Never Wager Against Love (Kellington Book Three) (12 page)

Vanessa studied the ices, almost as if she were afraid of
disturbing them.

“I realize this is your first experience with them,
sweeting,” said Arthur, “but you do know they’ll melt, don’t you?”

She sighed and looked at him.  “I want the experience to
last.”

She was focused on the two treats, and she’d never looked so
beautiful or vulnerable.  “I promise to take you to Gunter’s once we’re back in
town,” said Arthur, “so do not fear that this is your last chance for ices.”

“But the first time is always one to be cherished, is it not?”

She’d already lowered her eyes to her spoon, so she didn’t
see the wave of lust hit Arthur.  He knew he would cherish the first time they
made love.  And the second.  The third and so on.  It was quite possible he
wouldn’t tire of Vanessa for weeks, if not months.  Maybe even years.

After holding the spoon over both dishes, she finally dipped
it into the peach.  She scooped a bit onto the spoon then slowly slid it past
her lips.

Arthur had never enjoyed an ice more. 

Next, she dipped into the chocolate.  Her face was one of
complete bliss after her taste.  Arthur made it his number one goal in life to
produce that same look on her face but in quite a different setting.

She talked very little as she ate the ices, wanting to savor
every moment.  He hadn’t planned to taste either one but finally gave in at her
insistence.  There was something incredibly erotic about having her feed him in
the café.  If they’d been in private, he wouldn’t have been able to resist
taking her on the table.

When Vanessa was finally done with her treats, and wistfully
said no to a third dish, they left the ice café.  They stopped in a leather
wares shop to buy a case big enough to conceal the sword.  Thankfully the clerk
was impressed enough by Arthur’s signet ring to give them the case on credit,
with the bill to be sent to Lynwood’s man of business in London.   

When it was time for dinner, they decided to avoid the noise
of the tap by eating in their room.  As Vanessa listened to Arthur talk about
his life, she realized there was something both comforting and alarming about
the intimacy of sharing a meal in their chamber.   She tried to think of a
topic which would be innocent enough to discuss.

“Did your eldest brother ever get into mischief?” she asked,
then had to hide a smile as his eyes lit up like a child’s, anxious to share a
secret.

“Liam was always getting into mischief, but rarely was found
out.  Even from an early age, he had a way about him that made others think he
was too well-reasoned for such nonsense.  I can’t tell you how many times Ned or
I were blamed for stunts we knew Liam pulled.  Never serious trouble, of course. 
Our parents didn’t believe in striking us, other than a gentle swat on the
behind when warranted.  Cook used to come after us from time to time.  And our
old head groom once made Liam muck out the stalls because he’d sworn in front
of Lizzie.  Liam hadn’t known she could hear him, and Lizzie, of course, had
delighted in learning a naughty word.”

“I can’t imagine the duke mucking out a stall.”

“Neither could we.  We all lined up to watch.  Even Mother
and Father stopped by to check out the sight.  Liam cleaned out every bit of
the stables, and he did it with the dignity of a duke and the humility of the
lowest servant.  That’s the thing about Liam.  He’s every inch the duke, but
has a humble side that makes him bearable.”

“You love your brothers and sister.”  Vanessa stated it as a
fact, not a question.

Arthur nodded.  “I would give my life for them all,
including Jane, Violet and now Riverton.”

“Why hasn’t his grace married?  I thought that was one of
the responsibilities of being a duke.”

“It is and he will.  It would never do for Liam to forsake a
responsibility.  I just hope when he does that he finds a lady who will see him
as a man and not just a title.”

“Any why haven’t you married?” asked Vanessa, who’d been
curious about that ever since meeting him at the house party.

“Because that is one of the advantages to being the middle
child in a family of five.  Liam is supposed to marry and sire an heir.  Should
that fail to happen, Ned must have a son.  Jane is with child, so there’s the
very real – and quite desirable – possibility that his heir is already on the
way.  I’m not the heir’s spare.  God willing, I may not even be the spare’s
heir.  I have the freedom to conduct my life as I like for as long as it
pleases me.”

