Chapter 3 #2
“Is your luck in?” Georgina referred to the faro box positioned beside the dealer’s elbow. Perhaps Mrs Gardner did not discriminate in who she victimised at her tables.
“I find it never is when I play here.” Lady Mortimer studied her cards and then regarded Georgina from beneath hooded lids.
“And yet you attend here regularly?”
“I come more for the company, Miss Pace. One never knows who might attend.” Her voice lilted as she touched the cards in her hands. “I find it is an excellent place to make interesting new friends.”
The two ladies locked eyes for a moment, and Georgina felt a thrill. She could not tell if Lady Mortimer was flirting with her or not. She was singularly difficult to interpret.
Georgina swallowed hard. She could not afford to be distracted right now. She placed her bet and returned her eyes to the dealer, watching him as he handed out further cards.
“And what of this bet of the day? Do you suppose Mr Carruthers shall prevail? I hope so. I am unacquainted with him, so my bet was completely blind.”
“I think you might safely consider your wager lost, Miss Pace. Carruthers will probably make use of the privy before the hour is out, and well before the midnight curfew.”
“I have so much to learn, it would seem.” Georgina extended her already half-empty glass to the attendant to be topped up.
Lady Mortimer’s lips twitched. “I’m sure your time will be well--employed learning the bathroom habits of all Mrs Gardner’s guests.”
Georgina grinned. Lady Mortimer’s dry sense of humor appealed to her … along with her finely tapered forearms and the delicious scent of fresh orange blossoms.
Noticing Lady Mortimer’s empty glass, the attendant said, “I shall bring your wine at once, my lady,” and scurried away.
This piqued Georgina’s interest. “You must come here often to have established your very own cellar, my lady,” she ventured.
Lady Mortimer took her time responding, laying her cards down first. “I favour certain wines, and Mrs Gardner is kind enough to accommodate me.”
Georgina reminded herself that the arrangements Lady Mortimer made with Mrs Gardner for personal enjoyment had nothing to do with her.
Her purpose for being here was to glean information about Mrs Gardner’s more unsavory tactics, and such was her sole interest in getting to know Lady Mortimer.
That Georgina found her attractive was merely an extra benefit.
***
Georgina had sat at the table long enough to render her purse significantly lighter when Lady Mortimer rose and led the way to the supper room established in the adjoining parlour.
“I suspect I will be out of pocket soon,” Georgina said. “But I would just as soon lose to you as anyone else, my lady.”
The Countess lifted her brows. “I think you should not aspire to lose, Miss Pace.”
Lady Mortimer was the eldest daughter to the late Earl of Mortimer.
She inherited her title at a young age, and while her years advanced beyond forty, she had not settled with a partner.
Lady Mortimer apparently devoted her time to philanthropic activities by day and gambling by night, a lifestyle Georgina could only admire.
“It would be my privilege to lose to you.” Georgina was accustomed to receiving playful banter in response to her flirtation, yet Lady Mortimer appeared impervious to her charms. “Are you a skilled gambler, my lady?”
“My fortune has not been depleted yet,” Lady Mortimer remarked. “I must be doing something correctly.”
Georgina handed the Countess a plate of assorted treats she had selected, and together they withdrew to a table at the side of the room. “I trust you can detect a ruse when you see one?”
Lady Mortimer sighed. “Fortunately, Mrs Gardner no longer takes me for a flat. She ceased trying to fleece me long ago.”
Georgina was puzzled. If Mrs Gardner did not take advantage of the Countess, what could explain Lady Mortimer’s repeated losses at the table?
“I must remark that you just lost a substantial sum. Perhaps that is part of an unusual strategy?”
“I have a benevolent spirit, Miss Pace.”
Georgina regarded her. “Do you always come here, or do you spread your generosity across other gaming establishments throughout London?”
A forkful of ham suspended halfway to Lady Mortimer’s mouth. Unconsciously, Georgina’s eyes drifted down the smooth surface of her ladyship’s arm, noticing the baby-fine hair that covered the creamy skin. “Not always here, Miss Pace.”
Georgina tore her gaze away. “Does she host parties every night?”
“Most evenings, I believe.”
“And when you are here, have you noticed many quite young guests?” Georgina realised too late that her tone was more eager than casual.
“A range of ages. I do not think Mrs Gardner discriminates in who she invites… .” Lady Mortimer’s voice tapered off, and she leaned back in her chair, her eyes narrowing.
