Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard by Vanessa Kelly

Author:Vanessa Kelly [Kelly, Vanessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Historical romance, Regency
ISBN: 9781420131239
Publisher: Zebra
Published: 2014-01-06T22:00:00+00:00

For her first experience of a gaming hell, Vivien had been pleasantly surprised. The appointments were elegant, the rooms decorated with tasteful luxury, running heavily to the classical style with touches of French extravagance. The champagne was delicious and well chilled—she managed to sneak in a few sips under her veils—and she had no doubt the food laid on in the supper room would be fresh and well prepared. She’d been too anxious to eat earlier in the day, preoccupied with planning tonight’s expedition with Kit, and she allowed herself a tiny sigh at the thought of having to forgo Griffin Steele’s lovely food. But she couldn’t manage to eat behind all these veils. Her stomach might grumble at her, but it was imperative she keep her identity unknown.

She and Kit had argued long and hard over her plan, and he’d only agreed to her scheme when she told him she planned to go in disguise. After they considered and discarded a number of possibilities, the idea of a veiled widow had seemed most likely to fit their needs. Kit had also been insistent they play at the gaming hell where they stood the least chance of running into someone who knew Vivien well. She might be swathed in two layers of black veils and careful to keep her voice to a low murmur, but her disguise wouldn’t fool a friend or close acquaintance.

They’d also sought a club catering to hardened gamesters and reckless, wealthy men, the kind who weren’t averse to losing monstrous sums of money in one night. They also needed a house with a reputation for fair play and, according to Kit, The Cormorant fit the bill nicely. Its clientele was well heeled and its owner known for keeping the play honest while not asking inconvenient questions of his patrons.

This afternoon, she’d asked her banker to withdraw one thousand pounds from her account. Stuffing the wad of notes in her purse had made her sick with anxiety, but she had no choice. Her word as a newcomer would have meant nothing to Steele. Only by providing a stake would she be able to play the kind of game that suited her purpose.

Fortunately, her nerves had settled as soon as she started to play, and Vivien now glanced with satisfaction at the tidy pile of markers growing in front of her. She and Kit had done very well, especially against the likes of Barrymore and Castle. Kit was under strict instructions to play straight, leaving the brain-work and subtleties to her. So far, he’d been following her lead, playing a respectable if cautious game.

“Your play, Madam,” Barrymore intoned in a bored voice.

She pretended to study her cards, and then trumped his ace. Barrymore pressed his lips into a thin line, once again displeased.

He and Castle had initially seemed quite keen to take her on when she and Kit first entered the card room. Even through the layers of dark veiling masking her face, she had seen their gazes filling with an unholy mix of lustful curiosity and greed.

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