that Caroline was missing, but he knew she hadn’t been there, nor had anyone seen Mr. Lamb. In fact, no one had seen Mr. Lamb since yesterday afternoon.
Once the carriage stopped, Roe wasn’t even certain his feet touched the steps that led up to Lord Bromley’s townhome. Together, he and Boomer stood on the front stoop and waited for someone, hopefully Finley, to respond to their knock.
Finley did open the door, then his eyes rounded in surprise. “May I help you?”
“Do you know where Caro—”
“Have you seen Grey, the boy who plays at Rodale’s sometime?” Boomer interrupted him, saving Roe from revealing Caroline.
He nodded to Boomer, silently thanking him. She might have gone off to play on her own, but she would never do so dressed as herself. She was brazen, but not a fool.
“I have not. Good player, that boy.” He looked behind him, then stepped out onto the stoop with them and closed the door behind him. “But I do have it on great authority that there is a high stakes game going on tonight at Pollard’s. Perhaps he went there and bought into that game. Too rich for me.” The man continued to prattle on, but Roe had already walked away.
She wouldn’t be safe at Pollard’s. No one was there to keep an eye on her, not Boomer, not Justin. Roe only hoped he wouldn’t be too late. He’d chastise her later for her questionable judgment. For now he only wanted to make certain she was safe.
Chapter Sixteen
The difference between Pollard’s and Rodale’s was vast and unnerving. The clientele at Pollard’s was rougher and more sinister-looking than the men she’d played before. They also appeared twice the size than that of her usual opponents.
She was very aware, for the first time since she’d begun donning this disguise, that she was a woman trapped in man’s world, in a very physical way. She felt small and weak, and frankly terrified. She’d never felt in danger at Rodale’s. This was quite different. Not only were the stakes much higher in this game, but the bets were double that of Rodale’s. Her nerves were distracting her enough that she was not doing well with her count. She lost her current hand and heard Mr. Lamb clear his throat behind her. He sat on a stool, gun in his pocket. He’d assured her that if she did not cooperate he’d kill her and return to Lady Winguard’s to kill Gretchen and her sisters as well. But Caroline wasn’t trying to lose; she was simply terrified. Not so much for herself. If he shot her, she’d die and it would be over with. But to know that he would kill those poor children…She could not abide that thought.
She closed her eyes and took three deep breaths. It was time to focus on the cards, forget everything around her, and see only the numbers. She opened her eyes and found it was the perfect time to do so as it was time for a new deck. The dealer shuffled gracefully and the men around her chatted, but no one spoke to her and she paid no attention to them. Her eyes were trained on the table, on the dealer’s hands.
The first hand went around and she and two other men beat the dealer. She relaxed a measure, but kept her eyes on the cards. She won her next hand. And the next. This was working. All she had to do was continue to win, give Lamb his money, and then she could return to Roe. At the moment she didn’t even give a damn that he didn’t love her. She loved him and she desperately wanted to tell him.
There was a ruckus behind her, but she kept her eyes locked on the table, ignoring any would-be distractions. It would not do her any good to allow the goings on around her to cause her to lose count. She was finally ahead. Then suddenly Mr. Lamb was behind her, close enough she could feel the warmth from his body. “Don’t try anything,” he whispered close to her ear. “I’ve got my gun on you.”
She looked up, planning to tell him he was not helping her focus on the game, but she saw Roe walk toward the table. He caught her gaze and she shook her head, trying to warn him away, but he was not to be deterred. He stopped, standing on the opposite side of the table from them.
“A quick word with my