by Lucy Adams
Dinah nodded. “It is,” she said, seeing Lord Whitehaven drop his head but feeling no concern within her heart that she was somehow doing wrong. “What say you, Lord Irving?”
Lord Irving bit his lip, tipped his head, and then slowly began to smile. It was not a smile of warmth but one of dark malevolence, as though he had only just thought of something so truly awful that he could not help but laugh inwardly over it.
“It is enough, yes,” he replied, handing Dinah back the letter from her solicitors, declaring just how much money she had waiting for her. “But it is not, as you state, present with you this evening.”
Dinah flushed red, her palms curling into fists. “You know very well that I–”
“Then might I suggest that you and I play a little game?” Lord Irving continued, interrupting her. “As you know, I am a gentleman who enjoys a good many pleasures, and one is that I much prefer to have a little wager over matters such as this.” He grinned at her, his eyes sparkling now with a grim delight that left Dinah with no question over what he intended. “It is an accepted practice, is it not? Although I must question whether someone such as you should ever understand the rules of such a vice!”
Dinah lifted her chin and looked back at him steadily. She had suspected that Lord Irving would try something such as this and, having suspected it, she and Titania had played multiple games of ‘Faro’ until Dinah not only understood the rules but knew precisely what she had to do in order to try and win.
Although to play against someone such as Lord Irving would be quite a different matter.
“You scoundrel!” Lord Whitehaven cried, his voice rebounding off the walls as he managed to step away from the chair that had supported him and began to walk near to Dinah and Lord Irving. “You blaggard! You dare to suggest that Miss Shepherd, a young lady of propriety, should gamble with the money she has come to offer you?” He turned to the rest of the gentlemen, who were now all watching the unfolding scene with wide eyes, utterly agog. “He would ask this young lady to place all that she has in this world upon the betting table, when she has come here in good faith, offering it to him as it is in order to pay a debt that he has already tripled!” Seeing the shaking of the gentlemen’s heads and hearing the low-voiced murmurs, Dinah looked into Whitehaven’s eyes and saw the anger there also. Would Lord Irving buckle under the strain and the pressure brought to bear by those around him? Would the other gentlemen refuse to allow him to do such a thing?
“Miss Shepherd has offered you everything, Irving,” Lord Whitehaven grated, his eyes flashing with rage. “It is more than I deserve, yet she does it out of the love in her heart for me. Now take it and do not demand more. There is nothing else here for you.”
Lord Irving said nothing for some minutes. The air grew thick about Dinah as she looked up at the gentleman, refusing to drop her gaze and to let him see that she was, in fact, very nervous about what was to occur next. Should Lord Irving insist that they play, then Dinah knew she would have no other choice than to do so – although her chances of winning were rather low. Perhaps now, he would be inclined simply to accept what she had offered, given that so many gentlemen were clearly against his plans.
“No.”
Her heart sank to the floor, but she did not move an inch.
“No, we will play,” Lord Irving stated firmly, much to the dismay of almost everyone else present. “And the lady shall choose the game.” He gave a long, ornate bow, his eyes glinting with steel as he lifted his head. “And should you win, Miss Shepherd, then you can be assured that the money you offer shall remain yours and the debt I have called over Lord Whitehaven’s head will be let free. It shall no longer remain. Thereafter, I shall also retire from London for the rest of the Season.”
Her heart beating furiously, Dinah tried her best to keep her voice steady as she spoke. “And if I should lose?”
Again, he grinned at her, that dark smile frightening her more than she wanted to admit.
“Then I shall be the victor,” he replied quietly. “And I shall have your payment and your hand in marriage, Miss Shepherd.”
“No!” Lord Whitehaven cried, grasping Dinah’s hand and making to tug her away from Lord Irving. “No, indeed, Dinah, this is not worth the struggle! I am not worth it. Please, my love, stay away from this.” His eyes begged her to listen, his fear growing starkly in his expression. “Stay far from him. I would not lose you, my love.”
