The Wager by Raven McAllan Read Free Book Online Page B

her.
    "Now, shall we resume? You are about to
cast your second throw of this game I believe?”
     
     

 
    Chapter Eight
     
    I was? Catherine's senses were shot. "Oh I was,
yes, thank you." She sat down abruptly. Why had he kissed her? Surely not
just to confuse her? His repartee could do that. Flustered, she threw the dice
and stared without comprehension as it turned and stopped with a five
uppermost. His, "Well done, I will be lucky to best you in this
round," didn't register until she heard the noise of chalk on the slate.
    "Oh yes, so er ,
all rests on the last hand. And you go first this time?"
    "As you say. But first would you like another port? Are you
warm enough, hungry…tired?"
    "Yes please, yes, no, and no. Are you
procrastinating, Brook?"
    "As you have just
repeated so often lately, my dear. No, merely savoring the evening. It is a long time since I
have enjoyed myself so much." His chair slid back as he went to the
sideboard and carried the decanter back to the table. Half full, the rich
liquid flashed in the candlelight, and the crystals of its ornate surface
winked and shone as their facets also caught the light. Catherine stared at it,
fascinated by the colors.
    "My grandfather's," Brook explained as
he filled their glasses. "I have no idea where he acquired it, it is a
decanter made to be used at sea, hence the shape. Knowing grandpapa, he would
not have obtained it through conventional channels."
    "Not like your father, then?"
Catherine shuddered at the thought of Brook's father. She had only met him a
few times, but he had been a martinet, and she suspected he had made both
Brook, his siblings, and his mother's life a misery. His early demise had been
a blessing, his death mourned by no one.
    "Indeed not." Brook put the decanter
on the floor, and picked up the dice. "Grandpapa was a true gentleman.
That is not a title I feel could be applied to my father, though he chose to
believe he was one. Now let me see what I can do to redeem myself and alter
this stalemate." He threw the dice in such a way that they hardly rolled.
Catherine looked at him with suspicion. She wondered if she covered the dice
and demanded he told her the outcome, if he would be correct. She knew if one
was skilled it was possible to manipulate the outcome. He caught her glance,
and it seemed he interpreted it correctly.
    "No, I did not cheat, and if you wish me to
take the throw again without seeing what they say I will do so. If I win, it
will be by fair means, not foul."
    "I trust you." I think. "The outcome remains. She looked at the cubes of
ivory resting by the corner of the board, and wanted to cheer. What a mess.
    "Hmm, perhaps you shouldn't have. Then I
might be faced with a better hand than this." He put the dice in a row. "Ace, two, four, four, six. What a
mishmash . I will throw five."
    Five? What is he trying to do? Catherine knew better than to question him.
Instead she inclined her head. "Play on."  
    This time he kept the dice in his hands for so
long she was ready to scream, before he threw them. When at last they began to
tumble over the board she let out the breath he hadn't realized she was
holding.
    "I have two aces and two sixes, and a
three. This is a disaster." He didn't look distressed, just the opposite.
"So Catherine, I have one throw left, and then it will be all down to you.
Tell me, how do you think I should proceed?" The look he gave her once
more filled her body with heat. It should be against the law to be aroused so
easily.
    "Legally," she said, and deliberately
rang her fingers around the fluted neckline of her dress. The action brought
her bosoms to his attention; she saw his eyes flicker down, up and then down
again. Her nipples felt tight against the bodice of her dress, and the soft
cotton of her chemise chafed them.
    His hands went to his cravat, and tugged it.
    "It is somewhat…warm is it not? Feel free
to loosen your ..." She paused as she remembered
the smoldering glance he had given her