Chapter Five
“Good afternoon, Lady Joy. Miss Aurelia.” Widow Bankerton smiled from behind the counter of Bankerton’s Books and Bibelots, the book and bauble shop she and her husband had transformed into a thriving London business. “And how are we today?”
Joy had barely pulled herself together after hours of cramping, headaches, and nausea brought on by a particularly vicious round of monthly feminine ills, but she wasn’t about to share that personal information with the shop owner. “We are quite well, Mrs. Bankerton. How are you?”
“Happy to report that upstairs is nearly filled,” the matron said with a mercenary gleam in her eyes. “The Reader’s Dare Club may soon be forced to expand to the third floor as well. Wouldn’t that be lovely?”
“Indeed.” Joy knew their charities would benefit, but also knew that Bankerton’s would profit as well.
She didn’t begrudge the widow her excitement or her profit.
After all, Mrs. Bankerton knew very well what went on every Tuesday afternoon at the Reader’s Dare Club, but she was tactful and professional enough to look the other way and deflect any curious male customers in another direction.
Sometimes, when business in the shop was slow, she even came upstairs and tried her luck at Faro.
“Good heavens,” Aurelia whispered as they climbed the stairs. “It was Connie’s turn to arrange refreshments. I do hope she had the foresight to plan for extra.”
“If she reviewed last week’s receipts with Freddie, that should have given her some idea.
” Joy plodded along, still nursing a throbbing headache.
“If we run short, we shall simply have to shut down early. Everyone will understand—or at least, they should. It is not as if we have a warehouse filled with food and beverages on site.”
“Are you all right, Joy?” Aurelia paused on the stairs, offering such an expression of sympathy that the danger of tears threatened to overtake Joy once more.
She hated that she was sometimes weepy during her monthlies, absolutely hated it, though she also realized it wasn’t only her monthlies to blame this time. But she couldn’t speak with Aurelia about Jansen. Who knew if the girl could be trusted with that particular subject anymore?
Joy massaged her temples and whispered, “A course’s headache.”
“Ah.” Aurelia offered a conciliatory hug. “I understand, and once a month, I curse Eve for tempting Adam.”
“If Adam had been a proper man, he would have refused her and asked the Almighty to scold her.” Joy had decided long ago that whenever she found herself at the pearly gates of the great beyond, she had a few choice words to share with Eve about listening to that vile serpent.
“But Eve was tempted too, so I suppose we should grant her some grace,” Aurelia said. “Temptation can be so hard to resist.”
For some odd reason, Joy got the impression they were no longer discussing the first couple who had gotten themselves ousted from the Garden of Eden for flouting the Almighty’s rules. “Is there something you wish to tell me?”
Aurelia arched both brows higher. “Something to tell you?”
Joy tugged her friend to a stop just outside the entrance to the second floor. “What is it?”
“Please don’t hurt my brother. He truly does care for you. Really, he does.”
“Aurelia—”
“I know you agreed to court him, but please don’t string him along and give him hopes only to dash them. That would be crueler than cruel.”
“You know why I don’t wish to marry just yet, and if he finds out the truth about the club, he probably won’t wish to marry me either.
Think of the scandal. We have all worked so very hard to build it into what it is today, very few understand how much good we do for our charities from its proceeds, and my reputation would certainly be the one to fall, because I founded it. ”
“We would stand beside you,” Aurelia said. “We understand the risks we take.”
“I know, but it would still be my fault. Not only because I founded it, but because the ton would blame me for leading the rest of you astray. I have somewhat of a reputation when it comes to gambling, you know.”
“Just please don’t hurt him. Have you any tender feelings toward him at all?”
Joy released a heavy sigh, trying not to snap at her dear friend.
Again, she was not about to tell her that she already possessed tender feelings for Sir Jansen Winterstone, mainly because she hadn’t quite come to terms with that herself.
“I think, with time, I could develop tender feelings for him.” A wicked grin came too easily. “His kiss was quite breathtaking.”
Aurelia bounced in place and clapped her hands. “I am so very glad. That is all I’ll trouble you with today. I promise. Just know he truly does adore you.”
“Shall we go in now?” The subject needed to be changed. “If the place has filled to capacity, I am sure Freddie, Connie, and Prudie need us to help ensure things go smoothly.”
