Page 27 of The Duke on Her List
Gabriel sighed. He wished he hadn’t done this. But they were here, and the best thing to do now was to see it through. Soon enough, they would be out of here and on their way.
He approached the bar and ordered two whiskeys. When they arrived, he placed one of them before Agnes and leaned close to her.
“Don’t drink this too quickly,Jack,” he said. “And don’t finish it. Your constitution isn’t up to the task.”
He should have known better—of course, she would hear that as a challenge. She tipped her head back and took a long swallow of whiskey.
Gabriel sighed again.
She looked at him. “Don’t you worry about my constitution,” she said. “I’m going to be just fine.”
Then she turned, looking around the room. Her gaze fixed on a group of men who sat at a table with playing cards in their hands.
“Are they gambling?” she asked keenly.
He picked up on what she was thinking right away—perhaps he had spent too much time around her. “Absolutely not,” he said. “No.”
“Oh, come on,” she wheedled. “We’re here anyway. I’ll never be in a place like this again.”
“Do you even know how to play vingt-un?”
“No,” she said simply. “But I’m eager to learn.”
“The moment they realize you don’t know what you’re doing, they’re going to descend on you like wolves,” he told her. “They’ll do whatever it takes to strip you of every penny you have.”
“I haven’t got much,” she said mildly. “And what I do have, I don’t really mind if I lose. I just want the experience. But you don’tknowI’m going to lose. Maybe I’ll do well.”
It would be sheer luck if she did well at a game she had never touched before, he reflected. But there was no stopping her. She was already on her way over to the table.So much for that agreement to follow my lead and do as I say!
She pulled out a chair and sat down. The men around the table watched her, clearly bemused.
“Good afternoon,” she said brightly, lowering her voice a little. It was still pretty high-pitched , which made Gabriel feel nervous, but what could he do about it? Forbid her to speak? Throw her over his shoulder and drag her away.
“I don’t believe I know you,” one of the men said, looking her up and down with a frown.
“I’m new in town,” she said. “My name is Jack.”
“No surname?”
“Oh, perhaps first names will do for now.” She smiled in what Gabriel hoped would be taken as a winning manner. They hadn’t come up with a surname for her. She could give his, but it hadn’t been discussed. He hoped she would be able to think on her feet.
“All right, Jack,” the man said. “My name is Stephen. These two are William and Michael.”
William and Michael grunted out greetings.
“It’s lovely to make your acquaintance,” Agnes said. “Would you mind if I joined you for a hand?”
“Do you know the game?”
“It’s vingt-un, isn’t it? I admit I’ve never played before.” She gave a light laugh. “But you can certainly teach me, I’m sure. I’m an eager student.”
Stephen narrowed his eyes at her.
Did he suspect? From his vantage point across the table, Gabriel felt it was impossible to see her as anything but what she was. He couldn’t forget that he was looking at a lady. To imagine that anyone else could fail to see it seemed foolish, bordering on insane.
But they didn’t know her as well as he did.
Maybe they didn’t recognize it. Maybe they took the story at face value.
