Luck Is No Lady(23)

“Yes, sir. This way, miss.”

As his new bookkeeper swept past him and into the hall, he caught another whiff of her flowered scent. His hands practically twitched to grasp hold of her, anywhere, and draw her back into the room for a few more private moments.

He chastised himself for his lack of discipline. After closing the door behind her to cut off the source of his distraction, Roderick turned back to his desk. A sense of accomplishment mingled with one of mild concern. He had better get his libido under control before his next encounter with his new employee. His curious attraction to her could not be allowed to interfere with the workings of the club.

Perhaps it was time to find a new mistress.





Seven


The next day, Snipes answered Emma’s knock with a disgruntled expression and a rough gesture indicating she should follow him. She decided not to take offense. His gruff manner seemed as much a part of him as his prickly scalp or his large, beefy hands.

Emma followed his lumbering form to the second floor.

Each step she took up the stairs and then down the upper hall brought a gradual tensing in her muscles and fluttering to her stomach. She told herself she was anxious to prove herself in her new position. The salary Mr. Bentley was willing to pay her was outrageous. It would easily allow for her and her sisters to remain in London for the duration of the Season. That he was willing to pay her first week in advance was equally unbelievable.

She had been certain when he dismissed her without explanation after viewing her work that he had purposely sabotaged her audition. But his reaction to her accusation had quickly dissuaded her from that notion. Mr. Bentley may have known something was off in his ledgers, but he had not been aware of the specific adjustments being made to the accounts until she pointed them out.

When he offered the position and added she would also be auditing the club’s past accounts, Emma had felt a surge of excitement. The entire negotiation over salary and hours lasted only a few minutes. She never made decisions so quickly. Especially not with something as important as this. But the opportunity was a rare one and she could not afford to let it pass.

Unfortunately, her self-assurance had faded by the time she woke this morning and readied herself to leave Angelique’s home in Mayfair and make the short trip to the club. She thought herself nervous yesterday, not knowing what to expect, but today was so much worse now that she could anticipate further meetings with Mr. Bentley.

For the entire duration of her interview yesterday, details of their prior interaction continually rose unbidden to her mind. How his voice sounded in a low whisper, the strength of his arm around her waist, the warmth of his hands on her face. It was not helped by the fact that when he looked at her, the bright intensity in his blue eyes made her skin tingle. Or that every time he smiled, her gaze was drawn to his mouth and the memory of his kiss would claim her thoughts.

It was ridiculous, really. Surely, she had more control than that over the direction of her own mind. She would simply have to forget that her association with Mr. Bentley had begun under far from professional circumstances. That kiss in the dark was a severe deviation from her character and could never be repeated.

Last evening, she and her sisters had attended a small dinner party with Lord and Lady Michaels, who had once been good friends of the Chadwicks before their mother’s illness. The Michaels had been generous in renewing an association now that Lily and Portia were making their debut. It was nice to have an occasion to hear stories of how their parents had been in the past.

But throughout the evening, Emma remained distracted and was grateful for the chance to turn in early.

Once all three girls settled into Emma’s room for their nightly chat, Emma told them about her new position at Bentley’s. She anticipated a load of questions and preferred to get the discussion out of the way. As expected, her sisters had balked passionately at first, especially when they discovered where Emma would be working.

“A gambling hell?” Portia had exclaimed. “You cannot be serious.”

“I am,” Emma stated calmly. “It is quite fitting, if you think about it. Thanks to Father, I know more about gambling than a lady should.”

“Such places tend to be dangerous, do they not?” Lily asked, concern evident in her gaze.

“Not to mention highly inappropriate for a lady,” Portia added curtly. “What if someone recognizes you? You’d be ruined.”

Emma did her best to appear confident and undaunted. Her sisters’ concerns were valid and could not be denied, but she had made her decision.

“There is very little chance I would encounter any of the club’s patrons,” she assured them. “I will be working in the morning hours before the doors even open. My work will be contained behind a desk, and I shall have no reason to venture into any of the public areas. Not to mention, I have my bonnet,” she added brightly. “The wide brim will conceal my face while coming and going. There should be no reason for anyone to suspect the eldest Miss Chadwick of working in a gambling club.”