Page 68 of Winter's Waltz
Her cutting words of earlier that morning returned to him.If you think the duke was furious over all the blunt you lost, how do you think he’d respond to a bastard Winter marrying his precious heir?
“It sounds as if she is trying to protect you,” Addy said gently. “She is a fierce woman, and she would do anything to defend those she cares for.”
“I do not need her to shield me from anything.” Frustration ate at him. “I need her to be my wife.”
“Then you know what you must do.”
“Toss her into my carriage and run away with her?” he asked, unable to keep himself from an attempt at humor.
Addy shook her head, laughing. “Please do not do anything that will leave my husband wanting to do you bodily harm.”
Dominic Winter was a fierce opponent. A dangerous foe. Max had no intention of ruining the tentative pax he had with the man.
“Is that a no to abduction?” he asked wryly.
“Maximilian,” she chastised. “That is a decided, vociferous no. But what you must do isshowGen why she should marry you.”
“Have you the answer for how one goes about performing such a marvel?” he asked.
“Good of you to ask,” his sister said, smiling. “I have an idea which I think may help you. However, Colin ought to be waking from his nap, and I must check on him first.”
“Excellent. I shall hold my nephew while you enlighten me,” he said.
“You are a good uncle, Max. And you shall make an even better husband.”
Let us hope.
* * *
Lady Fortune had beenopen for two hours, and already, it was thriving.
Gen was overseeing the success from the vantage point she had designed in her office. From her hidden window, she presided over a throng of masked ladies indulging in wine, cards, and dice below. Some of them appeared to be exchanging pleasantries, others laughing. All the work she had put into making certain news of her ladies’ gaming hell spread throughout London appeared to have been rewarded.
The ladies had come.
In full force.
She had overcome all manner of adversities—treachery, fire, and theft. She had worked hard, built a team of the best. Every part of Lady Fortune, from the carpets to the draperies to the paintings on the wall, was a reflection of her. She had chosen each detail. Before her was the proof of her success. So why, then, did her victory feel so hollow?
The answer was as troubling as it was clear: because Max was not here. Because she had sent him away. He had told her he loved her, asked her to marry him, and she had sent him off.
Mayhap she would never see him again.
A knock sounded on her office door. Likely, it was Davy, who had been removed from chamber pot duties in favor of being her right-hand this evening. With Peter gone, she had needed a substitute, and whilst the scamp couldn’t be trusted not to pick pockets, he was as loyal as they came.
“Come,” she called.
The door opened, followed by rustling and footfalls. Too many footfalls to belong to just Davy. She turned to find her half sisters—legitimate Winters and titled respectable ladies in their own rights, along with her sisters-in-law, Lady Evie and Lady Addy. Eight in all.
“I didn’t expect any of you tonight,” she said, bemused as the beautiful ladies, dressed in their finest evening gowns, filled her office.
Arthur, who had been dreaming in the corner on his favorite pillow, rose and barked before venturing to each lady and sniffing her skirts, as if to offer approval.
“We would not dream of missing the opening night of Lady Fortune.” Lady Emilia Winter spoke first. She was married to Dev, the eldest of the legitimate branch of the Winter clan, and she was herself the daughter of a duke.
“You’re not going on the floor, are you?” Gen asked, feeling slightly ill at the prospect of her half sisters and the wives of her brothers below, gambling and courting the potential for scandal.
“We will be masked.” Her half sister Christabella grinned with glee. “This will be the most entertainment I’ve had since my confinement. Please do not attempt to dissuade me.”
