by Lucy Adams
“No,” Dinah replied, a touch of anger beginning to form in her heart. “No, he did not. I heard you speak, Lord Irving, and I am here to tell you that you are nothing more than a disgrace.”
Lord Irving’s eyes narrowed but Dinah continued on regardless.
“I am not to be bought nor sold like something a trader might wish to do. I am not to be used as your plaything, Lord Irving. I am not about to become your wife simply because you demand it of me. To triple a man’s debts when he is already struggling to pay the first merely because he will not do as you ask and give me to you as your wife is more than a little vengeful, do you not think?” Much to Dinah’s surprise, a few murmurings broke out at this, making her turn around to see a good many gentlemen speaking to one another about this matter, as though they had no knowledge of Lord Irving’s deeds nor of his character. Many of them were now looking doubtfully at Lord Irving, and there were many a furrowed brow. Dinah felt a flash of hope in her chest, turning back to Lord Irving with a lifted brow and seeing his lower.
“Lord Whitehaven is much too good to give me to you as your wife in order to try and save himself from loss and ruin,” she told the gentleman, as Titania helped an ashen-faced Lord Whitehaven to stand, with a tiger supporting him on the other side. “And now you have had him beaten for what is the second time, even though he has done nothing to wrong you.”
“He owes me money,” Lord Irving grated harshly. “It is not my fault that he cannot pay.”
“No, but it is your doing, is it not?” Dinah demanded angrily, putting both hands on her hips and feeling the last of her fears melt away. She knew she had a captive audience now and did not want to waste a single word. “You came to Lord Whitehaven’s home earlier today and not only told him that you had tripled the debt, but that you expected him to pay it fully by this evening!” Again, a murmur of surprise and obvious disagreement ran around the room. “You expected him to fail, Lord Irving. You wanted him to fail.”
Lord Irving took a step closer, leaning down to look into Dinah’s face. His eyes were nothing more than dark slits, his expression growing darker with every moment that passed. “Lord Whitehaven made his choice. He could have done as I asked and allowed us to marry and–”
“He would never have done so, not when he cares for me as he does,” Dinah retorted angrily. “And I have come to ensure that you can no longer have any part in his life.”
“Dinah.” Lord Whitehaven’s voice reached her, and she turned her head, seeing him leaning on the back of a chair instead of onto Titania. His eyes were fixed upon hers, blood running down in rivulets from a wound to one side of his head. “Dinah, what are you doing?”
She smiled at him then reassuringly, wanting to go to him but knowing that she could not. “I heard everything,” she said softly, seeing his eyes flare wide. “I know that you were determined not to allow me to enter into a union with Lord Irving, that you were determined I should not even come near the fellow. I knew you could not get the money that was demanded, but clearly you were still willing to come to Lord Irving and take whatever punishment he decided to mete out to you.” She shook her head, her throat constricting. “I could not bear it,” she finished, hating that he had already been hurt by Lord Irving. “I have another way, Whitehaven, and you will permit me to take it.”
“No,” he said, waving one hand and reaching out to her. “No, Dinah, you need not do so. There is no need.”
“There is every need,” she answered quickly, looking back up towards Lord Irving. “You are not guilty of the punishment Lord Irving has demanded from you in place of my hand in marriage, Whitehaven. You have a kind heart and a considerate spirit. You love me, just as I love you. I would not now leave you to your fate.” And, so saying, she pulled out the piece of paper she had taken with her in her pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to Lord Irving, who took it with a narrowed look still lingering in his eyes.
“This will suffice, I hope,” she stated, with unerring strength in both her voice and her stance. “I was, as you are fully aware, unable to get to my solicitors in order to take out such an amount, but it will come to you, Lord Irving. I am not inclined to break my word.”
Lord Irving sniffed, although his eyes still lingered on the paper. “No, you are much too pious for that,” he replied, as though this was some great failure on her part. “And you state that you are quite willing to give this to me in its entirety?” His eyes lifted from the page and fixed upon hers. “This is to remove Lord Whitehaven from his debt?”
