Page 88 of A Very Bellamy Christmas

Besides, there was Miss Martin to consider.

Not that it wasn’t perfectly clear to her that the other woman burned for Shelton. Katie knew Miss Martin’s besotted expression well because she had felt the exact same emotion briefly, last spring.

Despite Miss Martin’s obvious desire for the marquess, it was entirely possible that she would refuse Shelton’s gentlemanly offer of marriage. She was a proud woman, and Shelton had trampled on her pride in the past.

Even so, the woman was doubtless in seventh heaven at the moment, imprisoned with the man of her dreams.

As for Shelton? Although the ridiculously handsome marquess had denied it, he was intrigued by Stacia Martin. Katie had been around him for months and he’d never once noticed a woman the way he’d done with Miss Martin.

Poor Shelton was an unhappy, lonely man who’d been clinging to his love for a dead woman for more than a decade. He would vehemently disagree that Katie was doing this for his benefit, but one day he would thank her.

Katie should probably let them out after one night. That way the two of them could either take advantage of the opportunity she had offered them, or they could ignore the gift she’d given them, go their own two ways, and live miserable lives.

“Katie?”

She looked up from her thoughts to find Selina beside her. “Yes?”

“I’m going to partner Phoebe against Hy and Chatham. Shaftsbury cannot play cards as we haven’t yet figured out a way to do that yet. But he enjoys chess a great deal and we’ve brought his set along, so—”

“I would love to play your husband a game,” Katie lied.

“I’ve been telling him how clever you are, and he is prepared, so you needn’t be kind to him.”

Katie gave her sister a weak smile. Chess. Was there anything she hated more in the world?

Well, yes. Two things, actually. Plying a needle and Lord Jasper Raine.

What use were any of them?

She could not earn money with chess as her sister Hy had done with cards.

And needlework was either a drudge’s job or a pastime for sleekly contented matrons to occupy their hands in between bearing heirs for their husbands or taking lovers.

As for Lord Raine…

Her mouth twisted into an unpleasant smile.

Raine’s only purpose was as a walking, talking warning to women about the duplicity of man.

Ten minutes later Katie was seated across from Selina’s gorgeous husband, in the middle of a game she could win at any time. But if she did, she would just be forced to play another, so she allowed her mind to wander and once again it returned to Shelton and Miss Martin.

Had she done the wrong thing? No doubt most people would answer an emphatic yes to that. Viewed objectively, she was risking two peoples’ reputations. Or at least Miss Martin’s, as Shelton’s reputation was in such tatters nothing could make it worse.

As much as she teased and taunted Andrew, she had come to like him a great deal. If somebody didn’t do something—that somebody being her, apparently—then he would likely go to London this Season and marry an heiress he didn’t love, or even like, to save his estate.

Katie could not allow him to sacrifice himself that way. Even though he probably deserved it.

“I sense you are restless, Lady Kathryn,” Lord Shaftsbury said, staring at her with eyes that seemed to look into her soul. “You could have had me in checkmate once already.”

It was actually more like three times, but who was counting?

Katie shrugged, remembered he could not see the dismissive gesture, and said, “I hate chess.”

His distractingly pretty lips parted in surprise and then he barked a laugh, the skin at the corners of his sightless gray eyes crinkling in a way that caused a fluttering in her belly. He really was extremely handsome—not to mention charming and so…happy that it was difficult to feel glum in his presence. Selina said he’d been as cross as a crab when she’d first met him. It was hard to imagine.

“We do not need to play,” he said, pitching his voice so only the two of them could hear it.

“Oh, yes we do.”