convinced that at least today there was no prospect of a replacement for Brutus, he left the enclosure and headed off to track down the first of his quarry. 96
Lady Alex's Gamble
by Evelyn Richardson
[Back to Table of Contents]
97
Lady Alex's Gamble
by Evelyn Richardson
Chapter 10
Alex's interest and curiosity, which had so intrigued the major, were causing a good deal of consternation in other quarters. Captain de Montmorency, calling on his peripatetic sibling that evening, was aghast to hear of her exploits. "On your own around London?" Tony clapped a hand to his brow and sank into the nearest chair.
"But, Tony, you can hardly expect a budding Corinthian who is hoping to attract gaming partners to remain invisible except at the gaming table," his sister pointed out reasonably. "That sort of behavior would very likely arouse suspicion."
"I suppose, you are in the right of it," her brother conceded reluctantly. "Hatchard's is unexceptionable enough, but Tatt's?"
"But, Tony, people who throw away their blunt at White's are far more likely to frequent Tattersall's than a bookseller's. I went to Hatchard's for my own amusement. The other was, er, in the way of business, you might say." Tony grimaced. "You don't fool me for a minute, Alex. I know you were equally as amused, if not more so, casting an eye over the prime bits of blood as you were poring over the most recent offerings from the printers. And here I thought that storming the fortifications at Nivelle would be the death of me. You are far more a threat to my health than Soult ever was."
98
Lady Alex's Gamble
by Evelyn Richardson
His sister grinned. "Relax, brother dear. I was most circumspect. I merely sauntered along, not calling the slightest bit of attention to myself, but mingling enough to be accepted as one of the crowd."
"I suppose I should be grateful for that at least," he retorted.
"So you should. I was most tempted to try my luck in the subscription rooms, but..."
"You what?" Tony leapt out of his chair.
"Never fear, I know I do not have your knack for picking a winning horse"—Alex looked thoughtful for a moment—"but I might give you some of my winnings to place on a particularly sweet goer."
"Never mind," her brother interrupted hastily, "I shall let you stick to the games of chance. I prefer to risk life and limb against something much more predictable—like gunfire."
"Very well. Tony, but don't say you weren't given a chance to save the family fortune," she teased.
"I consider shepherding you to White's and drinking your port contribution enough to the family fortune," he retorted, shaking his head at her. "Now come along, you have a fortune to win and the evening is wasting away." And so, bantering all the way, they made their way to St. James Street. Their arrival being considerably earlier than the night before, the company was thinner and Alex felt rather more conspicuous, but a welcoming nod from General Scott, who happened to look up from his hand at the moment they entered the gaming room, reassured her.
99
Lady Alex's Gamble
by Evelyn Richardson
For a time they both stood watching, then a corpulent young man laid down his cards in disgust, exclaiming, "I'll be damned if I'm going to continue playing with you, Reggie. You're in too rare a form tonight for me. I might as well just fork over my blunt to you and save you the effort of playing. Let someone else who can offer you a run for your money take you on." Catching sight of Alex as he waddled away from the table, he continued, "Here is a likely-looking player. How about you, sirrah?"
"I..." Alex was groping for a reply when the young man spoke.
"Here, Nigel won't mind you as a partner. You could hardly have worse luck that I did. What do you say, Nigel?" Thus appealed to, his former partner could only confirm that Colin had had the devil's own luck that evening and he invited Alex to join him.
Not having her partner selected for her as she had had before, Alex
Lady Alex's Gamble
by Evelyn Richardson
[Back to Table of Contents]
97
Lady Alex's Gamble
by Evelyn Richardson
Chapter 10
Alex's interest and curiosity, which had so intrigued the major, were causing a good deal of consternation in other quarters. Captain de Montmorency, calling on his peripatetic sibling that evening, was aghast to hear of her exploits. "On your own around London?" Tony clapped a hand to his brow and sank into the nearest chair.
"But, Tony, you can hardly expect a budding Corinthian who is hoping to attract gaming partners to remain invisible except at the gaming table," his sister pointed out reasonably. "That sort of behavior would very likely arouse suspicion."
"I suppose, you are in the right of it," her brother conceded reluctantly. "Hatchard's is unexceptionable enough, but Tatt's?"
"But, Tony, people who throw away their blunt at White's are far more likely to frequent Tattersall's than a bookseller's. I went to Hatchard's for my own amusement. The other was, er, in the way of business, you might say." Tony grimaced. "You don't fool me for a minute, Alex. I know you were equally as amused, if not more so, casting an eye over the prime bits of blood as you were poring over the most recent offerings from the printers. And here I thought that storming the fortifications at Nivelle would be the death of me. You are far more a threat to my health than Soult ever was."
98
Lady Alex's Gamble
by Evelyn Richardson
His sister grinned. "Relax, brother dear. I was most circumspect. I merely sauntered along, not calling the slightest bit of attention to myself, but mingling enough to be accepted as one of the crowd."
"I suppose I should be grateful for that at least," he retorted.
"So you should. I was most tempted to try my luck in the subscription rooms, but..."
"You what?" Tony leapt out of his chair.
"Never fear, I know I do not have your knack for picking a winning horse"—Alex looked thoughtful for a moment—"but I might give you some of my winnings to place on a particularly sweet goer."
"Never mind," her brother interrupted hastily, "I shall let you stick to the games of chance. I prefer to risk life and limb against something much more predictable—like gunfire."
"Very well. Tony, but don't say you weren't given a chance to save the family fortune," she teased.
"I consider shepherding you to White's and drinking your port contribution enough to the family fortune," he retorted, shaking his head at her. "Now come along, you have a fortune to win and the evening is wasting away." And so, bantering all the way, they made their way to St. James Street. Their arrival being considerably earlier than the night before, the company was thinner and Alex felt rather more conspicuous, but a welcoming nod from General Scott, who happened to look up from his hand at the moment they entered the gaming room, reassured her.
99
Lady Alex's Gamble
by Evelyn Richardson
For a time they both stood watching, then a corpulent young man laid down his cards in disgust, exclaiming, "I'll be damned if I'm going to continue playing with you, Reggie. You're in too rare a form tonight for me. I might as well just fork over my blunt to you and save you the effort of playing. Let someone else who can offer you a run for your money take you on." Catching sight of Alex as he waddled away from the table, he continued, "Here is a likely-looking player. How about you, sirrah?"
"I..." Alex was groping for a reply when the young man spoke.
"Here, Nigel won't mind you as a partner. You could hardly have worse luck that I did. What do you say, Nigel?" Thus appealed to, his former partner could only confirm that Colin had had the devil's own luck that evening and he invited Alex to join him.
Not having her partner selected for her as she had had before, Alex
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