Dinah swallowed hard but looked directly back into Lord Whitehaven’s face and felt a sudden reassurance fill her. It brought with it a kind of peace to her soul, as though she knew that this was what she was to do. The path, as her mother had said, was beginning to reveal itself once again.
“I shall do as Lord Irving demands,” she murmured, reaching up one hand and brushing it along Lord Whitehaven’s cheek, seeing how he winced and feeling her heart ache for him. “And I shall do it in the confidence that God is with me and that, with His power, I can face even the tallest and strongest of giants.”
Lord Whitehaven seemed to crumple in front of her, his eyes squeezing shut tightly as he caught her hand and pressed it to his heart.
“Yes, Lord Irving, I accept your challenge,” Dinah replied, turning her head back and looking to Lord Irving.
He chuckled darkly and lifted one eyebrow. “Very good. And what shall the game be, Miss Shepherd?”
Glancing at Titania and seeing her nod, Dinah let out a long breath. “Faro,” she said firmly. “The game shall be faro.”
“Very good,” Lord Irving cheered. “Come then, let us sit down, Miss Shepherd, so that our game can begin!”
Chapter Thirteen
Grayson had taken the beating without any attempt to defend himself. A punch to his stomach had forced him to double over, only for something hard to hit him across the side of the head. As he had lain there, trying to recover himself, a sharp boot had bit into his stomach whilst another had kicked him hard in the back – and Grayson had lost himself to unconsciousness.
Now, however, he was fully awake although it felt as though he had woken up in a dream. Dinah was sitting opposite Lord Irving at a small square table with the felt layout ready and prepared for them, with another gentleman being ushered over to play the part of dealer. His heart was in his throat as he drew near to them, aching with fright and agony over what might occur next.
To lose her, to have her forced to marry Lord Irving, was a fate that Grayson could not even bear to consider. And yet, she had done so willingly, had entered into an agreement with Lord Irving that would, somehow, save him from his debts should she manage to win. If she lost, then the debt would be gone from him too, for Lord Irving would take Dinah’s money as forfeit – along with her hand in marriage. Grayson could not even think of what such a marriage would be like, fearing that Dinah would become a shadow of what she was at present, for Lord Irving would not treat her with any consideration nor kindness.
“Have courage,” Titania whispered, coming closer to him and wrapping one arm about his waist. “She has just as good a chance as any other to win.”
Grayson shook his head. “It may be a game of chance, but there is still some skill involved.”
“And she and I did nothing but play Faro in between her overhearing your conversation with Lord Irving and our departure to this place,” Titania told him, surprising him somewhat. “Besides which, we have also agreed upon a small system that may aid her still further.” A slightly guilty look came into her eyes as she glanced up at Grayson, making his brows furrow low.
“What is it that you have agreed upon, Titania?” he asked, as the gentlemen gathered around Dinah and Lord Irving. “What is it? Tell me, so that I might be of aid also?” He had promised Dinah never to gamble again, but he would not consider this situation to be one where he would have to keep such a vow. “I want to do all I can to help her.”
Titania lifted one shoulder. “It is a mere suggestion of what she ought to wager,” she explained. “If I have one finger
showing, then that should be a Flat bet.” She pressed her hand to her heart with only one finger extended – something that everyone else would miss given that their attention would be on the table. “Two fingers are a Split. Three mean the High Card bet. Four, the Odd or Even bet, and a full hand means a Turn.” She shrugged. “I cannot tell whether or not such a thing will make any difference, but it does mean that she is not there alone, struggling over what she ought to do next.” A slight flush came to Titania’s cheeks. “Although there is a little cheating involved, I will admit.”
“No more than Lord Irving himself has shown already,” Grayson grated, feeling a small hope begin to flicker in his chest. This was a way for him to support, to help Dinah when he was unable to do anything else.
“You will aid her then?” Titania asked softly, as Lord Irving gestured for the dealer to begin. “What is your usual strategy?”
