At first she was sure she’d never learn; he saw right through her time and again. But then she began to get the hang of it, and watched his face the way she’d watch a wily maverick to see which way he’d dodge next; sometimes the clue was no more than a twitch at the corner of his eye, but it was enough. She felt a sharp excitement when she won for the first time, and only the stiff poke of her corset in her ribs reminded her not to hoot in triumph. She settled for a broad grin instead.
Quentin threw down his hand and admitted defeat. “You’re one of us, all right,” he said. “Better than you have any right to be.” His eyes narrowed. “I wonder if Braden has any idea what he’s got in you, Cassidy Holt.”
She flushed with pleasure. “Does he play poker, too?”
“Oh, yes. But not with cards.”
He didn’t explain himself but reshuffled the deck and gave her an expectant look. “I think you’ve already graduated to playing for stakes.”
She glanced down at her dress. “I haven’t got anything,” she said. “Except the books I brought from New Mexico, and a little money—”
“You seem certain that I’ll win,” he said. “What if you beat me, Cassidy? What do you want?”
The obvious answer was on the tip of her tongue. She would ask him to tell her about Braden—his childhood, the things he cared about, his hopes and dreams—everything that crowded her thoughts whenever she was in his presence.
But she had a notion that Quentin would find some way to avoid answering questions about his brother. She bit her lip. “I want—” An image came unbidden into her mind, out of the dreamworld other distant past. “I want to see you Change into a wolf.”
Quentin froze, the cards suspended in his hands. After a moment he relaxed, as if she’d made a joke he’d only just understood.
“That’s not much of a prize, Cassidy. I do it exactly the same way you do. We English aren’t so different as all that, you know.”
Heat rose in her cheeks. He thought… of course he thought she could Change, the way her mother had been able to. There was no reason he should think otherwise; she was one of them.
But she’d been too excited, too happy at finding Braden to tell him that she hoped her English family would teach her what her mother hadn’t been able to. They must take it for granted, that ability she’d always felt was just beyond her reach. They would think her silly and ignorant because she didn’t know how, just the same way Rowena found her lacking in the graces a lady should have.
“Of course, you were living with human relatives,” Quentin said. “Your father’s, I believe?”
She put on the “poker face” Quentin had taught her. “Yes.”
“Well, you’re here now, and you’re unlikely to get rid of us even if you wanted to.” He gave her a lopsided smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Very well. If you win, I shall Change for you. If I win…”
She held her breath. If he asked her to Change, she would be forced to admit she didn’t know how. And she wasn’t ready for that—not yet, when she was trying to do things right. When she was finally wanted.
“If I win,” he said, “you shall owe me a favor which I’ll redeem when I choose. Agreed?”
Her relief was so strong that she didn’t hesitate. “Agreed.”
They played another hand of five-card stud, but Cassidy’s beginner’s luck had run out. Quentin won easily, though he winked and clowned to take the sting out of his victories. They were still absorbed in the game when Aynsley appeared in the doorway, trailed by a maid and footman.
“Lord Greyburn wishes me to inform you, Mr. Forster, Miss Holt,” he said, “that there will be no formal dinner this evening. The servants are engaged in preparing for the return to Northumberland. Meals shall be sent up to your rooms in an hour. Should you have any requests, please inform the maid or footman.” He bowed. “Lord Greyburn also requests the honor of your company in the library, Mr. Forster, as soon as it is convenient.”