Duke of Chance: Lords of Scandal Page 6

  “I don’t get to be angry with you? Answer me honestly.” She leaned forward, having just about enough of Hart. “How often have you done far worse than a kiss in the garden?”

  Arabella let out a laugh that she quickly tried to hide behind her hand.

  Chance’s eyes widened even as a smile played at his lips.

  Hart spluttered. “That’s beside the point.”

  “Have you ruined any debutantes?”

  Hart’s mouth opened and then closed. “Of course not.”

  She stood, taking two steps toward her brother. “I exonerate you from worry. I’ve got my own life in hand so, please, return to your more pressing problems.”

  Hart stood too. “How dare you insinuate that I’m uncaring or self-involved. Or whatever you’re trying to say.”

  “I was simply saying that I am capable of—"

  His lips pulled back. “And just so we’re clear. You’re not capable. At all.”

  His words stung. She wanted them to be untrue. She really did. But she’d fallen in with a rake for love and she’d yet to accept a duke because she still wished for a love match. Most people would consider her the most ridiculous girl.

  Chance stood too. “Hart. Why are you here?”

  “Why am I here? This is my family.” Hart’s jaw clenched as he glared at Chance.

  “We’re here because the count was short again,” Arabella, the only one still sitting, said leaning back. “Once we’re done drinking our champagne, we could use your help at the club.”

  “Club?” Daisy asked, looking from her brother to Chance. What did they do with themselves? And why was she still always the last to know? Would she ever be included in their lives? “What sort of club?”

  “Arabella,” Hart said through clenched teeth.

  “Daisy is right. A kiss in the garden is hardly anything at all and we should discuss our more pressing issues,” Arabella said, picking at one of her nails. “Thank goodness I’m not of your class.”

  “Truer words,” Daisy replied. Then her gaze slid from Chance to Hart. They’d always shared a life she wasn’t part of. What was more, Hart resented any interruption on her part into that life. “If you’re going to the club, I’m coming with you. I want to see what my all-knowing older brother does with his time.”

  “No,” Hart bit out.

  “Absolutely not,” Chance seconded. With far less malice. His tawny eyes gleamed in way that was so distractingly handsome she had to look away. She couldn’t be distracted by him now.

  “You can ride in my carriage,” Arabella added, cutting off both men’s objections with her offer. “We’ve not spent time together in ages.”

  “Thank you,” she said, returning to her seat and pressing out the wrinkles of her skirt. “You won’t be sorry you’ve waited for the champagne. If Aunt Mildred’s taking this long, it means she’s picking an excellent vintage.”

  “You can’t just override—” Hart started.

  Daisy gave him a glare from her seat. “Fine. You can explain to Aunt Mildred where Arabella is going that I can’t attend.”

  He snapped his mouth closed.

  Daisy looked back at Arabella who gave her another wink. As much as she felt inferior to the fiery beauty, in this moment, she appreciated Arabella’s support a great deal. She’d need it, if she was going to put her brother in his place.

  And she could use some solid advice as to what to do with the handsome duke currently staring at her from the opposite settee.

  Chapter Seven

  Chance looked at Hart, a grimace pulling the skin across his cheekbones.

  Hart had been complaining about Daisy for a solid quarter hour.

  A change of subject was long overdue. While Hart was his best friend, his loyalties were beginning to shift in a way that if he considered them too thoroughly, might be distressing. “Where is East that he can’t help you with this problem at the Den of Sins?”

  Hart grimaced. “What’s gotten into you? You love that club.”

  Chance couldn’t argue with the sentiment. He had loved the club, but he’d been distracted, and he found himself irritated at the interruption into his courtship. “Nothing. My question still stands.”

  “He is helping. I sent him to visit the former owner of the club, Baxter. For some reason, which she wouldn’t share, Arabella didn’t wish to go. Everyone is acting oddly.”

  “Why is he seeing the former owner?” Chance asked leaning forward.

