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Chapter 6
Hades came home after a long day at his hell, feeling tired and empty. He had promised to work through all the details with Grace, and he’d done just that. Now he was simply exhausted. He would rather haul wagons of coal than sit in a cramped, dark room and talk about the number of bottles of whiskey they needed to loot for the next month. Being a gaming hell owner wasn’t all that people thought it to be.
Everyone thought his work involved whoring around, drinking, fighting, and carousing with aristocrats. In reality, there was little danger, even less excitement, and mostly cramped muscles at the end of the night.
He missed the simple days of being a highwayman. Those were the most exciting days of his life. He got to ride along the road, rob the filthy rich, and then spend the nights beneath the stars, singing around the fire.
This was all in the past. Then he found Ava and dedicated the rest of his life to building a better future for her.
He heaved a sigh and walked into the corridor, his steps heavy. Now that Ava was gone, it all seemed meaningless.
However, the work needed to be done. He needed to keep the empire he’d built well supplied. Ava might have been gone, but a lot of people were still here. They all depended on him.
As if in confirmation, a roar of laughter and a buzz of conversation filtered out from the main hall. There was merriment in the house, and for that, he was glad. At first, when he just took people in to live with him, they were afraid of him—enough to tiptoe around him and to hide when he stepped into the house. Now they felt as if this house was theirs. They were happy.
Hades walked through the hall, sticking to the shadows, unwilling to draw attention to himself. Let the men and women celebrate in peace, without his daunting presence.
Perhaps he was getting old. He used to be like these people once upon a time, too, drinking, carousing, picking fights. Now, he just wanted the comfort of his chair in his dark chamber.
“I would rather kiss a toad!” a soft, feminine voice exclaimed.
Then there was a shriek of laughter.
Hades looked around in surprise. Was it Eloise’s voice he’d heard? After the incident the night before, he’d thought she wouldn’t want to leave her room.
His surprise turned into befuddlement when he saw the woman sitting between Verity, Chastity, and Prudence. It was Miss Gunning; he was certain. But the woman who sat there was not the dull and oh-so-proper sister of the thief-taker, no. Her face was powdered ghostly white and painted with rouge. She wore a wig on her head and had an enormous ale mug in her hands—large enough for her to drown in.Interesting.
“What did you do next?” she asked, her voice a bit slurred.
She wobbled in her seat and almost dropped the mug. She caught herself at the last minute, then slowly placed the mug on the table and, in even slower motion, fixed the wig atop her head.
Hades wished he could have the entire picture painted. He would send it to the thief-taker and would pay to see the expression on his face.Imagine, a thief-taker’s sister, drinking with criminals and trading stories with the whores.
“I took his walking stick and shoved it where it belonged!” Prudence intoned.
“Where did it belong?” Eloise asked in wonder.
Hades grimaced. As much as he loved the idea of taunting the thief-taker, he didn’t wish for Eloise to be ill. Neither did he want her to expose herself to too much of the harlots’ influence. She had heard and seen enough. He walked calmly toward the table.
“Oh, look!” Eloise was first to notice him. She pointed at him, her hand unsteady. “Mr. S-scoundrel is home!”
Her guards shot up immediately, but he stopped them with a motion of his hand, and they froze in place.
Hades walked close to her chair, and she looked up at him, her smile crooked. “See? I am out, and I am g-good!”
Hades shook his head. She wasn’t just slightly foxed. She was staggering drunk. At the moment, she was unsteadily swaying in her seat and grinning like an idiot.
“How much did she drink?” he asked the women sitting next to her.
“Not much.” Verity raised both hands in a shrug. “It’s only her second mug, and it’s almost full.”
“I think that’s enough for tonight,” he said. “Miss Eloise, let me accompany you to your room now.”
“But I don’t want to go. I—” She reached for him, but he stepped back, and she almost fell. Hades quickly caught her hand and steadied her.
“Ow! Did the floor move?”
Hades raised his eyes heavenward. “You’re going to your room, Miss Eloise.”