Dinah nodded. “It is,” she said, seeing Lord Whitehaven drop his head but feeling no concern within her heart that she was somehow doing wrong. “What say you, Lord Irving?”
Lord Irving bit his lip, tipped his head, and then slowly began to smile. It was not a smile of warmth but one of dark malevolence, as though he had only just thought of something so truly awful that he could not help but laugh inwardly over it.
“It is enough, yes,” he replied, handing Dinah back the letter from her solicitors, declaring just how much money she had waiting for her. “But it is not, as you state, present with you this evening.”
Dinah flushed red, her palms curling into fists. “You know very well that I–”
“Then might I suggest that you and I play a little game?” Lord Irving continued, interrupting her. “As you know, I am a gentleman who enjoys a good many pleasures, and one is that I much prefer to have a little wager over matters such as this.” He grinned at her, his eyes sparkling now with a grim delight that left Dinah with no question over what he intended. “It is an accepted practice, is it not? Although I must question whether someone such as you should ever understand the rules of such a vice!”
Dinah lifted her chin and looked back at him steadily. She had suspected that Lord Irving would try something such as this and, having suspected it, she and Titania had played multiple games of ‘Faro’ until Dinah not only understood the rules but knew precisely what she had to do in order to try and win.
Although to play against someone such as Lord Irving would be quite a different matter.
“You scoundrel!” Lord Whitehaven cried, his voice rebounding off the walls as he managed to step away from the chair that had supported him and began to walk near to Dinah and Lord Irving. “You blaggard! You dare to suggest that Miss Shepherd, a young lady of propriety, should gamble with the money she has come to offer you?” He turned to the rest of the gentlemen, who were now all watching the unfolding scene with wide eyes, utterly agog. “He would ask this young lady to place all that she has in this world upon the betting table, when she has come here in good faith, offering it to him as it is in order to pay a debt that he has already tripled!” Seeing the shaking of the gentlemen’s heads and hearing the low-voiced murmurs, Dinah looked into Whitehaven’s eyes and saw the anger there also. Would Lord Irving buckle under the strain and the pressure brought to bear by those around him? Would the other gentlemen refuse to allow him to do such a thing?
“Miss Shepherd has offered you everything, Irving,” Lord Whitehaven grated, his eyes flashing with rage. “It is more than I deserve, yet she does it out of the love in her heart for me. Now take it and do not demand more. There is nothing else here for you.”
Lord Irving said nothing for some minutes. The air grew thick about Dinah as she looked up at the gentleman, refusing to drop her gaze and to let him see that she was, in fact, very nervous about what was to occur next. Should Lord Irving insist that they play, then Dinah knew she would have no other choice than to do so – although her chances of winning were rather low. Perhaps now, he would be inclined simply to accept what she had offered, given that so many gentlemen were clearly against his plans.
“No.”
Her heart sank to the floor, but she did not move an inch.
“No, we will play,” Lord Irving stated firmly, much to the dismay of almost everyone else present. “And the lady shall choose the game.” He gave a long, ornate bow, his eyes glinting with steel a
s he lifted his head. “And should you win, Miss Shepherd, then you can be assured that the money you offer shall remain yours and the debt I have called over Lord Whitehaven’s head will be let free. It shall no longer remain. Thereafter, I shall also retire from London for the rest of the Season.”
Her heart beating furiously, Dinah tried her best to keep her voice steady as she spoke. “And if I should lose?”
Again, he grinned at her, that dark smile frightening her more than she wanted to admit.
“Then I shall be the victor,” he replied quietly. “And I shall have your payment and your hand in marriage, Miss Shepherd.”
“No!” Lord Whitehaven cried, grasping Dinah’s hand and making to tug her away from Lord Irving. “No, indeed, Dinah, this is not worth the struggle! I am not worth it. Please, my love, stay away from this.” His eyes begged her to listen, his fear growing starkly in his expression. “Stay far from him. I would not lose you, my love.”
Dinah swallowed hard but looked directly back into Lord Whitehaven’s face and felt a sudden reassurance fill her. It brought with it a kind of peace to her soul, as though she knew that this was what she was to do. The path, as her mother had said, was beginning to reveal itself once again.
