Beth by Andersen Maggi

Author:Andersen, Maggi
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical, Anthology
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2020-04-29T16:00:00+00:00

Their dinner over, Ramsey drew Beth back to the drawing room apparently eager for their card game.

Beth grew up playing cards with her brothers. She was quite good at faro, but could she best this man? He had been drinking steadily which might aid her. She took her seat at the card table. Ramsey stoked the fire then went to a drawer of the bureau and removed some coins. He took the chair opposite her and stacked the coins in front of them. She carefully watched him shuffle the deck to make sure he didn’t deal from the bottom as Colin had once shown her how to do. But Ramsey was so arrogant and confident he could beat her, he probably wouldn’t consider it necessary.

“Since you are a guest, you may be the banker,” he said. “You know the rules, I assume?”

Beth nodded. “I played this with my brother, but it was years ago. I hope I can still remember how.” What she wouldn’t tell Ramsey was that Colin, before he left to join the Navy, spent many evenings after dinner teaching her how to count the cards. Beth could memorize the cards that had been dealt, and work out which still remained in the deck. She prayed her nerves wouldn’t rob her of that ability. Those evenings had been filled with laughter as her brothers and sisters crowded around, but now she was entirely alone, and it had never been so important.

Once she’d laid the thirteen cards out on the table in two rows, all spades, the cards were then dealt from the remaining deck.

“My card,” Beth said, placing one down.

Ramsey followed. A tense silence settled over the room as they played. Although she doubted he’d keep his word, she had to win if she had any chance of escaping unscathed.

With very few cards dealt to put her plan into action, Beth began to lose.

“As I expected, you’re a poor opponent,” Ramsey sneered. She eyed his loose lips and the bleary look in his eyes, wondering again how she’d ever thought him attractive as he topped up his glass again from the carafe of wine he’d brought in from the dining room.

He fell silent. Beth lost more of her precious coins. She could hear her panicked breath and stilled herself to concentrate. It was like losing a piece of herself, her chances fading with the loss of each coin. She steadied and as the game progressed with only the crackle of the fire, and the clunk of the mantel clock, the ability came back to her.

Concentrating hard, she began to win, and her spirits rose.

As she stacked up some of his coins, Ramsey eyed her, surprise creasing his brow. “You have the most extraordinary luck, Elizabeth. If it is luck?”

“I’m hardly a card sharp,” she said. “There are no cards up my sleeve. You watched me shuffle the deck. Do you intend to keep playing? Or are you afraid?”

“Afraid?” An ugly flush covered his cheeks. “And let a woman beat me?”

Ten minutes later, Ramsey slammed his fist on the table.

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