“Not very much. Things have been particularly quiet here, which should be a good thing. I shouldn’t want any harm to come to you or your family.”
“I am lucky to have such a hero to champion our safety,” she teased.
He snorted. “Hardly a knight. If so, my armor would be sotarnished that it would never shine again.” He lowered his head. “But I vow that I would climb any tower to get to you.”
Lexie liked the sound of that and allowed him to kiss her again before he led her back to the terrace doors with a murmured farewell.
Once the duke was gone, Lexie entered the house and found her aunt waiting on her. She looked agitated as she paced the length of the hallway near the foyer. Lexie stopped and approached her. “I hope you aren’t upset about this evening, but I told you that the duke has been misjudged. He is an honorable man, and I feel we would make a better match than myself and the earl. I’m sorry if you are disappointed by that.”
Her aunt shook her gray head and said, “I can’t think on it any more this evening. I need to go to bed.” With that, she climbed the stairs to her chamber.
Lexie followed a short time later, hoping that the light of day would also shed a new perspective on her aunt’s outlook. If not, the days before her wedding to the duke would be filled with continual strife, and she certainly didn’t want that.
As Dominic headedfor his townhouse, his mind was racing. He hadn’t wanted to alarm Lexie, but he had the feeling that the Runner wasn’t telling him everything. He had seemed particularly nervous, as if he might have been threatened, which made him wonder if his original suspicion that the villain was someone within polite society might still ring true.
He couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. While Amos was taking care of the East End, as the Duke of Cuthbert, Dominic should have no trouble making his way to a few gaming hells. He had learned a lot over the years by listening to casual conversations. When drink was involved, men were wont to have as loose tongues as ladies who loved to gossip.
Still wearing his formal dinner attire, he ordered his carriage brought around and he headed for one of the most notorious hells that catered to some of the most daring and wealthy patrons. However, it was also one of the worst dens of iniquity that he had ever entered. Debauchery was as prevalent there from the coins that flowed freely as the cards.
As he walked in the front door a short time later, Dominic was greeted with the overwhelming odor of cigar smoke and raucous laughter. Ladies were draped over more than one gentleman, their scantily clad attire making them eager to rid them of their coin for another reason entirely. And as some of the couples stumbled up the stairs, Dominic had no doubt that most would be successful in their endeavors by the end of the evening.
He walked over to the bar and ordered a gin. He needed to keep his wits about him this evening, so he’d ordered something that didn’t affect him as badly as brandy or scotch.
Sipping from the glass, he glanced about the assemblage and attempted to pick out the people that he knew. Most were known to him, but not all of them. The ones who were familiar, he knew were inveterate gamblers and womanizers, so it wasn’t surprising to find them in this establishment.
As for the rest…
Dominic slowly began to move about the room, as if he were deciding which game he would like to join, but in reality, he was paying keen attention to what was going on around him, listening to the conversations buzzing about and waiting for something to strike him as out of place.
Thankfully, he didn’t have long to wait.
A quarter of an hour had passed when he glanced up and saw a disheveled gentleman returning from some adventures upstairs.
Lord Lindley.
Dominic was somewhat surprised, considering the man acted as though he was head over heels in love with Lexie. But then,after tonight, perhaps he’d realized that his chances of winning the lady’s hand were futile after all.
Careful to keep his focus on the man without giving himself away, Dominic edged around a faro table and slid into a recently empty spot. He tossed a few coins down as the earl joined a hazard match behind him. Seated diagonally from one another, it gave Dominic the perfect vantage point to overhear the man’s conversations without appearing to care about anything but the play before him.
For a time, they were each involved in their respective games, but then Lexie’s name was mentioned and Dominic was suddenly very alert.
“Were you able to shecure Missh Givenwald’s regard thish evening?”
Dominic didn’t recognize the slurred voice of the speaker, but he did hear the maliciousness to the earl’s tone and he didn’t approve. “I was currently delayed, but I don’t intend for this slight setback to stop me.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“That is for me to know and for you to mind your own business.”
“A little touchy, aren’t you?” The other man sniffed, as if offended.
“I don’t care to air my grievances about this club,” the earl snapped. “I just want to play hazard and win some blunt.”
There was a slight guffaw. “At leasht you’re confident about your shkill at the tablesh.”
Dominic heard a gurgled noise, as if the earl had captured the other man about the throat. “I’m confident aboutallmy abilities, and I will have words with anyone who suggests differently.”
The other man appeared to stumble as he was released. “You bashtard. You better not lay another hand on me!”
