It hadn’t been tonight, and she’d been confused. She’d feared her gift had deserted her. Now that she knew the dealer had been cheating, she wanted redemption.
Approaching the table with a man as commanding as Mr. Steele gave her confidence.
The Weasel—such a good name for Darby—was not pleased to see her with Mr. Steele. Hestopped making payouts as he eyed her champion with annoyance. “You could have chosen a better protector, Mrs. Bunsaway. Just because a man is big doesn’t mean he isbig.” He grabbed his crotch to show what he meant.
Gwendolyn was thankful her veil hid her blushing. His crudeness made her all the more determined to beat him.
She took the chair that the Weasel had been saving for her. Mr. Steele claimed the seat next to hers by tapping the man in it on the shoulder. When the man looked up, Mr. Steele lifted one brow, and that was all that was needed for the man to scurry away.
With both of them settled, Gwendolyn said, “Mr. Steele has informed me that you have beencheating.”
“I’ve never cheated in my life,” the Weasel claimed. “Have I, lads?” His question was met with silence. The Weasel didn’t need confirmation. He preferred the sound of his own voice. “It sounds to me, Mrs. Bunsaway, as if you are a poor loser.”
Before Gwendolyn could react to that outrageous statement, Mr. Steele smoothly injected himself into the conversation. “Then you will gladly change the deck of cards in the box in front of you.”
The Weasel tapped the top of the box with the dirty nail of his index finger, but he didn’t moveto comply. Tension filled the room, and not just from the dealer. Those gathered around the table seemed to be choosing sides. Mr. Steele could no doubt handle himself with a few of them, but all of them? Gwendolyn didn’t want to see that happen, especially since she needed to play. She’d promised her sisters at least three hundred pounds.
“Or,” she said, “you may let us see the deck in your box. Then we will all know the truth.” She’d once heard her father say such a thing in a story he was telling one of his companions. He hadn’t realized his daughters were hanging on his every word. Gwendolyn hadn’t truly realized what her father had meant until this moment. “I may not be the only one you’ve attempted to deceive.”
The other gamblers at the table turned their scowls on the Weasel as if they were just realizing he could have been cheating them as well.
The Weasel glared at Gwendolyn as if he wished he could make her disappear in a puff of smoke. Then he muttered, “Lass grabs herself a man and has gone saucy.” He punctuated the statement with a snort of contempt.
He also reached for another deck.
Before he could put it in the box, one of the other players said, “Perhaps you should spread it out.”
The Weasel glared at him. The player leaned back on his chair legs. “What? I’ve been losing money, too. Come on, Darby. Run a fair table.”
“Yes, Darby, run a fair table,” Mr. Steele echoed sardonically.
With an angry growl, the Weasel spread the cards out, barely giving anyone a chance to look at them before he swept them up again. Oh, he had good sleight of hand. Only John Lanscarr could have spread the cards that quickly. However, Mr. Steele was satisfied. “Let’s play.”
“Are you in the game?” Darby challenged him.
“The lady will be playing my hands.” There was a beat of silence, and then Mr. Steele said quietly, almost pleasantly, “I hate cheaters.”
A few of the men eyed Mr. Steele nervously as if they were glad they weren’t in the Weasel’s position.
The play began.
Gwendolyn took off her remaining glove. She opened and closed her fingers before deciding where to place her bets. She expected to lose these first few rounds. The deck was fresh. She needed to see how the cards were going.
However, an hour later, she had a sizeable stack of coins in front of her, and this was only a portion of her winnings. Elise had sewn deep pockets in her gown, and Gwendolyn had stealthily been tucking away a few coins into them.
At one point, she’d returned Mr. Steele’s fifty pounds to him with an added five as a lender’s fee. She’d slid them over in two neat stacks.
He didn’t move to take them, but she felt as ifher conscience was clear. She’d paid him back. And that is when she realized there was no longer a need for her to do a “favor” for him, even if it didn’t involve her skirts over her head.
In truth, she didn’t believe his promise to not touch her. There was something between them. A pull, an interest, an attraction. He might be interested because he couldn’t see her face. Men were a curious lot.
Whatever it was, a decent woman would steer clear of a man like Mr. Steele. It wasn’t just that he appeared strong as an ox and was sinfully handsome. No, this man had secrets... and Gwendolyn did not wish to be a part of them. She sensed danger. Besides, how could he hold her to a “favor” that he refused to explain? She might have promised to help, but that was only because she and her sisters were in a desperate situation. They were doing what they had to do.
But she had paid Mr. Steele back in full. It wasn’t fair of him to take advantage of her... or so she told herself. Their transaction was finished.
Of course, the trick would be to take her money and leave without him learning her true identity. If he felt cheated by her, let him search for Mrs. Bunsaway.
Gwendolyn would be in London.
