Slouching her shoulders and pulling her hat low, Louisa walked up the few steps to the entryway and handed over the invitation to the butler. He accepted it with barely a glance as he stepped aside to allow her to enter. After passing through the great hall, another valet escorted her to the gaming room where Chalmers greeted her graciously as his invited guest, Noah Wembly.
“The brandy is on the sideboard.” Chalmers gestured with his hand to the massive piece of wooden furniture that was lacquered to a mirror shine on which stood several decanters and glass snifters. “Thomas has already arrived. Edmund cannot join us this evening so his seat will be filled by Harrison Tremble.”
Louisa nodded politely and allowed the butler to pour her a brandy which she planned to sip cautiously throughout the evening, minding that she did not drink so much as to cloud her judgement. She approached the table and greeted Thomas and Harrison, allowing Thomas to introduce her to the gentleman who would take the place of Edmund Chichester. Louisa was uncomfortable having a new player at the table, having become accustomed to the body language of Edmund. He was easily beaten, but this Harrison was an unknown quantity to her. She was also acutely aware that he was the Duke’s closest confidant.
“A pleasure to meet you,” Harrison said to Louisa/Noah. “Your reputation precedes you. Your skill at cards has become the talk of the town.”
Louisa cleared her throat and lowered her voice, “pleasure,” as she shook Harrison’s outstretched hand with her gloved one.
“I had to persuade Mr. Wembly to join us tonight,” said Thomas, a protective arm around Noah’s shoulder. “He has been feeling poorly all week, lost his voice, and had he been permitted to have his way, would have opted to stay in bed this evening.”
Chalmers approached the three men, escorting the Duke to the table, the final guest to arrive. “Well I, for one, am grateful that Mr. Wembly agreed to give us a chance to win back what he wrestled out of us the other night.” He guffawed as the five participants took their places around the table.
“Gentlemen,” the dealer announced, satisfied that all of the players were ready. “We are about to begin. Place your money on the table in order to receive your cards.”
Louisa settled in and turned her attention to the cards that were being dealt to her. Play went on for a few hands, Louisa winning a majority of them. She was a skilled player, having nearly a photographic memory, but there was no denying that luck was with her tonight.
Chalmers started to grumble under his breath with each hand, his pile of notes shrinking rapidly. Louisa ignored him and played the hands carefully, minding her money as well as keeping track of how much the Duke was up or down after each hand. A few more winning hands and she would signal Thomas to suggest that the Duke throw in the land he had won from her father. They had to play it carefully and catch him just as he was nearly out of the cash he had brought with him, but before he had mentally checked out of the game and could still be enticed.
Louisa laid down her cards and stifled a smirk, knowing that she had won another hand.
“I say this lad is cheating!” Chalmers announced, throwing his cards down in disgust. “No one is that good at cards.”
All eyes looked toward Louisa, but it was Thomas who spoke. “How dare you insult an Etonian!” he exclaimed. “He is a gentleman and a scholar. I have known Mr. Wembly for more than ten years and can vouch for his honor and integrity.”
At that moment, the butler entered the room and cleared his throat to get the attention of the table and, more specifically, the host. “Ah-hem, sir?”
A young man stood by the butler’s side in a stylish waist coat and cravat. The butler held a sturdy piece of vellum in his hand and gave a bewildered look in the direction Mr. Chalmers.
Louisa saw the color drain from Thomas’ face as the new arrival caught Thomas’ eye and beamed. “Thomas!” He stepped forward and gripped Thomas, who had slowly stood up, by the shoulders.
“And Mr. Chalmers, I presume,” the newcomer turned his attention to Chalmers, acknowledging him as the obvious host of the evening based on the butler having addressed him as such. He reached out his hand and said, “I am Noah Wembly. How gracious of you to invite me to your table.”
Stunned silence filled the room as every man froze in place. All heads seemed to turn in slow motion as they stared at Louisa. She swallowed hard as Thomas tried to reach out a hand to her. As if at once, everyone moved at hyper speed and the commotion was deafening.