Grayson bit his lip before answering, ignoring the thundering pain in his head. “I would suggest to make only two types of bets. Flat bets when there are only two cards of a given rank left in the deck, given the probability.” He shrugged. “Case bets when there is a disadvantage to the dealer.” He narrowed his eyes as the dealer was handed a small, spring box, where the deck of cards was placed. “Although we must make certain that Lord Irving himself has not decided that he himself will also attempt to win by any means necessary.”
Titania’s eyes flared but her mouth pulled tight. “Indeed, I had not thought of such a thing, although I ought to have done,” she replied, linking arms with him so that they might walk across together. “What shall you do?”
He swallowed hard, feeling the urge to help Dinah in every way he could but still wanting to keep a sharp eye on the dealer and on Lord Irving. “You do as you have agreed with Dinah,” he told his sister, seeing her nod. “If I disagree with you then I shall make that known. However, if everything is as it ought to be, then I shall simply continue to watch the dealer and Lord Irving.” He kept his gaze trained on the small box and the dealer’s hands as they drew near the table. “Faro may be a game of chance, but there is still opportunity to cheat.”
Pushing their way through what was now a tightly packed crowd, Grayson and Titania managed to come to the edge of the table to Dinah’s left, with the dealer facing them. Looking down at Dinah, Grayson’s heart began to pound with a hint of fear and a good deal of longing. She was beautiful still, even though her face was a good deal paler than before and her anxiety more than a little apparent. Her hands were shaking just a little as she held Lord Irving’s gaze, although her determination remained more than apparent. Grayson did not think that he had ever seen her more wonderful than she was at this given moment. Her quiet strength astonished him, captured his heart more than ever before. What she had done for him, what she had been willing to give up…it was more than he ever felt he deserved. And yet, she had done so without hesitation, coming here and standing before all of the gentlemen within with the determination to save him from the punishment that would have come by Lord Irving’s hands.
“Are you quite certain of this, Miss Shepherd?” Lord Irving asked, as he gazed, mockingly, at Dinah, his lip curling into a sneer. “You have one last opportunity to turn away from it, my dear. I offer it to you now.”
Dinah merely smiled, although her eyes remained cold.
Lord Irving shrugged, laughing softly. “Very well,” he answered, spreading his hand out towards the dealer. “Then let us begin.”
Grayson’s heart began to pound furiously as the game began in earnest. He did not want to distract Dinah but could not take his eyes from her. Much to his surprise, she did not even glance towards Titania, not for a single moment. The bets were cast and the game began in earnest, with Dinah’s chin lifted and a fierce determination in her eyes as she continued to play against the one gentleman who had both her own fate and that of Grayson in his hand.
“She is doing this alone,” he muttered, as Titania drew near. “She is not looking to you.”
Titania shook her head, grimly. “No, she is not,” she agreed. “Mayhap she has decided that she must play with every ounce of honesty she possesses. You know as well as I that her heart is always seeking to do what is right, Whitehaven. Perhaps that extends even to this.”
He wanted to groan aloud as Dinah lost yet another bet. She did not look broken nor distraught, however, but rather continued the game with poise and quietness, not giving any appearance of anxiety.
“She is not winning, however,” he muttered, as Lord Irving chuckled aloud. “What are we to do, Titania?”
Titania swallowed and looked away, glancing around the crowd. “I do not know,” she replied, sounding a little hopeless. “If only she would look up, we might be able to help her in some way.”
