Regina felt incredibly underdressed given the circumstances. Not that she knew what she ought to wear for card playing. But if she’d known that she would be meeting strangers for the first time while understaking this venture, she’d have packed some nicer things. As it was she was merely in an old gown from last year.

She supposed that she would have to get used to wearing old gowns. Her family wouldn’t have much in the way of money to spend on her if she failed in this endeavor.

Call it what it is, she thought to herself. This is a gamble, not an endeavor. It certainly wasn’t a proper business move.

But what was business, she thought, if not gambling? A man sent his trading ships out and gambled that they would not be lost to storms or pirates or war.

This was the same thing, she told herself. She was simply going about it a different way.

She checked herself in the mirror that hung on the wall of the larger drawing room, the one done up in cream and green.

The mirror was set just above a beautiful polished wooden table. She ran her hands idly over the smooth surface as she looked in the mirror. She looked small and pale and a bit tired from reading those books all day.

A mouse, she thought to herself. She looked like a freckle-faced mouse.

There was no doubt in her mind that Lord Harrison’s friends would be rich and dashing. Lady Cora looked like something out of a painting, and she felt certain that Lord Harrison’s other friends would be of the same manner. People tended to draw to them others of a similar nature and appearance. She was sure that she would feel hopelessly drab and stupid compared to the guests.

Unfortunately, there was nothing for it. She didn’t have enough time to change and she didn’t want to risk being seen going back and forth between her house and Lord Harrison’s. And even if she did want to take the risk, she didn’t have any time.

She squared her shoulders. If she couldn’t handle Lord Harrison’s friends in a friendly game in his private room, then how could she possibly handle a game for high stakes with strangers?

Regina heard footsteps approaching from the front door and hurried back into the library. She heard the front door open and there was the sound of people talking in low but cheerful voices. Regina thought she could make out the voices of two women.

Were women playing at this game? She hadn’t expected that but she was glad for it. It would help her to feel a little less overwhelmed.

The front door closed and then there was the quiet rhythmic thump of shoes crossing the foyer and through the dining room, into the smaller sitting room for playing cards. She took a deep breath. It was time. No point in hiding in the library.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Lord Harrison stepped in. He was wearing a proper coat now and he looked less disheveled. Yet, there was still something relaxed about him.

His posture was easy and sloped with no tension. His mouth seemed ready to slip into a smile at any moment. If she were but to close her eyes and focus on the feeling she got from him, she would have pictured him in naught but a shirt and trousers.

It must have been because he was in his own home and trusted the people he had invited. She still could not figure Lord Harrison out but they had made promises to one another. She saw no reason for him to betray her. Therefore, if he trusted his guests, then she could trust them.

“Come now, Puck,” he told her. “The time for hiding in the library is over.”

“Are you certain you should be using such nicknames where guests can hear?” Regina asked.

She crossed the room to him anyway, strangely drawn to him as if she was the moon and he was the earth, his gravity inexorably tugging at her.

“I can assure you, these guests won’t mind. They’re all reprobates of the worst sort.” Lord Harrison winked at her.

“Oi!” Someone shouted from the sitting room. “We can hear you, Harrison!”

“Yet I don’t hear you denying it!” Lord Harrison shot back.

He smiled at Regina and held out his arm for her. “Come along. They’re all dying to meet you. Partially because they don’t believe I have a cousin.”

“That’s because you don’t have a cousin,” Regina replied.

“But they don’t know that,” Lord Harrison said, and then he was leading her into the smaller sitting room—the parlor, he had called it—and she couldn’t say anything more about it.

She’d noticed earlier that the sitting room behind the dining room was small, or at least smaller than the other rooms. Now it seemed even smaller but in a cozy, comfortable sort of way.

One of the tables had been moved into the center of the room, and there was a fireplace going. The warm light from the fire highlighted the gold accents in the room and made the gray seem warmer and more inviting.

At the table were seated four people: two women, one of them Lady Cora, and two men. Regina paused as they all looked up at her upon her entrance.

Her hand instinctively tightened on Lord Harrison’s arm. To her surprise he laid his hand over hers, a reassuring gesture.

“Everyone, may I introduce my cousin, Miss Regina.”

Regina curtsied politely. The two men stood and bowed to her while the two women inclined their heads.

Lord Harrison gestured to them. “These are the most disreputable companions, I can assure you. Scoundrels, every last one of them.”

Regina had never heard anyone call somebody a scoundrel in such a casual, friendly manner. It was obviously an inside joke.

“It takes one to know one,” said the first gentleman, the one on the far left. Regina recognized his voice. He was the one who’d yelled just a moment ago.

He was tall, though not as tall as Lord Harrison, with light blond hair and a sharp, thin face. Regina could easily have found herself afraid of him given the severity of his features, but he relaxed it all with an easy smile. His eyes were so pale they looked gray. When she looked at his hands, she could see the pale blue veins beneath the skin.

All in all, he looked almost more like a ghost than a person. Regina saw a large handkerchief resting by his hand on the table. She wondered if he was quite well.

