He looked to see one of the bouncers holding his arm and gesturing toward the stairs.
“We need to get out of here,” he rasped.
Then he noticed one of the dealers sliding up on Lilah’s other side. The man cupped her elbow and steered her in the same direction.
He dug in his heels. “That’s not outside,” he pressed. “That’s upstairs.”
“Yes,” agreed the bouncer. “You’re in no condition to manage outside. She had 500 quid. Someone is going to try to rob her.”
Lilah shook her head. “I don’t have it any more.”
“They’ll think you do. Or they’ll want yer lordship’s coin and watch.” The man jerked his head at the group of men trying to grab at whatever remained of Lilah’s purse. If it weren’t for the three large bouncers surrounding Mrs. Dove-Lyon, the woman would be in serious danger. “Safest place is upstairs until tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow!” Aaron said, shocked. Miss Rees could not be out until tomorrow. It would destroy her reputation. But then he looked down at her. Her skin was ashen, her eyes wide, and… bloody hell. She was going to be sick.
Fortunately, the staff at the den were well used to that as well. A bucket appeared just as Miss Rees lost control of herself. And when she finally emptied her stomach, Aaron understood the truth. She was in no condition to go home. At least they could have some privacy upstairs in which to recover.
He pressed a coin into the bouncer’s hand. “The best room you have for the night.”
Chapter Fifteen
Five hundred pounds.Her entire savings.
Gone.
Five hundred pounds.
Gone.
Lilah’s thoughts kept revolving around those words. Over and over. And when she pushed those thoughts aside, she returned to the last question. The numbers people had shouted, the words Mrs. Dove-Lyon had repeated, and she re-calculated them in her mind. Over and over, never coming up with the same answer.
Where had she missed? How had she gone wrong? Why hadn’t she been more forceful to have them ask geometry or algebra questions? She should have insisted. She should have asked for more clarity on the rules.
Five hundred pounds. Her entire savings.
Gone.
Her chest was tight, her legs wobbly. She had awareness of where she was going– up the stairs, into a room with a bed– but she relinquished all control of her body to Lord Kittrel’s guidance. He would see her safe. He was even now tucking her close such that she could clutch onto his waistcoat.
Her breath was heaving. Or maybe that was her stomach. It didn’t matter. She’d made her big gamble and lost.
Five hundred pounds. Gone.
It wasn’t so bad. She still had a life with her adoptive mother. She had food and clothing. Ridiculous of her to think she’d been destroyed simply because her big gamble had failed. And yet, the ache of that loss overwhelmed her.
“Can you get us some food?” Aaron was saying to someone. “Anything to settle her stomach?”
She had a tonic at home that she used to give to Gwen when her stomach was upset, but obviously, it wasn’t here. She looked around. Where was she? This room was bare except for a large bed and a small bedside table.
“Right away, my lord.”
“Thank you.” Lord Kittrel guided her to set on the edge of the bed. Then he squatted down before her, his gaze troubled. “Miss Rees…Lilah. Please say something.”
What could she say? She’d just gambled everything she had and lost. It had been a stupid, stupid risk, and she was a fool for having done it.
“It was a good try,” he said gently. “If I’d had the chance, I would have bet on you.”
“You would have lost,” she said, her voice broken.
