“Many gentlemen would,” Eastleigh said as the betting book passed from hand to hand in his direction.
Cole shook his head. “Then they’re not gentlemen.”
If Diana rejected his suit, Cole would get no pleasure from marrying her off to someone else. Winning the bet was worthless if it meant losing Diana. If tonight didn’t go as he hoped… then Cole was about to lose both.
He gripped the edges of his chair with suddenly clammy hands. What was he going to do if Diana didn’t return his affection?
Eastleigh opened the betting book and accepted pen and ink from a barmaid. With a flourish, the duke wrote the date andformally concedes lossbelow the entry, then handed Cole the pen.
“Last chance,” Eastleigh said softly. “If you sign, it’s done.”
Cole placed the nib to the paper.
Chapter 14
“That was the best Banbury cake I’ve ever had,” Diana said as she placed her folded napkin beside her empty plate.
For some reason, her cousin Thaddeus had declined to join her in accepting Colehaven’s supper invitation. Diana wasn’t certain she had ever heard Thaddeus decline a social occasion before, but of course the timing had been short notice. Thad was no doubt promised to too many other events to count.
“I’m glad you liked it.” Felicity Sutton sent a mischievous glance toward her brother. “Banbury cakes are one of Cole’s favorites. Had you turned up your nose, he likely would have tossed you out on the street.”
“A gentleman does not ‘toss’ ladies,” Colehaven informed his sister firmly. “He gently deposits them out in the cold to fend for themselves.”
“I’m glad I passed the test,” Diana said with a grin.
Perhaps it was for the best that Thaddeus had been too busy to join them. Diana was fairly certain she’d just consumed his portion.
“With Cole, nothing is as simple as atest.” Lady Felicity gave a conspiratorial roll of her eyes. “He thinks life is a game of chess.”
Excitement filled her as Diana turned toward Colehaven.
“Youdoplay,” she said, shaking a finger in mock accusation.
He grinned back at her. “Was there ever any doubt?”
“Not you, too,” Lady Felicity groaned. “Go start your game. I’ll pop in just as soon as I finish… er… rethreading every button in the house. Or counting each speck of ash in the fire. Or anything else that keeps me from repeatedly losing in less than ten moves.”
Diana raised an amused brow toward Colehaven. “Queen to H4?”
“Queen to H4,” he confirmed sadly.
“Noo.” Lady Felicity pushed to her feet. “I refuse to sit still while such nonsensical syllables are bandied about in my presence. Find me when you’re ready to discuss phaetons and brandy like normal people.”
“Normal debutantes don’t know the difference between a puckered hammercloth and a full-plaited hammercloth,” Colehaven remarked to his sister’s retreating back.
“I’m a spinster, not a debutante,” Felicity’s voice called from the corridor. “And why would you get into a carriage if you didn’t understand how it worked?”
Diana’s smile faltered when something in Colehaven’s face made her think the “spinster” remark had hit too close to home.
“Are you worried about your sister?” she asked.
His beseeching expression pierced her. “Four-and-twenty isn’tspinsterhood, is it?”
“It’s past ‘debutante,’” Diana hedged. “It’s also not the end of the world. Look at me, for example.”
Colehaven’s gaze deepened in intensity. He had rarely ceased looking at Diana from the moment she alighted from her carriage. She swallowed.
“Where’s this infamous chess set?” she asked, hoping to deflect attention from the flush of her skin.