“The one who won’t stop running his mouth is Lord Edmund Mannis, eldest son of the Duke of Whitechester,” Lord Harrison explained.

“Not for long,” Lord Mannis replied.

Regina was confused. Not for long? Did that mean his father stood to lose his title? Such things had been commonplace back when lords were actively warring for land and for the throne. But nowadays to have a Duke stripped of his title was next to unheard of.

Her confusion, as usual, must have shown on her face, for Lord Mannis laughed. The laugh turned into a hacking cough. One of the ladies, the one Regina didn’t know, quickly handed him his handkerchief. The other gentleman gently patted Lord Mannis on the back.

“I’m afraid my younger brother will be the one to inherit the dukedom,” Lord Mannis explained. He pulled the handkerchief away from his face and Regina saw a spot of red upon it. The spot glistened.

She felt slightly ill.

“Must you frighten the girl?” Said the unknown lady, the one who had passed Lord Mannis his handkerchief. “We all know you are dying, you needn’t go on about it.”

“The lady hiding her undying devotion behind a scolding is Lady Elizabeth Thornby,” Lord Harrison said.

Lady Thornby was a tiny woman, the same size as Regina. She had light brown hair and light brown eyes that matched. In contrast to Lord Mannis, Lady Thornby looked the picture of health. Her skin had a robust glow to it and every movement spoke of contained energy.

“Miss Eliza, please,” Lady Thornby said. “As if we stand on ceremony around here.”

“Miss Eliza is in love with Lord Mannis,” Lord Harrison said. “And he with her. Although you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at them.”

“Simply because you don’t know what love looks like doesn’t mean the rest of us have to suffer for it,” Miss Eliza replied.

She then smiled warmly at Regina. “I beg you, ignore how we snap at one another. I assure you that Edmund and I are entirely devoted to one another, and our friendship with Harrison is just as strong.”

“Why are you not Lady Mannis then?” Regina blurted out. She nearly clapped a hand over her mouth.

“There’s the awkwardness everyone was telling me about,” Lord Harrison said. He sounded delighted. “I’ve been waiting for it to show up.”

Regina had been hoping that she could get through the evening without saying the wrong thing. Apparently that had been too much to ask of her runaway mouth. Why could she not stay quiet? She managed it ninety percent of the time. If she had to speak why did it always end up being something like this?

Miss Eliza only laughed. Lord Mannis winced but it didn’t seem to be because of Regina.

“I’m afraid that I don’t have long,” he admitted. “Eliza and I have spoken at length and we thought it unfair for me to wed and bequeath all my lands to her and deprive my brother. George will undoubtedly live for quite a long time. And Eliza is sought after by many men. She can marry after I am gone. It is better for both of them.”

“He refuses to believe me when I say I shall never love anyone but him,” Miss Eliza pointed out.

“I never said you would love again, I said that you would marry again,” Lord Mannis replied. “There is a difference.”

He looked at her then, his gaze bright and full of love. Regina found that there was a lump in her throat. She swallowed it down. In that moment there was no doubt in her mind that Lord Mannis loved Miss Eliza with a terrible, all-encompassing devotion.

When she looked into Miss Eliza’s eyes, she saw that same devotion reflected back at Lord Mannis.

“I am a selfish woman,” Miss Eliza admitted. Her voice was softer now. “We are not marrying so that George may become Duke and inherit the lands when his father and Edmund are gone. But I refused to let Edmund leave me without living as his wife, even if it is not so in the eyes of the law.”

“And so you will not see us about much in society,” Lord Mannis added, turning back to face Regina. “There have been enough to see and object to our closeness even if they do not know the full truth.”

“They fraternize with me instead,” Lord Harrison said. “Adding to their rakish reputation.”

“Oh come now, I am merely a beguiled young woman,” Miss Eliza protested. “Seduced by the charms of rakish men. But I myself am not rakish.”

“Whatever helps you to sleep at night, my dear,” Lord Harrison replied.

“And what are we?” Said the other gentleman. “Scraps for the dogs?”

“Ah, yes, of course, we mustn’t forget to stroke your ego,” Lord Harrison said. “Miss Regina, this is Lord David Quentin. He’s been a friend of mine since childhood.”

Lord Quentin was on the shorter side, with a broad chest and dark skin that told with no reservation the truth of him having mixed heritage. His hair was short and curled against his head but he had light green eyes. It startled Regina, for she had expected dark ones.

Regina gathered herself. This man was a lord. She would treat him with the same respect that she would the others.

“I must admit I have not heard of the Quentin family,” Regina said, giving a curtsy. “Are you from up north?”

Lord Quentin gave a small laugh, flashing brilliant white teeth. “My father is a baron, but I doubt you will have heard much of us. After he conceived me and then dared to bring me home from the Caribbean and raise me as his own, society has been less inclined to invite him to parties.”

“Quentin here and I have known each other for years. He helped me when I was gambling to earn my family’s money back.” Lord Harrison spoke with a deep fondness and respect.

“They let me keep the title and all for now,” Lord Quentin said. “But the moment my father’s dead they’ll find some way to take it all from me. Best to have an independent fortune I can rely upon.”

