Page 22 of Her Seven Nights with the Duke

“There is one venture I am yet to invest in, if any of you is willing,” Samuel said.

“What is it, Your Grace?” Lord Silvermere asked enthusiastically.

“Arts and collectibles. I admit I have always had a fascination for those, and it certainly helps that there is money to be made there.”

“How splendid, Your Grace. Thank you for your suggestion.”

Samuel nodded. He did not think the man risk-tolerant. Lord Silvermere had a weak heart when it came to money. But Samuel had no place for weakness in business.

“I have a business proposition,” Lord Malachi piped up.

Everyone turned to look at him as he rifled through his case.

“I am into the jewelry business. I have been importing pieces of jewelry made of solid gold from the finest artisans in all of France. Have a look at this. It is all the rave in France, and soon, it will be the same here. Anyone who joins me will make a lot of money from it.”

The men looked at the pieces of jewelry he placed on the table. Samuel could see they were interested. Gold had a good market value and would make whoever invested in it a lot of money.

Samuel reached for a piece, and he was handed a necklace. It was beautiful. Would have made the perfect gift for a lady if it was real. His mind flashed to Lady Nora, but he put her out of his mind, focusing only on the topic at hand.

He observed the necklace closely. It was a perfect replica, almost good enough to pass for the real thing. Samuel, however, had been involved in the gold business for as long as he could remember and could spot a fake from a mile away. He could see the coating.

He took out his handkerchief and dipped it in his drink, then rubbed it against the center of the necklace. The men watched as the gold coating slowly dissolved, leaving a metal center behind.

Samuel flung the necklace on the table, looking at the men, whose mouths were hanging open as they stared at it. Lord Malachi’s face had turned an ugly shade of puce as he stared from the necklace to the Duke.

“You have been swindled, Lord Malachi. I suspect you already knew about it but wished to sell it to the others so you can recover the loss you have accrued. You will not swindle anyone here,” Samuel said coldly.

“There are reasons why you should never rush into a venture. Men like Lord Malachi go in without proper research or the righttype of help and lose everything they have to swindlers. Do not play a fool’s game,” he said with no regard to Lord Malachi, who stood there, blustering and red in the face.

Lord Malachi picked up the necklaces and shoved them into his case before promptly exiting the club, his face as white as a sheet.

“It’s a good thing you knew, Your Grace. Otherwise, we would have ended up as victims,” Lord Silvermere said, staring at the Duke with newfound respect.

“Yes, Your Grace. We certainly hope you will be gracing us with your presence more often.”

Samuel nodded silently as Benedict, who had watched on in silence, shook his head, knowing that it was only a matter of time before he couldn’t take their praises anymore and would have to leave.

“There are many other ventures you can invest in that guarantee constant profits. Consider boxing rings, for example. I suggest you look into it if you have the heart for that.”

He stood up before anyone could ask him more questions. “If you will excuse me, there are other matters I need to attend to.”

Samuel walked out to shouts of thanks behind him. It had been such an exhausting task to sit here with them, considering he would much rather be on his own. However, he was glad tohave helped. He simply would not be making this a regular occurrence.

Samuel leaned his head against the back of his seat as he headed home. Now that he was done with the business with the men, there was only one thought in his mind.

His new mistress, Lady Nora.

He wanted to see her again. He had wished to send a letter to her immediately after she left. However, he had rules, and he intended to keep to them, or else this would not work.

Samuel went straight to his study the minute he arrived home.

Meet me at the Park by midnight.

S.G.

Samuel smiled as he sent for a servant to deliver the letter to Lady Nora. He wished he could see her face as she read the letter and realized that they would not be meeting at his home, after all.

He sat back in his chair. This was going to be good.

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