Page 25 of How to Best a Marquess

“I am Olivia’s sister,” Ellie said.

The lady nodded once. “She told me to expect you.”

“Please collect your winnings and follow me.”

Ellie led the lady, not to the stairs leading to the office, but around a corner to the paneled wall. Ellie reached for the latch, and the door swung open.

Lady Willoughby’s step faltered. “Is it safe?”

“Yes.”

She followed Ellie inside. The room was almost complete. Furnishings had been delivered, the room painted, and blue curtains hung, but there hadn’t been time to add additional gambling tables. Only the single roulette table stood in the center of the large room.

Lady Willoughby walked farther inside. Her gloved fingertips traced the back of a settee. “What is this place?”

“It will be a women’s gambling room. A place where men are not permitted. The only males who will cross the threshold will be liveried servers.”

“Truly? A place without men? How lovely.” Lady Willoughby stopped by the roulette table and spun the wheel. Without a little white ball, it sounded different as it spun and came to a stop.

Ellie could only imagine the lady’s thoughts regarding a place without men. Safety. A haven. A brief escape from her hellish existence living with a brute.

“I admit to being pleasantly surprised. But do you believe you will have sufficient business to justify a women’s room?” Lady Willoughby asked.

Ellie chuckled. “Have you noticed how many ladies are on the casino floor this evening?”

“Yes, I have. Some are unmasked. They are not all ladies.” Lady Willoughby touched her own mask, a simple deep blue one that matched her dress.

“True.”

“You allow them entrance?”

“They are wealthy women. Widows or wives of merchants. The Raven Club is not Almack’s. There are no discerning patronesses who hand out vouchers.”

“Thank heavens for that,” the lady said.

So far, everything was progressing as planned. Lady Willoughby had come to the club. She had followed Ellie into the private room and seemed excited at the prospect of a women’s space. Could Ellie convince her to take one more step?

“Come. There is more to see,” Ellie said.

Lady Willoughby followed as Ellie led her to the back of the room. Ellie pressed another latch, this one smaller, and a hidden door in the panel swung open quietly.

Samantha Willoughby’s lips parted. “Another hidden room?”

Ellie didn’t answer but stepped inside to reveal the smaller room. The lady halted, her brown eyes wide behind her mask. “A bedchamber?”

The room had been painted and decorated in cream colors. Brooks had come through, and the four-poster bed had been assembled and a feathered mattress delivered. A peach coverlet gave the room a warm feel. A chest of drawers sat in the corner. A lace runner and porcelain bowl for washing rested upon the chest.

“It’s a place to stay. Safe and hidden,” Ellie said.

“From whom?

“From men.”

Lady Willoughby stiffened, and she bit her bottom lip. “Olivia told you everything, didn’t she?”

There was no sense lying, not now. “She did.”

Slowly, Lady Willoughby removed her mask. She did not make eye contact with Ellie, but Ellie saw enough.