Chapter Eighteen

The opening night of the women’s gambling room was a success.

Ellie watched as masked ladies of wealthy noble husbands and merchants mingled, drank glasses of French champagne, ate the delectable food on a buffet table, and most importantly, wagered on the tables.

The place glittered. The familiar sounds of the crack of the dice across the tables, the spinning roulette wheel, and the shouts of winners commingled with the sights of colorful gowns and the scent of ladies’ perfume. All that was missing was the smell of men’s cigar smoke.

Ellie had told her family she would not return home until well past midnight to oversee the opening of the women’s room. Grace hadn’t been concerned. When they attended balls and parties, Ellie and Olivia did not return until near dawn.

Ellie spotted Lady Willoughby in the back of the room but did not approach. Dressed in a simple gown of pale yellow with a bodice trimmed with silk yellow roses, she stood by the buffet table. A simple yellow half mask concealed her identity. She looked young for her years, young and vulnerable.

Ellie was careful to greet her other guests. She didn’t halt by Samantha’s side until a full hour later. Lady Willoughby was by the macao table when Ellie approached and lowered her voice. “All is prepared.”

Samantha nodded, and together they made their way to an unoccupied corner. She scanned the room to ensure no one was paying them attention.

Lady Willoughby grasped a glass of champagne from a servant’s tray and took a sip. “I admit I remain uncertain. I’ll never see my family again.”

“You mean your parents?”

Samantha’s brow furrowed. “They may not sympathize with my plight, but they are still my family.”

Ellie imagined herself in the lady’s shoes. She would miss her brother as well as Olivia and Grace. She loved her mother, although she did not love the pressure the dowager had initially put on her to marry. Ellie had been relieved when her mother had left to spend time with Ellie’s aunt in Bath. “Perhaps you will see them one day.”

“It’s unlikely, isn’t it? If they learned of my deception or where I was living, they would surely tell my husband,” Lady Willoughby said.

Ellie felt another surge of anger toward Lady Willoughby’s parents. How could they not help their daughter, knowing what kind of monster she had married?

But now was not the time to talk of her family. The lady’s life depended on her grit and determination.

Everything had been prepared. A servant had discretely left a small valise by the back door of the club. Ellie knew exactly was what inside—a walking dress, undergarments, and a pair of shoes. Violet had left instructions, and Lady Willoughby had followed them and instructed her maid to pack the necessities. Anything else would have been noticed by the servants in Samantha’s household who were loyal to the baron.

“Everything will be provided for you. You are to live as a companion to a wealthy elder lady in Derbyshire.”

“I never thought I would look forward to being a companion, but the truth is I am anxious to leave.” Samantha took another sip of champagne, then met Ellie’s eyes. “But all this thinking has made me wonder.”

“About what?”

“About you. I know very little about you.”

“There is not much to know,” Ellie said.

“I disagree. You intrigue me. Why did you never marry?”

Ellie was taken aback by the question. Beneath Samantha’s inquisitive glare behind her mask, Ellie struggled not to squirm. “I never found a gentleman I loved.”

“My mother never asked me if I loved Baron Willoughby. I do not believe she cared.” Lady Willoughby’s fingers turned white where they clutched the delicate stem of the champagne glass.

Suitors had called upon her, and her mother would have been happy if Ellie had married any of them. Thankfully, Ian had protested and allowed Ellie to have a say. Her brother was truly a rarity and wanted her to marry for love.

Curiosity shone through Lady Willoughby’s eyes behind her mask. “There must be someone you fancy?”

Yes, there is. And he is outside on the casino floor.

Ellie shifted on her feet. Hugh had also deceived her in the worst way. They could have been together years ago. She could never forgive him for taking the decision away from her.

“Do not let my circumstance deter you. You can still marry for love,” Lady Willoughby said.

“Perhaps.” If only her heart wasn’t tainted by a deceiving man. “Come. It’s time to leave.”

Ellie led the way out of the women’s gambling room onto the main casino floor. It was busy, and men and women crowded around the tables. They passed the boxing room, and excited shouts sounded through the door. A fight was scheduled for tonight. It was one of the reasons Ellie had felt at ease with her plans for Lady Willoughby. Hugh would be occupied inside the boxing room increasing the profits of the club.

She hurried past and through the club’s back door. She hesitated long enough to grab the valise left there for Lady Willoughby. “Everything is going as planned.” She continued on toward the mews. It had recently rained, and the scent of horse dung was strong. Ellie wrinkled her nose but continued down the path until she spotted a waiting, dark carriage.

“She’s here.”

