"It is a risk," she admitted, "but I"m paid more money that way."
"And making me the outcast of society is about money."
"No." Miss Rogers made an impatient sound. "I had an idea and...it didn"t work for you. But I will rectify the situation if you will give me a bit of time."
"I don"t want to give you time," Roan said, enjoying the game. "I want a dance."
"I can"t give you a dance. It would ruin me."
He moved in closer. "Or it would make us both both the talk of London-" the talk of London-"
The door opened, and a young couple all but tumbled out the door they were so anxious to throw themselves into each other"s arms. Unfortunately for them, Miss Rogers was there.
"Miss Rogers?" the young girl said in surprise.
"Lady Theresa," Miss Rogers said in tones of disapproval. "Good evening, Mr. Grover. The two of you come with me."
And before Roan registered what was happening, Miss Rogers marched the hapless lovers back inside the door...and escaped him.
Susan was relieved to be free of the Duke of Killeigh"s overwhelming presence. The man was a menace to her.
He was also devilishly attractive.
But she couldn"t dance with him. Not until this Season was over. Her creditability and livelihood depended upon it.
So, she laid into Mr. Gerald Grover with great enthusiasm. Anything to put distance between herself and the Duke of Killeigh"s disturbing challenge.
A dance? How ridiculous. How dangerous. dangerous.
The hapless Gerald was happy to slink off when she was done. Of course, Lady Theresa was in tears, so it took a good part of an hour to placate her and extract further promises to behave. She really was a good girl but infatuated with her Gerald. Fortunately, Lady Theresa had been so shocked to see Susan, she hadn"t noticed the duke.
After the reprimand, Susan had to hurry back out to the ballroom to check on her other charges.
All in all, it was a very hectic hour...but she did notice that the Duke of Killeigh was gone. He"d left. Apparently he hadn"t wanted that dance after all.
Susan stood alone by a potted palm, away from those enjoying the ball, and was surprised by how disappointed she felt. She knew she shouldn"t. Hadn"t John taught her how men made promises they had no intention of keeping?
Except, for some irrational reason, she hadn"t expected that from the Duke of Killeigh.
With a shake of her head, she told herself she was being silly. She couldn"t dance with the duke. It was better he"d given up on her- A footman carrying a silver salver approached, interrupting her thoughts. "Miss Rogers?" he asked.
"Yes."
"This is for you." The servant bowed and offered the salver. On it was the Duke of Killeigh"s card.
Susan picked up the card and caught sight of the bold, slanted handwriting on the back of it. She waited until the footman had withdrawn to read what had been written.
I will will have my dance. Killeigh have my dance. Killeigh She folded the card and slipped it into her glove. Life had suddenly become very complicated.
And more than a bit exciting.
Chapter Four
If he was to claim his dance with Miss Rogers, Roan needed to be at the b.a.l.l.s she attended with her highborn charges. There was the problem.
Her nonsense about the Irish Duke and the Order of Precedence had effectively cut him off from society, or at least that corner of it.
He stewed on this matter for a good three days. When not stewing, he made it a point to learn everything he could about Miss Susan Rogers, and what he learned, he liked.
She was actually from a good family. Her sisters were married to Lord Dodgin and Sir Alec Lawson or Loud Loud son son , , as Roan liked to think of him. Sir Alec was one of the most annoying people of his acquaintance, and rumor had it that Dodgin wasn"t much better. as Roan liked to think of him. Sir Alec was one of the most annoying people of his acquaintance, and rumor had it that Dodgin wasn"t much better.
Perhaps that was why Miss Rogers lived in a modest set of rooms off Olivia Street. She might have decided poverty was better than living under either of their roofs. Certainly they would have extracted their pound of flesh for supporting her.
At last, his stewing hatched a plan so devilishly delightful, he knew every door in London would open to him, especially the ones hosting Miss Rogers.
The next day, he enlisted the aid of his friend, the Honorable Mr. Rees Trenholm, and they went to White"s. Roan chose a time when he knew the club would be the most crowded.
