by Meghan Sloan
Gabriel smirked and raised his glass.
“No woman has resisted me before. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Norman’s eyes glinted, bringing his glass to his lips.
“Like I said, you haven’t met Cassandra Seton.”
#
Gabriel’s driver was not impressed that Gabriel wanted to go across town and to Seton Hall. It was long past the time they were supposed to have gone back, and now they were going to get into trouble. Gabriel didn’t want that, so he sent the young man back home. He would figure out how to get home himself later. Right now, he just wanted to get to work.
Norman may not have wanted him to target Cassandra Seton in such a way, but it had given Gabriel an idea. In his experience, women were very distracted when it came to a man. Especially if they found them physically attractive. It had never taken Gabriel much to seduce a woman once he knew they would be receptive to his advances. He was good at detecting when a woman would be susceptible.
Now he had a new challenge. While he didn’t find seducing women as enticing as it had been before, the thought of seducing a woman to get what he wanted did sound tempting. Especially if she was as incredible as Norman made her out to be. How hard could it be to distract a woman from her task?
Gabriel winced. He knew his talk was callous, and it was not a way he should be talking. His mother had scolded him on that several times. But Gabriel wanted to be a business owner. He wanted Montgomery Hall, but he couldn’t do it unless he knew the income would be coming in hot and heavy to pay Norman back. He had to make sure Seton Hall brought in less so he had a better chance of paying everything off.
Even as he made his way across Ipswich, Gabriel questioned himself. Had he really thought this through? Or was he just playing this by ear and setting himself up for disaster? He could only hope not.
Seton Hall certainly looked busy, thriving as much as Montgomery Hall was. Gabriel entered and recognised one of the doormen in the lobby. Lewis Williams had once worked for his father when he was younger as a footman, before he got a job offer in Ipswich when his mother fell ill. Gabriel hadn’t seen him in a while, but it looked like the job change was doing him good. Williams certainly looked happier and healthier.
It seemed the doorman recognised him as well. He came across the foyer with a surprised smile.
“Mr. Tattershall.”
“Williams,” Gabriel shook his hand. “Good to see you. You’re looking well.”
“Very well, thank you.” Williams paused. “I heard about what happened to you. My apologies.”
“What are you apologising for? I’m the one who messed up.”
“I feel like I need to apologise.” Williams took Gabriel’s coat and hat as he shrugged out of them. “We weren’t expecting you. I thought you were forbidden from gambling.”
“I’m not going to gamble. I came here for a drink.”
“All right.” From Williams’ expression, he didn’t really believe him. “Well, the bar is right ahead of you. Adam’s the bartender. He’ll fix you up.”
“Thank you.”
At least if he was at the bar, Gabriel would be able to spy on his surroundings and see what actually happened if Cassandra Seton did come into the establishment. He wanted to see what she did that made her so popular and what it was that had people come here more than Thomas’ place.
His place. It would be his place if Gabriel could follow through. And he intended to. He would write up the contract once he got home.
There were a few women around when Gabriel stepped into the main hall. This surprised him. For a moment, he wondered why the women were there. Then he saw them carrying trays and serving drinks. Not exactly what he expected women to do in this place, but they were being respectable and they were dressed as servants. They were just staff, and they seemed friendly enough with big smiles for the guests.
Maybe it was the sight of women serving them that was an enticement. Gabriel made a mental note.
He headed towards the bar, but he didn’t look where he was going. Gabriel collided with a smaller, warmer body and instinctively grabbed at it when he stumbled. They both stayed upright, and then Gabriel realised who he was holding onto.
It was a woman.
Wincing, Gabriel looked down to apologise, only for his words to die from his lips. It seemed like he was holding onto an angel. Golden blonde hair piled up in curls on her head, skin faintly brown from her time in the sun, and the most stunning blue-grey eyes Gabriel had ever seen. She was just lovely to look at.
Immediately, his body perked up and he felt the arousal build low in his gut. That hadn’t happened in a while, and just the mere sight of this beautiful creature had him immediately responding.
Then Gabriel realised that he was still holding onto her, both of them staring at each other in stunned silence. And she was going to feel how attracted he was towards her if she stayed plastered up against his chest. Gabriel cleared his throat and let go of her suddenly, stepping back to adjust his coat. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be that noticeable that he found her attractive.
As long as she didn’t look down.
