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He returned upstairs to finish dressing.
She went back to perusing his books.
Des rolled in the tea cart shortly thereafter.
What an odd name for a giant of a man.
His countenance was frightening, but he was very kind to her and cast her a gentle smile as he began to set out the tea service and cakes.
“The man is enormous,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper once Perin returned, and Des left them to their privacy. “You call him your valet, but he must really be your bodyguard, I assume?”
“We get the occasional angry loser. Amazing how a man’s anger quickly dissolves when confronted by an obstacle the size of a mountain. Des has never hit anyone in his life. Men have a way of seeing reason the moment he raises his fists.”
“That is most convenient for you.”
He settled in the chair beside her and folded his arms across his chest, this seeming to be his stance when in repose. “I never seek out trouble. Sometimes it finds me anyway.” He pointed to his eye.
“Is trouble not the nature of the gaming business?”
“I run honest games, and I do not…I offer only games of dice, card games, and the like. Nothing sordid goes on here.” He poured tea for her as he spoke.
“I did not mean to imply that it did.” She cut slices of lemon cake for each of them and set them on the plates. “Well, I was curious.”
“You are a determined little snoop. Did you look through my desk?”
“No, drat. It never crossed my mind. I should have. What secrets will I find in there?”
His smile was achingly tender. “They wouldn’t be secrets if I told you.”
Once they were finished, Aurora grew wistful. She had so enjoyed her time with Perin and did not want it to end. It had to, of course. She gazed up at him, wanting so much to kiss him.
He groaned. “Do not give me that look, Aurora.”
“You know I cannot help it.” She emitted a ragged breath. “I’ve enjoyed your company, Perin.” She rose to leave and bumped the teacart so that several spoons and the sugar cone fell onto the carpet. She quickly knelt to gather the spoons and start picking the grains of sugar out of the carpet. “I cannot even blame you for wanting to be rid of me. I am such a clumsy clot.”
He knelt beside her to assist. “Gad, I hate when you do that.”
She nodded. “Knock things over?”
“No. I don’t care what you knock over…there’s something so damn charming about you, Aurora.”
“Don’t say that. You will only make me cry. Besides, you may be the only one in London who thinks my clumsiness is cute and not offensive. Your lemon cake was delicious, by the way.”
“My cook is a wonder. She prepares the light repasts we serve our guests in the main salon and the feasts we serve our private players. Of course, she cooks for me, as well. Her name is Mrs. Quinn, and she has been with me almost ten years.”
Aurora frowned. “But that would mean you hired her when you were only about…not even twenty, I’m sure.”
“I was seventeen.”
“That young?”
“I had been scrapping about ever since my father died and left me in charge of the women in my family. Grandmother. Mum. Sister. I had almost a decade’s experience under my belt by the time I turned seventeen. Your Uncle Peter helped me acquire my first properties, holding them in his name because I was not yet considered of age.”
“What was your first investment?”
“A decent home for my mother, grandmother, and sister. Mrs. Quinn had recently been widowed and lost hers, so we took her in and gave her room and board in exchange for tending to my grandmother and sister. Turned out to be an excellent trade for me. Freed me to find the next deals, and that woman can cook. We were never so well fed in our lives.”
“Tell me more, Perin. How many properties did you own by the time you were twenty-one?”
