“I am ready,” Frances announced as she returned to the parlor wearing a pale green pelisse and cream bonnet covering her golden curls.

  They did not speak as he escorted her from the home, into the phaeton or all the way to Hyde Park.

  Unless he engaged her in conversation, Frances would likely not speak to him.

  “If you do not mind me asking, why are you free only three evenings a week?” Her unavailability to him had been something that Seth had been wondering about since he received her missive.

  She tilted her head and offered a small smile. “I assumed you knew, given where I live.”

  Live! What did her no longer residing with her family but with Lady Bethany have to do with anything?

  Bloody hell! Women of similar ages did not live alone and without a male relative to protect them unless…unless they already had a protector.

  His head snapped to look at her. “I do not. Perhaps you should explain.”

  Frances had no idea why he thought she lived with Bethany but whatever possibility occurred to him had certainly alarmed Seth. A part of her wanted to simply tell him that it is what he assumed, but as she didn’t know what that was, she didn’t want to admit to such.

  “Athena’s Salon,” Frances finally answered.

  He frowned as his eyebrows drew together over his eyes. “What is that?”

  “You do not know?” she asked with a laugh.

  “No.”

  “It was established by your cousin and Lady Bethany, except Her Grace married before it was opened. It had been her intention to live in the house with Lady Bethany.”

  “That does not explain what Athena’s Salon is,” Seth reminded her.

  “Four nights a week we open the doors for discussions of the sciences, politics, the arts and any other intellectual pursuits.”

  “I had not realized you were interested in such.”

  “That is because you only knew me in Laswell, which is a very small village compared to London. Once I ventured away from my home and Yorkshire, and came to Town, an entire world was opened to me and I found there were many things of interest.”

  “This is a gathering place for women, I assume. How is it supported?”

  “Subscription,” Frances answered. “It is not just women, but gentlemen as well, but only those who acknowledge that women are equally intelligent even if they were denied a formal education such as the one you received.”

  “Four nights a week you spend your time in intellectual discussion,” he said as if to clarify, though Seth appeared puzzled. She shouldn’t be surprised because many gentlemen first reacted in the same manner.

  “Your cousin and Lady Bethany take part in the salon and I am their employee,” Frances answered. “They are my friends and were before I was hired and the reason I moved into the house.”

  Seth pulled the phaeton over then turned to look at her. “An employee!”

  Why was he so appalled? There was no shame in taking a position, even if her brother was an earl. It was her father who had been the landed gentleman and it was his older brother who had been the Earl of Albany. “I am an employee, but I can assure you, there is little labor required.”

  “What is your position?” he asked slowly.

  “I manage the gaming tables and sometimes am a dealer in games of chance.”

  For a moment, all he did was stare at her as if she were spouting nonsense or a foreign language that he did not understand. “You manage gaming tables,” he said slowly. “You are a dealer who has tables for gambling in a salon that was established for the purpose of intellectual and artistic discussions,” he repeated as if he still couldn’t grasp the concept or what she did. “This salon is owned by my cousin.”

  “And Lady Bethany.”

  “What games?”

  “We only play Faro, Vingt-et-un, and Baccarat.”

  “Not Hazard?”

  She tilted her head and offered a condescending smile. “Were you not the one who told me that there was no skill to dice but simply luck? The perspective from a gambling room is the same and they would rather rely on skills with cards.”

  “Your skills?” he asked.

  “Yes. I am very good.”

  Seth had been the one to teach Frances the different games of chance during rainy afternoons at the cottage. If not for him, she would never have been successful at the card tables during balls, so she supposed that she should thank him and maybe she would one day.

  He also had no idea how good she truly was because she had never let on that she naturally counted cards and could calculate the odds of what would be the next card turned, or what another player may be holding based on the cards that could be seen. It was a secret that she kept from him because she feared that if she beat him too often, he would stop playing with her.

  After she came to London, Frances learned to watch other players and realized that most had unintentional reactions to good and bad hands. Sometimes a tic in the cheek, a lifted eyebrow, and drumming of fingers on the table and several other signs, and Frances became very good at reading people.

  Well, except for Seth, unless they were playing a game of chance.

  Chapter Ten

  Seth knew that her family was poor, but he hadn’t realized the situation was so dire that Frances was forced to find employment.

  He had wondered how she had been able to purchase a voucher for the masquerade ball and since she had to find employment, he knew for certain that she’d have not been able to do so. It was likely his cousin or Lady Bethany had purchased her entrance.

  Yet, that wasn’t so much a concern as her new position and how she had come about it.

  Had Frances turned into a bloody bluestocking?

  No wonder she had not wed. Gentlemen tended to avoid bluestockings because they did not want to be married to anyone who may be more intelligent.

  Had she really changed so much? Frances claimed that she had, but perhaps it was far more than he realized.

  A dealer and managing tables! He could not imagine her doing such.

