The air in the gambling ring was thick and heavy, a soupy mixture of cigar smoke, spilled wine, and noise. The low-ceilinged room was dimly lit by flickering oil lamps that cast long, dancing shadows on the walls. The only sharp sounds were the clinking of gold coins, the soft slap of cards on felt tables, and the low, constant murmur of voices, which buzzed like a nest of angry bees.
And today, the bees were buzzing around one person in particular: Lord George Pembroke.
He sat at a card table in the center of the room, though he wished he could melt into the shadows. Every time he looked up, he felt their eyes on him. Stares filled with pity, with scorn, with morbid curiosity. The rumors about his broken engagement with Delia Ellington had spread through the city's underbelly like wildfire.
"Poor fellow," a man at a nearby table muttered to his companion, just loud enough for George to hear. "To be jilted so publicly. She must be a cold-hearted one."