Page 52 of A Cinderella to Redeem the Earl

‘No. Surely not.’

‘Lord Stanley said he’s terrified of one of your garden bear jaws about his drinking.’

‘If he was terrified, he would stop,’ she said drily. ‘But I notice that he stays well within reasonable bounds since I had that talk with him.’

He put his arm through hers and they perambulated around the room. ‘He’s a sensible man.’ They stopped at the table where Long and Smith had started to gamble. The croupier deftly handled the die.

All seemed well. She smiled at Damian and he nodded and moved on.

Without warning, Long grabbed the croupier by the wrist. ‘Let me see those,’ he said.

‘Is there a problem?’ Pamela asked brightly.

‘She has been winning an awful lot,’ Long said truculently.

A mutter of disapproval rippled around the table.

Pamela winced at the belligerent tone. This needed to be nipped in the bud.

‘Perhaps you would like me to have the die broken open?’

Long must have caught the note of anger in her voice. ‘I...er...no. I was simply commenting on the bank’s good luck.’

It was a dreadful thing to accuse a gentleman of cheating at games of chance. It was a slur against his honour. Indeed, any man caught cheating could expect to be ostracised from polite society. And, whether innocent or guilty, was quite likely to issue a challenge to save face.

In this case, since the profits of the tables went to Damian, he was actually the one being accused of cheating, even if the girl was the one in charge of the table.

Pamela put a hand on Long’s arm, a light touch of her fingers. ‘I am sure your luck will change.’

Long turned his gaze on her and his lip curled slightly. ‘Well, it won’t, since I won’t be betting any more tonight.’ He swayed as if he was having trouble standing. He had clearly had more to drink that she had originally thought.

‘The dancing will start soon,’ she said. ‘Have you secured a dance with the lady of your choice? Ladies always get claimed very quickly.’

His gaze sharpened somewhat. ‘I choose to dance with you.’

‘I am sorry,’ she said, smiling at the drunken fool. ‘I do not dance.’

She didn’t need him tripping all over her feet. Or, worse yet, falling down. Besides, now she was a partner in the business, she never danced. Only the girls who worked at the tables danced with the gentlemen. And only if they wanted to. She doubted any of the girls would want to dance with this fellow.

‘Perhaps it is time you went home. Shall I have your carriage brought round?’

‘I came with Smith. He told me about the rooms upstairs. But I couldn’t find anyone to bring.’

Those blasted rooms. While she knew it was a draw for some of the men and that they often spent more money trying to impress the woman they brought, sometimes they were a source of conflict.

‘Perhaps you will bring a lady another time,’ she said.

He peered at her from under the hank of blond hair. ‘You and I could be a couple.’

‘No, we could not. I need to look after the guests.’

He leaned closer. ‘I am a guest. I want you to look after me.’ He grabbed her wrist and started pulling her towards the door.

In all these weeks, it was the first time any of the men had challenged her and certainly none had laid a hand on her.

She glanced up to find Damian already heading her way.

She smiled at him rather shakily as he drew close. ‘Mr Long, you know Lord Dart, do you not?’ she said, trying to make it sound like an ordinary introduction.