time she sat down, Meg was there with her drink.
“If you need anything else, just let me know, ma’am.” Meg gave her a quick curtsy and then sauntered away.
She placed her bet and then sipped her whisky. After a few sips, her anger toward the owner of Hell faded. For once in her life, she controlled her destiny. Perhaps she didn’t need a list to enjoy life, the desire to do what she wanted satisfied her immensely.
SIMON GLANCED AT HIS reflection in the mirror as he pulled on his jacket. With all the innocents at Almack’s tonight, the lonely widows would be at the Jaspers’ party. And he would be there to pick the best and get his mind off one particular innocent at Almack’s. After brushing a stray black hair off his lapel, he moved to the door.
He opened it to find Riley with his fist up as if he were about to knock. Nothing peculiar about that, except the smug smile on the man’s face. “May I help you, Riley?”
“Thought you might want to know that Miss Drake is currently sitting at the roulette table drinking whiskey...only one so far tonight and winning a tidy sum again.”
“Goddammit! What the bloody hell is she doing here again? Please tell me she is not wearing some lad’s clothing again.”
Riley seemed unable to contain his laugh. “No, she is dressed in a beautiful white gown made more for an evening at Almack’s than Hell.”
“I’m going to kill Hood for letting her inside again.”
“I let her in.”
Simon stared up at Riley until he shrugged.
“Just thought you would prefer her inside than standing outside where anyone might see her.”
Simon strode down the stairs to his office so he could survey the room with no one else watching him. His fists tightened when he saw her sitting at the roulette table. What was wrong with her? Did she intentionally try to vex him?
While he’d promised Louisa he would stay away from Emma, he could do no such thing when she was in his gaming room unaccompanied. He would watch over her if only for her sake.
Walking down to the gaming room, he breathed in deeply to calm his anger. Emma was an innocent who didn’t know better. Although why, when clearly dressed for Almack’s, wasn’t she there? A curiosity, indeed.
He strolled to the bar, keeping her in his sight the entire time. After noting that her glass was almost empty, he picked up two glasses of whisky and headed toward her.
“I have never seen anyone as lucky as you when playing roulette.” He placed the whisky in front of her. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you have some system of cheating.”
Her movements stilled, but she didn’t look over at him. “I thought you were still at Worth Hall.”
“Like you, I returned early. I couldn’t let my business falter by being away too long.” He sat on the stool next to her. “How much are you up tonight?”
“Only about twenty.”
“That makes fifty you’ve pilfered from me now,” he noted, still wondering how she could have won so much in such a short amount of time.
“Hardly pilfered, Mr. Kingsley.”
“Simon,” he whispered near her ear. “I think after the other night, it would come naturally to you.”
Her cheeks reddened. “It’s not appropriate, Mr. Kingsley.”
“Neither is sitting in my gaming hell alone when you should be at Almack’s tonight.”
She laughed softly with a hint of scorn. “I was at Almack’s until Countess Lieven me informed that ladies who go to gaming hells wearing trousers are not acceptable clientele for Almack’s. Now since there were only five of us who knew I had done such a thing, I do wonder how she learned of it. Neither Louisa nor Harry would have spoken to anyone about what happened.”
“You can hardly think it was me.”
She looked over at him with one brow raised in question. “Can’t I?”
“Come up to my office where we can discuss this in private.” He assumed she would back down after their kiss the other night, but she jumped off the stool and was halfway across the room before she paused and glanced back expectedly at him. Simon moved from his seat to follow her.
Once in his office, she turned to him with anger marring her beautiful face. “Who else would speak to someone of what I did? Susan is my dearest friend and had no wish to go along with any of my plans.”
Plans? Had her ideas included pilfering silver from Lady Huntley