One of the major plot points of Lyon in Disguise is the hero, Lord Navan Beaufort, is sent to assist Mrs. Bessie Dove-Lyon and those at the Lyon’s Den to spot fake bank notes flooding the streets of London in 1812. One of Navan’s areas of expertise for the Home Office is the security of the Bank of London’s bank notes. He is also presented this assignment as many at the Lyon’s Den are Irish working in England. He is an Irish earl, so it is assumed he will have a easier row to hoe in this matter.”

“Assume,” as we say in America, makes an “ass” out of “u” and “me.”

As this is another of The Lyon’s Den Connected World books, it was necessary for me to include the infamous Lyon’s Den, its owner, and staff, in this tale several times.

A question from a reader led me to respond with both a mention of this upcoming release and a bit on card playing in the Regency.

Question: I know many books mention card playing going on in designated rooms at balls, but I haven’t heard what they were playing? Would they be gambling and playing games for money like 21 (apparently one of the most popular games of the day, even among families) or would they stick to games like Whist (I know they played this for stakes, too)? Would there be a person who would play the bank, as there was at the various clubs or hells?

I read somewhere about Fox and how much he and his brother lost even at supposedly staid places like Almack’s.”

Let us approach this question from several points. First, Charles James Fox (24 January 1749 – 13 September 1806) was a Whig MP and leader of the Opposition to William Pitt the Younger’s Tory government. He was a close personal friend of George, Prince of Wales, later George IV, and of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire.

Charles James Fox, a prominent Whig statesman of the Regency era, was famously plagued by immense gambling debts throughout his life. 

Here’s a summary of his financial struggles:

• Gambling Addiction: Fox was an inveterate gambler who frequented London’s gentlemen’s clubs like White’s and Brook’s, and the Newmarket races, where he often won and lost fortunes in single sittings.
• Father’s Bailouts: His father, Lord Holland, reportedly paid off his son’s gambling debts to the tune of £140,000 before his death in 1774. This amount would be astronomical in today’s terms.
• Continued Debt: Even after his father’s death and these significant payments, Fox’s debts continued to accumulate. He was declared bankrupt twice between 1781 and 1784.
• Friends’ Support: Fox relied on a network of friends and political allies who frequently loaned him money or contributed to annuities to help cover his debts. The Earl of Carlisle, for example, even faced financial ruin himself due to his support for Fox.
• Social Stigma & Tolerance: Despite the enormity of his debts, they didn’t entirely hinder Fox’s political career. While excessive gambling was frowned upon in Regency society, the upper classes were accustomed to high stakes and substantial debts. Gambling debts to fellow aristocrats were considered “debts of honor” that had to be paid promptly, even though debts to merchants were sometimes deferred.
• Late Life Debts: Fox eventually abandoned gambling and racing in his later years, and his debts were significantly reduced by the support of political friends who not only freed him from debt but settled a comfortable income on him. However, at his death in 1806, he still left debts of £10,000. 

Actually, they were referring to the gentlemen’s club Brooks’s, not our Almack’s;  Brooks’s used to be called Almack’s, in the late 18th century.  (Yes, I know, hopelessly confusing!)  And our Almack’s (the place where every young lady making her come out wanted a ticket) was later called Willis’s Rooms (around late 1820s, which only adds to the confusion. 

So the place Fox lost masses of money was the gentlemen’s club. However, I will say that our Almack’s was not as staid as Heyer and most Regency romances made out: It was assuredly not just a “marriage mart” (That was more the Victorian view of it), but a club where the wheelers and dealers of Parliament wheeled their deals (and dealt their wheels?), and where one would meet everyone of importance on a Wednesday night.  So I expect there was some significant money lost and won at our Almack’s, too, on occasion…

Almacks’ was a gambling house that rented out rooms for private events and the assembly.

In Heyer’s Faro’s Daughter, the family has a gambling house where Faro was played. It was a game with a bank that people played against the house. They had a bouncer and usually had people by word of mouth because it was illegal to have a Faro bank. [I used something similar as a plot point in my The Jewel Thief and the Earl.] The caricaturists had a field day with a couple of high class women who were arrested for running a gambling house playing Faro. The prints show them being whipped at the back side of a cart– that didn’t happened, but the authors and artists advocated it.]

The clubs and gambling hells had games with dealers and held the bank. People bet against the  house which won more than 50% of the time.

Private games were between two or more people, and they set their own terms and limits.

In clubs one had to buy cards. In private parties cards were provided.

If you are interested in a quick overview of the various games, you can find information on Risky Regencies.

BTW, there are multiple period pieces from Hoyle’s on Google books (though the period rules can be hard to make out.)

Lyon in Disguise: Lyon’s Den Connected World 

A handsome rake meets his match in a red-headed enchantress who is his enemy!

They may be on different sides of the law, but Lord Navan Beaufort is not going to permit that to stop him from protecting Miss Audrey Moreau. Navan has never thought truly to love anyone, but when he laid eyes on the red-headed beauty, his world shifted. Unfortunately, the lady appears to prefer Lord Alexander Dutton to him, though Navan has rarely had the opportunity to speak to her privately. That is, until he saves her from a fire one miraculous night. From there forward, she is his hope. His future.

Miss Audrey Moreau depends exclusively on her Uncle Jacobi for a home and protection. The man rescued her from a bayman’s plantation in the West Indies when she was five; yet, she well knows the “Marquis of Honfleur’s” schemes. She thought once Jacobi was caught, all would be well, but even from his jail, the man means to rain down harm upon her.

Can two lost souls find happiness together, when everyone in whom they had previously placed their trust have left them alone in the world?

Tropes You’ll Love:

• Enemies to lovers
• Self-declared bachelor
• Friends to lovers
• Adversaries
• Damsel in distress
• Best friend’s sister
• Different worlds/experiences
• Soul mates
• Emotional scars
• Fish out of water

Read in Kindle Unlimited!

Enjoy book one in a new series within The Lyon’s Den Connected world by Regina Jeffers.

Book 1 – Lyon in the Way

Book 2 – Lyon’s Obsession

Book 3 – Lyon in Disguise

Book 4 – Lost in the Lyon’s Garden

Book 5 – Lyon on the Inside

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G1V963YZ

Please Note: The price of this book will increase to $3.99 on 11/26/2025.