Samantha followed Ellie as she hurried toward the carriage. Ellie threw open the carriage door and tossed the valise on the floor. She stepped inside to find two occupants inside, and icy fear twisted around her heart.

Violet Lasher was settled on the padded bench.

And Hugh sat across from her.

…

Hugh barely held his anger in check as he glared at Ellie. He was aware of Violet Lasher and Lady Willoughby inside the carriage.

Ellie’s eyes were large in the lantern light. “What are you doing here?”

“Is that all you have to say?” he asked.

Ellie didn’t respond, rather she turned to Violet. “How did this happen?”

Violet raised a delicate shoulder. “The marquess waylaid my carriage. I could not refuse him entrance.”

The courtesan appeared unconcerned and nonplussed. As if his invasion of her carriage did not bother her one bit. Hugh would have laughed if he weren’t furious.

He’d never personally been introduced to Violet Lasher, but men spoke of her in the gentleman clubs. He’d once heard an earl claim she’d been the most skilled lover in all of England. Whether there was truth to the man’s claims or not, Hugh wasn’t interested in finding out. He had other interests in Violet Lasher.

Ellie turned back to him. “How did—”

“How did I find you? I suspected you were up to something when I spotted Lady Willoughby enter the club tonight. Instinct told me to circle the club outside, and imagine my surprise when I discovered a small valise by the back door and a fine, unmarked carriage waiting outside the mews.”

A breathless rage consumed him. Along with a paralyzing fear for Ellie. He’d considered dragging her back into the club by her red hair and sending word to her brother.

“I also knew you were up to mischief,” he said. “The women’s gambling room is plausible, but a secret bedchamber is something else entirely. I never believed your explanation that women may need to rest.”

“You should not make assumptions, my lord,” Ellie said, her voice weak.

His laughter sounded harsh to his own ears. “Assumptions? About the bedchamber or your appearance in this carriage tonight with these women?”

She swallowed hard. “Both.”

“You are correct. I need not make assumptions when my observations are damning enough. You enter the carriage of a renowned courtesan”—he glanced at Violet—“all the while dragging the wife of Baron Willoughby and her valise, which if I dump the contents on the floor of the carriage, I would not be surprised to find ladies’ clothing and unmentionables. Which leads me to believe you are helping Lady Willoughby leave her husband for a short time.”

Ellie bit her lip and twisted her hands in her lap.

Lady Willoughby began to cry. “I knew it wouldn’t work. I can never go to Derbyshire as a companion now.”

Hugh’s eyes narrowed at the lady’s admission, and his heart hammered in his ears. “You mean to smuggle her out of London? Permanently? To take up occupation as a companion?” His tone was frigid.

“We have little choice,” Violet spoke up. “If not, she will end up dead. Men such as Lord Willoughby do not change their ways.”

Silence filled the coach save for Samantha’s sobbing.

Hugh reached in his coat and handed Lady Willoughby a handkerchief. “I spoke to the baron about his temper.”

“Yes, he improved for a bit, but then he found my mask,” Samantha said, then loudly blew her nose.

“What mask?” Hugh asked.

“The one I wore to the Raven Club the first night. The baron found it, and he knew I’d lied about my whereabouts. His temper was the most volatile I’ve ever seen it. If not for Lady Ellie and Miss Lasher, I don’t know what will become of me.” She wrung his handkerchief. Another one ruined.

Lady Willoughby’s whimpering pierced his haze of anger. If the baron had found the mask, then the woman was in danger. His eyes met Ellie’s, and the desperation in her blue gaze tugged at his chest. He’d help them carry out their plans, no matter how insane they had first sounded to him.

His voice softened a bit. “Tell me your plans and I will help you.”

Ellie remained still while Violet explained everything. They were to drive outside the city and meet another coach, which would take Samantha to the country. Several changes of drivers and coaches would make it difficult to follow her.

“It’s a solid plan except for one flaw,” Hugh said.

“What?” Violet asked.

“Lady Willoughby said the baron found her mask and he knew she’d been at the Raven that night.”

“Yes,” Violet confirmed.

“Then the Raven is the first place he’ll search for his wife, and Ellie is the first person he will question. She lied to him.”

Ellie stiffened beneath his hard glare, but she refused to look away. She sat straight. “I realized this may come to pass and the baron would seek me out, my lord, but I’ll deny all knowledge of his wife’s whereabouts. I do not fear him.”

“You should.”

“I can handle—”

“From what I recall, you could not handle the man the first time,” Hugh snapped.

Ellie squirmed on the padded bench.

Good. She needed to see the danger she risked to herself.

He tore his gaze away from her and turned his attention back to the other women. “Let us complete your planned arrangements. Thereafter, I will deal with Ellie myself.”