Page 13 of His Scandalous Viscountess
Finding a table that appeared less inhabited than some of the others, she sidled up to the felt-covered surface. Wary of her rather low-cut bodice, she leaned over to lay her money on the table. Then one of the three men tossed a set of dice. Everyone groaned and cursed as the house employee quickly scooped up the cash from the table. Careful to hide her pleasure at an immediate loss, she again laid her money on the table. Another man rolled the dice this time, and they all cheered. To her dismay, the employee added to her pile of money. She left the stack and let the next player roll.
Again, she won.
The process repeated for another half an hour, until her pile had grown inordinately large. Finally, the employee said, “Madam, I’ll need to gain house approval if you are going to continue to leave your bet on the table.”
Julia bit her lip in indecision. If she left it, feasibly she could lose it all in one roll of the dice.The table’s luck had to change, didn’t it?“Please gain approval from whomever you need to.”
“That would be me.”
A deep male voice caused the nearby chatter to peter off into silence.
She looked up to see a tall man with dark hair and black-as-sin eyes. His gaze bore into her before dipping down to peruse her display of cleavage. Everyone in the vicinity had turned to see what had occurred. Determined to take advantage of the opportunity, she leaned forward and offered a seductive smile. “My, my. It seems I should have wagered more from the start.”
“At the rate you are winning, I doubt I could have afforded such a turn of events.”
He smiled deprecatingly, but there was an edge to the gesture that indicated an underlying danger.
Letting her lashes lower, she gazed up at him from beneath the fringe. “Oh, something tells me you’d have no issue covering such a wager. But then, mayhap the house will pull the luck on the next roll and I’ll lose it all.”
The dark man she assumed was the owner of the gambling hall gave a short nod. “I suppose we shall see. The wager of twenty thousand pounds stands.”
A murmur raced through the room, even as Julia felt all the blood drain from her face. She had not realized how much she had accrued so quickly, having started with a mere five hundred pounds on the table. One of the men took up the dice, while the surrounding crowd pressed in closer. The heat grew stifling, and sweat trickled down her back. Silently she prayed for a bad roll of the dice as the man let them fly across the table. Then they fell to the felt, tumbling over each other, and finally landed.
“House wins!” the employee yelled, so everyone would hear.
Julia’s knees went weak with relief. The men around her grumbled and walked away. But Mr. Lucifer remained, an unreadable expression on his face.
“Well, I suppose that is quite enough of a loss for one night. Thank you, Mr. Lucifer, for indulging me.”
Julia hauled herself to her full height and turned to head to the bar. She’d barely taken a step, and the man was at her side.
“You have me at a disadvantage.”
“Do I?” She let one brow rise. “I can’t imagine anyone having you in such a position.”
He grinned, though it was far more reminiscent of a predator baring its teeth. “You do, though. Whom did I just relieve of such a large sum?”
They arrived at the bar, and she took a moment to inspect the man now that he was no longer half hidden by a dice table. Without a doubt, he was attractive, with his rough and dangerous aura, but with Wolf’s touch still so fresh in her mind, Mr. Lucifer merely did not measure up. “I am Lady Wallthorpe.”
His gaze gleamed with desire. “My, my. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. As a patron of The Market, I was heartbroken to discover I missed your auction. Could fate be so kind as to offer me a second chance?”
Julia offered a stilted laugh. “I am afraid that was a one-time opportunity. However, I’d be happy to let you buy me a drink before I set about losing a bit more money in your establishment.”
He released a dejected sigh. “I suppose sharing a drink with such an infamous woman shall have to be enough.” He let his gaze roam seductively over her décolletage and down to the curve of her waist. “Though if you should change your mind, please do let me know.” He lifted his gaze to clash with hers, offering both desire and a challenge. “What may I offer you to drink?”
“Red wine. Perhaps a Madeira?”
Lucifer waved the bartender over and requested their drinks. A few moments later, their drinks in hand, they resumed chatting.
He took a sip and cast a speculative look her way. “I am curious about something. For an establishment such as The Market, where anonymity is part of the lure, how is it that nearly all of London seems to know that you were auctioned there?”
In that moment, she found she liked him. He was shrewd, and quite intelligent. But she was not prepared to answer him. “What makes you believe that was anything but an unlucky slip of the tongue?”
“Because I know Madame Celeste too well to believe she or any of her staff would be so careless with your identity.” He swirled his drink and seemed to savor the aroma for a moment. “And now you have appeared in my gambling hall, wearing a dress designed to draw attention, and tossing money on the table as though you are made of the stuff. It makes one believe you are seeking a certain amount of notoriety.”
Julia considered him again, and decided he might be a useful ally. “And if I were seeking such notice, would that be a concern for you?”
“On the contrary. I find I am both intrigued and entertained by the idea of my establishment being associated with such scandal.” He tossed back the last of his drink. “Truly, I couldn’t buy such profitable advertising as being associated with an outrageous lady.” He set his drink down and stepped closer to her, placing a hand on her waist in too intimate a manner. “Imagine the scandal we could cause if I paraded you upstairs and into my bed?”