  “To see if they could offer us any advice. The man’s out near Dover so East will likely be gone the better part of the week.”

  Chance nodded. That wasn’t a bad plan. “Good thinking.”

  Hart waved his hand. “We can deal with the club later when we arrive there. For now, we need to finish discussing Daisy.”

  Chance let out a loud exhale, scrubbing his face. Not this again.

  “And the way she just does as she pleases. It’s beyond ridiculous.” Hart finally paused, rubbing at his neck.

  “Where does she get that from?” Chance asked, his fury barely contained as he stared at his best friend. Hart was acting like an ass.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Hart harrumphed, sitting straighter.

  “Please. We’ve never met a rule that we didn’t wish to break. Arabella either.”

  “That’s different.” Hart began to tick reasons off on his fingers. “We’re men. And Arabella is more mature. Experienced. Good with knives. And older.”

  Chance shook his head. “And what were we all doing at Daisy’s age?”

  Hart grimaced. “I know. But we were ready for such things. Daisy has been protected.”

  Chance tossed up his hands. “Which is exactly why she believed Edgemere and trusted him to be well-intentioned. You’re angry with her for being exactly what you made her.”

  Hart glared. “If she was exactly what I made her, then she would have followed the rules.”

  Chance pressed his hands to his knees leaning forward. “Is she generally prone to fits of temper?”

  “Never. She’s one of the most even-tempered people I know,” Hart said, his eyes closing as he pressed his fingers into them.

  “Well, she’s mad as hell at you now.”

  “Did she say that?”

  She had. But Chance didn’t bother to say the words. Let Hart wonder. “What you should be asking is if you deserve her ire.”

  Hart let out a long breath. “I shouldn’t have dragged her to Edgemere’s.”

  “No. You shouldn’t have.”

  “But I needed her to discover the truth with her own eyes.”

  Chance let out a growl. “If she ends up blaming you and not him, your method is going to burn us both.”

  “You?” Hart asked taking his hands from his eyes and looking up at Chance. “Why would it burn you?”

  Why indeed? “Have you considered what it would do to my pride and my reputation if she elopes with Edgemere?”

  “Elopes?” Hart’s voice came out a strangled cry. “Marry her. Quickly.”

  “I’m trying,” Chance grit out. “You’re not helping.”

  Hart slumped down in his seat, shaking his head. “I’ll stay away from her for a while. Let you woo her. Just don’t let…” He swallowed. “Don’t let Edgemere steal her away. I’d never forgive myself.”

  “Of what?” Chance asked.

  Hart let his eyes drift closed once again. “I closed down after my parents’ deaths. I can see that now. Sending Daisy to my aunt’s…it wasn’t kind or fair. I just didn’t think I was capable of caring for her. My parents didn’t think so either.”

  “I don’t think Daisy minds. But have you considered telling her as much?”

  Hart shook his head. “After yesterday?”

  That was a good point. But he had one to add. “Give me a boon then, and leave your sister be for the time being. If I’m going to succeed in convincing her to marry me, it would be best if she did not feel pushed by you.”

 
Hart shook his head. “Is it any wonder I think she’s got no sense? Why would she deny you?”

  Chance rubbed his hands along his thighs. “I’m not exactly as appealing as Edgemere now, am I?”

  “What the bloody hell does that even mean?” Hart asked. “You’re a duke.”

  Chance quirked up a corner of his mouth, but it wasn’t exactly a smile. “Yes, but I haven’t offered her love, or even affection. I made her an offer of convenience and I respect her too much to lie to her and let her believe my heart will ever be available.” He cracked the knuckles of his left hand as he considered her reaction to that offer and his own need for an heir. His attraction to Daisy made her an ideal candidate for producing a child and rearing it afterward. If she didn’t accept…

  Hart was silent for several seconds. “And you won’t lie because…”

  Chance blew out a frustrated breath. “It’s a bad long-term strategy for marriage, you dolt. Just like your stunt with Edgemere was effective in the moment but...”