“So you have no plans to marry?”

“I have no plans to marry in the near future.  I suppose at
some point I shall.  But, as of yet, I haven’t met the woman I would even
consider taking that journey with.”

“I should think there would be a great deal of pressure for
a man in your position to marry.  I’ve observed the mamas of the
ton
as
they try to marry off their daughters.  I’m surprised any of the Kellingtons
are single.”

“Careful, love, or I’ll think you meant that as a compliment,”
he said, then enjoyed watching her face color with embarrassment.  He held up
his hand.  “No need to disabuse me.  I shan’t let your words go to my already
bloated head.  As long as Liam remains single, he will be the one the mamas are
aiming for.  As a third son, I am acceptable, but by no means the catch of the
family.”

Vanessa thought about what he’d said.  “Are you satisfied
with your life as it is right now?”

“I do enjoy myself.”

“The life of a gamester doesn’t seem too….regular.”

“Trust me, sweetheart, compared to most of the gamesters I
know, I’m the most regular man you can imagine.”

“But do you find it fulfilling?  And you really must stop
calling me sweetheart and love,” she said, no matter how much she enjoyed it.

Arthur smiled at her attempt to keep him at a distance. 
“Gaming supports me.  And, as you have so often pointed out, I am used to the
comforts of life.  It also allows me to study people, which I find
fascinating.  You can learn a great deal about a man by how he loses, and even
more tellingly, how he wins.  I’ve seen the ugliness that occurs when a person
is unable to stop wagering.  I believe it can be as debilitating as the worst
disease.”

“Yet you continue to play against them.”  Her tone was
carefully neutral.  

Arthur took a sip of his drink.  “I have never started play
with a man already in his cups.  But if he starts out sober and drinks too much
during the course of the game that is his problem.  And I have never played
when the stakes are so high as to ruin a man’s family.”

“But ruining the man himself?”  Vanessa watched him closely
as she asked the question.

After a rather long silence when she wasn’t sure he’d answer
at all, he finally did.  “A man shouldn’t wager more than he can afford.  But I
am not my brother’s keeper.”

He turned away before she could study him further.  He came
back to the table with a deck of cards.  “Talking about gaming is infinitely
less interesting than playing.  What’s your game, Miss Gans?”

“I don’t play games,” she said.

“On the contrary,” he said as he took a seat opposite her at
the table, “your very profession requires you to play games, to look for a
person’s weaknesses, to get what you need.  You have to read people, just as I
have to.  So I’m proposing a simple game of cards.  It is too early to retire
to the bed and that blasted blanket – pardon my language.”  He shuffled the
deck then dealt one card face down in front of each of them. 

“I already told you I don’t play games,” she said.

“Don’t think of it as a game.  It’s simply an exercise to
show how well I can read people and your aptitude for disguising your
emotions.”

“I never claimed any such skill,” she said, as she moved
back in her chair without conscious thought, increasing the distance between
them.

Arthur noted the movement and smiled.  “Ah, your very first
tell.  The fascinating Miss Gans doesn’t want to reveal herself.”

“Nor do you, Lord Arthur,” she said as she straightened in
her chair.

“Nor do I,” he said, as he leaned forward to see if she
would move back.  She didn’t.  He continued talking.  “You rarely reveal any
personal information about yourself and when you do, it’s only the most
innocent details, such as your never having had an ice.  In a moment, I’m going
to pick up my card and tell you what it is.  Then you’ll pick up your card and
I shall guess if it is higher, lower or the same value as mine, just by looking
at your expression.  Are you ready?”  He could tell she didn’t want to do this,
which made him all the more determined to follow through with it.

“I fail to see the purpose of this.”

“It’s entertainment, Miss Gans.  I suspect you get too
little of it in your life.”  Arthur looked at his card.  “It’s the jack of hearts.”

Vanessa didn’t pick up her card.  “By choosing such a high
card, the odds are that mine will be lower.  Do not then try to tell me you’re
reading my expression when in fact you’re just playing the odds.”