“I admit, I shall continue to call you Lord,” Miss Eliza said. “Even when you have become a lonely ‘Mr.’.”

“You never call me Lord anyway,” Lord Quentin pointed out. “It’s all Quentin fetch me this, and Quentin read me that.”

“There are some who claim I’m spoiled,” Miss Eliza said, giving Regina a conspiratorial smile.

“I am deeply sorry,” Regina said, for she was. Lord Quentin would get to have no piece of his family history. And it was because of something he had no control over. He hadn’t asked to be born out of wedlock and he hadn’t asked to have darker skin.

“Why be sorry?” Lord Quentin asked. “I have good friends and have gambled my way to quite an extensive private fortune. The gentry might not let me own land but I’ll never lack.”

Regina considered that. It was an unconventional way to look at things. It was also pragmatic. But it was Lord Quentin’s decision and his life. If he was not concerned then why should she be?

“And of course you already know our final guest tonight,” Lord Harrison said, “The lovely Lady Cora Dunhill.”

“I’ve had the distinct pleasure of becoming this charming lady’s chaperone,” Lady Cora said. She looked over at Harrison accusingly. “Harrison has been quite cruel to hide a little sprite from us.”

“Perhaps I didn’t want my dear young cousin corrupted by such as you,” Lord Harrison replied.

Lady Cora laughed. “If she were determined to be corrupted in the way that I am, then I should think she’ll have already started without any help from me.”

Regina had no idea what they were talking about and decided it was best not to ask and stumble into more awkwardness.

“Now that we’re all introduced,” Lord Harrison said. “Perhaps we can get on to the reason I called you here?”

He guided Regina to a chair that had been set out for her. It put her with Lord Harrison on her left and Lady Cora on her right. Miss Eliza, as she had insisted Regina call her, was directly across from her. Lord Mannis was diagonally to her left, next to Miss Eliza, and Lord Quentin was diagonally to Regina’s right, in between Lady Cora and Miss Eliza.

Immediately, Lord Mannis leaned in and spoke softly into Miss Eliza’s ear. Miss Eliza’s cheeks grew pink not with embarrassment but with warmth, and she responded with her own whisper.

“They really are in love, poor things,” Lady Cora murmured.

“It is rather bold of them, is it not, to risk society’s wrath to be together?” Regina asked. “Surely it would be better for their reputations to simply marry.”

“Mannis has only a few months to live,” Lady Cora replied. “He could marry Miss Eliza and produce an heir, but then his younger brother would be left out. And Miss Eliza would be beset by suitors anxious not for her heart but only for her land and the title. And who wants to leave their love to raise their child all alone?”

Lady Cora shook her head. “This way, Mannis gets to take care of his brother, and Miss Eliza can marry one of her other suitors who will give her lifelong companionship and healthy children. Children who are not cursed with Mannis’s affliction and will live long lives.

“Furthermore, she will know that the suitor, whoever he is, married her for her personality and looks rather than whatever title and land Mannis gave her. It is the wiser decision all around.”

“But until then, they must avoid society,” Regina pointed out. “Otherwise someone might notice their unusual closeness.”

“It is a small price for them to pay,” Lady Cora replied. “A year out of society but with the person they love most in the world? People have sacrificed far more for love.”

Regina wanted to object that it was silly, but then she would be a hypocrite. Was she not risking herself and her reputation to save her sisters? Was it not all fueled by her love for them and her father?

Like her father’s love for her mother, however, she still could not understand such a devastating romantic attachment. Perhaps one day she would understand. But today was not that day.

Today, she had to focus on playing well.

As if he was reading her thoughts once again, Lord Harrison produced a deck of cards. “I believe there was a reason I gathered you all here. Besides poking fun at Mannis, of course.”

“I believe you’re confusing me with yourself again, Harrison,” Mannis replied.

Lord Harrison began shuffling the cards. “I thought we should start with loo. Miss Regina?”

Regina nodded. Loo was the best game to win against Lord Pettifer. It was considered a rather disreputable game, partially because the stakes could be increased exponentially. Regina would be counting on that when she played him.

As she waited, Lord Harrison began to deal out the cards. Loo was a game that could be played with as few as five people, upwards to as many people as you liked. Although, Regina could imagine that after a certain number it became far too confusing.

Loo was actually the shortened name for the game. Its official name was Lanterloo, which as far as Regina could tell was a nonsense word. It had no actual meaning. Perhaps this was a reflection upon the game itself.

For those who gambled away their fortunes, however, the game could mean quite a lot.

It started with a pool, and then each player was dealt either three or five cards. Regina saw that Lord Harrison was dealing out five cards to everyone.

“Normally the person who cuts the lowest card deals first, but I like to break rules,” Lord Harrison said. He finished dealing and set the deck down.

After this, Regina remembered, the play would start to the left. She then saw that Lord Harrison hadn’t dealt her any cards.

So that was why he had invited four friends. Including Lord Harrison, that left five. It was the smallest number one could have to play the game.

