Surrender of Trust (First Volume of the Surrender Series) (26 page)

"It does make sense. Where does he play?"

"Luckily, he plays most nights at a club on
King Street."

"Do you know anything about it?"

"It's a gambling hell. This one is, well
...," Monique glanced at Lucy as if unsure how to continue.

"Go on."

"This club is more of a low class
establishment where the classes mingle. I'm not quite certain, but
I got the impression he has been banned from the more affluent
clubs frequented by the ton, like Whites , Brooks, Crockford's, or
even Boodles in St. James." Monique shifted on the settee as if
uncomfortable in putting their differences in station at the
forefront when she mentioned the commingling of the classes.

"It would stand to reason Perdan is persona
non grata at the better establishments. What does he like to play?"
Lucy asked.

"He plays several games, but his favorite
seems to be Piquet."

"That's the game only two people play. They
use a thirty six card deck. Every hand has blanks and discards,
ruffs, sequences, sets, and tricks? The first one to score one
hundred points wins, right?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"So how can I get at him? I know women are
allowed entry into some of these places, but he would he would know
something was wrong if I tried to play against him. Not to mention
I've never actually played the game. I just know how it works."

"Are you sure you want to hear my plan? Bear
in mind, it's flimsy at best and ill advised at worst."

"Considering that I don't even have a plan,
yes."

Monique took a deep breath and expelled it.
"As you've said, you can't pretend to be Lucien and you can't play
him yourself for several reasons. So, as I told you before, you
need a shill."

"Who would do that? And why would they?"

Monique's voice dropped again. "I've heard
from the servants that Henry Chison, our coachman, is very good at
most card games and is something of a card sharp."

Lucy sat motionless and listened.

Monique raised her brow, "Lucy, you would
have to stake Henry. Do you have any money that you could give him
to play?"

"Not much. I have a small amount of money in
an account Lucien keeps for me here in Town in the event I need
it."

"How much?"

"Twenty five pounds."

Monique looked dubious. "You're right, it's
not much, but it might be enough. After all, this is not an
establishment frequented by the haute ton, so the stakes are
probably much lower. Plus, the club is not likely extending much
credit to Perdan, if any. So the money may not be much of a
problem. I can't help you with this. I've used all of my pin money
and allowance. I'd have to ask my brother, and he would want to
know why."

"Are you sure your coachman is good at
cards?"

"I'm not sure of anything. It's only what
I've heard."

"You're right, flimsy and ill advised."

"It's all I've got. Feel free to consider an
alternative."

"I'm sorry to say I don't really see any
alternative. Suppose Henry agrees, why would he do it?"

"Because you're going to pay him to play the
part, plus he'll get to play cards with someone else's money and
get to keep any winnings."

"Ahh, I see. That would work. So, say Henry
agrees, then what? How do we prove Perdan is cheating? He must not
be very good at cheating if he's losing so much."

"I'm sorry, that's the part I left out! He
apparently wins more when he plays at this particular establishment
than anywhere else, which leads me to believe that he's found a way
to cheat there or has some other advantage he enjoys."

"How in the world did you discover that
fact?"

Monique grinned. "Why the servants, of
course! They know everything, and they all talk. A well placed
shilling here and a well placed question there. It's amazing the
information one can glean. My social calls weren't only to get
information from society, but from their domestic staff as well.
The servants are aware of Perdan's winnings. They also know about
his losses."

"You are amazing!"

"Thank you!"

"But how do we actually catch him in the
act?"

"Well, according to Henry ... "

Lucy interrupted, "You mean you've already
spoken with your coachman?"

"But, of course. Once I discovered the other
particulars, I had to approach Henry to see if he would participate
to know if the idea was viable. Henry is the coachman, but our
second coachman, Lloyd Piner, will accompany us as the tiger. He'll
stay with the coach while Henry is inside the club with us.
Actually, I'll have Lloyd drive it elsewhere. I don't want the
coach to be recognized."

