Chapter Twenty-One

S eth stepped into Athena’s Salon and was immediately greeted by Tessa, welcoming him as she showed him into the drawing room then escorted him to the footman serving beverages. He requested a brandy but only because everyone else had a glass of ale, wine or brandy and it would look odd if he did not. However, he would not truly drink the beverage as he had no intention of becoming even slightly inebriated no matter how lively the company.

He needed to find Frances. More importantly, he needed to speak with her.

Something had changed in her demeanor last night. When they had first waltzed, she’d been relaxed and their bodies moved as one and he had imagined what it would be like when he was finally able to make love to her. However, the second time, she’d been stiff, tense, but she claimed that nothing was amiss. When he tried to kiss her in the carriage, she’d allowed him to do so, but the warmth he had usually experienced was lacking.

Somehow, he had offended her at the ball, but he had no idea what he had done or said, nor would she tell him and insisted that all was well.

“There will be foodstuffs later.” Tessa pointed to a long empty table.

He simply nodded and took in the gathering that filled the room. What surprised him was how large the drawing room was until he realized that there were support beams in the center of the room.

“Did you have a wall removed?” he asked.

“Yes. We need a larger area to gather so that discussions can flow. Such is not possible when guests are in separate rooms,” she answered. “I promise that the structure was not compromised by its removal.”

That had been another concern, but no doubt her husband had made certain his wife’s salon was safe.

Seth took a small sip and studied the room. There were several groupings of furniture arranged for discussion and all were filled. The conversations were lively with laughter and debate and he observed chairs had been moved from one area to another for people wishing to leave one conversation and join another.

Most of the men were drinking brandy or ale, which was not unexpected. It was the ladies, his sister included, who were drinking ale, brandy, wine and what he suspected to be whisky. There was a freedom within these walls that he had not experienced in Society ever before and was quickly beginning to realize why so many people were drawn to Athena’s Salon.

“You may join any conversation you wish,” Tessa said. “All are welcomed and opinions are respected, even when a debate ensues.”

“I will think on it,” he murmured, not certain if he wished to discuss anything. That was not why he was here.

“Or do you wish to gamble?”

She asked the question with a knowing smile. Tessa had to know that the only reason he was here was because of Frances as it was no secret that he had been openly courting her.

“I do,” he finally answered.

“This way.”

Tessa led him to the far end of the room and out a door, across the corridor and into what he suspected was a dining room. As with the drawing room, it was longer and filled the space where two rooms may have been.

He stepped back out into the corridor and looked at the back of the house where there were two more doors, one on either side.

“The office is behind the drawing room and the kitchen is across from it,” Tessa answered.

He nodded at her explanation then returned to the room where gambling was taking place.

There were six green baize tables, all seats filled with mostly men and some women who were playing Faro, Baccarat or Vingt-et-un. He also no longer had to question why attendance had been low at The Emerald Garter because each of the gentlemen sitting at a table in this room used to congregate around his tables. While he understood that gentlemen enjoyed gambling at various establishments, he had not expected his cousin to be the one offering the most competition for business.

Seth looked for Frances at one of the tables, but she was not there. Instead, the dealers were men, dressed in the same uniform as the footman.

“If you had hoped to play at Miss Hawthorn’s table this evening, you will have to wait.”

“Why?”

“She supervises the gaming room and will step in if a dealer needs to excuse himself.”

Seth did a full turn and then noted her by the far wall, next to another area where beverages were served by a footman. Her eyes met his as she smiled ever so slightly, then returned her attention to the various tables.

He had hoped to play against her, or at a table where she was dealing. If she were supervising, he likely couldn’t engage her in conversation either.

“The night is still young,” Tessa said. “Our gamblers arrive with a set amount of what they are willing to lose and never go beyond that. When it is gone, they get up and leave without debt.”

He knew few men who did not owe a gambling debt to someone.

“Our guests know that if they bet more than they can pay that night, their subscription will be revoked.”

It was a good rule to have in a place and he’d also had to remove members from The Emerald Garter because they could not make good on a debt. He should stop accepting promises to pay. He already had a stack on this desk, which he needed to address the next time those gentlemen stepped into his club.

A gentleman who had been sitting at one of the Baccarat tables stood, laughing as he patted his suitcoat. “I shall adjourn to the salon now that my purse is quite empty.”

He seemed rather happy to have lost, but perhaps it wasn’t so much and easily missed.

“His seat has opened if you would like to play,” Tessa suggested.

Seth glanced at it and then back at Frances. He did not want to be where she was not. “I believe that I would rather observe for now.”

“Well, then, enjoy.” She smiled and then quit the room leaving Seth standing on one side, sipping his brandy, while Frances stood across from him observing the games and players.

Jonathan often did the same at The Emerald Garter when Seth was not present. He was able to keep tempers cool and discourage when he suspected bets were too high to be paid.

Without Jonathan, The Emerald Garter would not be nearly as successful, and this was not the first time that Seth had considered asking him to be a partner instead of an employee. He trusted Jonathan implicitly and it would allow Seth to have more evenings free as the two of them could split the time of when someone needed to be at the club. In fact, he could take the nights that Frances was busy here and Jonathan the other evenings.

It was something that he needed to give consideration.

