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IT FELT GOOD TO BE wearing her satin again. The day clothes always felt rough on her skin. The evening gowns she wore fit her better. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Rachel felt like herself again. As she slid the black mask over the top half of her face, she let out a slow sigh of satisfaction. This was where she was meant to be.
A knock at the door startled her, and she turned to see Gerald enter. He was the last person she wanted to talk to tonight, but she couldn't order him out of a room in his own building. Instead, she steeled herself against whatever it was he might be there to say.
"Still angry with me, I see." Gerald stood by the door but didn't look hesitant about being there.
"What makes you think that?"
"I can see it in your eyes."
"I'm glad the players can't read me as well as you do. I would walk away without a penny every night. The house would go broke quickly.”
Gerald laughed. "I have the advantage of knowing you for your entire life. You don't spend that much time with someone without learning a bit about them."
"Do you regret it?" Rachel didn't know why she asked him that, but she was beginning to wonder why he was so eager for her to leave.
“Regret bringing you to live with me?" The space between his eyebrows disappeared into a deep wrinkle.
"Yes. I know you could have easily put me in a house somewhere with nannies to care for me. You didn't have to keep me so close."
"Oh, but I did." The expression on Gerald's face softened. "After losing your mother and sending you away for so long, I had to see you every day just to be sure you were safe. I kept you close because I couldn’t bare you being out of my sight."
"What about when I began to play at the tables? You could have sent me away then, and no one would fault you."
"You were enjoying it so much that I didn't want to spoil your fun. I assumed you would grow out of it as you got older."
"Only I didn't, and now you must go to drastic measures." Rachel hated how petulant she sounded when she said that.
"Marriage is hardly drastic for a woman."
"It is if I'm the woman." Rachel let out a sigh. "I never wanted to marry. I just wanted to stay here and run this place with you."
"What about when I'm gone?"
It was impossible to imagine a world without Gerald. The man was such a powerful force, it was difficult to think that one day he might not be there.
"I will run it on my own."
"You would be like a lamb in front of a den of lions."
"I'm not defenseless. You taught me how to fight."
This time it was Gerald who sighed. "I know I did, and I know I did it so you could protect yourself, but there are things in the world you won't be able to fight. The worst, most unscrupulous people are in this business, and they will find a way to take advantage."
“How do you know you can trust Lord Andrews not to take advantage?"
"You learn a lot about a man when you watch him play cards. You learn if he's honest or if he cheats. You learn how long his patience can stretch. You can even learn if he is cautious enough to trust. This man is as good as they get in his class."
Rachel had nothing against the viscount aside from his gaining control of the one place she considered home. He had never done anything in the club that she had found distasteful. He was one of the few men who was never disrespectful toward the girls or made a scene when he lost. Not that he lost very often.
"Why did you have to give him half the club?" Rachel was still trying to understand. "This is your club. You built it. Now you are going to give half of it away?"
“A man works harder when it’s his name on the line. I gave him a reason to want this."
"What about love?" Rachel was resorting to the only thing she had left.
"Do you want to wait for love?" Gerald was watching her with those eagle eyes of his, and she knew he would see if she lied.
"I would prefer if the man I married loved me."
"The man seemed taken with you the other night."
"That's not really love."
"No, but it's a step in the right direction. Give him time. No man can resist being mesmerized by the Raven."
Rachel felt the walls beginning to close in on her and knew there was no other way out. If she was going to be forced to marry a stuffy aristocrat and become one of those boring ladies who walked through the park and did nothing all day, she would need to enjoy as much of her freedom as she could now.
“I suppose there is nothing more to say, then."
Gerald came over to her, dropping a kiss on the top of her head as he had when she was a child. For a moment, her breath caught as she remembered how that small action always made her feel safe and secure.
"This will work out for the best. I know it will." Gerald said. "You just have to give it a chance. Give the man a chance."
Rachel had no intention of giving the viscount anything, but she nodded. She was in a hurry to get Gerald out of her room and get downstairs. She knew she had players waiting to lose their money to her, adding to the house coffers. That would do a great deal to lift her spirits.
The gaming rooms were full tonight and Rachel loved to hear the noise created by so many people. There was a sizzle in the air from so much tension, and it fed her need for excitement. Behind the mask, Rachel enjoyed the thrill of the games and the people paying her attention. She knew she would never find a feeling like this in a stale ballroom. This was the world she was born to live in.
