“You think not? It seems so unlikely that—”
Rob halted Flick’s nervous mutterings by patting her shoulder. “Just observe. I believe Darius knows precisely what he’s doing.”
“You require fourteen points to win the game,” Pallister said, ostentatiously consulting the score sheet. “I myself require only twelve.”
“Thank you, I’m aware of the situation.”
No one in the room spoke a word, or even appeared to be breathing.
“I have a sequence,” Pallister said, an edge to his voice. “A set of five gives me ten points. I now require only two in the next hand to win the game. Would you like to concede defeat now, while the scores are so close, and save a little face?”
“Oh, I beg your pardon. Is that what I ought to do?” Darius looked genuinely confused. “You must forgive me, I’m not terribly familiar with the rules.”
Darius looked not only confused but defeated, too, and Flick’s heart lurched. She should not have relaxed her guard and allowed herself to hope. She dug her fingers into Hal’s palm, determined to withstand the humiliation of defeat and all that it implied with dignity.
“By all means show your hand but you require fourteen points. The only way you can acquire that many is if you have a set of four.” Pallister smirked. “Do you have such a fortunate hand, Grantley?”
Without saying a word, Darius turned a set of four queens face up on the table, the queen of hearts on the top. Everyone gasped. Flick actually cried out. Finally Darius looked at her and smiled.
“Is this what you call a set?” he asked.
Pallister stood up so fast that he knocked his chair over backwards. His expression was thunderous.
“Congratulations,” he said curtly.
“Thank you.”
Darius called for pen and ink, which was quickly supplied.
“Lord Pallister and I were not playing for money,” Darius said to the hushed crowd. “We had a wager that will remain private but, at the risk of sounding ungentlemanly, I ask you all to bear witness to the fact that I was the winner of the game.”
Several heads nodded.
“Fair and square,” someone said.
“A fine nerve you have, sir,” said someone else. “Never saw the like before.”
“Why did he do that?” Flick asked.
“Because he doesn’t trust Pallister to stick to the bargain,” Hal said. “By calling all these people as witnesses, he knows that he will have to. Reneging on a wager would be social and political suicide, even for a man as powerful as Pallister.”
“And by calling public attention to the nature of the wager, Darius has insulted him,” Rob added.
“Unless I miss my guess, the paper he won binds Pallister to silence,” Hal muttered. “Whatever he was threatening Darius with, now he can’t carry through with it.”
“About Julia, you mean?” Flick asked.
“That and anything else he might have used to try to silence Darius.”
For the first time Flick removed her gaze from Darius and gave Hal her full attention. “You think there was more?”
Hal shrugged. “It wouldn’t surprise me.”
Darius unfolded the paper he’d won and wrote across the top of it.
“I have dated this document and written that I won the game. Would you care to witness my signature, sir?” Darius handed the pen to the nearest gentleman.
“Certainly.”
“There’s no need to go to such lengths, Grantley,” Pallister said, clearly seething.
“You must forgive me, sir,” Darius said, “but I am a man of the law. I prefer to do things in an orderly fashion, just so there can be no misunderstanding at a later date.”
Darius offered his hand to Pallister. Everyone once again held their breath, waiting to see if he would take it. A murmur of disapproval echoed around the room when he hesitated. Flick was fairly sure that wouldn’t influence a man like Pallister but in the end he took Darius’s hand in a firm grasp. Flick had moved to stand beside Darius and heard Armstrong whisper in his ear.
“You’re not so very different after all,” Pallister said scathingly. “Like father, like son.”
Darius appeared indifferent to the jibe. “I didn’t realise you were such a poor loser, my lord.”
“It’s a feeling that I’m unaccustomed to and one I didn’t expect to experience today.”
“Perhaps that’s why I won,” Darius suggested with a negligent shrug.
Pallister scowled. “No, you won because you’re a far better player than you’ve let the world know.”
“Are you suggesting that I cheated?”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that.”