“Forgive me. That was…”
“My fault.” The angel smiled at him, and Gabriel’s mind momentarily forgot what he was saying. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
God, even her voice was beautiful. She wasn’t one of the staff. Not with the way she was dressed. Why was she here? One of the gamblers? That seemed very unlikely, seeing as women would not be permitted inside. Gabriel knew it was a rule Thomas had at his place, and was sure there would be a similar rule at Seton Hall.
“Were you looking for anything in particular?” the angel asked.
It took a moment for Gabriel to realize he had to answer. He was still staring. He swallowed, knowing that his face was going bright red.
“Just having a look around.”
“I see.” Her eyes glittered, “A perusal before trying us out, Mr. Tattershall?”
“You know who I am?”
“Your reputation precedes you.” She arched a delicate blonde eyebrow, “I didn’t think you would have any money to gamble away, seeing as you’ve been cut off.”
Gabriel winced. There were times like this where he wished people didn’t know about what happened. Everyone in Suffolk had to know by now.
“Can’t a man come into a gambling hall and not spend any money?”
“With what I know about you, that’s all you do. That, and seducing women for your own pleasure.” That was when her cheeks flushed, just a little. “Mostly unmarried women, but I’m sure married women have come into your sights on occasion.”
“I’ve never seduced a married woman.” That much Gabriel was innocent of. “And I’ve gone off both lately. I just came in for a drink.”
That would work for now, but he was still confused as to who this woman was and why she was here. She wasn’t dressed like a servant, and she carried herself as if she was in charge.
Then it hit him. This was Cassandra Seton. It had to be. Norman had said she was a stunning woman, but Gabriel had taken that with a pinch of salt.
Cassandra wasn’t just stunning. She was beautiful. Gabriel found himself unable to stop staring, and from the way Cassandra’s eyes darkened, she was struggling herself.
Did she find him attractive? Maybe seducing her wouldn’t be as difficult as Gabriel had thought.
The spell was broken when Williams appeared suddenly at Cassandra’s side.
“Miss Cassie, there’s a customer getting physical with Ada.”
That was when Cassandra switched. She immediately turned away and hurried off with Williams. Gabriel watched her go, bewildered at the sudden change. She had been simply a woman perusing him one second, and then all business the next. It was a startling change.
He moved across the hall to the bar, watching as Cassandra and Williams made their way through the tables to one in the middle of the room. People were stopping their games to see what the
commotion was and where the whimpering was coming from. One of the maids was in a man’s embrace, almost bent backwards as she tried to push him away. But the man wouldn’t let go of her, loudly declaring that he deserved a kiss after his win. Several of his fellow gamblers tried to pull him away, but he pushed them back with a snarl.
Until Cassandra walked over. It was like Moses parting the sea as she strode through the throng to the table. Williams went around her and yanked the man away, catching the maid as she was abruptly released. He pulled her back as Cassandra stepped between them and the man, who was swaying on his feet. Gabriel wondered how much he had had to drink before now.
“I think that’s enough, Mr. Jackson.” Cassandra’s voice was level, but even across the room Gabriel felt a shiver down his spine. “You’ve upset Ada, and I won’t have you putting your hands on the staff.”
“Aw, come on, Miss Cassie!” Jackson protested. He sounded like a petulant child. “She’s working here, and she’s supposed to keep the customers happy.”
“With food and drinks. Ada is not here to be touchy-feely.”
Gabriel could feel the tension in the room. Several of the men were now shuffling in their seats, looking very uncomfortable. The men around Jackson’s table gave each other worried looks. One of them grabbed Jackson’s arm.
“Just sit down, Evan. You don’t want to get thrown out.”
“As if I’m going to get thrown out.”
From the way his words were slurring together, he had to have been drinking more than just a few. Then Jackson lunged towards Cassandra, grabbing her around the waist. Gabriel heard a growl and realised it was coming from him. He was about to start across the room to wrench the man’s hands off Cassandra Seton.
“What about you, then, Miss Cassie?” Jackson’s face was very close to Cassandra’s as she stiffened in his arms. “You fancy getting touchy-feely? I’m sure we can find somewhere quiet…”
Cassandra’s knee came up, connecting between Jackson’s legs. Gabriel flinched, and so did the people around them who saw it. Jackson stopped abruptly, his eyes widening, and then he let out a low, long groan. He released Cassandra, trying to sag onto his chair while clutching onto his crotch. But he missed the chair and fell onto the floor, curling into a ball.