  He recalled teaching her the various games of chance and she had been lucky to win a few games, but her skill had not matched his and Seth hoped that his cousin was not making a mistake by putting Frances in charge of the tables. The reason for having such a business was to bring in extra funds, but if the dealer did not play well, or did not watch for cheating, a gambling den could go under rather quickly.

  “Do you play billiards?” she asked, and Seth was jerked out of his thoughts.

  “Yes. Why?”

  “When Lady Bethany and I were touring the Argyll Room, we entered a billiards room and I was surprised to see women playing as well as gentlemen.”

  “It is not so common of an occurrence except perhaps for there.”

  Frances nodded. “Would you teach me?”

  Seth would teach Frances anything she wished to learn. “I will have Blythe invite you to dinner to protect your reputation and ask my cousin and her husband to join us. I will teach you then.”

  “You have a table in your home?”

  “Yes, many gentlemen do, I believe.”

  “Do you play with Lady Blythe?” Frances asked.

  Seth frowned. “No, she does not play. Mostly, I challenge myself when at home. When out at a gentlemen’s club there are friends that I play against.”

  She smiled. “I look forward to learning.”

  While he would look forward to having Frances to dinner and teaching her a new game, his mind remained on her new position at Athena’s Salon. “How does one purchase a subscription to Athena’s Salon?” Seth asked.

  “You must speak with Her Grace or Lady Bethany. They must approve all gentlemen.”

  As Tessa was his cousin, Seth couldn’t imagine that she would deny him a subscription. If he could attend Athena’s Salon when he wasn’t required to be at The Emerald Garter, then he could spend more time with Frances and work on winning her heart. “What of women?”

  “They are not scrutinized as much as a gentleman. In fact, I believe Lady Blythe has already received an invitation.”

  “Would I be able to attend as her guest?”

  “Guests also have to be approved, just as subscriptions are not given to just anyone.”

  Seth didn’t see any obstacles in his joining and looked forward to entering a game of chance with Frances again.

  For the remainder of the drive, they spoke of family. She asked after his and he asked after hers. Seth then brought up memories from the time they spent in the cottage. They were happy memories that also brought pain because they were now clouded with distrust.

  Except, not the first five or six years because he’d only been five and ten when they met. That had been real. Their friendship and the love she developed.

  When Seth walked her to the door, she did not invite him in. In fact, she needed to put distance between them.

  “Thank you for the drive,” she said.

  “May I call on you again tomorrow?”

  “The day after,” she answered. He may wish to court her, but Frances was not going to allow him to occupy all her time.

  “I look forward to seeing you again.” Seth lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. He’d never behaved in this manner in Laswell, but there had never been a reason for him to do so. Outside of the cottage they only saw the other in church, and occasionally in town if she were shopping, but that was all.

  As soon as Frances entered the house, she shut the door and leaned back against it.

  She enjoyed the drive with Seth and looked forward to learning how to play billiards. But she also had to carefully guard her heart until her plan had reached fruition.

  That plan—to draw him in and let him believe that they were returning to the friendship that they once shared. He might even decide that he loved her as she had loved him once and when he believed in a future, Frances would bring him to his knees when she took the one thing from him that had been more important than she had been.

  As much as she had once wanted a future with Seth, trust had been lost and she wasn’t certain it could ever be restored.

  She was also angry that he believed he could simply enter her life again, after five years, as if he had not rejected her. Seth had taken her for granted then, knowing that she would always be waiting and admitted that if she were still at the cottage in Laswell he would have continued to return. A part of her wondered if he was expecting the same to happen now despite her earlier rejections of him.

  Yes, he claimed to be sorry, but if he had truly missed her and regretted what he had done, Seth would not have waited five years and even then, it was a chance encounter.

  With a sigh, Frances turned for the drawing room where Bethany and Tessa were preparing for the evening.

  Both ladies turned to her and smiled.

  “How was your drive?” Tessa asked anxiously.

  For a moment, Frances’ stomach tightened. Would she lose her employment when they realized her true plans for Seth? He was Tessa’s cousin after all. But, if Tessa knew how he had broken her heart, perhaps she would understand.

  It did not matter. This was something that she needed to do whether anyone approved or not.

  “It was pleasant,” Frances answered and then remembered Seth’s interest in Athena’s Salon. “I must beg a favor, however.”

  Her employers grew serious.

  “What?” Tessa asked.

  “Please do not grant Lord Seth a subscription.”

  Tessa frowned. “Why?”

  Oh, how much did she tell them? Certainly not the whole of it. “He mentioned that he would like to court me.”

  “That is wonderful, Frances,” Bethany cried.

  “I have not yet decided. Until I do, I would like a place where he cannot be.”

  “Of course.” Tessa grinned. “As we are not allowed in The Emerald Garter, why should he be allowed here?”

  Frances supposed it was a good enough excuse as any, until the time was right.

  “I will let you know when he can purchase a subscription, if you are in agreement.”