"I need Raggett," Roan informed a staff member. Raggett was White"s proprietor, "And the Betting Book."
At the words "Betting Book," heads turned. The book was the most famous in London. There wasn"t a man in the room who didn"t enjoy a good wager, and Roan planned to make a brilliant one. It helped that Lord Alberth and Lord Bollinger sat not too far away at a table with a group of their cronies who were probably clients of Miss Rogers, too.
Roan could not have asked for a better opportunity.
Raggett wasted no time answering Roan"s summons, the Betting Book under his arm. "Your Grace, it is a pleasure to see you today," he said with a bow.
"We wish to enter a wager," Roan told him. He and Trenholm stood in the middle of the room, and he knew many were listening.
"Very well," Raggett said, crossing to a secretary, where there was pen and ink. He dipped the nib of the pen, and said, "Your wager, Your Grace?"
"One hundred pounds," Roan said, then stopped for dramatic effect, wanting every ear in the room on him. The talking had died down. "No," he said, "make that one thousand thousand pounds-" Now he had their interest. Of course, the color had drained from Trenholm"s face. "-That I will dance with Miss Susan Rogers before a fortnight has pa.s.sed." pounds-" Now he had their interest. Of course, the color had drained from Trenholm"s face. "-That I will dance with Miss Susan Rogers before a fortnight has pa.s.sed."
Even Raggett blinked in speculative surprise at him. The stalwart proprietor had certainly heard of Roan"s dilemma. There wasn"t much that was discussed under White"s roof that escaped him. He lowered his head and recorded the bet.
Trenholm did his best to look brave. He didn"t succeed until Roan leaned close, and, in a side voice, a.s.sured him, "Don"t worry, I"ll cover both bets."
His friend broke into a smile and immediately nudged Raggett. "And I"ll wager two two thousand pounds that the lady will not dance. What do you say, Your Grace?" thousand pounds that the lady will not dance. What do you say, Your Grace?"
What Roan had to say, he"d save for later, when he and Trenholm were alone. As it was, he had no choice but to match the bet.
Of course, there was no one within earshot who was not listening now.
All Roan had to do was say nonchalantly, "Is there anyone else for this wager?" to find out exactly who was listening. A host of men jumped at the opportunity and placed their wagers on both sides of the bet. Alberth and Bollinger were not among their number, but that was fine with Roan. He thanked Raggett for his attention to the matter and, with a nudge to Trenholm to follow, left the club.
Outside, he wasted no time in saying, "Two thousand?" thousand?"
Trenholm grinned. "I thought since you were being expansive..."
Roan grumbled under his breath, but he wasn"t angry. The size of the wager alone was enough to make it the talk of London.
"Do you believe this will work?" Trenholm asked, suddenly sober.
"It will," Roan said confidently. "Few can resist a wager or the opportunity to make a little mischief. I will have an invitation to a ball Miss Rogers will be attending by nightfall."
And he was right. Where once no messengers had come to Roan"s door, the invitations now came pouring in. He had only to pick and choose. Some of the hostesses had written personal notes, a.s.suring him that Miss Rogers would be in attendance.
His plan had worked better than he could have imagined...because as much as the ton ton adored putting on airs, they loved a good wager more. adored putting on airs, they loved a good wager more.
Susan couldn"t put her finger on it but there was something in the air. She looked around yet another ballroom, keeping a watchful eye on her charges but also aware that everyone else seemed to be keeping their eyes on her.
It was very disconcerting-especially since after that night at the Bollinger affair, she"d half expected to see the Duke of Killeigh again, and hadn"t.
She"d told herself she was being silly. No duke, not even an Irish one, would worry himself over a n.o.body like herself. Besides, the Duke of Killeigh had been spitting angry with her when last they parted. Still, that hadn"t stopped her from looking at his card every night before she went out- Miss Arabella came running up to her, interrupting her thoughts. "Have you heard the news, Miss Rogers?"
"What news?" Susan asked. The girl was so flushed with excitement, Susan wouldn"t have been surprised to hear that Napoleon had been defeated.
