A Dangerous Fortune (1994)

by Ken Follett

  "High card gets the bank?" he said, forcing himself to sound indifferent as to whether they said yes or no.

  There was a murmur of assent.

  Holding the pack firmly, he slid the top card back a fraction of an inch and began to deal fast, keeping the top card back and always dealing the second until he came to himself, when at last he dealt the ace. They all turned over their cards. Micky's was the only ace, so he was banker.

  He managed a casual smile. "I think I'm going to be lucky tonight," he said.

  No one commented.

  He relaxed a little.

  Concealing his relief, he dealt the first hand.

  Tonio was playing on his left, with Edward and Viscount Montagne. On his right were Solly and Captain Carter. Micky did not want to win: that was not his purpose tonight. He just wanted Tonio to lose.

  He played fair for a while, losing a little of Augusta's money. The others relaxed and ordered another round of drinks. When the time was right, Micky lit a cigar.

  In the inside pocket of his dress coat, next to his cigar case, was another deck of cards--bought at the stationer's in St. James's Street where the club's playing cards came from, so that they would match.

  He had arranged the extra deck in winning pairs, all giving a total of nine, the highest score: four and five, nine and ten, nine and jack, and so on. The surplus cards, all tens and court cards, he had left at home.

  Returning his cigar case to his pocket, he palmed the extra deck; then, picking up the pack from the table with his other hand, he slid the new cards to the bottom of the old pack. While the others mixed their brandy and water he shuffled, carefully bringing to the top of the pack, in order, one card from the bottom, two cards at random, another from the bottom, and another two at random. Then, dealing first to his left, then to his right, then to himself, he gave himself the winning pair.

  Next time around he gave Solly's side a winning hand. For a while he continued the same way, making Tonio lose and Solly win. The money he won from Tonio's side was thus paid out to Solly's side, and no suspicion attached to Micky, for the pile of sovereigns in front of him remained about the same.

  Tonio had started by putting on the table most of the money he had won at the races--about a hundred pounds. When it was down to about fifty, he stood up and said: "This side is unlucky--I'm going to sit by Solly." He moved to the other side of the table.

  That won't help you, Micky thought. It was no more difficult to make the left side win and the right side lose from now on. But it made him nervous to hear Tonio talk about bad luck. He wanted Tonio to go on thinking he was lucky today, even while he was losing money.

  Occasionally Tonio would vary his style by betting five or ten sovereigns on a hand instead of two or three. When this happened, Micky dealt him a winning hand. Tonio would rake in his winnings and say gleefully: "I'm lucky today, I'm sure of it!" even though his pile of coins was steadily getting smaller.

  Micky was feeling more relaxed now. He studied his victim's mental state while he smoothly manipulated the cards. It was not enough that Tonio should be cleaned out. Micky wanted him to play with money he didn't have, to gamble oh borrowed money and be unable to repay his debts. Only then would he be thoroughly disgraced.

  Micky waited with trepidation while Tonio lost more and more. Tonio was awestruck by Micky and would generally do whatever Micky suggested, but he was not a complete fool and there was still a chance he might have the sense to draw back from the brink of ruin.

  When Tonio's money was almost gone Micky made his next move. He took out his cigar case again. "These are from home, Tonio," he said. "Try one." To his relief, Tonio accepted. The cigars were long and would take a good half-hour to smoke. Tonio would not want to leave before finishing his cigar.

  When they had lit up Micky moved in for the kill.

  A couple of hands later Tonio was broke. "Well, that's everything I won at Goodwood this afternoon," he said despondently.

  "We ought to give you a chance to win it back," Micky said. "Pilaster will lend you a hundred pounds, I'm sure."

  Edward looked a little startled, but it would have seemed ungenerous to refuse when he had such a big pile of winnings in front of him, and he said: "By all means."

  Solly intervened. "Perhaps you should retire, Silva, and be grateful that you've had a great day's gambling at no cost."