Grayson nodded jerkily, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of the dealer throwing a quick glance towards Lord Irving. Lord Irving gave the tiniest of nods, which Grayson would not have seen unless he had been watching the gentleman closely. Seeing it, however, his breath caught in his chest. Lord Irving was the one cheating it seemed, although he could not be quite certain as to how the fellow was doing it. One look towards the dealer and the box sent a flurry of suspicion into Grayson’s heart. The dealer, mayhap, was working with Lord Irving to ensure that he won. The dealer’s box could easily be manipulated. Grayson had seen it happen before – not that he himself had ever engaged in such a thing himself. The dealer’s box might discreetly reveal what cards were soon to be coming up so that any bets that would allow Dinah to win could be discarded without either she or Lord Irving seeing. The dealer would be good with his hands and well-practiced in working the cards. It would be easy to ensure that any card with a winning bet from Dinah was hidden back amongst the back, were the dealer box made in such a way to allow him to do so.
“Wait,” he hissed, seeing that, as yet, Dinah had not won a single bet. “I think there is more to this game than meets the eye. Watch.” He held his gaze over the dealer again, whispering to Titania to do the very same, which she did without question. Minutes passed as another round of betting took place and still, nothing untoward occurred. Titania whispered something, which Grayson ignored, making it quite plain that she was still to watch the dealer closely.
And then, it happened. The dealer threw another glance towards Lord Irving and the gentleman merely smiled, perhaps in confirmation that the dealer was doing precisely what he had asked for.
Beside him, Titania gasped.
“You must say something,” she hissed, as Dinah lost yet another bet. “He is a scoundrel and–”
“If I may.”
Grayson waved one hand high in the air, catching everyone’s attention as he did so. Lord Irving narrowed his eyes at once, the smile fading from his lips as he looked back at Grayson.
“What is it, Whitehaven?” he asked, sounding entirely bored. “You may speak when the game is at an end, if you wish, which I do not think will take long.” He chuckled darkly, throwing a hard look towards Dinah who remained utterly silent, her eyes flickering between Titania and Grayson.
“I have a question,” Grayson continued, feeling his heart begin to beat a little faster as the moment grew near. There was still a chance that he was wrong about this, that there was nothing wrong with the dealer box or with the dealer himself. If he was mistaken, then all he would be doing would be calling out Lord Irving’s behavior as ungentlemanly and suggesting he was nothing more than a cheat which might, if proven wrong, bring about even more consequences. But he could not wait. He had to risk this and trust that he was right about it all. “I have a question about the dealer that you have chosen, Lord Irving.”
Lord Irving snorted. “I did not choose him, Lord Whitehaven. He merely came forward.”
“That may be so,” Grayson retorted, as each and every gentleman turned to look at him. “But I have little doubt that you and he already have an understanding. Most likely, you use him whenever you wish to win a game of Faro or some
other such game, Lord Irving.”
Lord Irving’s face began to go red, his lips thinning all the more and one hand curled into a fist which was then thumped hard on the table.
“You are accusing me of–”
“If you might take the dealer’s box, Lord Thorngood,” Grayson continued, interrupting Lord Irving without hesitation. “If I am wrong, then I shall admit it here and now and shall take every consequence that comes thereafter. However, if I am correct, Lord Thorngood, then the dealer’s box shall be somewhat unusual.” He gave the gentleman a firm nod, praying that the fellow was not too inebriated to do as Grayson asked. Thankfully, the man did as was requested and picked up the box, as the dealer sat back in his chair, a murmur of protest on his lips.
The room went still. Grayson locked eyes with Dinah, seeing the hope in her eyes and fearing that searing disappointment would soon fill them if he was mistaken. He did not look anywhere but her face, telling himself that he was correct, telling himself that he had done the right thing. Beside him, Titania held onto his arm, her fingers digging through his shirt sleeve and almost bruising his skin such was the intensity of her grip. His breath refused to leave his lungs, the blood roaring in his ears as he waited for Lord Thorngood to make his decision.
“This box has been tampered with!”
The cry of Lord Thorngood sent the room into uproar. Grayson closed his eyes, swaying just a little as relief poured into his heart. He had been right. The dealer and Lord Irving had been working together. Lord Irving was clearly determined to win by any means necessary and would not simply give up his chance to have both Dinah and a good deal of money by playing a game of chance. He had needed to win and had done the only thing he could. He had cheated.