“I shall do as Lord Irving demands,” she murmured, reaching up one hand and brushing it along Lord Whitehaven’s cheek, seeing how he winced and feeling her heart ache for him. “And I shall do it in the confidence that God is with me and that, with His power, I can face even the tallest and strongest of giants.”
Lord Whitehaven seemed to crumple in front of her, his eyes squeezing shut tightly as he caught her hand and pressed it to his heart.
“Yes, Lord Irving, I accept your challenge,” Dinah replied, turning her head back and looking to Lord Irving.
He chuckled darkly and lifted one eyebrow. “Very good. And what shall the game be, Miss Shepherd?”
Glancing at Titania and seeing her nod, Dinah let out a long breath. “Faro,” she said firmly. “The game shall be faro.”
“Very good,” Lord Irving cheered. “Come then, let us sit down, Miss Shepherd, so that our game can begin!”
Chapter Thirteen
Grayson had taken the beating without any attempt to defend himself. A punch to his stomach had forced him to double over, only for something hard to hit him across the side of the head. As he had lain there, trying to recover himself, a sharp boot had bit into his stomach whilst another had kicked him hard in the back – and Grayson had lost himself to unconsciousness.
Now, however, he was fully awake although it felt as though he had woken up in a dream. Dinah was sitting opposite Lord Irving at a small square table with the felt layout ready and prepared for them, with another gentleman being ushered over to play the part of dealer. His heart was in his throat as he drew near to them, aching with fright and agony over what might occur next.
To lose her, to have her forced to marry Lord Irving, was a fate that Grayson could not even bear to consider. And yet, she had done so willingly, had entered into an agreement with Lord Irving that would, somehow, save him from his debts should she manage to win. If she lost, then the debt would be gone from him too, for Lord Irving would take Dinah’s money as forfeit – along with her hand in marriage. Grayson could not even think of what such a marriage would be like, fearing that Dinah would become a shadow of what she was at present, for Lord Irving would not treat her with any consideration nor kindness.
“Have courage,” Titania whispered, coming closer to him and wrapping one arm about his waist. “She has just as good a chance as any other to win.”
Grayson shook his head. “It may be a game of chance, but there is still some skill involved.”
“And she and I did nothing but play Faro in between her overhearing your conversation with Lord Irving and our departure to this place,” Titania told him, surprising him somewhat. “Besides which, we have also agreed upon a small system that may aid her still further.” A slightly guilty look came into her eyes as she glanced up at Grayson, making his brows furrow low.
“What is it that you have agreed upon, Titania?” he asked, as the gentlemen gathered around Dinah and Lord Irving. “What is it? Tell me, so that I might be of aid also?” He had promised Dinah never to gamble again, but he would not consider this situation to be one where he would have to keep such a vow. “I want to do all I can to help her.”
Titania lifted one shoulder. “It is a mere suggestion of what she ought to wager,” she explained. “If I have one finger showing, then that should be a Flat bet.” She pressed her hand to her heart with only one finger extended – something that everyone else would miss given that their attention would be on the table. “Two fingers are a Split. Three mean the High Card bet. Four, the Odd or Even bet, and a full hand means a Turn.” She shrugged. “I cannot tell whether or not such a thing will make any difference, but it does mean that she is not there alone, struggling over what she ought to do next.” A slight flush came to Titania’s cheeks. “Although there is a little cheating involved, I will admit.”
“No more than Lord Irving himself has shown already,” Grayson grated, feeling a small hope begin to flicker in his chest. This was a way for him to support, to help Dinah when he was unable to do anything else.
“You will aid her then?” Titania asked softly, as Lord Irving gestured for the dealer to begin. “What is your usual strategy?”
Grayson bit his lip before answering, ignoring the thundering pain in his head. “I would suggest to make only two types of bets. Flat bets when there are only two cards of a given rank left in the deck, given the probability.” He shrugged. “Case bets when there is a disadvantage to the dealer.” He narrowed his eyes as the dealer was handed a small, spring box, where the deck of cards was placed. “Although we must make certain that Lord Irving himself has not decided that he himself will also attempt to win by any means necessary.”