“Pick up your card, Vanessa.”

Vanessa picked up the card and looked at it, carefully
blanking her face of emotion.

Arthur immediately responded.  “Your card is higher.”  The answering
frown on her face would’ve made him laugh, if he didn’t want her to keep playing
so much.  And it was disconcerting how very much he wanted her to keep playing.

 “How did you know?” she asked. 

“Because I can read people, regardless of how well they try
to hide their expressions.”  He dealt each of them another card, then looked at
his.  “The six of clubs.  And before you say I have a 50-50 chance of guessing
correctly, I’ll even tell you what your card is within two points.  That should
make it a good deal harder to guess.”

“We’re not playing with a marked deck, are we?” she asked,
as she studied the discarded cards.

“I am quite offended sweetheart,” he said, easily.  “A
gentleman cannot afford to even be in possession of such a thing if he wants to
avoid a duel.   Look at your card.”

Vanessa looked at the card then stared at him.  “Well, Lord
Arthur, what am I holding?”

It took him only a moment.  “I don’t need to guess within
two points.  You’re holding a six, although I don’t know which suit, other than
it cannot be clubs.”  This time her astonishment was so clear he had to laugh. 

“How did you know?” she asked.

“I told you.  You’re giving yourself away, although I must
admit you school your features better than most card players – further evidence
you’re quite good at your job.  But in this instance, you showed just the
slightest satisfaction.  Your right eye crinkled a bit.  You should have a care
with that or you’ll wrinkle well before your time.”

She narrowed her eyes at him.

He shook his head.  “Wrinkles, pet.”

“If I spend much more time with you, my lord, I can expect
wrinkles and a head filled with gray hair.   But how did you know my
satisfaction meant I had the six?”

“Because it was the least likely outcome.  You figured you
had me beaten and were quite happy about it.  Not very sporting of you, I must
say.”

“Perhaps we should reverse the roles and see how well you
guard your emotions, my lord.  I shall look at my card first and guess if your
card is higher or lower.”

“Very well, but I think we should make the stakes more
interesting.”

“I never wager.”

“Never?” he asked, surprised by how resolute she was.  “Is
it because you know you’ll lose?”

“Nothing of the sort.  Only someone who has never gone
without funds would be so careless as to give them away so easily.”

“So you were once without funds?” asked Arthur softly.  From
the way she picked up the cards and shuffled, it was obvious she hadn’t meant
to give that much away.  “It must have been quite difficult for you,” he
continued not unkindly.  “While there have been times when my quarterly
allowance ran out and pride kept me from going to Liam for an advance, I never
had to face the consequences of not having blunt.  But I’ve seen what life can
be like for those without means.  London in particular is brutal to the poor.”

Without comment, she dealt each of them a card then picked
hers up.  “The three of diamonds,” she said briskly.

It was obvious she would give no more of her past away, so Arthur
decided to take her mind off what was obviously an uncomfortable subject for
her.  “While we will not wager money, I have a most interesting idea.”

“Does it concern kisses?” she blurted out.

Arthur smiled, as she blushed.  “It appears you can read me,
Miss Gans, because yes, it does.  At the end of each round the winner gets to
kiss the loser.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

“What if I don’t want to kiss you?” she asked, trying to
sound as casual as possible, even though her body was burning with the very thought
of kissing the rascal. 

“As the winner, it would be your option to not kiss me,” he
replied, stretching out his legs under the table so that he brushed against her
ankle.  “Assuming you’d ever be the winner.”

“Are you implying I am unable to read you?”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

Arthur watched Vanessa’s emotions play across her beautiful
face.  It was obvious she wanted to prove him wrong, while equally apparent she
was both nervous, and, unless his rakish instincts failed him, excited by the
challenge.  Then she drew breath and spoke.

“As I said before, I have the three of diamonds.”

Arthur looked at his card, then placed it face down again. 
She studied him for a moment, before saying “Your card is higher.”

“It is,” he replied.  “Although in this case, the odds were
very much in your favor to guess correctly.  Nevertheless, I will submit to
your kiss.”