  “I have no objection and will wait for you to decide when that will be,” Tessa answered. “Now, we need to finish preparing for tonight. Are you ready to begin your new duties?”

  A shiver of excitement and nerves coursed through her body. “I think so,” she answered honestly.

  “You will do well,” Bethany said.

  “Better than well,” Tessa added.

  Frances hoped that they were correct because she needed this position so that she could continue to live here or she would be forced to return to her family in Yorkshire as a failure.

  Chapter Eleven

  Seth walked away from Tessa’s home a bit disconcerted.

  She was his cousin so why shouldn’t she allow him a subscription to Athena’s Salon. He knew that he had answered her questions correctly, which were basically to confirm that he did not believe women were less intelligent than a man. He assured her that he respected women, which she already knew because she’d known him her entire life. He was from a family of smugglers, not that anyone outside of Laswell knew. His grandmother had even sailed on ships, under the cover of darkness, bringing goods in from France. Every female, as soon as they were old enough, participated from driving wagons to unloading boats, and some made deliveries.

  Amelia had been in the process of learning how to keep the books, two different sets to hide their ventures and where their real fortune came from when she had contracted the measles and died. So, how could anyone who knew his family as well as Tessa believe that he would harbor any beliefs that a woman was weaker than a man in any aspect, other than physically on occasion?

  The argument had ended with Tessa telling him, “If you truly believe what you are saying, then you would allow women to be members of The Emerald Garter.”

  All he could do was stare at her. If he allowed women to gamble, men would either stop visiting his establishment, or they would be more careful with what they were willing to risk. It was simply something he could not do.

  “I will reconsider your request once you have changed the rules for your gambling establishment.”

  Seth nearly stomped down the street. Certainly, his cousin could understand the difference. Just because he admired and respected women did not mean that most gentlemen in Society did and he could not afford to lose business.

  That still left afternoons and three evenings that he could see Frances, which was far more than he had for five years so he must be satisfied with that.

  When he returned home, Seth found Blythe stitching in the parlor, smiling and humming.

  She had attended Athena’s Salon last evening and had gotten home rather late. He only knew that because he had left The Emerald Garter early for the purpose of speaking with her to learn about the salon. She simply glided in, said that it was wonderful and how happy she was that he had forced her away from her stitching, for it had changed everything for her.

  When pressed on what was discussed, she claimed that she was too tired and started up the stairs.

  He then asked if she had spoken with Frances.

  Blythe turned and smiled. “I did not get a chance to, but from what I could see, she quite enjoys her position.”

  “Why is that?” Seth demanded.

  “There was much laughter coming from the table where she was dealing cards. I am not certain what game was being played but win or lose, everyone was having a most enjoyable time.”

  “I am glad the women were enjoying themselves,” he offered. Though, they could have been widows with more freedom over their funds.

  “There were no ladies at her table,” Blythe said. “Only gentlemen.” Then, with a laugh, she turned and climbed the stairs.

  Bloody hell!

  How many of them were flirting with Frances? How many did she flirt with?

  If she was dressed in a manner that displayed her assets, as she had been at the ball, no doubt those gentlemen were not concentrating on their cards and losing to her.

  It wouldn’t matter how good or poor of a dealer Frances may be. She just needed to be distracting enough. It was also a perfect ploy, which he was certain had been Tessa’s idea as she could be devious. No doubt gentlemen gladly wagered on poor cards because they were enjoying the company of a beautiful woman.

  He shook his head and wandered into the library and poured himself a glass of brandy.

  His cousin may demand a certain clientele at Athena’s Salon, but she also understood the weaknesses of males, and the very reason she hired Frances to be her dealer. No doubt they would all be bloody rich by the end of the year.

  Not that he would begrudge his cousin such. Seth only feared that one, or more, of those gentlemen would decide they wished to court Frances, which would never do.

  Though Frances enjoyed her evenings as a dealer, and in truth, could not remember laughing so much since she left Laswell, she was also exhausted.

  Athena’s Salon doors opened at eight in the evening and most guests did not leave until nearly two in the morning. Given it was autumn, there was not nearly as much to do in London as there would be during the Season so many people came here for their entertainment.

  Once they were all gone, she enjoyed a brandy with Tessa, His Grace and Lady Bethany. Though exhausted at the end of the night, Frances knew that she’d not be able to sleep right away because she’d also been tense and concentrating on the cards so as not to make a mistake. By the time Frances did finally fall asleep, it was nearing five in the morning.

  While she slept, the servants saw to cleaning the ground floor and preparing it for the next evening of guests.

  She also should have anticipated that Seth would call in the afternoon, but she had not been at home to him. That had not been her intention originally, but each time he called, she had barely dressed for the day and was having her first meal in her set of rooms. The same occurred each day after she had been attending to her position at Athena’s Salon.

  Next week would be better, she told herself. Once she got used to these new hours, she would sleep earlier and thus rise before the afternoon and prepared to visit with Seth.