"Will you be playing tonight?" asked Ned, the man who ran the main rooms for Gerald. He was a large Irishman squeezed into a narrow suit and he never smiled.
"No, I think I will just keep an eye on the playing tonight." She told him, not trusting her nerves to be good enough to win. It wasn't the cards that lost a hand, it was the player.
“As you will."
Rachel walked slowly, checking each of the players closely for any sign that they might be cheating. She had learned at a young age how to spot someone hiding cards or passing them from another player. Spotting a cheater was crucial to running a good establishment, since that was how they lost the most money. Tonight everything looked good, and the tide was flowing in favor of the house. That's what she liked to see. Her walk was interrupted by one of the servants bringing her a note. Gerald wanted her for a game in one of the private gaming rooms. Perhaps he had reconsidered and was going to let her stay here.
She stepped into the room and was surprised to find it empty and quiet. Something in the room made her nerves tingle, and she knew she was not alone. Her senses heightened as she looked into the shadows for the mysterious guest. She could see the outline of a figure in the corner but not the person's face. There was one of her father's men just outside the door if she felt like calling for help, but she wouldn't do that unless she had to.
"Why do you always wear red?"
That voice was hard to miss, and Rachel straightened up at the sound of it. She didn't answer immediately, so he stepped from the darkened side of the room and into the light. She was caught off guard by how handsome he was. He wore a dark suit, not evening clothes but close. His stubble couldn’t hide the dimples in his cheeks or the sensual appearance of his lips as he smiled at her. It gave her a strange fluttering in her stomach when she looked at him.
"The color suits me." she finally said, now that they were face to face.
"Any color would suit you. You are beautiful." He leaned back against one of the chairs at the gaming table. "I think you wear that color because it's bold and you want to be thought of as bold."
"I am bold."
Alex shrugged.
"What are you doing in here? I was told I would be playing a private game."
"You are. With me."
"It's hardly fair to play with only two people."
"No, but it might be fun."
He pulled out one of the chairs for her. She shook her head.
"Are you afraid?" he asked.
Rachel knew it was just a ploy to get her to play, but it worked. She couldn't stand the thought of being fearful, so she would have to prove him wrong. Instead of taking the seat he was holding for her, she chose to go around to the other side and sit across from him. That left him to take the chair in his hand, and he did so with a big grin on his face.
"What are the stakes?" Rachel asked. "I don't want you to gamble away any of my father's money before it’s yours.”
"I'm not interested in money for this game."
Rachel felt her pulse jump and her nerves dance. "Then what?"
"Truth. For each hand, the winner gets to ask one question that the loser must answer honestly."
"How would we know if the other was being dishonest?"
"We both know how to spot a lie."
Or they were both very good at hiding the truth. Still, Rachel didn't want to be the one to walk away because the stakes were too high.
"Agreed."
Rachel forced her body to relax as she dealt the cards for the first hand. Looking across the table, she tried to study Alex, guessing the cards he had and the ones not yet played. The way he was smiling at her over his cards gave her a warm feeling in her belly. Those green eyes of his sparkled as the two of them played, and it made it difficult to keep track of what might be in his hands. Luckily, she got the better cards and managed to win the first game.
"Your turn to ask me anything." He leaned back in his chair. "Make it a good one."
Rachel didn't have a question in mind, and trying to think of one was harder than she had imagined. She didn't want to waste it.
"When did you learn to gamble?" she finally asked.
"Boys in school find ways to keep busy. I'm pretty sure I learned hazard before I had to shave."
The dark stubble across his chin showed that he must have been very young.
"Did you always win?"
"You only won the first game, so you only get the first answer."
Frustrated Rachel dealt them another and managed to win it quickly. "Now tell me."
"I didn't always win, but I won more than I lost. I found I had a gift for winning when chance was involved."
"Luck is a ridiculous notion."
"How can you not believe in luck when you rely on it to keep this place running?"
Rachel laughed. "Luck has nothing to do with winning. This is a skill and requires discipline, not magic. It’s a matter of probability, where the cards might be."
“You count the cards. Some might call that cheating.”
“Only those not good enough at it.”
Another hand and another win. Rachel was gaining her confidence now.
"If you believe in luck, how did you lose your fortune?"
She knew it was a delicate subject when she asked, but she didn't expect his demeanor to change the way it did. He went from smiling and relaxed to frowning intensely. She started to change her mind and take it back but didn't get the chance.
