would be speeding up with anticipation as they ascended the stairs, his skin would be tingling with desire as he pulled back a curtain and directed her onto the balcony, his entire body would be thrumming with need as he stood behind her and watched as she leaned over to gaze on the floor below.
What a silly girl she was to come here with a man alone, to not realize she was at his mercy. He had an urge to shake her and warn her that she was taking a risk, that she should never allow a man to get her alone. At the very least a man was going to steal a kiss. He might even ruin her.
The women with whom he kept company had nothing to lose. This sweet, innocent lass had everything to lose. He didn’t know whether to explain the ways of men to her before or after he bruised her heart.
“You can see everything, everyone, from here,” she said in wonder. “If I owned this establishment, I believe I’d spend a great deal of my time up here, just looking out over my domain as though I were some emperor or something.”
“Drake Darling does just that. As did the owner before him.”
She swung around, leaned back against the waist-high wall, and held his gaze with a challenge that surprised him. “But I don’t think you really brought me up here so I could look out over the floor.”
Perhaps she wasn’t quite as obtuse regarding the dangers as he’d surmised. “No. That wasn’t my purpose in secreting you away.” He’d expected if he gave her something most people never saw, it would ease his guilt. It didn’t.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she arched an eyebrow. “If you try something untoward, I will scream.”
He couldn’t seem to stop himself from grinning. “I’m not going to try something untoward.” Taking a deep breath, he slowly released it. “Miss Hammersley—”
