The Duke of Daring (The Untouchables Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

the number of tricks each pair takes in the round.”
    He looked at her in surprise, not that she knew how to play whist—this surprised him not at all. No, he was surprised she knew of these whist games. They weren’t typical in most hells. In fact, he knew of only one such game, and it required an invitation. Which he possessed. “As it happens, I have access to a whist game. I’ll take you there next, but you’ll have to let me partner you.” He grinned, anticipating the evening more than he’d thought possible. “But not as your partner .”
    She smiled, and he knew she was pretty, even with the sideburns marring her face.
    “Don’t do that,” he murmured. “No smiling.”
    “Then don’t provoke me,” she muttered back.
    Andrew stifled the urge to laugh just as the footman opened the door. He greeted Andrew, who introduced his friend Davis Smith. They sat through a few rounds of faro, and Andrew offered whispered advice on how to behave.
    “Make your movements more blunt,” he said quietly, leaning toward her. “And faster. Especially with your hands. You can’t disguise them with padding, so you’ll need to keep them from drawing attention.”
    She heeded his advice and by the end of the third round had completely transformed her movements. She turned toward him, her eyes sparkling with excitement. He could tell she was enjoying herself, but then so was he.
    “I’m ready for whist if you are,” she said.
    “Let’s go.” He made their excuses and thanked the banker, who encouraged them to come again.  
    Once they were outside, he said, “You did very well.”
    She ran her hand down her jacket, as if she could smooth the lumpy padding beneath it, but of course she couldn’t. “I was hoping to do better. I lost more than usual.”
    “That’s going to happen, particularly with a game of pure chance like faro.”
    She glanced over at him, her gaze eager. “Which is why I want to play whist.”
    “And so we shall. Come, we’re headed to Cleveland Row.” He led her down Duke Street. “You did very well with your movements. You make a better gentleman than most of my acquaintances.”
    She laughed, the low and throaty sound bringing a smile to his lips. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
    “Then how about this one: you’re an excellent gambler. Your wagers are smart—not excessive, but with just the right amount of boldness.”
    “Thank you. My father was an inveterate gambler. He was incredibly knowledgeable but lacked the ability to stop when he was winning. Or losing.” She frowned and shook her head. “He just couldn’t stop, and he nearly bankrupted us.”
    He heard the disgust in her tone, but it was laced with sadness. If she’d been nearly bankrupted, that likely explained why she needed money now. A woman with no marriage prospects and no income had, as she had told him, few options. “How long ago did he pass?”
    She was quiet a moment. “Seven years? Yes, I think that’s right.”
    Andrew thought back to a decade ago, when he’d been new to London. He didn’t recall Lord Parnell, but then he hadn’t begun to frequent gaming hells until a few years ago, when he’d taken up with Charles and their crowd.
    “You don’t miss him, I take it?”
    She scoffed. “Goodness, no. Grandmama does, but she tends to remember her innocent son, not the dissolute man he became in his middle age.”
    On an intellectual level, Andrew understood why she felt as she did, but emotionally… Andrew missed his family terribly, and he would do anything to bring them back. Time to change the subject.
    As it happened, he didn’t have to. They reached St. James’s and ran into Charles and Beaumont and the rest of their lot.
    “There you are, Dart!” Beaumont called. “We waited for you at the club.”
    “My apologies. I’ve met up with our new friend, Smitty.” He indicated Miss Parnell, who’d twisted her mouth into that nearly lipless expression he’d