"About the wager the Irish Duke has made that he will claim a dance from you."
"He made a wager?" For a second Susan felt faint. No wonder everyone was staring at her.
"In the Betting Book at White"s," Miss Arabella said, and was quickly seconded by the other girls who had joined them. They all started speaking at once about what they"d overheard and from whom.
Susan was horrified. Such notoriety could ruin her business.
"Miss Rogers?" Lady Alberth"s voice intruded on her disturbing thoughts. "May we have a moment?" She was flanked by Lady Bollinger and Lady Riggins, Arabella"s mother.
Susan raised a hand to her forehead. This was not going to be good. "Of course."
They left their daughters behind and found a private spot in their hosts" library.
"You"ve heard about the wager?" Lady Alberth said.
"I have," Susan admitted. "Just this moment."
"I am not pleased. I discussed this with the other mothers, and they are as unhappy as I. A genteel woman should not have her name listed in the Betting Book at White"s."
"My lady, I did not seek this out-" Susan started.
"That may be true," her ladyship said, "but we"ve been talking amongst ourselves and we believe this sort of nonsense deflects attention away from where it should be-on our daughters."
"You are very right, my lady," Susan hurried to agree. She could not afford to have everyone walk off. Her dreams of her little house on Beech Street were fading quickly.
"Furthermore," Lady Bollinger chimed in, "you convinced us and our daughters that the Duke of Killeigh was unacceptable. Now he has singled you out, has announced to everyone he wishes to dance with you. you. I wonder if you had an ulterior motive all along. Perhaps you wanted him for yourself?" I wonder if you had an ulterior motive all along. Perhaps you wanted him for yourself?"
"We did not believe we were hiring a fortune huntress when we engaged your services," Lady Riggins jumped in.
"You did not," Susan a.s.sured her. This is madness. Why is the duke doing this? This is madness. Why is the duke doing this?
"Then you shall see this matter is set right?" Lady Alberth said.
"I shall attempt to do so," Susan promised.
""Attempt" is unacceptable," her ladyship countered. "You will will set it to rights or not see a shilling from my husband." set it to rights or not see a shilling from my husband."
"And whatever you do, don"t don"t dance with the Duke of Killeigh," Lady Bollinger said, pointing her fan at Susan for emphasis. dance with the Duke of Killeigh," Lady Bollinger said, pointing her fan at Susan for emphasis.
"Or else you will set the wrong example for our daughters," Lady Riggins agreed. "You can"t marry a duke. Why, you are of the working cla.s.s now. I"ve had enough trouble explaining to Theresa why she must not be so moony-eyed for her Gerald without having to explain your infatuation with a duke." can"t marry a duke. Why, you are of the working cla.s.s now. I"ve had enough trouble explaining to Theresa why she must not be so moony-eyed for her Gerald without having to explain your infatuation with a duke."
"My infatuation? Lady Alberth, I have not encouraged the duke or gone in search of his attention-"
"It doesn"t matter," Lady Alberth said. "You have it, and you will end it."
"And we want proper husbands for our daughters. We are paying for it, and we expect it," Lady Bollinger added.
Susan could have pointed out that they weren"t paying for it yet, but they weren"t in a listening mood.
The peeresses left the room. However, the moment the door closed, it opened again to let in her sisters, Jane and Ellen.
"I warned you," Ellen said.
"Were you listening at the keyhole?" Susan accused.
Jane dismissed the charge with a wave of her hand. "One did not need to eavesdrop to know what was being said in this room. Alec warned you that you would embarra.s.s us, and so you have."
"I have done nothing of the sort," Susan said.
"Your name is in the Betting Book at White"s," Ellen replied with a self-righteous lift of her chin.
"Many women have their names in that book. The club members wager on everything from who will marry whom to who will drop her baby first to who has the bluest eyes." A headache was starting to form behind her eyes. "This is ridiculous. One should expect at least a measure of support from one"s family."
"You were offered the opportunity to live with Dodgin"s aunt," Jane pointed out.
"I don"t call that support," Susan muttered mutinously, and started for the door.