Regina relaxed slightly, glad that she didn’t have to focus on playing at first. Lord Harrison noticed this and flashed her a small smile. It was there and gone in a flash, and Regina liked to think that it was just for her, and only she had seen it.

It didn’t occur to her then what a dangerous thought that was, but later on she would look back and think, oh.

Lord Harrison turned the top card of the deck face up for the trump. Everyone looked at their hands.

“Go on,” Lord Harrison whispered. He nudged her lightly with his elbow. “See what everyone has.”

Regina stood up and made her way slowly around the table. The other players must have been informed ahead of time that she would be doing this, for none objected.

The entire time, they kept up a steady stream of conversation. Regina suspected this was partially because that was how it would be when she played Lord Pettifer. It was only polite, and talking meant you could distract other players and win the hand.

She also suspected, however, that it was because all five genuinely enjoyed one another’s company.

Having inspected everyone’s cards, Regina sat back down. This was the only chance the players had to throw their hand in and walk away without any further losses.

Nobody threw their cards down. Instead they each, in turn, announced, “Play.”

So the game was on.

The goal was to have cards that were of a higher value than the card turned over on the deck. To make things trickier, there were bonuses or penalties based on the other cards in one’s hand.

For example, if you had four cards that formed a suit with the card placed face up, then you immediately swept the pool and won it all. So if the card turned over was a king of spades, and you had the ten, jack, queen, and ace of spades, then you won.

The card placed face-up was known as the Pam. This, Regina had read, would lead to phrases such as “Pam, be civil.” She wasn’t entirely sure what all of the phrases meant yet but she hoped to find out tonight.

If nobody had a winning hand immediately, then the player could trade as many of his cards as he pleased. However, once a card was traded, he could not trade it back.

For example, if one traded four cards and got four new cards, those four new cards could not be traded for another four. You were stuck with them.

After this, there was another chance for someone with a winning hand to sweep it all, at which point the others would also have to pay a penalty, adding to the pool.

If not, then the rest of the play would begin.

Lord Harrison looked around the table. “Any trades?”

Lord Quentin slid three cards across the table. “Three, please.”

“And I’ll take one,” Miss Eliza said.

“Cora? Mannis?” Lord Harrison asked.

Both Lady Cora and Lord Mannis shook their heads.

Regina marveled at how they all addressed one another informally. The gentlemen were called only by their last names, with no honorific before it. The exception, of course, was Miss Eliza, who called Lord Mannis by his first name. That was her right, Regina supposed, since they were married in behavior and heart if not in the eyes of the law.

Still, she had never heard a married person call their spouse by their first name where others could hear.

And then the ladies were simply called by their first names. Not even a Miss before it, never mind the honorific ‘Lady.’ Regina called Miss Eliza as such because the woman had asked for it. Lady Cora had said no such thing, so Regina kept the honorific.

What bound these people together so thoroughly that they spoke as family, without barriers?

It wasn’t just the names, either. As the play continued, the group teased and complained and confessed to one another. It reminded Regina of her own sisters.

Except, these people got on better than Natalie and Elizabeth did.

The next part of the game was essentially Whist. After all the cards had been played, the pool was then divided evenly among all those who had made tricks. You had to make at least one trick. Otherwise you forfeited the money and earned none.

Being unable to play a single trick was called being “looed.” In the unlimited version that gamblers played, anyone who was looed had to forfeit to the others the amount of the entire pool.

This meant that if the pool was, say, equal to fifty pounds, the person who had been looed had to pay fifty pounds. The sum would then be divided evenly among the others.

It was easy for Regina to see how many men had lost their fortunes to this game. With the stakes increasing, there was no telling just how much money would go into the pool. And it was harder than it looked to play a trick, never mind win one.

Regina watched the others playing. She didn’t quite have the hand of the card game. Instead, she decided to focus on how each person played.

Perhaps it didn’t matter so much playing the cards well. After all, there was fair element of chance to it. She couldn’t control the cards.

But with a little bit of careful work, she could possibly control the players. Or at least know how they worked.

Regina studied the players.

First, there was Lord Mannis. He was a reckless player. He seemed to be reckless in everything. He was constantly making comments and trading barbs. He touched Miss Eliza and whispered in her ear.

He had little time left to live, Regina thought. Why should he be cautious when any day could be his last? The way to beat him, she thought, would be to draw out more of that recklessness. Get him to bet larger and larger sums, teasing him until he thought he had a chance.

The cards would turn against him eventually. All she would have to do to beat him would be to play him and keep herself in the game until the cards turned against him. Then she’d collect everything from him.

Miss Eliza was an erratic player. She would be overly cautious at one round and then play recklessly the next. She seemed to delight in confusing the others.

More than once Regina passed behind her to see what cards she had, only to see Miss Eliza pass up a better card in order to play a card that would not help her along but would confuse and frustrate another player.

She most delighted in bothering Lord Mannis. Her teasing only served to make him smile and kiss her cheek. It was far more affection than Regina had seen between any other couple. Save, perhaps, for Lord and Lady Morrison. But then the Morrisons were a little unconventional, just like these people.

