Frances’ stomach tightened as she watched Seth storm out of the room.
What had she done?
She thought there would be satisfaction in beating him but there was none.
“Why is Lord Seth upset and why did he leave his winnings behind?” Tessa asked as she came forward with her husband and Bethany.
“He lost the final bet,” Frances answered quietly.
“Oh, it was all or nothing and now the winnings are yours?” Bethany asked.
Frances picked up the garter. “My emerald garter for his.”
Bethany and Tessa frowned. It was His Grace who met her eyes. “As in his club?”
“Yes.”
“Why would he risk his club on a piece of material?” Bethany asked.
Tessa’s eyes widened, as did those of His Grace, as they came to suspect it had not been simply a garter.
Would she now lose her position?
Frances had expected to anyway, but had not anticipated the disappointment, an emptiness. Bethany and Tessa were her only real friends and when they learned her reasons…She might as well go upstairs and start packing for her move to Yorkshire.
It was not only losing her friends that created the gaping hole in the pit of her stomach, but what she had truly lost this evening.
Her reasons had not changed, but she questioned the extent to which she had gone to have her revenge.
“Bethany, could you make certain the front door is locked. All the servants have gone to bed,” Tessa requested.
Bethany yawned behind her hand. “I will, and I will also retire myself. You can explain why you wagered a garter tomorrow.”
Once she was gone Tessa studied her. “You did not wager just your garter, did you?”
Frances’ face heated and she had to look away. “No.”
“I cannot claim to approve, if it is what I assume. My only question is why?”
“Trust and revenge,” Frances responded.
Except, he had not earned her trust, nor could he trust her now.
“I still find it difficult to believe that Lord Seth would wager his club for…” His Grace would not, or couldn’t, voice what she had wagered.
“He had won most of the hands all night, and I lost,” she answered. “He believed that he would win the last one as well.”
Tessa narrowed her eyes. “Did he know that you count cards and have an excellent memory?”
“He does now but didn’t realize it until he lost.”
“You manipulated Lord Seth into losing his club,” His Grace stated as if he needed clarification.
“Yes.”
“Why?” Tessa asked.
At that question tears flooded her eyes. “Because I am a foolish idiot.”
