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To Pandora’s satisfaction, she had acquired an exceptionally good hand with nuh cards She enjoyed herself i risks whereas Gabriel was, predictably, more careful and conservative As they talked, he entertained her with stories about his fa club Pandora was especially amused by one about a card cheat, who had always ordered a plate of sandwiches during the ga unwanted cards into his sandwiches The scheme had been discovered when another player tried to eat a ham and potted cheese on rye, and ended up with a two of spades caught between his teeth
Pandora had to cover her al, isn’t it? Are there ever raids on your club?"
"Usually the respectable West End clubs are left alone Especially Jenner’s, since half the legislators in England are members However, we’ve taken precautions in the event that a raid occurs"
"Such as?"
"Such as installing metal-plated doors that can be bolted shut until the evidence is disposed of And there are escape tunnels for club rease a few pal before a raid"
"You bribe the police?" Pandora whispered in surprise,overheard
"It’s a common practice"
The infor lady’s ears, which of course lin to her
"Thank you for being so frank with me," she said spontaneously "It’s nice to be treated like an adult" With a quick, aard laugh, she added, "Even if I don’t always behave like one"
"Being iinative and playful doesn’t ently "It onlyone"
No one had ever said anything like that to her before, praising her faults as if they were virtues Did he aze to her cards
Gabriel paused "While we’re on the subject of Jenner’s," he said slowly, "there’s so of import, but I feel I should mention it" Faced with her quizzical silence, he explained, "I o"
Thunderstruck by the revelation, Pandora could only stare at hiine Theo in the company of this man They had been similar in the most obvious ways, both tall, wellborn, handsome, but they couldn’t have been more different beneath the surface
"He visited the club with a friend," Gabriel continued, "and decided to apply for er referred him to me" He paused, his expression unreadable "I’m afraid we had to refuse him"