Hardly a Husband (Free Fellows League 3)

"You took long enough," Lord Rob complained when Jarrod entered the Green Salon. "These young ladies are better card sharps than I counted on. Luck has deserted me and Theodora is charging me by the bloody hour for each girl."

Jarrod took one look at the scene before him and burst out laughing. Lord Rob was playing whist with three red haired young women, none of whom bore any resemblance to Sarah Eckersley. Jarrod exhaled in relief.

"Meet Mina, Phyllis, and Joan." The girls nodded at Jarrod as Lord Mayhew introduced them. "Ladies, my godson, Lord — "

Jarrod gave a quick shake of his head.

"X." Mayhew grinned. "X, my boy, I've been playing whist with these ladies for the better part of an hour now and losing badly."

"Losing?"

Lord Rob chuckled. "Who can pay attention to cards when surrounded by all this beauty?"

"Nothing less than a bloody saint," Jarrod retorted.

"Touche, my boy," Mayhew acknowledged. "My point is that these young ladies refuse to take my chits and I'm running out of blunt."

Jarrod took out his leather purse.

"Quick!" Lord Rob exclaimed. "Save yourself! Hide your purse before these lovely ladies discover a way to part you from it."

"No need." Jarrod removed several pound notes and handed them to Lord Rob, then showed his godfather the empty interior of his wallet. "You already have." He turned to the young women. "Ladies, he has all my cash."

The girls giggled.

Lord Rob laid his cards facedown on the table and looked up at Jarrod. "Did you find your little visitor?"

"No," Jarrod answered.

"So" — Lord Rob rubbed his palms together — "what's next?"

"Are these the only…"

Lord Mayhew nodded. "Mina, Phyllis, and Joan are the most recent red-haired residents. As to whether or not they're true… " He shrugged. "I've no way of determining without…"

Jarrod turned to look at the young women. "Are you here of your own free will?" The women nodded in unison.

"And do you understand what sort of establishment this is?" Jarrod asked.

"We didn't at first," Phyllis answered. "But we do now."

"Oh?" Jarrod lifted his eyebrow.

"We thought it was a home for displaced women," Joan told him, "but it's really a house of pleasure for men."

"Do any of you want to stay?"

"I do," Mina announced. "I like it here. It's better than where I was before and I don't mind giving some gentleman my virtue." She shrugged. "If the truth be told, my uncle took it years ago. When I was little."

She was still little and didn't look to be a day over three and ten, but she was adamant about what she wanted. The other two girls weren't so sure.

"If you want to come home with me," Lord Rob offered, "I'm more than willing to pay your debt to Madam Theodora and help you find suitable employment."

"In return for what?" they asked.

"Another rubber of whist," Lord Rob answered. "And a chance to recoup my fortune."

* * *