"That wasn't about luck, it was a choice I made. I have to take responsibility for making the wrong choice."
Rachel didn't know all of the details about what had happened, only the bits and pieces she had overheard other people talking about. Doing business when one had a title was frowned upon, so when he was fooled, everyone found it amusing. It had become a cautionary tale. Instead of feeling sympathy for him, they blamed him for being swindled by someone outside their class. The rules of the aristocracy were often unfair and unforgiving.
"Deal again." His voice had an edge to it now. As they played, Rachel was shocked that she lost that game. Now she would have to pay him his winnings.
His face was still as she watched him thinking carefully about what he wanted to ask. The amount of time made her nervous.
"What are you afraid of?" he finally asked.
"I'm not very fond of spiders. Pesky little creatures, always sneaking up on a person and hiding in the corners."
It wasn't a lie, but she knew it wasn't the answer he was looking for. He could have called foul over it, but instead, he nodded for her to deal another hand. Her hands trembled a little as the cards slipped out one by one to play. As hard as she tried, he won again.
"Why are you afraid of me?"
Now his questions were becoming more specific.
"I'm not afraid of you." She could hear the tone of her voice rising, indicating a lie.
"You refused to marry me, even though it would benefit you."
"I have no affection for you, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid. Do you assume that all women who reject you are doing it out of fear?"
"No, but you're the only one who is this adamant about it."
"You don't scare me, you just don't excite me either."
"I would enjoy giving it a try."
The deep tone of his voice made her stomach flutter. She knew that they were beginning to move into dangerous territory with their game, yet she still continued to play. This time she won and she had her question ready.
"Why do you want to marry me?"
"I could tell you that it's because you are beautiful and you fascinate me, both of which are true but that wouldn't be the most pressing reason." Alex focused his gaze on her. "I need the money that your father is offering to assume my place in society again and to allow my sister her debut. I want to give her the life she deserves, that she would have had if I hadn't made a mistake."
If he had said that he wanted the money for himself, Rachel could have hated him for it, but she felt sympathy for his sister. She knew how difficult it was for a woman who had no money and no means to earn it. That didn't mean she had changed her mind about the marriage.
"One final game." she said.
They had spent enough time together, and she was worried it was becoming too intimate. The cards did not fall in her favor and she lost to him. That meant that the final question would be his.
"What do you want most in the world?" he asked, those devilish green eyes glittering in the firelight.
“To run this club one day." Rachel answered honestly before she could stop herself.
"What would you be willing to do for that? Would you be willing to place a wager for it?"
"What are the stakes?"
"My half of the club against your heart."
"I can't gamble with something I don't have."
The corners of his eyes crinkled with amusement. "I will be the judge of that. Rules are simple. First one to say I love you loses."
"You plan to make me fall in love with you?" She laughed out loud.
"I will pursue you ardently. I'm a man who likes to win, but if I fall victim to your charms first..."
Rachel thought about that for a moment. She had never fancied any of the men who came into the club, no matter how handsome or rich. To her they were all just customers cut from the same boring cloth. While Alex was anything but boring, she couldn't imagine falling in love now. Not when the club was at stake.
"What are the terms?" There must be a catch hidden somewhere.
"Only that you agree to marry me."
That made a loud gasp escape her. He quickly continued talking.
"You must marry me so I can pay off my debts, but then half the club is mine to do with as I please. That means I can wager it without your father's say."
Being married meant living together, eating together, and ...
"You plan to seduce me."
"Not if you seduce me first. We are both playing the same game and I believe women often have the advantage."
He probably thought that Rachel was one of those fools who believed a man's heart lay in his trousers, but she wasn't. She knew that what was done behind bedroom doors had little to do with what went on outside of them. She would not let her guard down around him.
"Anything goes?" She laid the cards down on the table and leaned toward him. "We can do anything to win?"
"Short of murder."
Fighting her father on this issue would be impossible, but at least this way she had a chance to get her hands on the club. If she won this ridiculous wager, she could return here to live and work without needing her father's permission. It would be half hers. Confident that she had nothing to fear about losing, she extended her hand to him.
His hand wrapped around hers, and she noticed how warm his skin felt when neither of them wore gloves. He pulled her forward and placed a kiss against the back of her wrist. Not a quick peck, as a proper gentleman would do, but slow as a lover. She even felt the heat of his breath across her skin, making her tremble. A warning sounded in the back of her mind but it was too late now. The wager had been made.