Olivia thought he seemed disappointed in himself. A game played and lost. She wondered at it, wondered how much he’d played to amuse himself and how much was done to unsettle her. Perhaps doing both was the point of it all.
“Though why I should have done so,” he went on, “does not make practical sense. I have sisters of my own. Three, in fact, and we could not be more dissimilar in appearance or inclination. I take by your expression that you consider it a fortunate turn for my sisters. You would be right, of course. They are wholly respectable, while I…” He lifted his hands, palms up, to indicate the entirety of his establishment. “While I, for reasons that are obvious to the meanest intelligence, am not.”
As Breckenridge had correctly divined the bent of her thoughts, Olivia decided that saying nothing was the wiser course.
“I should like to hear your opinion on a particular matter, Miss Cole. ItisMiss Cole, is it not?” When she nodded, he continued. “I’d like you to tell me in which of these three respects the gentleman is the most complete bounder. He surrenders his wife to a man he owes payment. He gives over his mistress to discharge his debt. Or he sacrifices his sister to spare himself a very bad end. I confess, I cannot work it out myself, but it occurs that you might have a cogent position.”
Olivia realized she was worrying her bottom lip again. This time she didn’t attempt to stop. She drew blood instead.
Her silence did not deter him. “It’s a puzzler, isn’t it? I have been thinking that if I could arrive at some clever answer, it might make an acceptable teaser in society. Riddles are popular with a certain crowd and their parlor games. It would be a thing oft repeated. The wife. The mistress. The sister.” He feigned disappointment when Olivia offered no reply. “It seems nothing occurs to you either. That is too bad. It will have to remain between us, I’m afraid. At least for the nonce. Is your standing in society a concern to you, Miss Cole?”
“I have no standing in society.”
“Then perhaps you are fortunate.”
“I have never thought about it.”
“Truly? Then you are singular. Standing and reputation account for the greatest part of what passes for thinking among the ton.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“I believe your brother would, though. He has cut a wide swath in society since he’s finished university.”
“Your sources again, I collect.”
“Yes. I have many at my disposal. Knowing one’s patrons is part and parcel of operating this establishment.”
“If you say so,” she said, her tone carefully neutral.
“I do. There are patrons with deep pockets that will never go owing the house. Others whose pockets are considerably lighter and want credit to compensate. Some enjoy long runs of good fortune, and there are those who seem to take perverse pleasure in losing time and again. Both present problems in their own right. Then there are the cheats. Attention must be paid, of course. The surest way of keeping out the deep-pocketed players is to entertain the cheats. So, yes, I find it important to learn something about the gentlemen who frequent my establishment. Prudence dictates it.”
“You speak only of gaming.”
“And why would I speak of anything else? You do know you’re in a gaming hell, don’t you?”
“I feel certain that is the least of it.”
“Do you? Are your first impressions never wrong?”
“I saw the red lanterns. I know their purpose.”
“You did not see them on my door, did you?”
“No.”
“But you concluded you were being escorted to a brothel anyway.”
She had. “It was not an unreasonable assumption.”
“Perhaps not, but it isnotmy business. Did someone tell you otherwise?”
“No.”
He nodded once, satisfied that he had impressed the truth of the matter upon her. “Do you want to know the size of your brother’s debt?”
“If you’d like to tell me. In truth it doesn’t matter if it’s one pound or one thousand. I have no money of my own to compensate you.”
“As it happens, it is £1,000.”
