to exact revenge in this manner, that is her affair, her choice. I will only see to it that you do not renege on any deal she strikes.”
“Oh, I won’t renege,” he said, so smug that Phoebe’s hand itched with the desire to smack him about the head. “But who will ensure the lady pays up when I relieve her of her fortune?”
Phoebe returned a disgusted glare. “Any bills will be paid in full. I am hardly penniless, and some of us have a shred of honour to our names.”
Alvanly’s gaze darkened, all evidence of the charming young man he purported to be dissolving like smoke and leaving all who saw in no doubt as to how thin the veneer had been. Max had been right to warn her about this man, to feel concern for her interest in him. She looked up at Max now, standing beside her, solid as an English oak, protecting her but allowing her this, her choice, her decision.
“Max.”
He looked to her at once, his dark eyes searching hers.
“Yes,” she said softly.
For a moment he frowned, not understanding, and then his breath caught. There was such joy in his eyes, she knew she had chosen right. He would never crush her, never bully or impose his will upon her, and when he was wrong he would apologise, and make amends. Wryly, she was forced to acknowledge that she was the one most likely to spend her time apologising, but she would learn too, learn how to be the wife he deserved.
“If you still want—” she added in a rush, realising too late her hubris in believing he might still wish to marry her.
Before she could finish the sentence, he had bent and stolen a swift kiss.
“More than you can possibly know,” he whispered, for her ears only.
“If you two love birds have quite finished…?” Alvanly drawled.
“No,” Max replied coolly, looking at the baron with deep distaste. “But I can wait. Phoebe has a matter of honour to settle.”
Alvanly snorted and shuffled the cards, but Phoebe wagged a finger at him.
“Oh, no,” she said, smiling and gesturing to one of the serving staff who stood unmoving in the shadows, awaiting orders. “A new deck, s’il vous plaît.”
The baron smirked and poured himself a glass of wine from the half empty bottle at his elbow. “And what are we playing, Phoebe, dear? Whist?”
“No, Ecarté,” she said simply, and smiled.
Chapter 18
My dear Gabriel,
I have made the most interesting friends since I have been in France and have also the great delight of informing you, we have a new customer in the person of Lord Ellisborough, who wishes to both invest and to restock his own cellars.
I admit I never dreamed that life in your employ would lead me into such extraordinary circumstances. You have given me a new lease of life along with the chance to redeem myself and my fortunes.
I am ever in your debt. Especially now as I believe perhaps my luck has changed. Life can sometimes take such a surprising turn…
―Excerpt of a letter to Mr Gabriel Knight from The Right Hon’ble Viscount Charles Kline.
11th April 1827. Rouge et Noir, 7th Arrondissement, Paris.
Phoebe allowed Alvanly to win the first three hands, playing recklessly and apparently with little regard to her cards. In truth, the baron had the devil’s own luck tonight and she knew she’d only have won two of the three if she had played to the best of her ability. This was another kind of game altogether, though, luring the baron onto the path she wished him to take, and she wasn’t about to play fair.
Alvanly would play wagering a painting he knew well to be worthless. He had used her, stolen from Mrs Manning, and would have cheated Nina out of her money too. Phoebe felt no compunction about using the skills Jack had taught her as a girl to even the score. The only problem was, Max did not know of her skill with the cards, or just how well she could cheat. She wondered briefly if he would be disgusted by her having done so, but pushed that thought aside. It was time to trust in Max, to believe that he would know she had done it for the best, as he was trusting her to carry through her mad scheme, even though he did not understand what she was doing.
She made a great show of concentrating on the next hand, and grinned with delight at Max when she won.