Harrison took Louisa by the shoulders in a tight grip as Chalmers shouted an accusation. “Who are you!? What kind of fraud are you perpetrating. Imposter!”
Thomas stepped forward but Chalmers ordered his butler to constrain him, demanding that he explain himself. All the while, the real Noah, son of the Viscount of Wembly, stood speechless, the entire scene incomprehensible to him.
By this time, one of Chalmers groomsmen had joined the fray and grabbed Louisa’s wrists in one meaty hand, and began tugging the gloves from her hands. She winced and tried to pull back, panic setting in. If she were unmasked here, her reputation would be in tatters.
“Let him go.”
Louisa quit struggling as the Duke’s authoritative command caused everyone to stop in their tracks.
“Did you not see how this lad is cheating? And he is an imposter! I demand he remove his gloves.” Chalmers demanded, not wishing to relinquish control of the events occurring in his own home to the Duke, despite the titled man’s seniority. Chalmers stepped forward as if to challenge the Duke.
Grayson made eye contact with Harrison who nodded in acquiescence and suddenly upended the table, cards and coins flying everywhere. Grayson grabbed Louisa from the loosened grasp of the groomsman and herded her out the side door through the kitchen and into the back alley of the townhouse. Simultaneously, Harrison scuffled briefly with Thomas who was attempting to free Louisa from the Duke’s grasp, having shaken off the butler. As Chalmers shouted to his valet to stop Louisa, Harrison shoved Thomas through the front door and down the staircase with Thomas shouting expletives and demanding to be let go.
Chapter 10
The Duke pulled Louisa into the street, nearly knocking her off balance as she had trouble matching his long strides. She felt as if she would lose her hat and false mustache and was grateful for the darkened streets so she could not be seen clearly. Chalmers’ groomsman was gaining on them, and she feared she was too slow to escape his reach, when Grayson stopped short, whirled around and clipped the man in the jaw, dropping him to the ground.
Realizing she had come free of the Duke’s grasp while he was distracted by the attack from the groomsman, Louisa turned to run but Grayson was too quick for her. In one swift motion, he scooped her up effortlessly and tossed her into the carriage that had drawn up beside them, seemingly out of nowhere. She recognized the seal as that of the Duke.
“Home. Now!” Grayson said to his groom. The carriage jolted and Louisa slammed her head against the back of the carriage with a thud.
“Are you out of your mind! What were you thinking?” he shouted at her. “You could have been killed.”
Louisa grasped at the handles on the side doors, attempting to regain her balance and sit upright in the seat. She was completely disoriented, tossed around the inside of the coach like a rag doll. What was the Duke of Montrose going to do with her? Would he ensure that she was jailed and punished for impersonating Noah Wembly? Or worse yet, for cheating at cards?
Wait a minute. What was it he had just said to her?
The carriage slowed to a more comfortable pace and Louisa was able to get her bearings. The Duke was staring into her eyes, but they were not exactly angry eyes. Why was he staring at her so? She touched her hand to her face and felt the mustache still in place. Amazingly, her hair was also still tucked safely into the hat.
Grayson shifted in his seat and moved unnervingly close to Louisa. Saying nothing, he reached up and removed her hat. He pulled the clips from her hair and it tu
mbled down past her shoulders.
“What were you thinking trying a stunt like that, Miss Bramick? And not once, but twice.” Grayson’s voice was calmer now, kinder, almost gentle.
“H-how did you know it was me?” she asked softly. “When did you know?”
“I suspected something was amiss two nights ago but was not certain it was you,” he said. “When you reached over the table that evening, just before the fire, I noticed that the Viscount Wembly had rather fair, delicate wrists. I ignored it initially. Not all men have large bones nor hairy arms.” He smiled and Louisa noticed how his skin crinkled at the sides of his eyes when he did, and she felt herself flush.
“And tonight? Did you suspect something was amiss before Mr. Wembley appeared?” asked Louisa.
Grayson paused, not certain he wanted to reveal to her that it was his doing that Noah Wembly arrived to thwart her plan. But he decided he might as well tell her the truth.