  Hart let out a groan. “I’ve done significant damage, haven’t I?”

  “You have.” He didn’t feel like sparing his friend’s feelings just now. Something protective was swelling inside him and it centered around Daisy.

  “And you’re going to do better?”

  Hart’s words hit him exactly where he was weakest.

  Would he do better? He wasn’t exactly an expert on marriage. “I’m going to try.” And then he straightened up, his mouth twisting. “What else does Daisy want besides love? What can I give to her?”

  Hart stared at him. “Well. Just now, she wished to be brought to the club.”

  Chance’s foot bounced on the carriage floor. “She gets angry when I call her ‘little one.’”

  “She keeps insisting she can make her own decisions.”

  Chance scrubbed at his chin. She wanted to be seen as mature and responsible. “This is good.”

  “How is it good? You can’t just let her start making her own choices. What if she chooses Edgemere?”

  Chance grimaced. He’d kill the man first.

  But he was beginning to understand that Daisy wanted independence and if he could give it to her, they might just have a bargain.

  “You’ve been awfully quiet,” Arabella said as the carriage rolled them through the congested cobblestone streets.

  Daisy held the carriage curtain in her hand as she stared at the scene before her. People milled about, bustling here and there as carriages and horses passed them by. London was always so full of life, which usually excited Daisy. But today, she wished for peace and quiet. Dropping the curtain, she turned back to Arabella. “I thought to ask you a thousand questions but now that we’re here, I’m not so sure.”

  “Like what?”

  Daisy winced. First and foremost, Chance’s first marriage and what happened to his wife. Arabella would know far more than anyone else, but somehow it now felt like prying. If Chance had wanted to tell her, he would.

  “Was there ever anything romantic between the two of you?”

  Arabella let out a low laugh. “Of course not. He’s like my brother.”

  Relief flowed through her. “Then why am I not like his sister?”

  Arabella shrugged. “I couldn’t say for certain, but you’re not. The way he looked at you today…”

  Daisy remembered the way he’d touched her, and she shivered. “He says that he’ll never give me his heart.”

  “Marissa,” Arabella softly murmured.

  Daisy felt her insides shrivel as Arabella confirmed what Daisy had suspected. His first wife still held his love.

  Silence fell again until Arabella leaned forward. “You know, it occurs to me that while Edgemere has declared his undying affection for you, everyone is concerned that he’s being false. While Chance is attempting to be completely honest. If you took your feelings out of this, which man would you choose objectively?”

  Daisy blinked in surprise. She prided herself on being straightforward, so she knew the answer immediately. She’d choose Chance. “But that means I might never have a husband who loves me.” She wouldn’t have had that with Edge either. She knew that now. But if she denied Chance’s offer, would she have to opportunity to finally find love, or was this her only opportunity for marriage and children?

  She wished for both. Somehow, she’d just assumed she’d get them from a man who also loved her.

  Arabella shrugged. “All right. Next question. Impoverished or rich?”

  “Arabella?” Daisy knew it was pointless to answer. The answer was obvious.

  “Powerful or powerless?”

  “Stop.”

  “Wanted or cast aside?”

  Daisy finally slapped her hand on her leg. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Because.” Arabella leaned back and stretched one arm over the back of the bench. “You’re just the sort to make Chance happy. I should know. And happiness leads to love, no matter what he says.”

  “Oh.” That was an interesting thought. “But I’ll never be like you are to them.” She’d never be free to make her own choices in life instead of being treated like a pampered child.

  “Me?” Arabella’s laugh filled the carriage. “Thank goodness. I’m a hoyden, Daisy. I act like one of them. Of course, you’re not going to be that, and he wouldn’t marry you if you were. But don’t think that means you won’t have a place of great value in Chance’s life.”

  Daisy frowned, still not certain she wanted to be the other. The outsider. The baby of the group who was never respected or given responsibility. And she supposed marrying Chance would enable her to have a husband and family, but without love.… She wanted that above all.

