Page 32 of The Duke of Daring (The Untouchables)
She glanced his way. “What, leave your sight? That’s absurd.”
“It isn’t. We had an agreement.”
“I was only in the next room, and I wasn’t alone.” She’d kept her voice low, but now she pitched it even softer. “Do I need to be concerned about Beaumont?”
“No.” The answer came swiftly. “Never mind. You’re doing well,” he said. “After this, we can return to Jessup’s to play whist if you’d like.”
“Actually, there’s a hell I wanted to visit further down Jermyn Street. They allow deeper play.”
He looked at her intently, and she feared he would refuse. In the end, he nodded. “You’re a judicious gambler, but then I should expect nothing less.” Was there admiration in his gaze? She wasn’t certain. Nevertheless, she appreciated his words. She had no wish to become like her father, not that she believed she would.
After two more rounds, they left. Beaumont and the others went another direction, and Charles went home.
As they walked to Jermyn Street, Lucy inquired about Charles. “Beaumont said he was asking you for money. Is that true?”
Dartford exhaled. “Yes. Unlike you, he isnota judicious gambler.”
“I see. And did you give him money?”
“No.”
She suspected he hadn’t, but hearing that she wasn’t wrong about him made her belly flutter. It was an odd, new sensation, but not at all unpleasant.
As they approached the hell, Dartford’s tone turned serious. “I see where we’re going. This is not like the other hells we’ve been to. In this instance, I will expect you not to leave my sight, and the moment I indicate we should leave, wewillleave. Those are my terms, and they are not negotiable. Do you agree?”
She trusted him. As much as she’d probably ever trust any man. “Yes. But I need to win. At least a hundred pounds.”
“I understand. We’ll leave after that, and I’ll hail a hack to take you home.”
She wasn’t certain of his intent. “Alone?”
His brow furrowed. “Of course not. I wouldn’t do that.”
No, he wouldn’t. She was stuck with him whether she liked it or not.
She liked it.
They entered the hell, and right away she noticed the difference. Not everyone was as well dressed as they were. Or as clean. There was an odor of sweat and liquor. It was louder, more raucous.
Dartford guided her toward the nearest faro table, using his body to both cut through the throng and as a shield to protect her. They both played the next hand. This game moved faster than the others in her experience. It would be easy to lose track, especially if you were drinking whiskey or gin, as so many of the men around her were doing.
As the final card was turned, the man next to her grew upset at his loss. He leaned over the table, sneering at the dealer. “I’ll come back tomorrow with my friends, and we’ll see if you cheat me again.”
A brawny footman was on him in an instant. But the angry man wasn’t small and put up a fight. He jostled into Lucy, sending her sprawling. In the process, her hat slipped from her head.
Before she could reach for it, Dartford had slammed it back onto her scalp. He hauled her to her feet, his hands coming under her arms and clasping her sides. His fingertips crushed into her breasts, but she had enough padding that it didn’t hurt. What it did do was jolt her into a very specific, very provocative awareness.
“Let’s go.” He kept one hand on her side and turned her toward the door.
She stepped away from him—it wouldn’t do for anyone to see him touching her. Plus, his touch was doing that fluttery thing to her belly again.
As soon as they were outside, Lucy tried to turn back, but he urged her down the steps. “I have winnings to collect.”
“Not enough to make going back in worth it. Things were about to erupt in there.” He kept his hand on her side. “I told you we’d leave when I said so. The situation was precarious enough as it was.”
Lucy tried to plant her feet on the bottom step. She desperately wanted to go back inside. “I need to collect my money.” Not only did she not win the hundred pounds she’d hoped, she’d laid out everything she’d won earlier in the evening and a bit more. She glowered up at him and tried to move away. “I’m at a loss as it stands.”
He looked down at her, frowning. “I said it wasn’t negotiable. I’m sorry you lost money, but you knew this was a risky endeavor from the start.” He pulled her away from the hell. “Actually, you didn’t, otherwise you never would’ve done it, especially without help.”
