Page 66 of How to Fall for a Scoundrel
Chapter Thirty-Three
Harry stepped forward and took the seat opposite Blake. Two other men filled the seats on his left and right, and Blake pushed the playing cards toward Harry for him to deal.
Ellie could only watch in wonder as Harry made a complete mess of shuffling the cards. Instead of making them fly effortlessly between his fingers, as she’d seen him do when they’d played at Cobham House, he seemed awkward and fumbling, as if he’d barely handled cards in his life.
He shook his head with an embarrassed apology, and she bit back a smile as Blake gave a sly smirk of anticipation. He clearly thought Harry was going to be an easy mark.
Over the course of the next few hands Harry played solidly, but without noticeable success. The coins in the middle of the table ebbed and flowed among the four players, but the pile grew steadily as they gradually increased the stakes.
When Harry won a hand, he glanced up at her with an expression of surprised delight, as if he hadn’t expectedthe win at all. He kissed the inside of her wrist, sending a shiver up her arm, and drew her to stand at his shoulder.
Ellie almost applauded his acting ability. She had absolutely no doubt that he was biding his time, lulling his opponent into a sense of false security before he pounced.
“What say we double the odds for this next game, eh, gents?” he suggested. “I think Lady Luck is finally smiling on me.”
The other three men agreed, and Ellie’s nerves increased along with the stakes. When the pot reached two hundred pounds, the man on Harry’s left withdrew. When the stake reached five hundred, the man on his right folded, too, leaving only Harry and Blake.
Blake sent Harry a condescending smile. “Do you wish to continue, sir? Or is it too rich for you?”
Harry tugged his cravat. He took another deep gulp of his beer, then looked up to Ellie, as if seeking her opinion. She bent and kissed his cheek, taking her cue.
“I love a man who plays deep,” she cooed, biting her lip at the deliberate innuendo. She slid her hand up his shoulder and toyed with the hair at the back of his neck, then gave his ear a teasing nip with her teeth. Her breasts pressed against his shoulder. “Win this round, and I’ll make you the happiest man in Covent Garden.”
Harry sucked in a breath, as if he was finding it hard to breathe, then gave a laugh that sounded full of bravado.
“Why not?” He pushed all of his previous winnings into the center of the green baize. An impressed murmur rippled around the spectators.
“I’m all in,” he said. “A thousand pounds.”
Blake’s eyes gleamed at the prospect of a windfall. He pushed his own coins forward, then reached into his jacket pocket. “Will you accept this as the secondhalf of my bet?” He placed a sparkling blue stone on the table between them. “It’s an aquamarine. I’m told it once belonged to a prince. It’s worth at least five hundred pounds.”
Ellie gazed at it in interest. The gem was shaped like a sphere that had been cut in half; flat on the bottom and curved on the top. The facets glittered invitingly, although she had no idea if it really was precious, or simply a colored piece of glass.
Harry, however, gave an easy laugh. “I’m no expert in gemstones, but I’ll take your word as a gentleman. Let’s play.”
Blake reached to pick up the deck, but Harry gave a polite cough. “It’s my turn to deal, is it not?”
A few others in the crowd muttered their agreement, and Blake’s jaw hardened as he slid the cards over to Harry. “My mistake.”
Harry dealt the cards and Ellie watched with bated breath to see if she could detect any hint that either he or Blake were cheating. She could not.
Blake gazed at his hand, then called for another card. Harry slid it over to him, and when Blake picked it up his expression revealed neither dissatisfaction nor pleasure.
“I’ll stay.”
Ellie’s heart was pounding in her chest as Harry lifted his own hand for her to see, and she tried to keep her face expressionless as she saw the queen of hearts and the ace of spades; a winning total of twenty-one.
How on earth had he managed it?
He placed the cards face up on the table with a laugh that sounded completely incredulous. “Bloody Hell! Would you look at that!”
Blake blinked and sucked in an audible breath. Thenan angry flush mottled his cheeks as he tossed down his own hand: a king, an eight, and a two. A total of twenty.
“Your hand, sir,” he said stiffly.
A roar of delight burst from the crowd. Harry was enthusiastically clapped on the back, but Ellie glanced nervously at Blake. Would he be so angry at the loss that he’d accuse Harry of cheating?
But Blake seemed more amazed than annoyed, as if he’d been so certain of winning, he couldn’t quite believe he’d lost. He rose from his chair and then pushed angrily through the crowd, ignoring the commiserating comments thrown his way.