Chapter Twenty-Five
T he wolves carried trays of fine liquor among the tables. When they personally catered to certain guests, rather than sending the waiters to do the job, Ada knew they had their eyes on those players. Nobody ever paid attention to the servants, and they often caught cheaters this way. Mr. Silvers helped himself to the finest liquors, the kind that Ada’s father had supplied until his death. Alfred was right. She’d been too naive to connect her father’s untimely demise with Silvers’ bottomless greed.
“Another round goes to me!” Mr. Silvers roared with enthusiasm. Robin was dealing tonight. Good. Ada let Silvers collect her money and she bet again. He’d indulged in too many drinks and wasn’t paying attention. But even though his speech was slurred, the man could hold his liquor, and his eyes were still sharp.
Then a shiver traveled down her spine and Ada rubbed her arms to hide the goosebumps. This was her chance to play Mr. Silvers. His turn to pay.
At first, she merely observed. Then she slowly started to bet against him, making sure he’d win the confidence needed to place exorbitant sums on the table. While Mr. Silvers indulged in glass after glass of the finest French port wine, Ada focused on his tell. Whenever he started to twitch in his chair, he lost a round. When he was still, he won. Round after round, she slid her money over to him and he bellowed with excitement.
Laughter filled the large room, but Ada couldn’t muster a smile.
Then her eyes moved toward the door and her heart leapt. She thought she’d seen Alfred but, of course, it was Seth. Time to siphon money from the only place where she’d had a bit of safety. But she had to get Mr. Silvers to pay, too. Could she manage to take his money and avoid stealing from Aunt Bessie? Acid rose to her throat. If Silvers’ pockets were deep enough, she could accomplish her goals without stooping to thievery.
She had to both turn Silvers’ luck and ensure that Seth won his money. If she could redirect Silvers’ losses, she wasn’t stealing even if the house made no profit on her gameplay. It was the lesser of two necessary evils.
“Good evening,” Titan said as Seth arrived at the table.
“The Cavalier’s usual?” Robin used Alfred’s nickname. Another sign that their ruse was working—so far.
Seth cast a look at Ada begging for help. He barely looked like Alfred. They had the same golden hair, but Seth’s was slightly shorter, and behind the black velvet mask, his eyes were a clearer blue. She had to admit that his physique was similar to Alfred’s in the black evening coat—it was the same ensemble Alfred had worn when they met less than a fortnight ago. It felt as though they’d shared lifetimes since then.
Ada was afraid to speak because Silvers would recognize her voice. Until this moment, she’d only mumbled a few phrases in French to place her bets. A word in English and her chance to draw money from her father’s murderer would vanish.
Even behind a mask, Ada could not bring herself to compromise her morals. Caught between her role as puffer for the house and the responsibility to maintain Seth’s cover as the Cavalier, she felt the heavy weight of her predicament. But it was time to step up and gamble for her life in every sense of the expression.
Seth did well and bet on red when Ada batted her eyelashes as they’d planned. He bet on black when she brushed her hair out of her face. The wall clock showed one o’clock. It had been nearly an hour and Mr. Silvers owed the house a dizzying amount of money.
“ Votre jeu est fait? ” Is your bet made? Robin asked. But Ada knew that Silvers owed more than he could afford already, so she gave Titan, the manager, the signal to collect. She leaned on her elbow and Seth understood. With a curt nod, he walked away.
Ada’s chest constricted as she realized that Seth didn’t have enough money yet. Panic bubbled in her throat, and she swallowed hard.
“Titan,” she called.
The tall manager furrowed his brows.
“Is the private gaming room open?”
If she had one more chance, even at the risk of exposing herself, she’d take it to collect the down payment. She wanted the man of her dreams but not at the cost of his dream.