Titania’s eyes flared but her mouth pulled tight. “Indeed, I had not thought of such a thing, although I ought to have done,” she replied, linking arms with him so that they might walk across together. “What shall you do?”
He swallowed hard, feeling the urge to help Dinah in every way he could but still wanting to keep a sharp eye on the dealer and on Lord Irving. “You do as you have agreed with Dinah,” he told his sister, seeing her nod. “If I disagree with you then I shall make that known. However, if everything is as it ought to be, then I shall simply continue to watch the dealer and Lord Irving.” He kept his gaze trained on the small box and the dealer’s hands as they drew near the table. “Faro may be a game of chance, but there is still opportunity to cheat.”
Pushing their way through what was now a tightly packed crowd, Grayson and Titania managed to come to the edge of the table to Dinah’s left, with the dealer facing them. Looking down at Dinah, Grayson’s heart began to pound with a hint of fear and a good deal of longing. She was beautiful still, even though her face was a good deal paler than before and her anxiety more than a little apparent. Her hands were shaking just a little as she held Lord Irving’s gaze, although her determination remained more than apparent. Grayson did not think that he had ever seen her more wonderful than she was at this given moment. Her quiet strength astonished him, captured his heart more than ever before. What she had done for him, what she had been willing to give up…it was more than he ever felt he deserved. And yet, she had done so without hesitation, coming here and standing before all of the gentlemen within with the determination to save him from the punishment that would have come by Lord Irving’s hands.
“Are you quite certain of this, Miss Shepherd?” Lord Irving asked, as he gazed, mockingly, at Dinah, his lip curling into a sneer. “You have one last opportunity to turn away from it, my dear. I offer it to you now.”
Dinah merely smiled, although her eyes remained cold.
Lord Irving shrugged, laughing softly. “Very well,” he answered, spreading his hand out towards the dealer. “Then let us begin.”
Grayson’s heart began to pound furiously as the game began in earnest. He did not want to distract Dinah but could not take his eyes from her. Much to his surprise, she did not even glance towards Titania, not for a single moment. The bets were cast and the game began in earnest, with Dinah’s chin lifted and a fierce determination in her eyes as she continued to play against the one gentleman who had both her own fate and that of Grayson in his hand.
“She is doing this alone,” he muttered, as Titania drew near. “She is not looking to you.”
Titania shook her head, grimly. “No, she is not,” she agreed. “Mayhap she has decided that she must play with every ounce of honesty she possesses. You know as well as I that her heart is always seeking to do what is right, Whitehaven. Perhaps that extends even to this.”
He wanted to groan aloud as Dinah lost yet another bet. She did not look broken nor distraught, however, but rather continued the game with poise and quietness, not giving any appearance of anxiety.
“She is not winning, however,” he muttered, as Lord Irving chuckled aloud. “What are we to do, Titania?”
Titania swallowed and looked away, glancing around the crowd. “I do not know,” she replied, sounding a little hopeless. “If only she would look up, we might be able to help her in some way.”
Grayson nodded jerkily, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of the dealer throwing a quick glance towards Lord Irving. Lord Irving gave the tiniest of nods, which Grayson would not have seen unless he had been watching the gentleman closely. Seeing it, however, his breath caught in his chest. Lord Irving was the one cheating it seemed, although he could not be quite certain as to how the fellow was doing it. One look towards the dealer and the box sent a flurry of suspicion into Grayson’s heart. The dealer, mayhap, was working with Lord Irving to ensure that he won. The dealer’s box could easily be manipulated. Grayson had seen it happen before – not that he himself had ever engaged in such a thing himself. The dealer’s box might discreetly reveal what cards were soon to be coming up so that any bets that would allow Dinah to win could be discarded without either she or Lord Irving seeing. The dealer would be good with his hands and well-practiced in working the cards. It would be easy to ensure that any card with a winning bet from Dinah was hidden back amongst the back, were the dealer box made in such a way to allow him to do so.