“Very wise.” Darius fixed him with a malevolent glare. “I won because you underestimated me, nothing more than that.”
“A mistake which I won’t make a second time.”
“There won’t be a second time.”
“Perhaps not at the card table.” Lord Pallister treated his nemesis to a hard stare. “Don’t feel too full of yourself, Grantley. You might have kept your beloved’s family secrets safe,” he said, casting an arrogant glance in Flick’s direction, “but you haven’t a hope in hell of getting your clients acquitted.”
“Probably not but at least now I can defend them to the best of my ability.”
Pallister shook his head. “I simply don’t understand your desire to see guilty men go free.”
Darius tilted his head, an inquisitive frown creasing his brow. “You presuppose that they are actually guilty, sir?”
“I know you’re ambitious but I can ensure your elevation to King’s Counsel probably with greater ease than Jackson could manage it.”
“Thank you, but I don’t require your help with my career.”
“Young fool! Take my advice and give the case up. I may not be able to use the information I shared with you but if you think you can best me, I strongly advise you to think again. I am not used to being gainsaid, nor do I intend to let matters rest the way they are.”
Pallister strode away without another word. The crowd parted to let him go, his son at his shoulder talking intently to him. Several people came up to shake Darius’s hand and it was some time before Flick and her brothers had him to themselves.
“Darius Grantley,” Flick said, her eyes moist with emotion, “if you ever do anything so foolhardy again you will have me to answer to.”
Darius took her elbow and guided her from the room, Hal and Rob behind them. Some people actually applauded as they left. It was obvious that Pallister’s downfall had been enjoyed by more than just her.
“Try not to look so smug,” Darius whispered to her. “Dignity is everything in situations such as this.”
“Well, I am smug, even if you did give me the fright of my life.”
“Which wasn’t my intention. You ought to have remained with Leah.” He rolled his eyes. “And I ought to have anticipated that you wouldn’t do so.” He steered her through the crowded room, acknowledging greetings and accepting congratulations as he went. The entire ballroom appeared to know what he’d done, proving that the ton’s gossip mill was in perfect working order. “When will you learn to trust me?”
“Stop trying to deflect attention away from your own stupidity.” In spite of her best efforts, Flick knew that her stern expression had given way to a glorious smile. “I hate to admit it, but I have never been more proud of you.” Her fingers squeezed the arm that supported them. “The look on Pallister’s face when you shuffled the cards so expertly.” Her smile gave way to musical laughter. “Not that I approve of gambling,” she added piously.
“Remember she said that the next time she fleeces one of us at whist,” Rob said, chuckling.
“Whist is different. It doesn’t really count as gambling.”
“I take it your father taught you to play?” Hal said.
“Oh yes. I endured hours and hours of the damned game. Excuse the language, Flick, but that’s on
e of the reasons why I never play.” Darius’s smile was broad and infectious. Flick, who had once again reverted to being angry at his recklessness, couldn’t help smiling too. “He taught me to remember sequences, and to count cards that had gone before.” He shrugged. “I never thought I would have occasion to be grateful to him for drumming such nonsense into my head.”
Hal nodded. “I thought as much.”
“You could win a lot of money with that skill,” Rob remarked.
“Perhaps, but it would hardly be fair.”
“No, you’re right, of course.” Rob shook his head. “I never should have suggested it.”
“If your father was so good, why did he finish up losing so much?” Flick asked.
“Because there’s always someone better—”
“And because his opponents knew he was a good player,” Rob added.
“Precisely. I was counting on my reputation for never playing to work to my advantage. Pallister had no reason to accept my challenge but I knew his arrogance would prevent him from refusing. He was absolutely convinced he would win and didn’t take me seriously.” Darius paused, his expression now grimly resolute. “Big mistake.”
“Is that why you studied his face so closely?” Flick asked.
