The Player (Rockliffe Book 3) by Stella Riley Read Free Book Online Page B

then added delicately, ‘You haven’t been in Town very
long, have you?’
    ‘A few weeks, only.’   It just
feels a lot longer .   ‘And you?’
    ‘Oh – this is my second Season,’ came the cheerful
reply. ‘Since most of the gentlemen I like treat me as if I were their sister
and the rest don’t meet Mama’s standards, I’m likely to get a third one as
well. Not that I mind, particularly.   In
fact, I rather like it.’   She paused and
then added delicately, ‘I saw you dancing with Mr Sterne and Lord Sheringham,
did I not?’
    ‘Yes – and will be aware why they asked me.’   Caroline also hesitated and then decided to
grasp what might be her only opportunity.   ‘Would you tell me something?   Truthfully?’
    ‘If I can.’
    ‘I know neither gentleman has any money.   What I don’t know is why they haven’t – and all I
hear from Lady Brassington are hints that don’t really tell me anything except
that she favours Mr Sterne.’
    Cassie’s brow wrinkled thoughtfully.
    ‘Well, she would do, of course.   She’s his aunt or cousin or something.   As for money … I’m not sure Mr Sterne ever
had much.   I don’t think he inherited a
great deal … and my Papa says he’s a gamester.’
    ‘I see. And his lordship?’
    ‘Another of the same, I’m afraid – and equally deep
in debt, if the rumours are true. The only difference is that rumour also says that, ten years ago, Lord
Sheringham was a rich man.’
    ‘You mean he’s squandered a fortune at cards and
dice?’
    ‘Some of it, certainly.’   Cassie cast around for something encouraging
to say. ‘I don’t know either gentleman well, of course.   But Mr Sterne is always pleasant and one
can’t deny that his lordship is very good-looking.’
    ‘No.’ Handsome
is as handsome does .   ‘No.   One can’t.’
    Though she’d hoped it might be otherwise, it came
as no particular surprise to Caroline that both of her would-be suitors were
addicted to gaming.   More troubling was
the knowledge that Lord Sheringham had already gone through one fortune and
could just as easily go through another.   She didn’t think Grandpa Maitland would approve of his money being
wasted over the card-table.   She wasn’t
sure she approved of it herself.   And when
she took a moment to consider just how long Grandpa’s hundred thousand pounds
might be expected to last, she had the unpleasant feeling that it might not be
very long at all.
    Caroline had thought that she could do worse than
Marcus Sheringham.   Now she wasn’t so
sure. But persuading Mama that Lavinia and Sylvia could make perfectly
satisfactory marriages without Caroline wedding a title was going to be
virtually impossible.
    *   *   *
    At Sinclair’s, meanwhile, Adrian and Lord Nicholas
had enjoyed an extremely good dinner along with a couple of bottles of equally
good claret.   Then, despite Adrian’s
attempts to avoid it, they had settled down to play piquet and, within half an
hour, the concentration it took not to count cards had made his head hurt.  
    At one point, Aristide had wandered in to watch
the play for a few minutes – presumably in order to check that Adrian wasn’t
using his peculiar skill – and then, apparently satisfied, said, ‘The main
floor is busy tonight and there are any number of gentlemen down there who may
know you.   So if you’re still intent on
not being recognised, I suggest you leave by the back way.’
    Glad of the interruption and   feeling that even invading a stranger’s house
uninvited was preferable to another hour of mental torture, Adrian threw down
his cards and said, ‘Come on, Nick.   For
God’s sake, let’s go and get this over with.’
    Nicholas glanced at the clock.
    ‘It’s only a little after eleven.   Still early, really.’
    ‘It’s late enough.’
    With a good-humoured shrug, Lord Nicholas
surrendered what he hoped was another winning hand and said, ‘All right.   But since I’m only going to