As the night progressed, seats were vacated and quickly filled and Frances stepped in to temporarily take the place of a dealer when he needed to step away and all the while, Seth observed. Sometimes he wandered the room to watch, other times he simply stood by the wall, much like a wallflower as others enjoyed their evening.

The two things that he did not do was return to the room where animated discussions were occurring or drink a second brandy.

All he did was wait for Frances to be free.

Frances’ nerves were on edge as the evening progressed.

This was the night she had been waiting for, planned for, and whatever future she and Seth had, if any, would be decided before the sun rose tomorrow.

For a moment she wondered if she was making a mistake, then reminded herself again of all the reasons she had sought revenge to begin with from the moment he left her at the cottage and up to the present. She’d reviewed them last night at the ball, and again after she returned home, and it was all she thought about today. Right or wrong, she needed to see this through, even if it turned out that she was the one who would lose in the end, though unlikely.

As it grew later, or rather early after midnight, those who had sat at the tables began vacating their seats with no one waiting to fill them. By the time the hour reached two in the morning, the last game ended and their guests filtered out of the room as the dealers began to count the money lost to Athena’s Salon. Each table started with a certain amount of money each night and hopefully ended with much more, but she would not know until they each tallied their totals then brought everything to her to be stored in the safe. Other than the footmen who acted as dealers on the nights Athena’s Salon was open, and the two footmen clearing the beverage table, there was no one else in the room except Seth.

He had stood and observed all night. Sometimes it was the tables and players, other times it was her, especially when she was dealing. Luckily, nothing unusual happened and play was normal so he should not have noticed that her skill was better than she had ever let on when they had played long ago.

“You did not play tonight,” she said as she approached him.

“Perhaps next time,” he offered.

That would not do. She needed him to play tonight, before she lost her nerve.

“That is a shame for I was looking forward to playing against you.”

“It would not be the same,” he said. “Not like before.”

“Why is that?”

“You would always be the dealer at the table, which does give you an advantage, plus your choices are limited whereas, as a player, they are not.”

It was true, in some games she had no choice but to stay with the cards the dealer was dealt and was limited to what she could take. There was little risk involved.

“Did you enjoy your first evening at Athena’s Salon?” Tessa asked as she and Bethany entered the gaming room.

“He did not play but stood around.”

“Why is that?” Tessa asked.

“Because a dealer has an advantage and knew that I would beat him,” she challenged.

“That is not what I said,” Seth argued. “I said the dealer has the advantage, not that you would beat me.”

By goading him, Frances knew that would be his response, and it is what she had wanted.

“We could always play, just the two of us.”

“What game?” he asked.

“Vingt-et-Un.” It was something they had played often after he taught the game to her at the cottage. “A private game between just the two of us.”

His blue eyes met hers and grew dark. “What would we wager?”

Frances arched a brow. “Whatever we wish.”

He slowly smiled. “I accept your challenge.”

Butterflies erupted in her stomach as nerves took hold, but she must not allow herself to make a mistake now.

“As soon as everyone is done in here and has vacated the room we can begin.”

Seth nodded and stepped aside as the dealers delivered the tallies from each table to Frances and handed the money bags to Tessa. She looked over each sheet and smiled before giving them to her employer. “You did well tonight.”

“We all did well tonight,” Bethany corrected.

“Now, shall we begin?” Seth asked as soon as everyone was gone except for his cousin, Lady Bethany, and Frances.

She turned to her employers. “This will be a private game.”

Tessa frowned before humor lit in her eyes.

“What of a dealer?” Bethany asked. “If you are to play Vingt-et-Un, you need a dealer to play against the house.”

Frances stared into Seth’s eyes. “We shall take turns as the dealer as we are only interested in beating the other, not Athena’s Salon.” It was how they had played at the cottage, when he taught her the rules of the game.

Bethany gaped at her while the corner of Tessa’s mouth twitched. “Are you in agreement cousin?”

He searched Frances’ eyes, then smiled. “I am.”

“Then we shall adjourn to allow you to play.”

“We cannot leave them alone,” Bethany hissed.

“We are simply going to stand by the door to keep others out and observe from a distance.” Tessa pulled her friend away from the table.

Frances would prefer that nobody observed the game, but as it was unlikely her employers would grant her request, she took Seth to the table farthest from the entrance in hopes that their conversation could not be overheard.

He held a chair for her, then took his own on the other side. Even though she sat in the dealer’s chair, that would only be her role for half of the games.

Seth removed the purse from inside his suitcoat and withdrew the funds and placed them on the table.

“One moment.” Frances hurried upstairs to retrieve enough funds to match the amount he had placed on the table. It was no small amount, and this would be the greatest risk that she ever took, but if all went as planned, her life may be richer for it in the end. Or, she would have a financial setback and remain lonely.

No, she must not think that way.

Frances blew out a sigh and picked up the cards. “Would you like me to shuffle, or would you like that honor?”

“You may.”

Tessa appeared at their side and placed a glass of brandy beside each of them and then retreated to stand in the entry beside Bethany. They were soon joined by His Grace, who pulled up enough chairs for the three of them to sit, wait and watch from a distance.

Frances would rather they were gone but could not very well order her employers to leave.

As she shuffled the cards, Frances settled her mind and her nerves. It was time that Seth learned why he was here.