It amazed her that someone could tease their lover in such a manner and get away with it. Miss Eliza was constantly bantering—there was no other word for it—with Lord Mannis. Yet he indulged it. He even delighted in it.

Regina had only ever seen women acting demurely towards their suitors. In the marriages she’d seen, there had been nothing but respect from the wife to the husband. At least, out in public. Whatever discord there might be was kept private.

This wasn’t discord. This was harmony, but light and teasing. Miss Eliza and Lord Mannis treated one another like equals.

It did give Regina some hope for Mr. Denny in regards to Elizabeth. If he truly cared about her and would meet her witticisms with the same good humor and love that Lord Mannis did for Miss Eliza, perhaps they would make a good match after all.

However, it also made Regina think upon Bridget’s words. Her sister had asked her to think of what she wanted in a suitor. For when the time came.

She wanted this, Regina realized. She wanted someone that she could banter with. She doubted that she would ever gain the confidence to banter with someone in such a fashion. Still, it was something to hope for, wasn’t it?

Regina realized she wasn’t thinking about the game. She focused back in.

Miss Eliza was an erratic player which meant she couldn’t be predicted. However, it also meant she wasn’t a threat. She was more interested in throwing people off their game than actually winning.

If Regina were to play her, all she would have to do would be to ignore her. Miss Eliza would fluster other players for Regina, but she wouldn’t win much. She wasn’t a true threat.

On the other hand, Lord Quentin was a methodical player. He had a way of doing things and he stuck to it. Admirable and logical, Regina thought. It also made him predictable.

He must have won the way he had because his method worked. Or perhaps he’d been more flexible before and was now less so because he was among friends. None of them were playing for real money, after all.

Still, Regina thought having a method put him in a corner. Once she figured out his plan, she’d know what he was going to do every hand. And once she knew that, she could depend upon it. She could play against it and piggyback off him to win.

Lady Cora was a more enigmatic player. Regina thought that fitting since she seemed an enigmatic woman.

The people at the table were all good friends. So much so, they acted more like family. Regina could see why, now: they were all, in their way, outcasts.

Lord Quentin was tolerated for now, but being born out of wedlock and his skin color would cast him out the moment his father died. His father’s protection afforded him a pretense of acceptance but it wasn’t real.

Miss Eliza and Lord Mannis had to make an unconventional decision because of Lord Mannis’s illness. That decision might be the most pragmatic one, but it also put a damper on their love. To have both, they had to exclude themselves from society.

And, Regina thought, could any man as sickly as Lord Mannis truly belong with his peers? So many activities required exertion. Riding, shooting, dancing at balls, these all tired even Regina out. Meanwhile, Lord Mannis was having a coughing fit every twenty minutes, just from talking while playing cards.

He would always be left behind, she thought. Poor man. He couldn’t dance, or join the men on their hunting expeditions. In a way, removing himself from society to spend time with Miss Eliza must be the best thing for him.

It amazed her that Miss Eliza should be so willing to abandon society for him. Not that Lord Mannis was not worthy of her affection. He was more cutting in his words than anyone Regina had met besides Elizabeth. But he was also witty, and appeared well-learned, and filled with obvious affection for Miss Eliza.

No, it wasn’t his worthiness that surprised her. It was simply that Miss Eliza was giving up a year or so of her life for him. It might seem not overlong, in the grand scheme of one’s life, but Miss Eliza wouldn’t be at a marriageable age for long.

Regina didn’t know how old Miss Eliza was. She appeared to be about one and twenty. But seven and twenty was already considered an old maid. Taking a year off could harm her chances of finding another suiter after Lord Mannis died.

Not to mention that she could not attend balls or hunting parties. She probably couldn’t see many of her friends. Regina wouldn’t mind such a thing for she had no friends. And gatherings of people, of course, were not her cup of tea. But Miss Eliza was full of energy. She seemed the type to love social gatherings.

The fact that she was willing to give up being social, and risking her chances of marriage, said quite a lot. Regina was oddly proud of her. Lord Mannis was going to die either way. He wasn’t missing out on much.

In fact this way he won. He got the woman he loved, and then after his death he knew his brother would be taken care of. He would leave behind no sickly heirs. And he would die safe in the knowledge that Miss Eliza, with her breeding and character, would find another husband.

But Miss Eliza was risking much. What if no man wanted her after she was gone for such a time? What if people asked too many questions about where she had been?

Miss Eliza said something at one point about putting forth the rumor that she was traveling about the continent. This was met with much teasing as the others asked her where she supposedly was now. Miss Eliza said, why Italy of course. Where else this time of year?

Regina thought it still a risk. Not everyone would buy into the fabrication. She applauded Miss Eliza in her head for taking such a risk for love.

In a way it made them similar. Although romantic love and familial love were different, Regina liked to think that her love was no less strong, and her risk no less great.

But then, she knew she’d always have her family. Her sisters would be there whether she got along with them or not. Risking all for someone who had no obligation to you… who might reject and leave you… who might change their mind…

The idea scared her. Perhaps Miss Eliza was taking the greater risk after all.

