Page 28 of Beyond Scandal and Desire
Kipwick’s mouth went dry. With what others had added to the pot, he’d win well over a thousand quid. Three jacks were sure to beat whatever Trewlove held. There was no risk in this. Aslyn would not be associating with those beneath her. While he would leave here with bulging pockets. “I accept the terms.”
“You first.”
Fighting not to gloat, he turned over his three jacks. “I’d like to see you beat that.”
“I’d have thought you’d have preferred for me to lose.” He tossed down his cards, face up, and Kipwick found himself staring into the eyes of three kings. Odd how he felt as though they were mocking him.
Trewlove began gathering up his chips. “I shall see you and Lady Aslyn Tuesday next.”
“Are you done here?”
“I am.”
Sitting back, he wasn’t at all happy with the suspicion taking hold. “Your entire purpose in sitting down here was to get Aslyn to your ball.” He didn’t bother to hide his irritation.
“Your presence will add to the affair’s prestige.”
He liked thathispresence was included but still he was bothered. “I heard you took her on a stroll through the park.”
“ ‘Took her’ implies I was responsible for our being there. It was a chance encounter. Nothing untoward occurred.”
“So she claimed.”
“Did you not believe her?”
“Of course I did. She hasn’t a deceptive bone in her body.” He wasn’t certain the same could be said of Trewlove. “She will make me an excellent wife.” He felt compelled to remind the man that she was claimed.
“I’ve no doubt. I’ll let Fancy know she’ll be attending the ball. It’ll please her immensely.”
It was with a bit of regret that he watched Trewlove walk off with his winnings. He sighed. He should have quit while he was ahead. Studying the tokens that rested before him, he knew he should gather them up and leave as well, but with a bit of luck and a few more hands, he could regain what he’d lost. Without much care, he tossed a token onto the center of the table and waited for the cards to be dealt.
Three hands in, each one a loss, Aiden Trewlove approached, leaned in and whispered, “I know about the wager you made with my brother. If you don’t pay him what is owed, you’ll find these doors locked to you.”
“I don’t need a threat. My word is binding.”
“Considering you’ve yet to make good on any of your markers, I wasn’t certain.”
“You need not worry. I will pay you what I owe.”
“I’m in no hurry, but the interest will be steep, my lord, steeper than I suspect you imagine.”
“I’m good for it.”
Aiden Trewlove clapped him on the back and laughed. “Glad to hear it, as I believe we could have a most profitable friendship.”
As the man walked off, Kipwick acknowledged it wasn’t the sort of profits that Aiden could provide that interested him. It was the profits that being closer to Mick Trewlove could gain him that held his attention. If he played his cards right, untold fortune rested on his horizon.
Chapter 8
“I can’t remember the last time we went to the theater,” Aslyn said, as the well-sprung carriage clattered through the streets carrying her and Kip toward their destination. Since their betrothal, his visits had been rare, which had only served to cause her to question her wisdom in consenting so quickly. Not that she could have imagined herself saying no, but perhaps if she’d paused a bit longer, if she’d forced him to work a little more diligently for her agreement, he’d be paying her more attention.
Sitting across from her, even though he could now sit beside her since they had an understanding, decked out in his finery, his top hat and cane resting in his lap, he cleared his throat, glanced out the window, returned his gaze to her. “Actually we’re not going to the theater.”
“But you invited me. You told your parents—”
“Yes, well, because I knew they wouldn’t approve of this excursion.”
Her heart gave a little kick against her ribs. It wasn’t terribly late, just after eight, but still his words gave her hope for some excitement. “Are we on the verge of doing something we ought not?”
