Page 1 of A Stranger’s Gamble

Chapter One

Adam Scott looked from the newspaper he was reading to the glass of brandy that sat on the table to his right. This was his fourth brandy at his club. The liquor, along with the warmth of the fire burning in the hearth had relaxed him to the point that he considered going to Lena’s to see if he could persuade her to spend the rest of the evening with him in bed. They’d spent a good part of the afternoon in bed, but he felt ten years younger than his thirty-two years and believed he could make a night of lovemaking.

He lifted the brandy to his lips and caught sight of two long-time friends. Alistair and Nick walked with purpose across the carpeted floor, and he realized they were headed toward him. Their grim expressions told him they had news he wasn’t interested in hearing.

When they reached him, he finished his brandy in one gulp, then said, “You two look as if you have just come from a funeral.”

Something flickered in Alistair’s eyes.

Adam sighed. “What happened?”

“Your father,” Nick said.

Adam tensed.

“He is at Lady Fleming’s.”

Adam relaxed. “He often gambles at Lady Fleming’s.” He never worried when his father gambled at Lena’s gaming hall. She always made sure his losses never got out of hand.

Nicholas shook his head. “He’s been there since early this afternoon.”

Adam cut a glance to the clock above the mantle. Half past ten. He’d left Lena’s bed at six. Surely, she sent his father packing when she arrived at the gambling hall?

“Rumor has it, he has sustained heavy losses,” Nicholas said.

Adam closed the paper, tossed it onto the table, and stood. He pushed past the two men, headed for the door. They followed him outside to the walkway.

“Have you a carriage?” Alistair asked.

Adam shook his head. “Nae.”

Alistair pointed to where his carriage sat. “Come, we’ll take you.”

Adam wanted to refuse but didn’t see a cab nearby. He nodded, and they hurried to the carriage. Adam entered first, then Nicholas.

“Lady Fleming’s,” Alistair instructed his driver, then pulled the door shut as he vaulted inside. He dropped onto the seat alongside Nick as the vehicle lurched into motion.

What a bloody fool he was to think his father, the Marquess of Monthemer, might be able to refrain from further ruination. A mental image rose of Adam turning the key in the lock on his father’s bedchambers with his father inside, then throwing away the key. The only thing stopping him from living out the fantasy was the knowledge that his father would jump from the third story window in an effort to find a game of cards. Adam had never known a man so sick with the gambling fever.

They reached Lady Fleming’s half an hour later, and Adam told Nicholas and Alistair to await him in the carriage.

“We’re coming with you, Adam, and that’s the end of it,” Alistair said.

He had no heart to argue and allowed the two men to follow him inside. Adam turned left into the largest cardroom in the building. Half a dozen men sat at the large table. Cigar smoke hung in the air and the smell of liquor permeated the room. Three women dressed in tight gowns hovered nearby. To Adam’s relief, his father was not among the men at the table.

He spun and hurried from the room, Nick and Alistair close behind. Adam headed up the stairs to Lena’s private office. A large man came into view beyond the railing on the second floor. Lord Mornton.

The earl started down the stairs as they neared the second floor. “If you are looking for your father, he left not half an hour ago.”

Adam halted one stair below the man. “He was here, then?”

The older man nodded. “Aye, he was here. I tried to talk him into leaving but…he had been drinking.”

“How much did he lose?”

Mornton hesitated.

“That bad?” Adam asked.