  Micky silently cursed Solly for being a good-natured nuisance. If Tonio did the sensible thing now the whole scheme was ruined.

  Tonio hesitated.

  Micky held his breath.

  But it was not in Tonio's nature to gamble prudently, and as Micky had calculated, he could not resist the temptation to carry on. "All right," he said. "I might as well play on until I finish my cigar."

  Micky let out a discreet sigh of relief.

  Tonio beckoned to a waiter and ordered pen, paper and ink. Edward counted out a hundred sovereigns and Tonio scribbled an IOU. Micky knew that if Tonio lost all that he could never repay the debt.

  The game went on. Micky found himself sweating a little as he held the delicate balance, ensuring that Tonio lost steadily, with the occasional big win to keep him optimistic. But this time when he was down to fifty pounds he said: "I only win when I gamble high. I'm putting the lot on this next hand."

  It was a big bet even for the Cowes Club. If Tonio lost he was finished. One or two club members saw the size of the stake and stood near the table to watch the play.

  Micky dealt the cards.

  He looked at Edward, on the left, who shook his head to indicate that he did not want another card.

  On the right, Solly did the same.

  Micky turned over his own cards. He had given himself an eight and an ace, making nine.

  Edward turned over the hand on the left. Micky did not know what the cards were: he knew in advance what he himself was going to get, but he dealt the others at random. Edward had a five and a two, making seven. He and Captain Carter had lost their money.

  Solly turned over his hand, the cards on which Tonio had staked his future.

  He had a nine and a ten. That made nineteen, which counted as nine. This equaled the bank's score, so there was no winner or loser, and Tonio got to keep his fifty pounds.

  Micky cursed under his breath.

  He wanted Tonio to leave those fifty sovereigns on the table now. He gathered up the cards quickly. With a mocking note into his voice he said: "Going to reduce your stake, Silva?"

  "Certainly not," said Tonio. "Deal the cards."

  Micky thanked his stars and dealt, giving himself another winning hand.

  This time Edward tapped his cards, indicating that he wanted a third. Micky dealt him a four of clubs and turned to Solly. Solly passed.

  Micky turned over his cards and showed a five and a four. Edward had a four showing, and turned over a worthless king and another four, making eight. His side had lost.

  Solly turned up a two and a four, making six. The right side had also lost to the banker.

  And Tonio was ruined.

  He turned pale and looked ill, and muttered something that Micky recognized as a Spanish curse.

  Micky suppressed a smile of triumph and raked in his winnings--then he saw something that took his breath away and stopped his heart with dread.

  There were four fours of clubs on the table.

  They were supposed to be playing with three decks of cards. Anyone who noticed the four identical fours would immediately know that extra cards had somehow been added to the pack.

  It was a hazard of this particular method of cheating, and the chances of its happening were roughly one in a hundred thousand.

  If the anomaly were seen, it would be Micky, not Tonio, who was ruined.

  So far no one had spotted it. Suits had no significance in this game, so the irregularity was not glaring. Micky picked up the cards swiftly, his heart beating hard. He was just thanking his stars that he had got away with it when Edward said: "Hang on--there were fo
ur fours of clubs on the table."

  Micky cursed him for a blundering elephant. Edward was just thinking aloud. Of course he had no idea of Micky's scheme.

  "Couldn't be," said Viscount Montagne. "We're playing with three decks of cards, so there are only three fours of clubs."

  "Exactly," said Edward.

  Micky puffed on his cigar. "You're drunk, Pilaster. One of them was a four of spades."

  "Oh, sorry."

  Viscount Montagne said: "At this time of night, who can tell the difference between spades and clubs?"

  Once again Micky thought he had got away with it--and once again his elation was premature.

  Tonio said belligerently: "Let's look at the cards."

  Micky's heart seemed to stop. The cards from the last hand were placed on a pile which was shuffled and reused when the pack ran out. If the discards were turned over, the four identical fours would be seen, and Micky would be finished.

