Chapter Five
G yles watched the crowd erupt in laughter while Simon lost the contents of his stomach again. God only knew what had been put in his drink, but then he had chosen to sit at this table, knowing that the drinks were tainted with some mystery substance, so it could be said that he had brought this on himself. At least the bets for this particular round seemed to only involve money—and drinking to induce vomiting, of course. Simon hadn’t condemned himself to marry some unsuspecting woman after losing. At least not yet…
Gyles’s eyes came to rise to the women who had come out of their own salon to see what had amused the men on the gambling floor. They covered their faces with their fans as they made every attempt to hide their reaction to what they were witnessing. One in particular who wore a lovely dark green gown caught his attention, but any further thoughts returned to Simon when he heaved in a bucket once more.
“Bloody Hell!” Asher cried out. “How much can one person hold?”
Lucius came up to the table and looked at the cards that Simon had laid down upon the table. “He lost more in one hand than I’ve lost all night,” he commented dryly. “Good thing the earl has more than enough to lose from this hand and more.”
Gyles turned his head to one of the bouncers who stood nearby. “Please call for Lord Rockliffe’s carriage, Flute. We’ll do our best to get him to the door.”
“Yes, my lord,” Flute said in a gruff tone. He made a motion with his hand to signal another employee and returned to his stance to watch over the area of the gaming tables.
Gyles reached down and began to haul Simon to his feet. The man swayed, and Asher rushed to take his other arm. “Let’s get you home, Simon.”
Simon groaned in agony. “I think I’ve been poisoned.”
Lucius cleared the way through the crowd all but carrying their friend then peered quickly over his shoulder. “What did you expect when you decided to sit at that particular table? Fruit punch?”
Asher bit back a laugh. “The buckets at everyone’s feet were a clear giveaway.”
Simon groaned again.
“Leave him alone,” Gyles snapped while he adjusted his hold on Simon. “He’ll sleep it off and be good as new in the morning.”
“Right,” Lucius chuckled, “more like the evening after suffering from a massive hangover all day.”
They managed to get Simon settled in his carriage with instructions to his driver to see him safely home.
The three remaining men returned inside and took drinks off the tray of a passing servant. Once their brandy was in hand, they surveyed the crowd, but Gyles’s eyes continued to look upward in the hopes of seeing the woman in green again. There was something about her that piqued his curiosity, but he had no idea why.
Asher spoke up first, bringing up the topic Gyles had more or less been waiting for from his friends. “So, you’ve made amends with the earl. When did this miracle happen? I thought the two of you had a falling out. ”
Gyles took a long sip of his drink. “We met last night in the library at the Wilson affair of all places.”
“And…?” Lucius let the single word be drawn out as he waited for details of their meeting.
“And he admitted he had been in the wrong all those years ago where his sister was concerned. In fact, he wants my help in locating her. Seems she’s disappeared and he’s run into a dead end.”
Asher shrugged. “Well, if she doesn’t want to be found, I’m certain she is perfectly capable of appearing as though she’s fallen off the face of the planet. Her name hasn’t been mentioned in years. How does Simon know she’s still alive?”
It was Gyles’s turn to shrug. “He didn’t say but my gut tells me she’s near.”
Lucius laughed. “Here at the Lyon’s Den? Hopefully the woman isn’t on the upper floor being paid for her favors.”
Gyles instinctively grabbed hold of the lapel of Lucius’s jacket giving him a shake. “Do not speak ill of Josephine or you will answer to me,” he growled out angrily before shoving his friend away.
Asher slapped Gyles on the back. “Hold off, Wickes. Lucius meant no harm but who is to say the lady hasn’t fallen into hard times?”
Gyles frowned. “I’m positive that no matter the lady’s circumstances, her brother only wishes to return her to her rightful place in the family and in Society.”
Lucius smoothed down the fabric of his jacket. “You care for the woman,” he remarked with a raised brow. “Elsewise, you wouldn’t object to my comment.”
“I haven’t seen Josephine since she left. She was barely a score of years when she fled to marry,” Gyles said quietly wondering why he was protesting in the first place. He had cared for the lady, that was for certain, but she was only like a sister to him or so he kept telling himself.
“Her age only mattered when she was a child. That changed when she became of marriageable age and you know it,” Asher replied. He tipped his glass while pointing one finger toward Gyles to get his point across. “What mattered was that stupid promise Simon made you swear to, making Josephine off limits to you. I never understood Simon’s reasoning for making you promise such a thing. You’d have been a fine husband for her, and she would have made a good wife. She was a lovely young woman in good standing with the ton until her reckless behavior clearly got the better of her. I never did understand why she ran off with that nobody from France.”
“She must have been in love with the man if she ran off with him,” Lucius said in a low tone.
Asher snorted. “I doubt it, but only Gyles may have the answer to a question I’ve wondered for years.”
Gyles knew the reason, although he had never voiced his thoughts aloud. She ran off with the man because Gyles didn’t declare himself. He knew it hadn’t been his responsibility to go after Josephine, but in his heart, he still felt responsible. Publicly, he had always held back any affection he had for the young girl because it always seemed impossible, given the pact he and Simon had made in their younger days.
And then there had come that fateful afternoon when Gyles had witnessed the hurt look on Josephine’s face… The memory continued to haunt him to this very day. After that, he’d tried to convince his friend to go after Josephine, but he’d eventually let the subject drop. Simon may have admitted yesterday that he should have gone after his sister, but Gyles should have done the same. Regret still consumed him.
“Wickes?” Lucius said his name while giving him a nudge bringing him out of his memories of the past. “Shall we play another game?”
“By all means,” he replied casually. The night was still young and there was still plenty of brandy to consume and money in his possession to win or lose.
The men separated as they dispersed to find an available seat and a safe enough game to play that wouldn’t have them in the same condition as Simon. But when the Black Widow of Whitehall began making her way in Gyles’s direction, he had the notion his night was going to go downhill.
He was well aware that Mrs. Dove-Lyon had a matchmaking business on the side of her gambling establishment. But everyone who came here knew the chances they took when they walked through the door. Lose at her tables and it might just cost you money—or you might find yourself required to escort a lady of her choice to the next round of events within Society. Wasn’t this exactly what happened to his friend Saxton? In the end, it had apparently been a love match, but he did not believe that that was how it had started. Yes… Mrs. Dove-Lyon was smart and extremely crafty, especially when she had ulterior motives to every action she took within the walls of her den.
“Lord Wickes,” the lady said in a smooth tone, “it’s always a pleasure to see you here.”
Gyles gave the woman a bow. “Mrs. Dove-Lyon…a pleasure, to be sure.”
She took hold of his arm and began leading him in the direction of her office. “Let’s have a chat, just you and I,” she urged and Gyles could only begin to worry how he was ever going to get himself out of whatever the lady had planned for his future.