One Night With A Prince by Sabrina Jeffries Page B

room. It was a scene straight out of some obscene novel, and clearly Christabel couldn’t blot it out. More than once, she played out of suit, forcing him to ask if she didn’t have a card in suit after all. And her strategy for trumps was deplorable.
    Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html Unfortunately, the more she lost, the worse she played. Unsurprisingly, the good widow Haversham was a sore loser, and in keeping with her tempestuous nature, she allowed her emotions to affect her playing. They lost the second game, and Eleanor sat back with a gloating grin. “Well, Byrne, I do hope Lady Haversham’s prowess in bed exceeds her prowess at whist. You’ll need her to console you after you lose every single rubber at Stokely’s house party.If he even invites the two of you, that is.”
    Christabel bristled, but before she could say anything, Lady Hungate responded. “Don’t be an idiot, Eleanor,” the matron said coolly. “The woman is clearly only trying to lull you into letting down your guard at Stokely’s. You should know Byrne well enough to realize he’d never let his lust overtake his judgment. If he says the woman can play cards expertly, then she probably can.”
    As Eleanor’s face fell, Gavin stifled a laugh. Leave it to Lady Hungate to punch holes in Eleanor’s armor. He couldn’t have done it better himself.
    “They’ve found you out, Christabel,” he said smoothly. “Next time we play, you’ll have to show them your true mettle.”
    After a second’s surprise, she fell right in with Lady Hungate’s lie. “Iwas showing them my true mettle,”
    she said with a secretive little smile sure to give Eleanor pause. “I can’t imagine why Lady Hungate would think otherwise.”
    “Let’s play again then,” Eleanor snapped, taking up the deck of cards. “I’d like to see this ‘true mettle’
    of yours.”
    “Certainly,” Christabel said mutinously.
    Gavin wasn’t about to let her pride destroy the illusion Lady Hungate had so conveniently created. Taking out his watch, he made a show of examining it. “Sorry, Eleanor, but we’re done for tonight. I have to be at the club in a couple of hours, and before that I’d like to…escort Lady Haversham home.”
    Eleanor scowled at him, but she knew his habits well enough to accept his reasons. Gavin’s favorite time for lovemaking had always been right before he left for the club. He’d often “escorted” Eleanor home…and right up to her bed, whenever her husband was dining with his own mistress.
    “Very well,” Eleanor said, pouting. “Perhaps we’ll see you next Tuesday.”
    “Perhaps,” he said noncommittally. He stood and rounded the table toward Christabel. “Shall we go, my sweet?”
    She had the good sense not to gainsay him. “Of course.” She rose and took his arm. “Thank you, Lady Jenner, for a most enlightening afternoon.”
    They’d already started for the door when Eleanor said, “And thank you, Lady Haversham, for clearing up a little question I had about your late husband.”
    Bloody hell. He’d almost extricated them from this situation without incident. He tried to keep Christabel moving, but she halted, turning to face her adversary with a look of sheer belligerence. “Oh? What question is that?”
    Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html Alarm bells rang in his head, especially when Eleanor skimmed her gaze down Christabel’s black-gowned form with clear contempt.
    “Why he was always leaving his wife at home to run to town. I see now that he was only searching for more—” Eleanor paused to fluff her long blond hair with one hand “—stimulating company.”
    Damn the bitch for her petty vindictiveness. Lady Hungate might have succeeded in covering up Christabel’s incompetence at cards, but in the process, she’d made Eleanor regard the widow as an enemy.
    Gavin attempted to steer Christabel toward the door, but she