Page 54 of A Marriage for the Marquess

Lady Giles welcomed them with an unaffected warmth. “It’s our pleasure, Lady Rosefield. We’re always delighted to have new company.” Her smile was a beacon of genuine friendship.

As they entered the parlor, the expected sounds of shuffling cards and hushed wagers were conspicuously absent. Instead, a small gathering of guests mingled quietly.

Juliet’s pulse quickened with disappointment. “I thought there was to be a game tonight,” she whispered to Duncan, who had accompanied them as a silent guardian.

Duncan’s sharp and assessing eyes scanned the room, taking in the scene. “It seems plans have changed,” he murmured back.

Juliet excused herself with a polite nod to Aunt Geraldine and made her way to the card room. As she moved through the crowd, the mingled scents of perfumes and fresh flowers enveloped her. Suddenly, a sharp aroma cut through the sweetness—a peculiar blend of lemon’s crispness entwined with the smoky undertone of extinguished embers. She paused, the unfamiliar scent sending a faint chill down her spine, though she couldn’t quite place why.

Reaching the card room, the door opened to reveal a room shrouded in shadows, save for the flicker of a lone sconce.

Juliet’s eyes swept across the room, landing on the card table in the center of the room. It stood abandoned, an island of green baize in a sea of uncertainty.

“Seems we’re too late,” Geraldine murmured, disappointment filling her words.

“Not necessarily,” Juliet replied, her gaze fixed on the table. Her fingers searched under the table for any sign of trickery, but the smooth underside offered no secrets. The green baize of the table was unremarkable, untouched by hidden devices or marks. She moved from chair to chair, her eyes sharp, her mind racing to uncover the slightest clue.

Juliet sank into the chair that faced the door. She had been so certain she would see how he ensnared his victims, but her efforts were all in vain. Ready to claim defeat, a flicker of the candle caught her attention. The mirror behind the sconce revealed the back of a chair and the table in front of it. She went to the door and motioned to Duncan.

He slipped into the room with her.

“Sit here, please.” She showed him to the Viper’s chair, and then she sat in the chair in front of the candle, took her calling card out, and held it as if it were a playing card.

“Look at the mirror behind the candle and tell me what you see.”

She followed Duncan’s gaze as he glanced at the candle, but when he focused on the mirror, he nearly jumped out of his seat. She rose and lit each candle then sat in the seat in front of each one. Duncan nodded. He could see her calling card in the mirror.

“I found it—a subtle vantage point from each seat, a cheater’s paradise.”

Juliet’s fingers trailed along the edge and brushed against a small, uneven section. Her curiosity piqued, she pressed gently, and a hidden drawer popped open with a soft click.

Inside lay a stack of papers. Juliet’s heart quickened as she scanned the records, recognizing the handwriting that had doctored the figures—it wasn’t Sebastian’s.

Duncan leaned over her shoulder, his eyes narrowing. His keen eye for detail caught the irregularity as he sifted through the papers. “Look here,” he said, his finger tracing a column of numbers. “The sums don’t add up. These tallies are off—someone’s been altering the records to skew the winnings and losses.” He straightened up. “But by whom?”

Juliet gathered the papers and folded them carefully. “Someone has been manipulating the outcomes, and it’s not just Sebastian we’re dealing with.”

With a triumphant yet silent cheer, Juliet extinguished the candles and, along with Duncan, slipped from the room, her discovery a precious secret.

“I’ve seen enough,” she whispered to Aunt Geraldine. “We can leave now.”

As they prepared to leave, Lady Ashfield approached. “I agree with you. Without the card game, there really isn’t anyreason to be here. It was a disappointment. Lord Aurington has made a swift recovery and is hosting a gala as well as a private game this Monday. Will you be there?”

“Perhaps.” She felt a jolt when she realized Monday was Ewan’s birthday. Juliet exchanged a glance with Duncan, but he remained unmoved and stoic. “It was good seeing you again, Lady Ashfield.” The small party made their way to their waiting carriage.

As they left The Gilded Lily, the records tucked safely in Juliet’s reticule, the night air felt charged with possibility. The game had changed, and with it, the rules. Now, they were playing for higher stakes than ever before.

*

They walked upthe steps to Fairmont Hall. “Good evening,” Wilcox greeted them as they entered and directed them to the drawing room. Two messages sat in the silver salver, one for Lady Rosefield and one for Lady Glenraven. Juliet’s hands trembled as she opened her invitation, her anger rising like a crescendo with each word she read.

“It seems we’ve been invited to your husband’s parents for a gala,” Aunt Geraldine’s tone was icy with disapproval.

“Yes, and I’ve been extended an additional invitation to a private card game.” She went up to Duncan, her eyes blazing.

“You promised you wouldn’t tell Ewan what we planned. ‘My word is my pledge,’ you told me.” She brandished the invitation like a weapon before she tossed it on the table.

“I told him nothing,” Duncan’s defense was swift and firm. “Other than I had seen you and that I knew where you were. Nothing more.”

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