Patricia Rice Read Online Free

wager, she held her
palm up and wiggled her fingers at him. Bemused, Merrick obligingly placed a
gold guinea there. She sent him a wary glance at the sum, but carelessly threw
it in the pot as if it wouldn’t pay a half year’s wages for the lady’s maid she
probably didn’t have.
    Young Thomas seemed to sink even lower in his seat as
Cassandra’s casual aplomb took over the table. She laughed. She teased. She
scolded and folded her cards and held out her hand for another coin. All
attention focused on her and away from the boy, whose entire quarterly
allowance had dwindled to a single silver coin.
    To his amazement, Merrick watched Thomas’ fortune begin to
change as soon as Cassandra won the deal. The coins came slowly at first,
disappearing one at a time from the other men at the table. None noticed his
small change of fortune in the shadow of the more spectacular winnings of the
amazed lady. She laughed with incredulity as the huge pot came her way, and
generously offered to split it with everyone. The men at the table grumbled
good-naturedly. One dropped out. Norton gave her a wary look, but comfortable
behind his still-considerable winnings, he shook his head.
    “Your brother should have your luck, my lady. I’m glad you
don’t play often.”
    A dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth. “You’re just
jealous because I’m prettier than you are tonight. Shall I let you have the
cards back?”
    Ruffled at the insinuation that she was manipulating the
deck better than he, the older man made a negative grumble. “Nay, child, let
the boy try his hand. He has a few coins yet to share.”
    Merrick listened in amazement to the nuances of this
exchange. He was nearing thirty years of age, had come into his title almost a
score of years ago, and had considerable experience with the fashionable world.
True, his tastes had never run to the seamier side of London. His
responsibilities seldom left him time to indulge in the vices, but that wasn’t
to say he hadn’t tried them. He knew perfectly well that somehow Cassandra was
cheating. What he didn’t understand was the fact that the gambler knew it too
and didn’t complain.
    Of course, if he delved into it further, he’d have to
question why and how a gently bred lady knew how to cheat, or what she was
doing here in the first place. But these were questions better left to another
time. She would scarcely appreciate being questioned on the matter in front of
others.
    Even with Thomas dealing, the coins in front of Cassandra
continued to grow. She laughed with the guilelessness of a child, made gold
coin houses with the stacks in front of her, and generously lent Thomas what he
needed to make his wager against the rapidly climbing odds she and Norton were
constructing. Another player dropped out, but under the sharp eye of the earl,
Thomas rebelliously stayed in the game.
    Deciding Cassandra had quite aptly proved her point,
although his friend’s younger brother hadn’t seen it yet, Merrick brought an
authoritative hand down on the shoulders of both youngsters when it became Cass’s
turn to deal again. “I’m quite bored with this pastime, my lady, Thomas. Bid
your friends farewell and let us find more amusement elsewhere.”
    Norton looked relieved and hastily retrieved the deck from
Cassandra’s grasping fingers. Cass gave Merrick a sharp look of annoyance and
disgust, and Thomas appeared wary as he obediently rose.
    Polite murmurs of farewell were made, and remembering
Cassandra’s earlier pantomime of what happened when she added coins to her
pocket, Merrick hastily scooped up her winnings in his handkerchief, knotting
it securely. Her triumph hadn’t exactly made her happy, the earl noted as he
caught a glimpse of shadowed blue eyes before she turned away from him, but a
wild shout near the door kept him from pondering this discovery.
    “Millstone won! A knockout in three rounds! Hand it over, my
boys, I’m going to be a rich man!”
    Merrick