  Desperately he said: "I hope you're not questioning my word."

  This was a dramatic challenge to make in a gentlemen's club: it was not very many years since such words would have led to a duel. People at the neighboring tables began to watch what was happening. Everyone looked at Tonio for his response.

  Micky was thinking fast. He had said that one of the fours had been a four of spades, not clubs. If he could produce the four of spades from the top of the discard pile he would have proved his point--and with luck no one would look at the rest of the discards.

  But first he had to find a four of spades. There were three. Some might be in the discard pile on the table, but the odds were that at least one was in the pack they had been playing with, which was in his hand.

  It was his only chance.

  While all eyes were on Tonio, he turned the pack so that the cards faced him. With infinitesimal movements of his thumb he exposed a corner of each card in turn. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on Tonio, but held the cards within his vision so that he could still read the letters and symbols in the corners.

  Tonio said stubbornly: "Let's look at the discards."

  The others turned to Micky. Steeling his nerve, he carried on fiddling with the pack, praying for a four of spades. In the midst of such drama no one remarked on what he was doing. The cards in contention were in the pile on the table, so it would seem to make no difference what he did with those in his hand. They would have to look quite hard to see that behind his hands he was sorting through the pack, but even if they did so they would not immediately realize he was up to no good.

  But he could not stand on his dignity indefinitely. Sooner or later one of them would lose patience, abandon courtesy, and pick up the discards. To gain a few precious moments he said: "If you can't lose like a man, perhaps you oughtn't to play." He felt a slight sweat break out on his forehead. He wondered whether he had missed a four of spades in his haste.

  Solly said mildly: "It can't hurt to look, can it?"

  Damn Solly, always so sickeningly reasonable, Micky thought desperately.

  Then at last he found a four of spades.

  He palmed it.

  "Oh, very well," he said with a feigned nonchalance that was the polar opposite of what he was feeling.

  Everyone became very still and quiet.

  Micky put down the pack he had been furtively sorting through, keeping the four of spades in his palm. He reached out and picked up the discard pile, dropping the four on top. He placed the pile in front of Solly and said: "There will be a four of spades in there, I guarantee."

  Solly turned over the top card, and they all saw that it was the four of spades.

  A hum of conversation broke out around the room as they all relaxed.

  Micky was still terrified that someone might turn over more cards and see that there were four fours of clubs underneath.

  Viscount Montagne said: "I think that settles it, and speaking for myself, Miranda, I can only apologize if any doubt has been cast upon your word."

  "Good of you to say so," Micky said.

  They all looked at Tonio. He stood up, his face working. "Damn the lot of you, then," he said, and he walked out.

  Micky swept up all the cards on the table. Now no one would ever know the truth.

  His palms were wet with perspiration. He wiped them surreptitiously on his trousers. "I'm sorry about my compatriot's behavior," he said. "If there's one thing I hate it's a fellow who can't play cards like a gentleman."

  Section 4

  IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING Maisie and Hugh walked north through the raw new suburbs of Fulham and South Kensington. The night became hotter and the stars disappeared. They held hands, even though their palms were sweaty in the heat. Maisie felt bewildered but happy.

  Something odd had happened tonight. She did not understand it but she liked it. In the past, when men had kissed her and touched her breasts, she had felt it was part of a transaction, something she gave in return for whatever she needed from them. Tonight had been different. She had wanted him to touch her--and he had been too polite to do anything without being asked!

  It had started while they were dancing. Until then she had not been aware that this was going to be radically different from any previous evening spent with an upper-class young man. Hugh was more charming than most, and he looked good in his white waistcoat and silk tie, but still he was just a nice boy. Then, on the dance floor, she had begun to think how pleasant it would be to kiss him. The feeling had got stronger as they walked around the gardens after the dancing and saw all the other courting couples. His hesitation had been engaging. Other men saw dinner and conversation as a tedious preliminary to the important business of the evening, and could hardly wait to get her in a dark place and start groping, but Hugh had been shy.

