My Once and Future Duke (The Wagers of Sin #1)(15)

“That isn’t necessary.” In the dim light she could barely make out his face, turned away from her to gaze out the window beside him. “Only Philip.”

“Done!” she exclaimed. She never wanted to speak to Philip again after this. “Now take me home—-”

“No.”

She was sure she’d misheard. “What? Why not?”

“You wagered and lost. Members of Vega’s pay their debts, do they not?”

The blood drained from her face. For the first time she felt a shiver of fear. She pulled her cloak in front of her protectively, even though it would be no defense. She was at his mercy, alone with him in his carriage, heading heaven knew where, with no one to help her. “You mean to destroy me,” she said numbly, and suddenly hoping that was the worst that would happen to her.

He made a scornful noise. “Not at all.”

“But you will—-you made a public spectacle of me this evening, dragging me out of the club after claiming you wanted only my company for a week,” she said, a distressing tremor in her voice. Even if he didn’t touch her, enough people had seen them leave together that there would be talk. She would be known as the woman who wagered her own body, and her already thin respectability would go up in smoke.

“Yes,” he said. “To prevent you from beggaring my brother.”

“I played one round with him,” she cried. “One. I tried to bow out after that, but he insisted on another. If you have such a care for his purse, you should keep him away from Vega’s in the first place.”

“Would that I could.”

Sophie threw up her hands in mock astonishment. “What? You are powerless to influence the actions of your own brother, but you feel no compunction in overruling my will? Why is that?”

“If you didn’t like the terms, you should not have taken the wager,” he replied. “Why did you, madam? Too tempted by the lure of easy money? Winning from Philip wasn’t enough for you?”

Yes. There was no escaping it: his wager had been too much for her to resist. Sophie turned to glare out the window. She ought to have excused herself the moment the duke approached Philip, and even worse, she’d known it at the time. Some perverse little devil in her had kept her there, and then let her get drawn into the argument. Was it her place to intervene on Philip’s behalf? No. Philip was a grown man, older than she was, and if he couldn’t keep his word to his own brother, that was his fault—-and he ought to bear the consequences. Was it her place to taunt the duke? No. Was it wise to respond to his taunting invitation to play? Very definitely not.

She simply had to persuade him it was in his interest to take her home. “My maid will summon the constables when I don’t return.”

“My footman is no doubt knocking on your door as we speak, informing her that you have been urgently called away and won’t be home for a week.”

“What—-what—-” She couldn’t speak, she was so angry. “How dare you!”

“How dare I not want her to worry that her mistress wasn’t set upon by footpads or murdered in the street?” he asked.

“How dare you tell her lies—-”

“Lies?” He leaned forward, and light from a lamp on the street outside illuminated his face for a moment. He was as beautiful as Lucifer. “Would you have preferred I tell her the truth?”

No, curse him. Colleen was a good maid, but if she knew Sophie had lost a scandalous wager and been swept away by the Duke of Ware for a week of unknown activities, there was a strong chance she’d tell someone. Even just Cook, whose tongue was looser yet.

The duke sat back. “Tell her whatever story you wish when you return home.”

“If we went there now, I could explain to her—-” she began, but the duke cut her off.

“No.”

Sophie breathed through her nose for a moment, straining to keep her temper. Mr. Dashwood had stood by, as had an entire club of people, and allowed the duke to carry her off like his captive. She needed to be seen in London or even Vega’s gossip--averse patrons would begin to talk. She could try to jump from the carriage, but with the turn her luck had taken tonight, she’d break her leg. She pressed her face to the window, considering it anyway. They were moving at a good clip past Hyde Park, a vast dark expanse in the night.

“Where are we going?” she asked, frowning at the rain.

“Alwyn House.”

“Where?”

“A country home of mine,” he said, as if he had more homes than he could keep count of. “In Chiswick.”

Good God. That wasn’t even in London. Anything past Kensington was decidedly out of town. She would be marooned there, with no chance of being able to sneak out and walk home. “That’s practically abduction!”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” For the first time he sounded almost amused. “It’s barely six miles away.”

“Why so far? I’ve already given my word not to see Philip again—-”

“But Philip has not given his word not to see you,” he said, his voice hard again. “Not that I could trust it if he had.”

“Why am I to be punished for that?”

His laugh was bitter. “I assure you, I shall be punished by it far more than you.”