So it made sense why Lord Quentin, Miss Eliza, and Lord Mannis were all banding together. But what about Lady Cora?

She came from wealth, going by her dress and her jewelry. She carried herself with breeding. She was as pale as Regina. And she seemed to be in quite good health. What set her apart? Why would she choose to spend time with the others? If they were all set to be judged by society, what was her supposed crime?

Finally, there was Lord Harrison.

Regina could understand why he spent time with the others. Lord Harrison had nearly lost everything. He’d had to avoid society, and he had probably been judged by them as a child for his father’s losses. He had also professed to know Lord Quentin since childhood.

It was perfectly understandable that he would end up finding friends among people such as these. Choosing to stay associated with them spoke of their closeness.

As for his playing, Regina was at a loss.

Lady Cora was a good player. Regina could not quite make out her style yet. But she knew she would in time. Lord Harrison? She had no idea if she’d ever land upon it.

He played subtly. He was not erratic like Miss Eliza but rather seemed to adjust based upon the mood of the hand. He would tip towards recklessness, baiting Lord Mannis. Then he would withdraw and become cautious, countering Miss Eliza’s wild moves. When Miss Eliza became cautious, Lord Harrison grew bold.

Oh, Regina thought. Lord Harrison didn’t have his own style of playing. That was it! He based his style of playing off of the others, rather than relying upon himself alone.

All of the others played how they wanted to. Or, rather, in the way that they thought was best. But Lord Harrison was watching the players around him. He was acting based upon their actions. He let them make their move, and then went cautious or playful or aggressive to play off or counter or benefit from what they did.

Lord Harrison lay down a card, and then gently nudged Regina with his elbow. She turned to look directly into his face. The corner of his mouth turned upward just the littlest bit. He didn’t wink, but his eyes gleamed.

“Very good,” he murmured, softly. Regina doubted anyone else could hear. The warm, intimate tone of his voice sent a shiver up her spine.

He had noticed that she had caught onto how he played. Regina raised an eyebrow at him. Challenging him. Was this how he wanted her to play?

Lord Harrison flicked his gaze over to Lady Cora. Then he looked back at Regina. His message was obvious: watch her.

Regina went back to paying attention to Lady Cora.

“I don’t see why you have to be so hung up on it,” Lord Quentin was saying.

He was speaking to Lady Cora. Regina had completely lost track of the conversation. She had no idea what they were discussing.

“I do not see why you are so hung up on staying here,” Lady Cora replied. Her voice was smooth, like velvet. But Regina thought she heard a hard core underneath it.

Something about what they were discussing upset Lady Cora.

“You could go to the continent and be quite content there,” Lady Cora went on. “Yet you insist on staying here where they will not accept you.”

“You know such a thing would break my father’s heart,” Lord Quentin replied. “I must stay here as long as he is alive.”

“He would not be nearly so fond of you if his wife had managed to give him heirs,” Lady Cora replied. The hardness in her voice was more evident now. “A dark-skinned bastard son is better than no son at all, I suppose.”

“That was out of line,” Lord Harrison said. His tone was quiet but Regina felt a chill nevertheless. This was the dark side she’d glimpsed the night they had met. Lord Harrison using that tone was not to be disobeyed for the world.

Lady Cora felt it as well. She seemed to shrink a little. “I apologize,” she said. “I did not mean to offend. I only wish to point out that Quentin cannot chastise me for my sins when his are similar.”

“How on earth is fulfilling my father’s wishes the same thing as loving a woman you haven’t seen for ten years?” Lord Quentin replied.

“Love makes fools of us all,” Miss Eliza pointed out. “Some would say I’m throwing away my chances.”

“I do believe I’ve said that,” Lord Mannis commented.

“Darling, if you try and be self-sacrificing again and tell me to leave you, I shall have to throw a very dramatic fit,” Miss Eliza said primly. She smiled sweetly at Lord Mannis.

Regina could hardly keep up with the conversation. “I’m sorry?” She said. “Did you say a woman?”

Everyone at the table turned and looked at her. Regina swallowed. She’d been rude again.

“Yes,” Lady Cora said slowly. She turned back to look at her cards. “What’s the term they use for people like me?”

“Deviant was a fun one,” Lord Mannis said.

Lady Cora acknowledged it with a hum. “Where you admire a man, Miss Regina,” she told her, “I admire a woman. Society doesn’t like that.”

Regina didn’t know what to think. Lady Cora seemed to embody everything a woman should be. She was elegant and poised. She was beautiful. She seemed quite educated.

Lady Cora sighed. “If you’re going to start babbling about my going to Hell, child, I hope you will start sooner rather than later. I’m close to winning this hand.”

“That’s what you think,” Lord Mannis grumbled, looking at his cards.

“I don’t plan on lecturing you,” Regina replied. She didn’t think she was in a position to lecture anybody, about anything. She was hardly an expert on theology.

“Lovely. Mannis, prepare to lose,” Lady Cora said. She laid down a card that made Mannis call her quite a few awful names.

