Page 22 of How to Best a Marquess

“I’ve convinced Lady Willoughby to come to the Raven,” Olivia said.

“How?” Ellie asked.

The sisters were on the terrace enjoying a luncheon at home. It was a lovely afternoon and not a cloud marred the sky. Large terra-cotta pots with fragrant blooms scented the air, and the girls sipped glasses of lemonade.

A frown marred Olivia’s brow, and she lowered her glass. “I saw Samantha yesterday afternoon. We were to have afternoon tea at her home. She sent a note to cancel at the last minute, but I had a dreadful sense of foreboding and showed up on her doorstep and claimed I never received her note. I acted quite unladylike and pushed my way past her butler and into her home.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “You, unladylike? I cannot imagine.” Olivia could be quite persistent when she wanted something.

“Yes, well…before the butler or anyone else could stop me, I hurried up the grand staircase and burst into Samantha’s bedchamber.”

“You’re lucky the baron wasn’t home!”

“I was willing to take the risk. I also quickly realized he was not in residence because I never heard his booming voice.”

Ellie let out a held-in breath. “I take it Lady Willoughby was home.”

Olivia’s expression grew hard. “There were bruises everywhere. Samantha claimed she tripped on the front step as she was returning home the prior evening. It was a ridiculous lie.”

Silence stretched between them for seconds.

“How did you convince her to come to the Raven Club? I thought she feared the baron discovering her whereabouts?”

“She does. But this last beating was worse than the others. He blames her for not conceiving an heir and promised to continue until she produces a male child.”

Ellie’s insides twisted in disgust. She already despised the viscount, and she’d only made his acquaintance once at a ball. “When can I expect Lady Willoughby?”

“Tomorrow evening.”

“Will you accompany her?”

“No. Even if we are both masked, Samantha fears others will recognize her if we are seen together.”

Ellie nodded. “I will seek her out. You have done the right thing, Olivia.”

Olivia bit her bottom lip. “I hope so. But convincing her to leave her husband will not be easy.”

“It never is.”

…

“I need your help, Brooks,” Ellie said. “Furnishings are to be delivered today for my ladies’ gambling room. I need assistance overseeing everything, and most likely, some of the heavier items will have to be moved.”

She’d found Brooks in the club’s kitchens talking with Cook and finishing off a platter of cold roast beef and cheese.

Brooks scraped back his chair and stood. “I am at your service, my lady.”

These days, her brother was at home with Grace more often than he was at the club, so he couldn’t help. Grace’s time was drawing near, and her brother was reluctant to leave his wife’s side.

The only other male who was strong enough to help was Hugh, and she refused to ask him.

Brooks had never expressed his opinion as to whether he preferred Ellie or the Marquess of Deveril to win the Raven. The man was intelligent and loyal to her brother. As a result, she was hesitant to confess everything to him. But she was also wise enough to know that Brooks might learn the truth on his own. The man walked the club floor each night and spoke with the servants. He may be fine with a private room for the women to gamble, but when it came to the hidden room, she had to tell him before he discovered it and questioned her. As with Hugh, she would not tell Brooks the whole truth.

“Some of the items require secrecy.”

Brooks’s gaze snapped to hers. “Such as?”

“It’s best if I show you.”