“Yes. Even the best of players give something away in their expressions. He was trying to gull me by discarding cards he secretly wanted. It’s a common ploy that a greenhorn like me ought to have fallen for.”
“I’d very much like to know what else he threatened you with,” Hal said quietly. “It was more than just Julia’s parentage and my stepmother’s vowels, wasn’t it?”
Darius didn’t meet his gaze. “It hardly matters now since he can’t breathe a word.”
“Even so.”
“There was nothing else.”
“Very well,” Hal said, but Flick could see he wasn’t convinced.
Rob looked anxious to be elsewhere. “I’ll take my leave now all the entertainment’s over.”
A chess game, Flick wondered, or a lady anxious for his society?
“Where are you headed, Rob?” Darius asked. “Perhaps you can take me, if it’s not out of your way.”
“Oh, are you leaving?” Flick couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice.
“I believe Leah and Beth wish to stay a little longer,” Hal said. “If you would rather leave, Flick, Rob can escort you home.”
Flick and Darius shared a glance. Hal had just given tacit permission for her to leave without him. He knew very well that Darius would also escort her back to Grosvenor Street and yet wasn’t putting up objections.
“Come along, card sharp,” she said, linking her arm through his and grinning inanely as relief continued to sweep through her. “You still have a lot of explaining to do.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Good evening, my lady. Good evening, sir,” Potter said, opening the door to them.
“Evening, Potter,” they said together.
Darius hadn’t actually been invited in but he had no intention of wasting the opportunity to have a few moments alone with Flick. She removed her pelisse and gloves and handed them to Milly, who materialised to take them from her. Darius also shed his outer garments. Together they entered the drawing room.
“Can I get you anything, my lady, sir?” Potter asked.
Flick looked at Darius, who shook his head. “Thank you, Potter, but we’re fine.”
“Very good, my lady.” He withdrew, closing the door on them.
“What troubles you?” Darius asked. “You barely said a word all the way home.”
“Lord Pallister.” Flick shuddered as she warmed her hands in front of the fire. “What did he mean by his threats?”
What indeed. “Is that all?” Darius flashed a reassuring grin. “He’s unaccustomed to losing and has yet to learn how to do so with good grace. You heard him say as much yourself.” He stood behind Flick and wrapped his arms round her waist. She leaned back against him and closed her eyes. “Don’t worry. The trial starts the day after tomorrow, and this will all come to an end one way or another.”
“How can you be so calm?”
“When you look at me with so much trust in your eyes, it makes me feel as though I can achieve anything I set my mind to.” He turned her in his arms, pulled her even closer, and his hands closed protectively across her bottom. “I’m sorry if I frightened you.” He dropped his head so that when he spoke again, his breath peppered the side of her face. “Tell me what to do to make it up to you.”
“What I’ve always wanted.” Her breathing was uneven, her eyes cloudy with so much passion that her annoyance couldn’t compete with it. “For you to be more impulsive. Life doesn’t always have to be so very serious, you know. You have many friends ready and willing to share your burdens.” She smiled. “You don’t have to fight the entire world and its injustices alone.”
“And yet you were angry with me tonight when I did act on impulse.”
“That was different.”
She stood on her toes and touched his lips with her own. Softly. Her tentative gesture, delicate yet earnest, caused sparks to fly between them and lust to rip through him like a tornado. With a smothered oath he took control, claiming her lips with a desperate hunger that demonstrated the depth of his love and desire for her. All the pent-up emotion and fear that had built within him during that card game finally found release as his tongue tangled with hers. She returned his kiss with a wild recklessness that so epitomised everything she did.
Darius, lost in a mire of exquisite sensations, couldn’t allow this to continue. They were in Hal’s drawing room and anyone could walk in at any moment. How such lucid thoughts could overcome his trembling, aching need to possess Flick, he couldn’t have said. Perhaps now was a moment to be thankful for his practical nature. Never had he felt less like being practical.