“I don’t understand,” Regina said. “You’ve been in love with one woman for ten years?”

Lady Cora groaned. Miss Eliza giggled. “See, Cora, even she thinks you should move on.”

“There is a lovely Frenchwoman,” Lord Quentin said, “Who’s acquaintance I have been fortunate enough to make. I’ve heard rumor she shares your inclinations. Lovely woman, hair like gold…”

“You know full well I prefer redheads,” Lady Cora snapped. “And I shall not be set up.”

“I’d offer up Miss Regina here but she’s too young for you,” Lord Harrison said.

“And not interested,” Regina added. “I mean no offense, Lady Cora.”

“Just Cora will do,” Cora said. “And none taken.”

“You speak as though you haven’t already claimed her for yourself,” Lord Mannis said to Lord Harrison. He indicated Regina.

Regina felt her face flushing. She looked at Lord Harrison. He looked as though someone had dumped cold water on his head.

“Miss Regina is my cousin,” he reminded Lord Mannis.

“And I’m going to live to be a hundred,” Lord Mannis countered. “Good lord, you think we can’t tell when you’re lying?”

“You can tell us who you really are,” Miss Eliza said gently. “We won’t tell anyone. We’re hardly in a position to judge.”

“She’s not here because of me,” Lord Harrison said. For the first time since Regina had met him, he sounded wrong-footed.

“Lying is unbecoming,” Cora said. She was still looking at her cards. “You two make a perfectly lovely couple, Harrison. I don’t see why you flounder so.”

Regina wanted to say that they were certainly not a couple. But the words were stuck in her throat. She was so shocked she couldn’t speak. They thought she and Lord Harrison were—like Lord Mannis and Miss Eliza?

“Now that we’ve all got that out in the open,” Lord Quentin said, “Where are you from, Miss Regina?”

Regina looked at Lord Harrison. She still couldn’t manage to form words so she hoped he would notice her soundless plea for guidance.

Lord Harrison looked at her. His gaze was dark and surprisingly protective. “Rather bad luck here, Puck.” The nickname made her feel warm inside. Like it was his way of telling her she was safe.

“Her father is Lord Hartfield,” he said. His eyes didn’t leave Regina’s as he spoke. “She’s the youngest of his five daughters.”

Cora finally looked up from her cards. “I do know you,” she said. There was an odd note in her voice. “Oh, but you were just a child. You were seven when I last saw you. Or perhaps eight.”

“You knew my family?” Regina had never heard of the Dunhills.

“This was before your mother passed away,” Cora said. “I should have known. You have her eyes.”

Cora gave a little sigh. “She was a most remarkable woman, you know. I was the little spitfire as a child, let me tell you. I admired your mother to distraction. My own mother was a rather stern woman.”

“Still is,” Lord Mannis quipped. “I’m certain that last time we met she tried to set me on fire with her gaze alone.”

“Your mother was so close to her daughters. They all worshipped her.” Cora sounded unbearably happy and sad all at once. “I was envious. I wanted a mother like her.”

Then she laughed. “Oh you should have heard me when the rumors started. Saying your mother was having an affair. I defended her. Quite loudly and rudely, in fact. I offended a great many people.”

“How is it that I have never heard of you?” Regina asked. Bridget had never mentioned them knowing a Lord or Lady Dunhill or their child.

“My parents had already thought your family a bit below our standing,” Cora explained. “Once I started making a nuisance of myself over your mother, they found it the perfect excuse to end our acquaintance.

“And I’m not at all surprised you’ve never heard of us. I fear your sisters quite forgot about the skinny little girl they used to know. Your mother’s death threw your household into quite the tizzy. I know Bridget had a time of it. She’d become the lady of the household. And at such a young age.”

“What was she like?” Regina asked. “Bridget, I mean.”

Cora cleared her throat. “She was—well. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you of her virtues. From what I hear she’s quite the belle of the ball. She was rather the same as a child.

“I was always getting her into trouble. Poor thing was a saint to put up with me. My greatest joy in life was disobeying my parents. I often dragged Bridget along with me in my schemes. She was too sweet a girl to say no.”

“You ought to come and visit her,” Regina said. “We are in sore need of friends right now. I am certain she would welcome your presence.”

To her surprise, Cora went a little pale. “Oh, no. I’m sure I am not wanted. Your sister has forgotten me, I am certain.”

Regina was surprised. Bridget would never forget so dear a friend as it seemed Cora had been. And she knew of no one who wouldn’t want to spent time with Bridget.

Before she could say anything, Lord Harrison spoke up. “I thought we’d come to play cards, hmm? I plan to clean you all out by the end.”

“You always clean us all out,” Miss Eliza replied. “Would it do you injury to let someone else win for once?”

“Come now, you know that would injure his pride,” Lord Mannis said. “And in front of his lady, as well.”

“She’s not my lady,” Lord Harrison said. His jaw, Regina noticed, was firmly clenched.

“I’m sure that’s why he organized this game,” Cora said. “To show off for her.”