Lucy wasn't quite sure how to react. She
wanted to deliberate on this plan a little more before jumping into
the soup. But really, what was there to think about? Lucy was
backed into a corner so to speak. "So according to Henry, how could
you prove he was cheating?"

"You have to catch him card mucking or
marking the cards."

"I know what card marking is, but what is
card mucking?"

"It's like a slight of hand where you are
adding your own cards to the game, the ones you want, and hiding
the real cards."

"But how can you tell?"

"According to Henry, it's the way they'll
have one hand flat on the table and won't move it much, but they'll
move the other one around and then reach for a hidden card, or
something to that effect."

"No, I want Henry to serve as the coachman
tonight. Lloyd is going to be the tiger," Monique said firmly to
the groom who generally served as the tiger on the coach.

Lucy caught the looks exchanged between the
grooms. It wouldn't be the first time a high born lady had dallied
with the help. At Monique's insistence Henry drive the coach and
Lloyd serve as the tiger instead of the usual groom, doubtless they
were thinking a dalliance was in the making.

It galled Lucy these young men thought she
and Monique were the type of women to plan assignations of this
kind. But then again, she had participated in such intrigue.
Memories of Chalifour slammed into her consciousness. His touch and
steady hands had driven Lucy wild with pleasure. Lucy had managed
to divert her thoughts from Chalifour the last few days, but seeing
the silent exchange between these men resurrected his presence in
her mind. Not now. Lucy pushed those thoughts firmly away. That was
introspection for when she was alone.

Lucy and Monique stepped into the coach and
Lloyd closed the door firmly behind them. The coach began to rock
as they got underway. Monique pulled her cloak over her head to
conceal her face. Lucy did likewise. They would enter the gaming
hell with their identities concealed. Henry, their driver, would
let them out down the street so they would not be recognized by the
coach.

A short time later, Henry rapped on the roof
to alert Lucy and Monique they were nearing their destination and
would soon be disembarking. The coach slowed to a stop and Lloyd
opened the door to assist them out. Lucy took Lloyd's hand and
stepped out of the coach. Monique followed. Henry climbed down from
his driver's seat and Lloyd replaced him and drove the coach
away.

Lucy turned and surveyed the area. They were
in what appeared to be a residential area off of King Street.
Pulling their cloaks further down over their faces, Monique and
Lucy followed Henry to the front door of an ordinary house. The
door unlocked and they stepped through and into a small hallway.
Henry, Lucy and Monique encountered another door with a peephole on
which Henry knocked. They passed through a series of three more
doors before reaching rooms deep within the interior of the
house.

No natural light entered from anywhere so it
was impossible to discern the time of day, or moreover, whether it
was day or night. They entered a large, dim room filled with smoke,
dealers, and gamblers. Tables were scattered about the room with
games of Whist, Faro, Quince and Hazard being played. It would be
easy to become disoriented here and not realize the amount of time
you had been gaming. Scanning the room, Lucy spotted Perdan at a
table with one other player.
Good, he must be playing
Piquet.

Leaning close to Henry, Lucy said, "That's
him. The one with the fair hair and the gambling attire."

"Yes, I recognize him. He is not well liked
among the servants."

"He's not well liked among polite society
either," Monique remarked dryly.

"It's up to you, " Lucy said. "We'll wait
here in the corner and watch."

Henry patted his coat and sauntered to the
table where Perdan played. Lucy and Monique strained against the
din of the room to hear the conversation at the table. Henry
reached into his coat pocket and withdrew some coins which he laid
on the table. The other player stood stiffly and stalked away, a
sour look on his face. Henry took his place and sat.

When Perdan and Henry began to play, Lucy
took a moment to study the room and its occupants. There seemed to
be a wide range of stations represented among the patrons. Several
women who might have been engaged in dubious occupations strolled
about the room. Lucy quickly refocused her attention on Perdan and
Henry.

Perdan dressed the part of a serious gambler
with eye shades and a hat. Leather guards encased his lace cuffs to
keep them clean. Perdan eyed Henry with a predatory look not unlike
an owl might before he swooped onto a mouse.
How could a man
with such appealing features be so unattractive?

