Page 75 of The Scandalous Spinster

Clara held her breath.

“Clara,” Bram said quietly, tense as a bowstring.

“Trust me,” she whispered back. They had few options remaining. The party would be over soon and everyone would be expected to leave. They had to find Sybil and the others. Now. Tonight.

Devil inclined his head.

Wager accepted.

The marquis smirked, but there was a sharpness to it. She’d needled him publicly on purpose, poking his ego. Selene grabbed his arm excitedly. “How thrilling.”

He glanced at her with condescending amusement. “She’s hardly that famous, but very well. If you wish to meet her.”

“You are too kind, my lord.”

“And what is it you want from me?” he asked Clara. “Clearly, you have something in mind.”

She smiled, prim and polite. “I should like Lady Heloise’s thousand acres.”

The marquis’s smile slipped. “I beg your pardon?”

“Your ward, Lady Heloise. You control her fortune. I want her inheritance.” The Spinsters worked with a very good solicitor who was adept at manipulating the law to make it work for women as best he could. He was quite feral about it. Clara would sign over Heloise’s inheritance as soon as they returned to London. There were trusts, maneuvers. It wasn’t foolproof, but it was something. It was better than nothing.

“Preposterous.” The marquis laughed. “You can’t be serious. I’m not betting that. What kind of a guardian would I be? I have a villa in Italy. I’ll wager that instead.”

He had already lost that villa. He was dreadful at cards and gambling, as it turned out. No wonder he was in debt.

Clara shrugged one shoulder. Plain, overlooked Clara in her daring red silk dress with matching red stocking ribbons. “I thought your parties were legendary. But if you’re anxious…” She shrugged again, as disdainfully as she knew how. “If it’s too rich for your blood…” She knew these people. She knew how they acted when there was blood in the water. She had been the prey long enough to learn their weaknesses.

He definitely noticed her now. Everyone did.

The good-natured ribbing started first. Then the jeers, the dares. She might have been in a schoolyard for all the finesse and self-control on display. But the marquis, while placated daily, was also resented. He was careless and self-centered. More importantly, he was above almost every single person here in terms of rank and fortune. They wanted to see him fall. Just once. From such a great height.

She’d counted on it.

She had been invisible for so long, but now it was time to be seen. He needed to notice her, and there was no catching his attention without fortune or beauty. Unless it was with rage. Humiliation.

A dangerous game, but necessary. A red dress was not enough.

She waited quietly but allowed herself a toss of the single curl Selene had arranged over her shoulder. A reach for her wine glass, set so near his own. A tip of her hand.

Gauntlet thrown.

The marquis glared at her then smiled that careless, indolent smile. “I did promise entertainment,” he announced, as though this was all his idea. She would let him have that if he agreed to the terms. The marquis gave a great, theatrical sigh. “I suppose, if only to indulge the ladies,” he said. “I accept your terms.”

Clara fought to conceal the thrill of the first triumph.

If you could call it that. Because if she lost…

No. It wasn’t helpful to dwell on that now. There was no going back. Bram was so still and so alert behind her that it felt as though a coiled panther waited at her shoulder. The marquis flicked him a glance.

“We should clear the floor behind each player, don’t you think?” she asked. “So there is no concern over cheating?”

Cheating was not her worry. For her backup to work, Bram could not be within arm’s reach of her. The dealer glanced at Devil, who nodded again, thoughtfully. His men ushered the spectators to the sides, clearing the space behind the marquis and Clara.

Bram cursed under his breath. “Clara.”

She only smiled at him. He grumbled, finally stepping aside.