Reaching into the centre of the table, her hands shook as she scooped up the small pile of coins. She shouldn’t have taken a chance with her money, but Lady Thornton’s card party was no place to be frugal, not when pretending to be wealthy. Palming one coin, she examined the face imprinted on the surface. For a brief moment during the play, the thrill of risking her money had proved as exciting as racing Randall in Rotten Row. Thankfully, the win meant she didn’t have to go home and explain to Theresa why she’d gambled away the butcher’s payment. ‘You’ve been very lucky tonight,’ Lady Weatherly observed as she gathered up the cards. ‘Will you play again?’ Cecelia looked at the eager faces of the other players, tempted to try to win enough of their blunt to relieve some of her troubles, then changed her mind. When it came to risking money, like her father, luck never seemed to stay with her for long. She dropped the coins into her reticule, then rose.