Lucy's stomach lurched. Monique had told her
she wasn't sure about Henry's abilities and was going solely on
gossip and his own description of his abilities. What if Henry
couldn't play? She hadn't thought to tell him the money she had
given him was all she could afford. Did Henry realize that? Lucy
suddenly wasn't so sure.

Lucy watched in horror while Henry handed
over one small pile of coins after another. Perhaps Henry was
playing cat and mouse. Lucy desperately hoped so. The location of
the table prevented her and Monique from approaching any closer
without attracting unwanted attention. Lucy fidgeted in the
corner.

Monique's hand reached over and clutched
Lucy's arm. "I hope I have not led you into worse trouble. He
doesn't look like he is doing well, Lucy."

"I know. Perhaps he is toying with Perdan."
Oh, please, let that be the case
, Lucy prayed.

Play continued. Perdan's face took on a smile
which reminded Lucy unpleasantly of the leer he had leveled at her
during their first meeting in her home. This was not going well.
She could sense it.

Henry reached into his pocket and rooted
around. Lucy saw him start at the realization he had no more coins.
She was nauseous. Lucy made to move toward the table when Monique
laid her hand on her arm, restraining her.

"No, Lucy. You'll draw too much attention.
Surely, he'll stop playing now that he's out of money."

He didn't. Henry continued playing. Lucy
closed her eyes and turned away. She couldn't bear to watch. If
Henry lost, Lucy knew he would look to her to pay the debt. She was
in no position to offer up additional money. "Monique, I have to
make him stop."

"I'll go fetch Lloyd so he can get Henry.
He'll just have to leave the coach alone for a few minutes. Let me
go find him. I instructed Lloyd to drive by the front periodically,
let's hope he's nearby."Monique slipped away toward the exit.

Lucy stood rooted to the spot. Panic
threatened to overtake her. She had to stop this now. She could not
wait. Reaching into her reticule, Lucy discovered a lonely
shilling. Lucy spotted a young man approaching. As he walked past,
she whispered, "Sir, pray speak with me a moment."

Surprised, the man moved closer to her. "If
you would be so kind as to approach the gentlemen at that table."
Lucy pointed at Henry. "He's the one wearing the brown cost and tan
waistcoat. Please advise him his presence has been requested here."
She held up the coin. "This is for your trouble."

"No need for that, ma'am. I'll fetch him for
you. I guess your husband is having a bad night at the tables."

"Something like that."

The young man moved off to the table and
tapped Henry's shoulder. He leaned over and spoke directly into
Henry's ear. It was readily apparent Henry didn't want to give up
playing. With a reluctant glance in her direction, Henry stood.

Perdan's face took on an ugly cast and he
gesticulated strongly. Henry said something and Perdan's scowl grew
deeper. It was also apparent Perdan was demanding immediate payment
from Henry and receiving no satisfaction.

What was Henry going to do? He said something
to Perdan, bowed slightly, and took his leave. Henry walked toward
Lucy and she turned to leave with him trailing. Lucy burned to know
what had happened. She would have to wait until they reached the
privacy of the outdoors. Her patience strained, Lucy fairly burst
before she and Henry escaped outside. The cool night air washed
over Lucy, a welcome relief from the smoky air inside the club.
Lucy scoured the street in search of Monique. She spotted Monique's
cloaked figure some distance away, searching for the coach.

"Madam," Lucy called, not wanting to risk
using Monique's name. Recognizing Lucy's voice, Monique spun and
hurried in her direction. Satisfied Monique was safe, Lucy whirled
to face Henry. She dared not rip the cloak from her face to stare
into Henry's eyes, though she wanted desperately to do so. "What
happened in there?" Lucy demanded.

"If I could have played a while longer, I'm
sure I could have won the money back," Henry said. "I'm going to
need ten quid to pay Lord Perdan."

"You're what?" Lucy hated that her voice was
hysterical in her own ears.