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“Spoke with him already, did you?” William chuckled.
“I’m out,” Lord Cunningham said and asked for more whisky. “The game is not loving me tonight.”
“The game is never loving me when Roth is at the table,” Townsend said. “But deal me in one more time. Wouldn’t want Atwood losing by himself.”
Everyone laughed again. Sebastian pulled on a tight smile and asked for another drink.
The last deck dealt and cards turned over revealed another win by Sebastian. Well, this wasn’t exactly the exhilarating feeling he had expected, but at least his coffers were still full.
He stood and tipped his head. “Gentlemen.”
“You can’t be leaving! The night has just begun,” McAllistair protested with a deep slur.
“Did you not lose enough, my friend?” Sebastian asked with a slight smile.
“Perhaps I did”—a hiccup—“but Atwood certainly didn’t.”
“I’ll win from Atwood when his inheritance is actually… inherited.” It was late. Sebastian’s mind refused to work properly.
William laughed. “You need to learn the proper use of English if you want to stay in England for a long time.”
Lord forbid.Sebastian smiled tightly.
“I’ll play you some other time, Roth,” Atwood said.
“If you don’t run out of things to wager off,” William supplied.
“Oh, I would not worry about that.” Atwood waved a hand. “As soon as old Birch kicks the bucket, I will be in possession of a beautiful young ward who will bring me a lot of golden coins.”
Everyone laughed while Sebastian paused. “What do you mean? It’s not like you can wager off a lady.”
Atwood winked. “She is like a prized mare. Birch might not have known what to do with the brat, but I will certainly find a use for her. And for her small but lucrative estate.”
“Is that what Birch’s solicitor told you?” William asked, pretending boredom. Sebastian knew better. William was never bored. He was always paying attention to information that might be beneficial to him someday.
“Perhaps.” Atwood grinned unpleasantly. “Who would have thought that old and greedy Birch left anything for his daughter, but here we are.” The man winked and then called for a wench to come and sit on his lap.
Sebastian averted his nose from the display. Whoever the poor lady was who had the unfortunate fate to become Atwood’s ward, he only felt pity for her. As for the men like Atwood, who treated their dependents like cattle, he only felt disgust.
But he couldn’t waste his energy on the scum, or on the poor soul who was under his care. Sebastian’s only priority now was to give away his niece in marriage to a man who was not as callous as any of the gentlemen sitting around the table. Once he’d done that, he’d be free to travel back to the Continent where he belonged.
