“Come.” Jean Pierre led her outside to the waiting carriage.
***
The salon that evening was a mixture of many different rooms, as Sophie and her father saw once they entered Madame Necker’s home. One room was dedicated to the game of billiards and several men were enjoying a friendly game, though she didn’t see their faces.
In another room several tables had been set up for gambling, which was rampant in Paris and was even entrenched within the royal family at Versailles. People could lose vast sums in one sitting and even cause ruin to a family.
Beautiful candlesticks adorned the tables; several people were seated in elaborate chairs around a mahogany gaming table. Other people were standing nearby eyeing the players and their deft card moves with drinks in hand.
Sophie saw the intricately designed cards being dealt and the players who concealed their hands by giving nothing away on their faces. One player was a lady dressed in an elaborate gown of gold with a scooped neckline cut very low across her breasts. Her hair was powdered in the old style and a beauty mark adorned her pale left cheek.
She was not attractive. She had a long nose and face, but her eyes glinted in the low candlelight and Sophie had the feeling from her grim smile that she was a very skilled player.
Sophie saw the porcelain gaming chips scattered across the table and almost shuddered. So much could be gained or lost in one sitting. She wondered whether it was it really worth it.
Across from the gold lady sat an elderly man in a purple brocade coat with gold embroidery along the cuffs and down the front. He had a lacy cravat that engulfed his throat and his wig was frizzy and ill-kept. He eyed the table with such manic concentration that Sophie feared for him—he must be betting a fortune.
Sophie knew her father never gambled, and she certainly did not. Her grandmother would have had an apoplectic fit if Sophie ever dared gamble. Several men and women gathered in yet another room where she heard the words “government,” “monarch” and “nationalism” and knew she had found her room.
She excused herself from her father to join Madame Necker and several other men, two of whom she recognized as Marmontel and La Harpe from the last salon. She passed quickly by the billiards room as she went.
***
“We don’t have all night,” Andrew complained as he watched his two friends play against each other in a friendly game of billiards.
Sebastian waited patiently with his cue as his friend Etienne surveyed the table to make the best move possible.
“All right, gents. I’m going to find myself a drink.” Andrew strolled out, leaving Etienne and Sebastian to finish their game.
As Sebastian idly watched Andrew leave the room, a woman in green passed by the door as well. He watched her walk into another room and recognized the auburn-haired Sophie.
“I entirely agree with the brash Holland. Let’s finish this game,” Sebastian told the Frenchman.
Etienne, always the quiet, easygoing one, shrugged his shoulders. “It makes no difference to me at all, Bash. I thought we were to enjoy a game. If you’d prefer we do something else, then let us away.”
Sebastian shook his head. “Let’s finish the game. I have two pounds riding on this and I want my money, old man.”
Etienne laughed. “But it’s already warming my pocket, mon ami.”
Soon, after Sebastian had won the game, the two men went in search of refreshments.
A small room at the back of the home featured several long tables burdened with enough food to feed a small army. There was a large tureen of rice soup with sizeable platters of beef and cabbage, mutton cutlets, rabbit on skewers, suckling pig and veal. Smaller platters of fruits included strawberries, apricots, peaches, and pears, along with custards as well as a small variety of cheeses.
Large crystal bowls of lemonade sat next to bottles of red wine and porcelain pots filled with coffee and tea. Cups and saucers were placed next to wine glasses for guests to serve themselves.
Each man helped himself to a plate of food while Andrew joined them holding a drink in his hand.
“Who won?” Andrew asked, sipping a glass of gin.
Etienne smiled with good humor. “Who do you think?”
Sebastian patted his pocket. “I’ll put it to good use.”
Andrew shook his head. “I never play against him, Etienne. I’m not sure why you do. A glutton for punishment.”
Etienne didn’t mind the ribbing from his friends. “One day my luck will turn.”
“Absolutely mon ami. In the meantime, I’m more than happy to relieve you of your purse,” Bash said, smiling.
Just then, framed in the door was a beautiful woman with dark, luscious dark brown hair and blue eyes. Etienne felt his heart thud inside his chest. He was sure he had never seen her before, though there was something vaguely familiar about her.