  In other respects he was the opposite of shy. In the riot he had been completely fearless. After he was knocked to the ground his only concern had been to make sure the same thing did not happen to her. There was a lot more to Hugh than the average young man-about-town.

  When finally she had made him understand that she wanted to be kissed, it had been delicious, quite unlike any kiss she had had before. Yet he was not skillful or experienced. Quite the reverse: he was naive and uncertain. So why had she enjoyed it so much? And why had she suddenly longed to feel his hands on her breasts?

  She was not tormented by these questions, just intrigued. She was contented, walking through London in the darkness with Hugh. Now and again she felt a few drops of rain, but the threatened cloudburst did not materialize. She began to think it would be nice to be kissed again soon.

  They reached Kensington Gore and turned right, along the south side of the park, heading for the city center where she lived. Hugh stopped opposite a huge house whose front was illuminated by two gaslights. He put his arm around her shoulders. "That's my aunt Augusta's house," he said. "That's where I live."

  She put her arm around his waist and stared at the house, wondering what it was like to live in such a vast mansion. She found it hard to imagine what you would do with all the rooms. After all, if you had somewhere to sleep and somewhere to cook, and perhaps the luxury of another room in which to entertain guests, what else did you need? There was no point in having two kitchens or two sitting-rooms: you could only be in one at a time. It reminded her that she and Hugh lived on separate islands in society, divided by an ocean of money and privilege. The thought troubled her. "I was born in a one-room hut," she said.

  "In the northeast?"

  "No, in Russia."

  "Really? 'Maisie Robinson' doesn't sound like a Russian name."

  "I was born Miriam Rabinowicz. We all changed our names when we came here."

  "Miriam," he said softly. "I like it." He drew her to him and kissed her. Her anxiety evaporated and she gave herself up to the sensation. He was less hesitant now: he knew what he liked. She drank his kisses thirstily, like a glass of cold water on a hot day. She hoped he would touch her breasts again.

  He did not disappoint
her. A moment later she felt his hand close gently over her left breast. Almost immediately her nipple grew taut, and his fingertips touched it through the silk of her dress. She felt embarrassed that her desire should be so obvious, but it only inflamed him more.

  After a while she wanted to feel his body. She reached inside his dress coat and ran her hands up and down his back, feeling the hot skin through the thin cotton of his shirt. She was behaving like a man, she thought. She wondered if he minded. But she was enjoying it too much to stop.

  Then it started to rain.

  It happened not gradually but all at once. There was a flash of lightning, a clap of thunder right afterwards, and an instant downpour. By the time they broke the kiss their faces were wet.

  Hugh seized her hand and pulled. "Let's take shelter in the house!" he said.

  They ran across the road. Hugh led her down the steps, past a sign saying "Tradesmen's Entrance," to the basement area. By the time they reached the doorway she was soaked to the skin. Hugh unlocked the door. Putting a finger to his lips to indicate silence, he ushered her inside.

  She hesitated for a fraction of a second, wondering whether she should ask exactly what he had in mind; but the thought slipped away and she stepped through the door.

  They tiptoed through a kitchen the size of a small church to a narrow staircase. Hugh put his mouth to her ear and said: "There'll be clean towels upstairs. We'll take the back staircase."

  She followed him up three long flights, then they passed through another door and emerged on a landing. He glanced through an open doorway into a bedroom where a night-light burned. In a normal voice he said: "Edward's still out. There's no one else on this floor. Aunt and Uncle's rooms are on the floor below us and the servants above. Come."

  He led her into his bedroom and turned up the gaslight. "I'll fetch towels," he said, and he went out again.

  She took off her hat and looked around the room. It was surprisingly small, and furnished simply, with a single bed, a dresser, a plain wardrobe, and a small desk. She had expected something much more luxurious--but Hugh was a poor relation, and his room reflected that.