“Yes, as a matter of fact. This afternoon when I was at my tailor, a gentleman came into the shop and I overheard him introduced as the Viscount Wembly’s son. He had rather beefy hands with hair on the knuckles. His skin was deeply tanned which I learned was a result of his recent stay in Brighton. From which he only returned last night.” His eyes narrowed and he glanced at her sideways as he revealed how her subterfuge had been uncovered.
Louisa blushed and lowered her eyes. Thomas had suggested she pretend to be his former classmate, Noah Wembly, because he knew Noah had been away from London for several years and was unknown to most of the older peers.
“I was still not certain. After all, it might not have been Noah Wembly, but another son of the Viscount. So I had my valet contact Chalmers’ butler and tell him that the Viscount had not received his invitation to the gaming table, so Chalmers sent over a duplicate to Wembly this afternoon.” As he retold the sequence of events, Grayson could almost not believe how the evening had unfolded, and the lengths he had gone to in order to uncover the ruse. “I could not know whether the Viscount would actually accept the invitation, nor what the consequences would be if he did. Had I known my actions would have had such potentially disastrous repercussions, I would not have set them in motion. I was merely attempting to let the cat out of the bag.”
Louisa listened to the incredible story the Duke was telling. She still had no idea what his plans were and whether he would expose her. If he did, what price would she pay?
He continued his narrative as the carriage approached his townhouse. “It was only this evening when I saw you and looked closely that I realized it was you. And then it all made sense. Your father is a skilled gambler, despite his lack of judgement earlier this week. It makes sense that you inherited his skill. Combined with your own logic and intelligence, you are a formidable player.”
Louisa blushed and turned to look out the side window. The carriage had come to a stop in front of an impressive white townhouse. Louisa looked at Noah quizzically.
“This is your home,” she said. “Would you be so kind as to have your groom drive me home?”
“I do not think it a wise idea, Miss Bramick.” Noah reached to open the carriage door from the inside. “Chalmers’ men are no doubt searching the streets looking for the young imposter in the oversize coat and hat who swindled their master.”
“You expect me to stay here?” Louisa’s eyes widened. Had the Duke perpetrated this debacle in order to lure her to his home and have his way with her? “Your expectations are highly inappropriate, Your Grace.”
“My cook and housekeeper are here. You will be safe. I will have them see that you are settled into a bedroom for the night where you will not be disturbed. Two floors from my own bedchamber,” he added with a wink.
“My father,” Louisa said. “He will be worried about me.” In truth, Louisa did not expect her father to awaken until late morning based on the sleeping dram she had given him. But her feeling of panic at the very thought of spending the night in this man’s home far outweighed her fear of being caught in the streets as the imposter she was. Her heart was pounding and she felt butterflies in her stomach but could not quite identify the cause of the sensation. “I … I must go home.”
“Very well. As you wish, Miss Bramick,” he said. Grayson tapped his walking stick on the roof of the carriage and called to the groom to proceed to the home of the Baron of Grimsey.
The carriage lurched and they were once again on their way through the streets of London. Louisa closed her eyes and allowed the rhythmic clap-clap-clap of the horses hooves on the cobblestones to lull her nearly to sleep, oblivious of the inappropriateness of being in a closed carriage alone with a man. At night no less.
She started when she felt the carriage come to a stop once more and realized that they were in front of her own home. It was late and the street was quiet and dark. She turned to the Duke and paused, doubtful of what to say. He stared at her quietly, as if awaiting some disclosure. Should she thank him for escorting her home? For rescuing her from Chalmers’ men? What was the correct protocol in this situation. She still did not know what impact the evening’s events would have on her future. Would he expose her? It was bad enough that her father had been ruined financially, but her actions would seal their fate and they might never recover.
“Thank you for seeing me safely home, Your Grace.” Louisa wanted to take the cautious approach but her anxiety got the better of her. She had to know what was in store for her so she could at least warn her father. “May I ask what Your Grace plans to do next?”
