An Inadvisable Wager (The Curse of the Weatherby Ball Book 2) by Eliza Lloyd (the best novels to read txt) 📕

open parks and the crowds of ladies and gentlemen in all their finery.

“Here we are.” He took her hand and led her inside a quaint shop with a thick door. A small bell tinkled, and he blinked a few times to get used to the darkened interior.

“Jewelry? Why?” she asked.

“You seemed enchanted with Lady Weatherby’s ring, and it is fitting to have some sort of commitment to our eternal devotion. Rings are a lovely demonstration.”

“Carlow, it is a kind gesture, but this eternal devotion is only for three months.”

“What I am hearing from you is at complete odds with the woman I met at the ball.”

“Are you also going to wear one of these symbols of devotion?” she asked.

“Let me guess. Lady Fortenay’s idea?”

“Perhaps.”

“It’s not done.”

“Then why should I?”

He blinked, unsure what she wanted to hear.

A man pushed through an elegant curtain at the back of the store. “My lord Carlow, how good to see you again. I had heard about your recent nuptials. Is this your charming bride?” Francois gripped her hand and kissed her knuckles with great affection. Ah, the French. Never to be outdone when it came to overt romance.

“Francois, meet Nora, Lady Carlow.”

“Charmed.” Francois was of middling height with a protruding belly and a full head of dark hair.

“I want something as unique as my dear wife. Beautiful. Dazzling. Just the right size and without a flaw.”

Nora squeaked and put her hand over her mouth.

“So many choices. Come. Come. Let me show you a display.” There was another couple in the small shop, speaking quietly. Francois turned toward one of the safes installed inside a room at the back. Nora watched him with a little too much interest.

Gabriel whispered to Nora, “The temptation will be great, but please don’t steal anything. If you must have it, I will buy it for you.”

“What is the fun in that?”

Francois pulled out a few bright and shiny rings and placed them on a velvet pad. “If you find these specimens ill-suited, we could design a ring especially for her.”

Gabriel glanced at Nora to see her eyes were wide with desire. Not for him, unfortunately.

She backed away abruptly, hooked her arm with his and turned to him privately. “I want Henbury. Rings are nice. Necklaces too. I am sure all aspects of your life are to be desired.”

“Are you squeamish about accepting gifts? Or would you rather I pay for one and then allow you to steal it when my back is turned?”

“You think thievery is for men of low report? I see theft as an art.”

“Did your father teach you that too?”

“It is what I remember. Everything else I learned from Gigi and Grandy.”

Lord and Lady Fortenay had much to answer for, Gabriel thought.

“Then you need a new teacher. One with more comprehensive life experiences. Like me. And we’re going to start with a pretty bauble that will make every woman in London jealous because the wearer has a doting husband who can afford such trinkets. And you will be the adoring wife who accepts the gift graciously.”

She smiled and glanced up at him through those seductive lashes. “Your adoring wife will take this one, please.” She opened her palm between them and showed him a ring with a brilliant blue diamond and several smaller white diamonds encircling the center piece.

“Francois isn’t going to be happy with you.”

“I picked it up so you could see it with better clarity.”

“Of course, you would choose the most expensive one.” Francois was no fool. He’d placed the most beautiful rings in front of them first. Was Gabriel going to embarrass himself by looking at lesser rings? In front of his new wife?

“I’ve never been one to make other women jealous, but since you are teaching me how to do that, then it has to be this one. Lady Fortenay always said I was an astute pupil.”

“What was the one thing I asked when we walked in?”

“You make so many demands, it is hard to remember them all,” she said, one shoulder lifting.

He accepted the return of the pilfered ring. How did she do that? “Are you sure you wouldn’t care to look at some of the others?”

“I could, but then you would have to buy me three or four rings. No, this one will do.”

“Francois?” Gabriel called.

“I am going to look at some of the other pieces,” she said.

“No, no, my dear. You stay right here with me.” Gabriel completed the transaction and made arrangement for the payment. She obliged, wrapping her hands about his arm and hugging him closely, her breast pressed against the back of his arm.

“Will I need to resize the ring for the madam?” Francois asked.

“Darling?”

Nora quickly removed her glove, held out her hand and allowed Francois to gently slide the ring onto her left ring finger. He exclaimed in delight, “It was meant to be! A perfect fit.”

“Look, Carlow, isn’t it exquisite?”

Gabriel glanced at the velvet pad to see that another of the rings had gone missing. He reached for her extended hand and felt the bulge of the stolen ring hooked to her thumb but hidden by her palm and extended digits.

“They all are, but you have the best of the group,” he said. He extracted the extra ring, giving her a stern glance, and replaced it just as easily as Nora had swiped up the bauble. “Thank you, Francois. We’d better be going before my bank account is cleared.”

Outside, they walked toward their waiting carriage. Gabriel was torn between laughing and swatting her bottom. Both had appeal.

“You ought to keep this with you,” she said, while pulling the new, expensive ring from her finger. “I don’t want it to be stolen and it’s better that I take