Georgina cleared her throat and summoned up a smile. “Those are such pretty earrings.”
Lady Mortimer instinctively touched the jewels dangling from her earlobes, a slight blush to her cheeks. “Thank you.”
“They set off the blue tinge of your gray eyes beautifully.”
Lady Mortimer tilted her head to one side, like a cautious sparrow eying a new and unfamiliar creature.
Was she assessing Georgina as friend or foe?
Lady Mortimer was an unusual character herself.
She possessed confidence without hauteur.
She had height and a voluptuous presence but did not come across as imposing.
Her countenance was pleasing, but this was not the time to be distracted by a pretty face, Georgina reminded herself.
“It is lovely to see such a diverse range of players. Though I wonder how Solitaires has managed to avoid the scrutiny of Bow Street. Has she ever had trouble with law enforcement?”
“Not to my knowledge.” Lady Mortimer’s words were quite deliberate now. She paused. “Miss Pace, are you all right? You appear quite agitated.”
The Countess’s demeanor softened then; her eyes took on a kindly glow. She put her fork down and covered Georgina’s hand with her own.
Georgina felt the heat rush to her cheeks. Suddenly self--conscious, she put a finger to the distinct furrow creasing between her brows. She had been frowning deeply. No wonder Lady Mortimer was alarmed. “Goodness me, I ramble on.”
Lady Mortimer left the table and returned with a glass of water, which she edged across to Georgina. “Perhaps you had a trifle too much wine.”
Georgina shook her head, as if to dislodge a trance that had overtaken her. What an insufferable suggestion. She cast the Countess a withering look. The woman clearly did not know to whom she was talking. No one had ever insinuated that Miss Georgina Pace could not handle her drink.
Lady Mortimer resumed her supper, showing no signs of being perturbed. Georgina begrudgingly took a sip of water, thinking that while Lady Mortimer was rather enchanting, she most certainly was not adept at judging someone’s tolerance for liquor.
Just then, a woman with an impressive air of confidence interrupted them in a flourish of apricot. She held the kind of poise that might come from commanding a successful gaming house—this had to be Mrs Gardner.
The woman had an attractiveness about her that stemmed more from self-assurance than traditional beauty.
Her malt-brown hair was swept up into a neat style and tied with a pale orange ribbon matching her dress.
Her jawline was chiselled, and her piercing dark eyes caught sight of Georgina like a hawk fixating on its prey.
Mrs Gardner loomed over their table like a shadow, gesturing to a passing attendant to refill the ladies’ glasses.
“Elizabeth, a delight to see you as always,” she said, her syrupy voice turning Georgina’s stomach.
“And Miss Pace, I believe this is the first time I have had the honour of you at my tables, is it not?”
“Your parties receive the highest praise throughout town, Mrs Gardner. I could not keep away.” Georgina allowed a matching saccharine undertone to seep into her voice. “You will forgive me that I came without an invitation.”
“Consider yourself welcome here, Miss Pace.” She took Georgina’s hand and squeezed it. “Your reputation precedes you, of course. I will be happy to add you to our list of regular invitees. And you know Elizabeth?”
Georgina suspected that Mrs Gardner’s success as a hostess depended on how much tasty gossip she had to pass along to her patrons. If there was a story to derive from Georgina being engrossed in conversation with Lady Mortimer, she would try to wrangle it out of them and then disseminate it widely.
“We met each other only this evening.” Lady Mortimer grinned at Georgina across the table. “But I sense we shall become old friends in no time.”
“Splendid!” Mrs Gardner revealed her yellowed teeth in a broad smile. Then, distracted by a young fellow who had risen from the hazard table, she excused herself and disappeared into the crowd in a rustle of taffeta.
Georgina watched her depart, certain she was on her way to prevent the young man’s escape and guide him to another game. “What an attentive hostess.”
Lady Mortimer smiled grimly. “Quite so. It is often difficult to get away once she has you in her grasp.”
Just as Georgina had expected, Mrs Gardner slid her hand around the young man’s shoulders and led him to a table, whispering into his ear, then erupting into a trill of laughter. She pressed a glass into his hand and gestured to the dealer, who promptly dealt a fresh hand of cards.
A knot formed in Georgina’s stomach. She raised her glass and took a deep sip from it. Perhaps she would no longer be content to simply get Arthur’s vowels back.