Page 34 of One Night with an Earl

“I’ve never seen a ring used in a reading. What does this mean?”

“The gold will help me see your future.”

A bead of perspiration began to form between Ana’s breasts as she placed the gold ring on the inverted cup. It did not take long for the coffee to seep from the inverted cup into the saucer. It looked like an ominous black blob.

Queenie leaned back in her chair. “We will wait a bit.”

Ana shifted in her chair and tried one last time. “You do not need to trouble yourself.”

“It is not me who is troubled. Remember, I have known you since you were inside your mother’s womb. You have endured much hardship since your parents’ deaths. But I sense a different conflict within you this time.”

The woman was far too perceptive. “You may be right. My employment is—”

“I assume it is over a man.”

Unease gripped her stomach. “You’re mistaken,” Ana lied.

“Only a man can cause such angst in a woman.”

Before she could protest, Queenie snatched Ana’s cup and raised it to the sunlight streaming in through the window.

“Ah, I was right. You have not been entirely honest with me, but your cup offers enlightenment. You have been seeking answers but have not found any.”

Could she tell?

No, that comment could apply to anyone.

If Queenie sensed her heightened distress, she chose to ignore it. “The cup reveals your present and future. If we are fortunate, it will show your love life. But your cup will reveal only the next forty days.”

Suppressing her trepidation, Ana forced herself to ask, “What do you see?”

Queenie tipped the cup toward the sunlight. “For your present, I see a mountain.” She shook her head, and another wisp of dyed red hair escaped from her turban. “No. It’s a volcano. Much energy is coming your way. It can be good or bad energy. There is an opening at the top of the volcano.”

“Isn’t that good?” Ana asked. “A sealed volcano can only mean bad results.” Please tell me I have nothing to worry over.

Queenie shrugged. “It means much will be resolved, but not all.”

That didn’t sound as promising.

“What does it say about my future?” Ana asked.

“First, your love life.”

Not yet! “There is nothing to see.”

“A man…a new man.” Queenie looked up from the cup to catch her gaze. “Longing and passion surround him.”

Oh, no. “There is no man, not anymore.”

One of Queenie’s naturally brown eyebrows arched high. “Denying him does not make him go away.”

If only it would. “It was a mistake.” If she’d known his identity, she would have avoided him at the Silver Chalice. She may not have chosen anyone else, but she would not be in her current predicament.

Why choose me? The heat and urgency in the Earl of Drake’s voice shocked her as much as his admission that he had returned to the brothel for her. The predicament she now found herself in was as dangerous as the temptation of his words.

“Mistake or no, his presence in your life is clear.”

Ana eyed the gold ring and grew suspicious. “Does your reading have anything to do with the ring I placed on top of the cup?”