  Arabella looked out the window. “You know they’ll all marry eventually. They have to. And then I’ll be the one who doesn’t belong.”

  “Arabella,” she started, reaching for the other woman’s hand. “You’re Chance’s family. You’ll always have a place in his life. I’m sure of it.”

  Arabella’s hand squeezed Daisy’s. “You are one of the kindest people I know. How are you related to Hart?”

  “I’m beginning to wonder myself.” She sniffed.

  “All right.” Arabella released her hand. “Other questions about Chance.”

  Daisy wet her lips. “Tell me the reasons I shouldn’t accept. I know you know them.”

  Arabella’s brows arched. “Clever girl.”

  Girl? She waved her annoyance away. “Tell me.”

  “Very well.” Arabella stared up at the ceiling. “He’s been devilishly good with the ladies. While that will have some advantages, it may prove a complication as well.”

  Her chin dropped as her heart gave a throb. It was an all-too-common complaint by ladies of the upper crust. Their husbands continued their roguish ways after marriage, but it still pained Daisy. “That’s good to know.”

  “Daisy.” Arabella scooted further out to the edge of her seat. “There is something inside me that says if any woman can tame him, you can. Promise to try.”

  That made her head snap up. “How do I do that?”

  “Make him beg.” Arabella winked.

  Beg? The very idea of it made her feel both powerful and excited. She smiled to herself. Could she do it? She’d have to think about that one.

  Chapter Eight

  Chance watched Daisy move through the club as Arabella spoke softly in her ear.

  Daisy mostly remained silent, though her gaze was sharp, and she seemed to take in everything.

  He shifted.

  Was that good or bad? He wasn’t exactly certain that opening up about his illegal activities was a boon when it came to his courting a wife.

  Then again, Daisy was neither a wilting flower nor the usual debutante. She was Hart’s sister, after all.

  And then there was the way she’d undone her dress for him in the full light of day. The woman was temptation personified, and he was beyond tempted.

  Arabella pointed to the shelf
underneath the table where the money was stored.

  Daisy’s eyes narrowed as she bent down to look at it. Her head cocked to the side. “There is no back.”

  Hart shifted. “The shelf is next to the dealer but not the players. It doesn’t need one.”

  Daisy frowned bending down again. “Still. If money is missing, wouldn’t it be better to ensure that the back is closed so that only the dealer can possibly access the box?”

  Chance stared at her, blinking. Definitely not a regular debutante. “That’s not a bad suggestion.”

  Hart grimaced. “The table is longer than an arm’s length. How would a player reach the box?”

  Chance held his walking stick under one arm. Swinging it out, he gave Hart’s shin a good crack. Hart grunted in pain.

  “You’re cutting her a wide birth, remember?” Chance said, staring at Hart. “Let the woman talk.”

  Hart made a face somewhere between a grimace and a scowl, crossing his arms but remaining silent.

  “Does anyone watch the dealers?” Daisy asked. “Who checks that they’re giving you the correct amount?”

  Chance blinked, really thinking that one over as he moved closer to Daisy. “There are guards, but no one watches the tally at the table.”

  Daisy raised her brows. “So, it’s an honor system?”

  Chance glanced over at Arabella. She, in turn, started back with parted lips. “That’s a very interesting point.”

  “If the dealers are skimming, we wouldn’t know that. The tallies would just line up,” Hart added but with far less vitriol.

  Chance shook his head. “True. It doesn’t solve our short tally, but it is another place we’re potentially losing money.”

  “You mean it’s a place we can possibly spend more. Having people watch the dealers means that many more employees,” Hart argued.

  Daisy shrugged. “What’s your idea, Hart?”

  Hart fell silent, not answering.

  Chance bit back a smile as he reached Daisy’s side, his hand sliding under her elbow. Even touching her like this made his fingertips tingle and he longed to skim them over more of her. Feel her skin again.