Beauty Tempts the Beast (Sins for All Seasons #6) - Lorraine Heath Page 0,67
what made him special—had been awaiting their arrival.
She stopped just shy of the table, her gaze locked on the blue eyes that had until recently held hers so tenderly, made her feel precious. “Lord Chadbourne.”
“Lady Alth—” He stopped, disgruntlement sweeping over features she’d once deemed incredibly handsome. Interesting how betrayal made him look far less attractive. “Althea, what the devil are you doing here?”
“It’s Miss Stanwick to you, and I’m here to take all your money.”
Chapter 16
Bloody hell. She’d delivered that pronouncement with such confidence that a few mouths—including Chadbourne’s—had dropped open, and one gent was still blinking in wonder. A couple of them might have even fallen instantly in love with her. Not that he had. Not that his chest hadn’t swelled with pride because she wasn’t intimidated by this lordly buffoon.
“You can’t . . . You can’t play here,” Chadbourne stuttered. He looked to the dealer, who was quietly shuffling the cards with slender hands that matched the rest of him. “Her father was a traitor to England. She shouldn’t be allowed in here.”
“Mr. Trewlove’s only requirement for entry is that a person has money to lose.” He narrowed his dark eyes at the tray Thea held. “I’d say she has about a thousand quid in chips there, so she is welcome at this table.” He gave her a little nod.
Beast touched the red-clad shoulder and the chap slipped away like smoke. He pulled the chair out farther, and she lowered herself into it with the elegance of a queen taking her place upon the throne.
“I can’t play with the daughter of a treasonous bastard,” Chadbourne announced and began gathering up his chips, their clattering loud as he tossed them into his palm, no doubt expecting Danny to fall into line and oust Thea so the entitled lord could continue to play.
“Embarrassed to lose to a woman?” Beast taunted, understanding fully the foolishness of men’s pride and how to take advantage of it.
The earl gave him a long, thorough study, not bothering to disguise his detestation for someone he recognized as not being part of the aristocracy. “What concern is any of this of yours?”
“She is my concern.” He wondered if he should have the words etched on his forehead so he wouldn’t have to keep repeating them to every idiotic aristocrat they happened upon.
The clacking stopped, his hands went still, his eyes narrowed. “Who the devil are you?”
“They call me Beast.” Turning slightly, he grabbed an empty chair from a nearby table, swung it around, set it between Thea and Danny so the back of it faced the table, dropped into it, and folded his arms across the top.
“You intend to play?”
“Watch.” He gave a careless shrug. “As well as offer advice to the lady when needed since she’s never before played.”
“That sounds as though it has the potential for cheating.”
“How can I cheat if my hands never go near the cards? Besides, I’ve heard that Lady Fortune has been smiling on you tonight. Would be foolish on your part to move to another table and risk that she wouldn’t follow. She certainly won’t follow if you walk out of here completely.”
The man studied Beast as though he was striving to determine if he was being goaded into a trap. He knew the exact moment the earl decided Beast was no danger to him. Many a man had made the same mistake.
“You make a good point.” Chadbourne began neatly restacking his chips. Dear God, but the arrogant were easily manipulated.
“If the discussion is over,” Danny said, “we’ll get started.” He gave the cards one more shuffle, then straightened them. “The ante is ten quid.”
“May I have your hand for a moment?” Beast asked Thea in a hushed tone that spoke of intimacy. He was fairly certain he heard Chadbourne’s spine snap when he straightened so quickly, with almost military precision. The earl no doubt had used the same tone a time or two and understood fully what it portended.
She didn’t question him, simply held her hand out to him, and that gave him as much satisfaction as he would have had if, in fact, he had been pleasuring her. Well, not quite. But it meant she trusted him, and gratification surged through him with that knowledge. Very slowly, he peeled off her glove. It was the first time he’d touched her hand when it wasn’t covered in kidskin, and he wished he’d done this service for her when they were in the carriage, in the dark, and