Grayson did not hesitate a moment as he slid closer to her on the seat. With one hand around her waist, he pulled her to him. The other hand reached up and touched her chin, tilting her head to him, as he pressed his lips to hers. First tentatively, then hungrily. Louisa let out a squeak as his lips covered hers, the shock of his warm skin sending a feeling down her spine like none she had ever experienced. She was acutely aware of his arm tightening around her, pulling her into him so she could feel the pounding of his heart, the way his lips moved against hers gently, tenderly with just a hint of pressure as he tried to part her lips with his probing tongue.
Louisa balled both her hands into fists and pushed against his chest with all her might, succeeding to break the kiss and freeing herself from his grasp. She gasped and stared at him, eyes wide and questioning, not fully understanding what had just happened. What was happening.
“You best get inside and hide those clothes, Miss Bramick,” he murmured, reaching across her to open the door on her side of the carriage.
Louisa blushed and hurried out of the coach, not looking back until she was safely inside. She rushed to the window and watched as the coach disappeared from view before leaning her head against the windowpane. She lifted her hand and lightly touched her fingertips to her lips, still tingling from the kiss. Her first kiss. With Grayson Kilmore, the infamous Duke of Montrose.
Chapter 11
Rebecca could not believe that her brother had returned home from his and Louisa’s escapade without ensuring that Louisa had safely returned home, unharmed and with reputation in tact. Thomas told her what had unfolded during their outrageous evening and how Harrison Tremble had rescued him from a potential disaster.
Every few moments Rebecca would interrupt him with “you do not mean!” or “it cannot be so,” or “you must do something NOW, Thomas.”
When Harrison had steered Thomas out the front door of Chalmers’ home, Thomas initially tried to break free so he could return inside and intervene to help Louisa, assuming that both the Duke and Harrison had caught he and Louisa red-handed, for which there would be severe consequences. Instead, Harrison had reassured him that Louisa was in safe hands.
“He knows who she is, man,” Harrison said. “I need to get you out of here quickly before Chalmers remembers your role in this and sends a couple of his groomsmen our way. This way. Hurry!”
Harrison led Thomas to one of the smaller side roads where they wound their way toward Westm
inster Bridge, crossed to the south bank of the Thames, turned and walked south, crossed back to the north bank at Lambeth Bridge and continued on their way home.
“We lost them. No one is following us,” Harrison said. He turned to look at Thomas and scowled. “What were you two playing at?”
They slowed their pace and, after Thomas was sufficiently convinced that Harrison was not the enemy, he explained his role in helping Louisa. “She was only trying to win back the money her father lost and restore their property. You realize that the Duke, your good friend, had ruined them.”
“He planned to return the Baron’s money and land,” Harrison explained. “But Miss Bramick never gave him the chance.” He walked along with his hands clasped behind his back, unsure of how much of the Duke’s private thoughts and feelings to reveal to Thomas. “He is quite smitten with her.”
Rebecca was reeling with both fear and excitement for her friend as Thomas finished his account of the evening’s drama. The Duke of Montrose was smitten with Louisa! He had planned to restore her family’s fortune. But what about now, after Louisa had duped him?
“Where do you think Louisa is now?” Rebecca asked her brother. “Do you think she is home? Shall I go round to see her?”
“If Harrison spoke the truth, then I imagine the Duke made sure she got home safely,” he said. “Shall we call on her together? I must admit I am quite anxious myself to hear whether the Duke expressed his feelings. Or if he was so angered by our deception that he no longer wants to have any more to do with her.”
Rebecca reached for her shawl and Thomas his hat as they strode out of the house together, taking the route along the square towards the home of Baron Grimsey and his daughter.
Louisa exhaled as she entered the ballroom in a light blue, silk ball gown that showed off the creamy expanse of her shoulders and chest. Her hair was piled up on her head and showed off the exquisite curve of her neck. Despite her composed outward appearance, her stomach was in knots. This evening was the first time she would see the Duke following the evening she had disguised herself as Noah Wembly and ended the night in his arms sharing a kiss.
The Duke's Gamble: Clean Regency Romance (The Peers of Eton) Page 5