“Indeed.” Aurelia led the way.
“Good heavens,” Joy muttered as they stepped through the door.
Widow Bankerton had not exaggerated. Every table was full, as was the bar where refreshments could be found.
The place was standing room only. They most definitely needed to expand to another floor and recruit more servants from trusted households.
After all, a comfortable gamer was a happy gamer willing to stay longer and gamble more, and a portion of every pot went to the house for the benefit of the charities.
If they were ever found out, Joy prayed they could use the excuse that this was a novel way to support their favorite organizations, because all the other ways had grown quite stale.
Connie rushed over to greet them. “Good gracious, we have never had such a crowd. What caused the sudden increase in our number of guests? It’s not as if we have the luxury of placing an advertisement in the tittle-tattle sheets.
I thought poor Freddie would never get all the new ones vetted.
Widow Bankerton had to help her.” She nudged Joy.
“By the way, congratulations on your engagement.”
“On my what?” Joy forgot how to breathe. “I agreed to court him, not to be engaged.”
Connie made a face and shook her head. “That is not what the tongue waggers say, and they seem quite sure of their sources.”
Jansen had to have done this, after all his supposed understanding and sincerity yesterday in the garden. Joy turned on Aurelia. “Tell your brother his antics are not appreciated.”
Aurelia shook her head, vehemently jerking it from side to side. “No. No. Jansen would never do something so audacious. I swear to you he wouldn’t.”
“Then who?”
“If it wasn’t me,” Aurelia said, “and it wasn’t Jansen, which I am certain it wasn’t, that leaves Connie, Freddie, and Prudie, since our little group was the only ones who knew about the dare.”
Joy locked her glare on Connie, instinctively knowing it was her. “Why would you do such a thing to me?”
Connie opened her mouth, then closed it and gave a nonchalant shrug.
“You watered down the dare when you took away the possibility of discovery and had us guard the doors—and you scolded me that evening. Never scold me. I will not stand for it, and I don’t care that you are the daughter of a duke.
I will not be treated as a lesser.” She spun about and flounced away with her head held high, obviously proud of herself for serving Joy a supposed comeuppance.
“Well, I never,” Aurelia said in obvious shock.
Joy huffed a bitter laugh. “Well, she did. So much for our friendship. I believe that bridge just turned to ash and crumbled into the abyss.” She had been fond of Connie, but not so much as to mourn the loss of their tenuous friendship.
What worried her more was Connie’s inclusion in the Reader’s Dare Club.
The girl knew all their secrets and could turn the tables on them in the blink of an eye.
“You know Prudie will side with her. She doesn’t take a breath without Connie’s permission. ”
“Freddie will side with us,” Aurelia said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that Prudie and Connie both know entirely too much. They’ve helped with the club since its inception.”
“I do not feel well enough to deal with this appropriately. If I approach them, the ton will not be talking about my engagement but about my enragement.”
“What are you going to do about both?”
“I have no idea.” Joy rubbed her throbbing temples, all the while inwardly cursing Connie straight to the devil.
Damn her eyes. She should have known better than to include the daughter of Lady Burrastone in anything that required secrecy.
Mama had never trusted Connie’s mother, and apparently, the backbiting acorn had not fallen far from the treacherous oak.
“You need to go home to your bed,” Aurelia advised with a consoling hug.
“If I leave, she wins.” Joy swallowed hard, trying to tamp down the bitter bile burning the back of her throat. If she lost her tea and toast, she needed to be sure she was close enough to hit Connie with it.
“I am going to go give her a piece of my mind! I simply must.”
“Aurelia! Don’t!” Joy tried to snag hold of her and missed. It was too late. Aurelia was already nose to nose with Connie and Prudie.
“Oh dear,” Widow Bankerton said from behind her. “Is there an additional problem?”
“Additional?” Joy braced herself. What else could be wrong?
The widow drew closer and shielded her mouth with her hand. “Miss Winterstone’s brother is in the shop and refuses to leave until he speaks with you. It was all I could do to prevent Sir Jansen from storming the stairs.”
“Oh, good heavens.” Joy cradled her head between her hands and pulled in a deep, fortifying breath. “Tell him I will be down immediately. I must speak with Miss Aurelia first.”