He broke the kiss and led her to a settee. He seated himself and pulled her onto his knee. That was safe enough. If a servant wished to enter the room, they would knock first. If the family returned home, they would hear them and have advance warning. She wrapped her arms round his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Tell me how I helped you with the trial.”
Darius hadn’t intended to do so when they spoke of it at the ball and had put her off with half-truths. Things were now different. There was less threat to her family, and although he wouldn’t tell her that, he could set her mind at rest regarding the trial.
“I can’t tell you what precisely since witnesses will be called and I have to keep everything they might say confidential.” She opened her mouth to protest but he silenced her with a kiss. “It’s what I swore to do when I became a barrister.”
“Very well. I can sense the change in you, which is all that matters. You’re absolutely sure you can obtain an acquittal?”
“As sure as I can be.”
“But that’s amazing!” She wriggled on his lap, her excitement bubbling over. “Tell me more about your father then. I don’t remember much about him myself.”
“You wouldn’t. He died when I was seventeen. You would only have been twelve at the time and he was never at home that much.”
“I remember thinking how sad it must have made you when your father died. How sad I would be if it had been my papa.”
“I was more relieved than sad.”
“But your mother was inconsolable. I do remember that much.”
Darius sighed. “Yes, she was. My father badly neglected her. He neglected us both come to that. He was always off somewhere, chasing a good wager, living for the thrill of the chase as he once put it. But, when he put his mind to it, he could also charm the birds out of the trees. When he was at home he treated Mother like a princess and she could see no bad in him.” Darius ran a hand lightly down the side of Flick’s breast, an antidote to the distaste he felt whenever he spoke about his father. “He was a handsome devil—”
“Yes, I remember that about him. Yo
u take after him. Rob told me he was a younger son of an earl.”
“Yes, with no fortune of his own. My mother was an only child and inherited Brightstone Manor when her father died. I hate to say this and Mother would never believe it’s true but—”
“But he married her for her property,” Flick finished for him when he hesitated.
“Yes, and almost destroyed it through his gambling.”
“Which is why you so dislike games of chance.” Flick ran a hand softly down the side of his face, her eyes alight with sympathy.
“If my father hadn’t died when he did, then it would have been too late for the property.” Darius’s hand moved to cover the full swell of Flick’s breast, pinching softly at her hardened nipple. She closed her eyes and emitted a long moan. “As it is, I managed to gradually turn it into a profitable venture again, thanks in no small part to my steward, Greenway. He knew a damned sight more about what needed to be done than I ever would have. I followed his suggestions and he keeps the estate running smoothly.”
“And at the same time, you studied to become a barrister.” She turned her glistening eyes on him. “You work so hard, because you don’t wish to be likened to your father.”
“Partly,” he conceded.
“And yet you undid a lot of your good work tonight by playing Pallister. No one in that room could have doubted who taught you.”
Darius lifted his shoulders. “It was necessary.”
“You did it because of what Edward Armstrong did to me?” Her resolute expression challenged him to deny it. He remained silent because it was impossible to tell the truth. “You did something you’d sworn never to do because of me.”
She tightened her hold on his neck and kissed him deeply. The gesture, so spontaneous and clearly from the heart, took him by surprise. He fed from the sweetness of her mouth, absorbing her essence into his very cells, all thoughts of being interrupted fleeing from his brain. This business of acting impulsively certainly had its benefits. His tongue plundered her mouth fiercely as one hand now caressed her breast.
Gad, but he wanted her so badly he could scarce think straight! That ought to frighten him or, at the very least, bring him to his senses. He hated being out of control but as Flick’s lips trembled beneath his, swollen and throbbing, he ceased to care. The bittersweet fervour of her inexperience dented his already vulnerable heart. She was his and always would be. No matter what stratagems Pallister attempted to deter him from his purpose, Darius’s determination would always be stronger for the very reason currently cradled in his arms.
Beguiling the Barrister Page 18