CHAPTER 32: JAMESON

On the second night at Devil’s Mercy, Jameson continues his deliberate strategy belowground while Avery loses conspicuously at poker upstairs. Jameson wins carefully, not enough to draw suspicion at one table, because his real goal is to study the club and attract the hidden Proprietor’s attention.

Jameson observes the gaming hall’s surveillance: mirrors that may hide more than reflections, moldings that conceal peepholes, and dealers’ jeweled necklaces that may contain cameras or listening devices. As the crowd grows because of Avery’s public losing streak, Jameson moves through games such as hazard, piquet, and vingt-et-un, demonstrating skill while silently asking whether the Proprietor can see what he is capable of.

At a vingt-et-un table, Rohan unexpectedly replaces the dealer and confronts two players over unnamed rule-breaking. Rohan uses dates and numbers to make clear that he has tracked their actions, then forces them into a hand against him. When Rohan wins, the men are left terrified, reinforcing Jameson’s understanding that Devil’s Mercy is always watching and that the house’s power is absolute.

After Rohan leaves, Jameson notices a red-haired man whose presence changes the room: people move out of his way and avoid looking directly at him. Suspecting the man may be important, Jameson decides to play whist, which requires a partner.

Zella appears and offers herself as that partner, testing Jameson with questions about how often he loses. Jameson answers that he loses as often as necessary to win what matters, and Zella recognizes that he has a specific opponent in mind. She tells Jameson that the red-haired man is not the Proprietor, then leads him to the whist table.

Zella easily clears two seats, and Jameson joins her opposite the red-haired man. The man greets Zella by name, and she identifies him as Branford before they prepare to begin the game, giving Jameson a new powerful player to read.