There was a stunned silence. Cassandra stood over the man, breathing heavily. Her eyes were bright with anger, but there was a coolness about her that just seemed to make it burn even brighter. And Gabriel had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. Cassandra smoothed her dress down and checked that her hair was still in place.
“You said you wanted to be touchy-feely, Mr. Jackson. Is that physical enough for you?”
Jackson mumbled something from his position on the floor, at which Cassandra tittered at him.
“I know I’m not exactly a lady in most circumstances, but there’s no need for language like that.” She looked over her shoulder at Williams. “Williams, would you kindly escort Mr. Jackson out? I think he’s going to struggle to walk on his own.”
“Yes, Miss Cassie.”
Gabriel watched as Cassandra turned to the maid, who was still trembling, and put her arms around the young woman, leading her towards a door at the far end of the room. Jackson was hauled off the floor by Williams, who half-walked, half-carried him towards the exit.
As everything went back to relative normality, with the chatter going back up again, Gabriel found himself unable to stop looking at where Cassandra had gone. Any other woman would have shrieked and slapped his face, getting all flustered in the process. No woman wanted to look like a fool in front of a room full of people. Cassandra didn’t care. But she had remained cool and collected throughout, barely batting an eyelash.
Norman was right. She was certainly something.
Chapter 5
“Will you be all right now, Ada?” Cassandra asked as she watched the maid huddle on the chair in the kitchen.
“I will be.” Ada sipped at her glass of water, giving Cassandra a small smile. “Thank you, Miss Cassie. I do apologise for what happened.”
“There’s no need to apologise for that, Ada.” Cassandra squeezed her shoulder. “You weren’t in the wrong. Just take a few deep breaths before you go back to work. If you want to go back to work, that is?”
“I will,” Ada said quickly. “I need the money.”
Cassandra bit back a sigh. It was a shame. When a few of her friends on lower incomes had lamented about how hard it was to find a job, she had been willing to suggest they worked at Seton Hall. Ernest was amicable to it as long as they knew that they were there to serve drinks and not do anything unsavoury. Cassandra vouched for each of the girls who came in to work, and they were hard-working and loyal.
They were paid well also, which helped whenever they needed someone to cover an evening at the last minute. Word got around quickly. And Ada had been working for them for nearly two years. Even with the salary she was given, it still wasn’t quite enough for her big family.
It was at times like this when Cassandra wished she could help with more than a job. But then she and her father would be facing bankruptcy. Her heart was far too big.
“All right. But if you feel uncomfortable again, you can go home. We won’t dock your pay for it.”
“Thank you.”
Ada gave her a small smile. She was still trembling. Cassandra turned to the other maid who had joined them in the kitchen.
“Make sure she’s all right before she goes back to work, Grace.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her, Miss Cassie.”
Cassandra nodded and headed back out into the hall. Everyone had gone back to their games, the brief interlude seeming to have been forgotten. It was wonderful how distracting card games could be even when something like a man accosting a servant made people look up. It certainly kept the men quiet when they were deep in thought.
Apart from Jackson. He had pushed it far too many times. From what Cassandra had heard, he had been kicked out of Montgomery Hall with his drinking and his antics, but Ernest had said they should give him a second chance. Cassandra had planned to take this with a pinch of salt until she saw what Jackson was up to with Ada. He had been leering at the maids since he arrived to play regularly over a month ago, but this was the first time he openly laid his hands on them. And her. Cassandra wouldn’t tolerate it. One slip and they were out. She would handle her father’s bewilderment later.
Ernest would understand.
She cast her eye over the proceedings, and then it fell on the enigmatic man leaning against the bar, a glass in his hand. Gabriel Tattershall. Cassandra knew all about him and knew the story. She had just never met him. From the accounts she had heard, he was a very handsome man who could make any woman fall at his feet. Cassandra had rolled her eyes and laughed at this statement. That was such an arrogant statement. Now she had seen him, and she was revising her thought of that.
He was more than handsome, certainly. Six feet of lean, solid muscle with dark hair and a dusting of a beard across his jaw. He walked with an arrogant confidence and leaned on the bar like he owned the place. And he was watching her. Even now, he was watching her from across the room.
Cassandra felt heat start in her belly and spread throughout her body. Her pulse was picking up and she knew her face was going red. No man had made her acutely aware of who she was as a woman, and just with a simple look, Gabriel Tattershall made her weak at the knees.
He was a dangerous man. Very dangerous. Cassandra knew she would need to be on her toes around him.