Lady Alex's Gamble by Evelyn Richardson Page A

Montmorency, First Guards," Tony responded in friendly fashion, taking the proffered hand.
    "One of those fellows that crossed the Adour with us, were you?" Christopher inquired, eager to discuss something besides his tailor or the latest incomparable.
    "Yes, beastly weather wasn't it? Though you cavalry fellows aren't ever so close to it as we are, slogging along in the mud as we do," Tony replied, his eyes lighting up at the chance to trade stories of more exciting times and places with someone who could appreciate them.
    Soon both of them were immersed in life on the Peninsula—the dust, the heat, the unforgiving terrain. The card room and its members receded, to be replaced by foraging parties and battalions on the march. But Christopher was not too immersed in the memories to observe that Captain de Montmorency's companion appeared to be defeating his opponents with stunning regularity. His curiosity piqued at the sight of any member of the ton putting his mind to anything, even gaming, he began to watch more closely.
    Slowly, he edged inconspicuously to the right in order to catch a glimpse of the cards the man was holding. They were 81
    Lady Alex's Gamble
    by Evelyn Richardson
    not at all promising, but the young man sprawled in his chair, feet out-thrust, a blank look on his face as he waited for his opponents to make a move, did not appear in the least dismayed.
    "He's done it again, damn me if I know how," one of the young man's opponents sighed.
    "If you paid the least attention to your hand or to the game, Ceddie, you would," his partner snorted in disgust.
    "Though how he divined that I held those kings, I shall never understand."
    "Eh, what?" The young man who was the subject of all this discussion shook his head, peering blearily at his partner.
    "Finished, have we?" He smiled muzzily. "I've had it for tonight, lads. What do you say. Tony, shall we toddle along in search of some amusement that isn't so taxing on the brainbox?" He rose unsteadily from his chair and turned around to clap a hand on Captain de Montmorency's shoulder. "And who is this, Tony?" he inquired curiously, eyeing the man who had been sharing military reminiscences.
    "This is Major Lord Wrotham of the First Hussars. He was in the Peninsula as well. While you have been wasting your time on a pack of cards we have been discussing the crossing of the Adour. My brother, Alexander," Tony continued, turning back toward his new acquaintance.
    "How d' do." Alex fixed a vacuous grin on her face and nodded in a friendly fashion before heading unsteadily toward the door with Tony, who, after smiling apologetically at Christopher, hurried forward in order to put a steadying hand under Alex's elbow.
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    Lady Alex's Gamble
    by Evelyn Richardson
    Now that he had been apprised of their relationship, Christopher could detect a resemblance between Captain de Montmorency and his brother. While Tony's hair was burnished gold, his brother's was deep auburn, but the green eyes and aquiline features were the same. However, something that he could not quite identify puzzled Lord Wrotham. To all intents and purposes, Tony appeared to be here keeping an eye on his brother who, from the implication of the captain's remarks and the edge to his voice, must spend a good deal of time at the gaming tables. But it seemed from the reactions of the other card players that Alexander de Montmorency had been so consistently successful that there was little enough cause for worry. Furthermore, such concern in an establishment where fortunes were won, and more often lost, every day of the week, seemed incongruous. Christopher did not remember ever having encountered a de Montmorency before and though not a regular, especially in the more recent years, he felt certain he would not have forgotten a player such as Alexander de Montmorency.
    Besides all that, there was something different about the man—something that did not quite ring true. Christopher, accustomed to sizing up men