“Were you a thief at one time? Breaking into homes and stealing jewels?”

“No, I prefer to steal outright.” He waved a hand at the casino floor. “It’s much cleaner that way.”

Hard to argue with his logic. “Busy evening. I think this is the most crowded I’ve seen it.”

“A bit busier than normal. See that group near the back, the gents at the roulette table? Some sort of pre-wedding bacchanal.”

She searched where he indicated—and then gasped. Good Lord, she knew every man at that table. Had danced with many of them at various parties and balls. Fought off advances from two at a particularly rousing costume ball.

She instinctively took a step back into the shadows.

“Ah. May I assume you are acquainted with these young men?”

“One or two,” she lied. “I’d rather not be recognized, if I’m able to avoid it.”

“Then tonight we best begin our lessons off the floor. Follow me.”

“Off the floor? But what about—”

“My casino, my rules,” Clay said as he started down the long side of the balcony. She hurried to keep up, remaining close to the wall and shrouded in the darkness. Where was he taking her?

They twisted through several corridors to a set of stairs. Without telling her what he was about, he started climbing. His feet made no noise, as if he were a ghost. Meanwhile, her heels clicked loudly on the old pine, alerting anyone in earshot of her presence. Another trick I need for him to teach me.

He held open a door at the top of the stairs. “Welcome to the training room.”

Training room? She stepped inside . . . and froze. Tables were spread out in the large space, each one a different game. Roulette. Craps. Card tables. It was a veritable feast of chance.

He came to stand at her side. “You look like a child in an ice cream parlor.”

“You have a miniature casino on your third floor.”

“Yes, I do. As I said, it’s the training room. You don’t think those dealers and croupiers come to us fully trained, do you?”

That made sense. “So you teach them the games here.”

“Wrong. Most have an understanding of how roulette or craps works. What they don’t know is how the games work in my casino.”

“But I’ve played in your casino. It’s no different than anywhere else.”

He walked toward the closest card table. “Isn’t it?”

She thought back to her nights here as a guest. “I . . .” She trailed off, unable to come up with an answer.

“Florence, if gambling here was like anywhere else, then why would anyone choose to patronize the Bronze House? The overpriced champagne?”

“Because the Bronze House has the fairest games in the city.”

“Exactly. There’s no need to cheat guests when the very nature of the game is leveraged for the house to always come out ahead.”

“Every game?”