She smoothed the gloves in her hands before setting them in her lap. Only then did she look up again. Her eyes met his, her intention clear in their depths.
The books. She wanted to return to his employment.
Roderick shook his head. It was an involuntary movement stemming from the very center of his person. There was no way in hell he was going to have her come back to Bentley’s as the club’s bookkeeper.
He did not want her sneaking in and out of the side door, hiding her identity, denying the association. Though he understood why she may feel the need to protect herself and her sisters, he could not accept such an arrangement anymore.
It was all or nothing.
As she waited for his response, he saw her lovely gray eyes flicker with uncertainty. For the first time ever, he saw her expression falter.
And he smiled.
“I will agree to forfeit the books should you win.” He paused, watching the way her pupils dilated and her chin lifted the tiniest bit. “But if I win, I demand your hand.”
Her lips parted. He could see it by the rise in color on her cheeks. She was thinking of their last game, when he had claimed a kiss on her hand as his prize for each winning round. But as he stared at her, his eyes direct and unwavering, he saw the moment she considered his demand may be referring to something else entirely.
Somewhere in the back of his awareness, Roderick heard the wave of murmurs erupting around them. The crowd of spectators, which had nearly doubled in size since she took her seat, also realized what could be at stake with this game.
He didn’t give a damn about anyone but her.
Roderick held his breath, waiting for her response. Every speck of his being was held in an intense state of suspension.
After her initial surprise, she brought herself back under control. She stared at him without a single shift in her expression. But she was not entirely successful in hiding her thoughts this time, because in the last moment before she lowered her gaze, Roderick saw a flash of intense determination in her eyes.
“Agreed,” she said finally, in a voice that was clear and strong, as though she intended to ensure everyone present heard her acceptance of the terms.
Then she swept up her hand and the game began.
Thirty-five
Emma had never been so nervous in her life. Her decision to enter the game room had been rash and unexpected. She hadn’t thought through all the angles and hadn’t considered all the consequences. She risked her reputation, but more importantly, she risked her heart.
But that was the point of reckless decisions, wasn’t it? You threw your cards onto the table and allowed them to fall where they may.
If there was one thing she had learned in her association with Roderick Bentley, it was that she was capable of far more than she allowed herself, and she deserved her own happiness. If she had to create a little scandal to get it, then she would.
There was no turning back now. Practically half the party was watching her public display. And with his shocking wager, everyone was speculating as to the nature of the relationship between the two people at the table. For a man to essentially propose marriage over the turn of a few cards was simply astounding.
That a lady would accept was even more so.
And that the two people in question were the Earl of Wright’s notorious bastard son and the eldest Chadwick girl, a prim and common spinster, made the whole scene titillating beyond compare. The room filled quickly with more guests as whispers of the game spread out to the ballroom.
She should have known Roderick would find a way to shock her. She had hoped that in wagering for her position at the club, she would gain a chance to show him what he meant to her. She had hoped perhaps they would begin a discreet affair, take a chance on where it may go.
Clearly, he wanted more. He wanted her hand. In marriage.
All or nothing, he had whispered to her once.
She risked a glance at him across the table.
His gaze was trained on the cards in his hand as he arranged them to his liking. His expression revealed nothing. She wished she could read his mind. She wished they were alone so she could ask him outright why he wanted to marry her.
Were her sisters correct in their assumptions? Did he feel for her the same deep, windswept emotions she felt for him?
As if sensing her covert stare, he looked up just the barest degree, his bright blue gaze catching hers instantly.
A flash of knowledge went through her.
Roderick Bentley was intelligent, thoughtful, sensitive, and not at all the reckless cad everyone thought him to be. Every decision he made was as carefully considered as Emma’s, though in an entirely different way.
Her heart swelled painfully.
She had no intention of winning. Losing to Roderick in this game would gain her everything she most wanted—a life of love with him.