Part 22 (1/2)

But he already knew. She was mimicking him. All the way to h.e.l.l.

Just as Jack was speeding away from Kincaid House, Fiona arrived at the gaming h.e.l.l.

Campbell met her outside on the walk, impeccably dressed as ever. He was all smiles and compliments, flatteringly eager to escort her. Looking up at the brightly lit and noisy house that rose before her, she couldn't help but be glad for the company. ”You look ravis.h.i.+ng,” Campbell said as they climbed the stairs of the establishment. She stopped on the top stair. ”Campbell, before we begin, I think you should know I am only here because Jack and I had a huge row.” ”I know.” She lifted her brows, and he smiled. ”A married woman does not invite her husband's enemy to escort her unless she is making a point.”

Fiona flushed. ”I do not mean to use you poorly.”

”I didn't think you would.” He captured her hand and pressed a light kiss to her fingers, his blue eyes twinkling at her. ”Who am I to refuse to escort an intriguing woman to her first taste of sin?”

She removed her hand from his. ”I am glad to know I am not inconveniencing you.”

”Not at all. I am always willing to discomfort Jack Kincaid.”

”Why? What has he done to you?”

”He has more,” Campbell said with a shrug of his shoulders.

”More what?”

Campbell's gaze met hers. ”Everything.”

Suddenly uncomfortable, Fiona turned back to the doorway. ”Shall we go in?”

”Of course.” He bowed and gestured for her to precede him.

Lady Chester's looked exactly the way a gaming h.e.l.l should. The foyer left Fiona with a mad impression of a swirl of rich red tapestries and deep wine-colored draperies, gilt-edged mirrors, and pictures depicting Roman debaucheries.

Fiona looked around the crowd, seeing one or two faces she knew but many more she did not. This was the demimonde, those who hung about the fringes of society, mixing only with those who deigned to come down from their lofty perches to visit for such amus.e.m.e.nts as these.

One of them, Lady Pendleton, who relied on her distant relations.h.i.+p to the duke of Rotheringham to gain her entrance into most houses in London, swooped upon them.

An excessively silly woman given to gossip, Lady Pendleton rushed forward, giggling loudly. ”La, there you are, Lady Kincaid! I thought that was you, though I couldn't be certain in this light.”

It certainly was dim. Fiona glanced up at the candle sconces and was surprised to see the light blocked by small panels of waxed paper.

”And Alan Campbell!” Lady Pendleton exclaimed, looking between him to Fiona and back with an arch gaze. ”I am so surprised to see the two of you here together! That just goes to show that you never know about people, do you?”

Fiona's cheeks burned. Campbell must have sensed her distress, for he quickly bid Lady Pendleton goodbye and bustled Fiona into the front parlor.

”Odious woman!” Fiona said.

”Very much so,” Campbell said, smiling down at her. ”But please, do not allow her to destroy our pleasure. You wished to see a gaming h.e.l.l, and this is the best to be had.”

Fiona managed to smile back, though she was vastly uncomfortable. The room was filled with cigar smoke and raucous laughter. Tables were crammed into the s.p.a.ce with barely any room to walk between them. Everywhere Fiona looked, she witnessed immodest behavior.

The women were all dressed in the height of fas.h.i.+on, though they'd subtly altered their gowns. Fiona tried not to stare, but with so many flas.h.i.+ng bosoms in the room, it was difficult not to. ”Heavens,” she said weakly when a lady with a particularly low decolletage walked by. ”I don't know where to look.”

Campbell chuckled and pulled her arm through his. ”You don't need to look anywhere except at me.”

Fiona wished she'd asked Gregor or Dougal to bring her instead of Campbell, but she'd known her brothers would never have allowed her to come, no matter how much she begged. Looking around at the drunken crowd, she thought they might have been right.

Either way, she was here now, and she might as well enjoy herself. At least until Jack arrived.If he came. She refused to think what she would do then.

”Lady Kincaid-Fiona,” Campbell said. ”Let's find a table and try our hand at bucking the tiger.”

”Bucking the tiger?”

He smiled, his eyes twinkling down at her. ”That's what you call it when you play faro. It's a very simple game but quite swift-moving. I think you'll like it.”

She nodded, relieved to have something to occupy her mind. Campbell led her to a nearby faro table and seated her in a plush, gilt-edged chair. ”Mr. Chumbly, Lord Penult-Mead, Lady Oppenheim, allow me to introduce a potential partner. This is Lady Kincaid, and she is new here in London.”

Lord Penult-Mead brightened immediately. ”New, are you? Excellent! Excellent! I am the banker tonight, my dear. If you need a line of credit, just say the word, and I'll open one for you.”

She glanced up at Campbell, who stood behind her chair. He bent and whispered, ”Shall I frank you, my dear? Would that suit you better?”

She flushed. It wouldn't suit her at all, but she would rather owe Campbell than a stranger. ”Would you mind?”

He bent low and pressed a heavy coin into her hand. ”It's a pleasure to frank such a beautiful player.”

”Thank you,” she said. ”I will pay you back, of course.”

He laughed. ”As you wish. Just start low in your bidding. When you feel as if you've lost too much, then quit.”

That didn't sound too bad. ”Thank you. I am afraid I don't know the rules.”

Lady Oppenheim, who looked very much like a large pug dressed in puce silk and ostrich feathers, waved a bejeweled hand. ”Oh, it's quite easy, my dear. We are playing against Lord Penult-Mead, as he is the banker. The rest of us are called the punters. You purchase checks from the banker”-she indicated some round, coinlike chips that sat on the table before her-”and use those to place your wagers.”

Fiona listened carefully as Lady Oppenheim explained the details of the game. It did seem remarkably easy, though there was a lot to remember.

As if reading her mind, Campbell leaned in and whispered, ”Do not worry, my dear. I will be here to a.s.sist you.”

His breath brushed her ear, and though it felt pleasant, it didn't awaken the response she would have felt with Jack.

It was a dismal thought, and she forced herself to apply her attention to the game, even though part of her was wistfully watching the doorway.

Fiona played only two hands before Jack arrived, and she knew the moment he walked in. Not only did her body tingle as if touched, but the room grew loud with cries of welcome. Even Lady Oppenheim waved her handkerchief.

Jack came directly toward her, looking dangerously handsome in his black evening clothes, his dark auburn hair falling across his brow, his blue eyes steady on her.

She clutched her hand around her markers and tried to calm her racing heart.

Campbell didn't seem to notice Jack's presence until he was almost at the table.

”Fiona,” Jack said.

Campbell started, his hands tightening on the back of her chair, yet he said nothing.