Free A Gallant Gamble by Jackie Williams

have made about her gown. He had remained nearly silent, responding with stiff politeness to introductions and only answering direct questions ever since.
    Now he picked up his wineglass and sipped the garnet coloured liquid as he inclined his head towards the dazzlingly beautiful Lady Armitage on his left while looking through hooded eyes at Lord Hubert Carruthers, who attracted Charlotte’s attention from her right. Geoffrey’s silver eyes darkened to iron grey as the young Lord leaned even further to his left and dropped his gaze downwards.
    Lady Armitage gasped as the stem of Geoffrey’s glass suddenly snapped between his fingertips and the last of the red wine splashed across the table, narrowly avoiding marring the dove grey gown of Lady Latham. Embarrassment suffused his features as he pushed his chair back, grabbed up his napkin and began sponging the tablecloth while the Duchess called for Bottomley to replace Geoffrey’s glass. Furious with himself he glanced towards Charlotte, dreading her censure but her eyes only bid him to stop fussing with the linen. He immediately dropped his napkin and sat back down.
    Bottomley covered the soiled cloth, removed the broken receptacle, and replaced it with another full glass of wine almost before the guests at the lower end of the table had realized that anything was amiss. Geoffrey lowered his head and cursed his own clumsiness, but Olivia came to his rescue with a bright and unconcerned voice.
    “I admire a man with a firm grip. You are clearly a skilled equestrian, Mr. Talbot. Alexander was only telling me last week that he relies on your superior abilities with the more troublesome animals. I understand that Prince Louis has asked for your advice.”
    Geoffrey raised a surprised eyebrow. He had no idea who Prince Louis was, but as he glanced around the table, it appeared that no one else did either. He was about to enquire of Olivia who this Prince might be when Charlotte broke in to stop him.
    “Olivia, please. I told you that in confidence. The Prince would be unhappy if it were known that his own skills could be called into question.”
    Olivia waved a gloved hand.
    “Piffle and nonsense. We are all friends here. I only allude to Mr. Talbot’s exceptional skills in such matters and the fact that royalty must take him seriously if they have bothered to enquire about his skills.”
    Geoffrey caught on belatedly to what the women were doing and although he appreciated their help in making him seem far more worthy than he actually was, he also began to see pitfalls opening all around him as the two ladies began to spin their tale. While he didn’t particularly want anyone to know that he was merely a lowly stable master in the employ of the Duke of Ormond, he didn’t want to deceive anyone either.
    “I thank you for your confidence in my abilities, but I am not sure that any Prince has come to call at Ormond recently. The breeding programme is only just beginning to show results though two mares are in foal at the moment.”
    Lord Armitage nodded wisely.
    “Good to know that someone takes our horseflesh seriously. Perhaps this Prince came to you incognito. Many of the French aristocracy are still nervous of revealing their ancestry. Unsurprising when you consider the consequences of such an admission in their own country. I suspect that he came to you under an assumed name, but that would be irrelevant to someone such as our dear Olivia here, who knows all the best people on the continent as well as at home.” He bowed to the smiling Duchess before continuing. “You’ll have to come and look at my own stables and cast your eye over a few of my stock. We may be able to come to an arrangement if you see anything that you feel worth a bit of a gamble.”
    Lord Latham brushed some crumbs of pastry from his intricately folded cravat as he leaned forwards with interest.
    “And mine too, of course. I only keep three matched pairs plus my own and my son’s mounts in