Regina wanted to protest that this was not why Lord Harrison had organized this game. But then, they would inquire as to why she was there. If she wasn’t his cousin or his betrothed, why was she with them?

She couldn’t tell them the truth. If more people knew, then the more likely the secret of her plan would get out. She couldn’t risk Lord Pettifer knowing about it.

If Lord Harrison hadn’t told them the true reason for their visit, then he obviously thought the same thing. They couldn’t risk it. Not even such close friends as these could know.

But then what was she to do? They all seemed convinced that she and Lord Harrison were together.

She looked to Lord Harrison. Sensing her gaze, he looked over at her. Their gazes locked.

He really did have such warm eyes, she thought. She felt quite safe when he was gazing at her like that. It made her feel like she could trust whatever he said or did. He’d be taking care of her.

Lord Harrison gave a heavy sigh. Regina thought it a bit too heavy. It was put upon, she realized. He was exaggerating it.

Then he reached up and skimmed his fingertips along her cheek.

Regina froze. In fact she quite forgot to breathe.

He trailed his fingers up her cheek until he reached a lock of hair that had sprung free. Gently, slowly, he tucked the hair behind her ear.

His eyes were on hers the entire time. Regina’s heart was racing. She felt oddly warm all over.

“All right, you’ve found us out,” Lord Harrison said. He was speaking to the others but still looking at Regina.

What was he seeing in her, in that moment? Was he imagining someone else? Bridget, perhaps?

“Takes a brave man to admit when he’s been found out,” Lord Quentin said. His tone was light and he was obviously teasing. “I suppose her family doesn’t approve? Hence the secrecy?”

“Among other things,” Lord Harrison replied. “It’s complicated.”

He dropped his hand from Regina’s face. She sucked in a great lungful of air. It had felt like she couldn’t breathe while he was touching her. She’d been too warm.

“Forbidden love.” Miss Eliza nodded sagely. Then she broke out into a grin. “Always the most fun.”

“Well come on, then,” Lord Mannis said. He waved his hand at them. “Let’s see a proper kiss.”

Regina gaped at him. She couldn’t—they couldn’t—Lord Harrison was in love with Bridget!

Lord Harrison fixed them all with a fierce glare. Regina would certainly never want him to glare at her in such a fashion. “I am not going to subject Miss Regina to your schemes and teasing. Have some respect.”

“Oh come now,” Miss Eliza gestured at them. “You’re among friends. Don’t pretend that this card game wasn’t a clandestine way to introduce her to us.”

Regina felt completely trapped. Looking at Lord Harrison, she could see that he felt the same way. She wasn’t sure that his friends recognized it. But his jaw was still clenched and there was a tense light in his eyes.

Well, they certainly weren’t going to get out of this. The group seemed a determined sort. They liked to tease one another and unless Regina could find a distraction or some way to shut them up, they’d keep poking at this. At least until they got what they wanted.

Considering all she was doing, a kiss was a small indiscretion. Even if it would be her first.

Really, it shouldn’t be a big deal. As much as society liked to make a big deal of men and women touching. But she had no idea how to do it. Her inexperience was what scared her.

What if they kissed and everyone could tell that she had no clue what to do? What if she came across as a silly little girl? She hated to be seen that way. It was all that anyone ever saw of her.

There was nothing for it, however. Lord Harrison’s jaw unclenched the slightest bit. His lips quirked wryly and she could practically read his thoughts. He’d come to the same conclusion that she had.

Might as well do it to shut them up, she could practically hear him thinking.

She wasn’t surprised when his hand came up again. This time it cupped her cheek. Regina tilted her face into it instinctively. His hands were large, she’d always realized that. But now they felt larger. Magnified.

Regina found herself leaning into the warm palm of his hand. Like she was a plant, soaking up the warmth of him. Harrison’s thumb gently brushed against her skin, once, twice.

Then he leaned in. Her eyes swept closed, and not just because that was how she’d seen others do it. She herself had never experienced it. Nobody’d ever wanted to kiss her. Why would they when she had four better looking sisters to try for?

But no, she was closing her eyes because she couldn’t bear to keep them open. She couldn’t handle the look on Harrison’s face. Whatever that look might be.

Would he be faking a lovelorn expression? Would he seem amused? Or would she see nothing but hidden frustration?

She was scared to know the answer. So she closed her eyes.

She could feel the heat of Lord Harrison’s breath upon her face for just one moment, and then—then it was gone.

Regina opened her eyes to see Lord Harrison pulling away. He looked at the others. “No, I do not think so. I will not risk her reputation just to mollify all of you and your curiosity.”

“I think that we have pushed him too far,” Lady Cora noted.

“Whatever you may think—and perhaps our relationship is the way you think it is—I will not provide proof that can be used against Miss Regina later.” Lord Harrison pulled his hand away and Regina had to resist the urge to gasp at the loss of the contact.

The other three at the table looked properly chastened.

Regina knew that she should be relieved. She should be celebrating the continuation of her virtue and that Lord Harrison was not willing to risk compromising her. This was a good thing.

Yet in a sudden, humiliating rush, she found herself missing the opportunity to kiss him.