“I am full of surprises.” Olivia’s face showed the effort of keeping Nigel from disentangling his mallet.
“Indeed, I am beginning to see that.” Nigel tugged again but to no avail. “I suspect this is not the first time you have employed such underhanded tactics.”
“Are they underhanded or just unexpected?” Olivia panted as she drove their mallets towards the ground, creating a wedge to keep Nigel’s in place.
“Can they not be both?” Nigel asked nonchalantly.
Olivia smiled. “Do not try to use my own words against me, good sir.”
“I know not what you mean. I was simply stating a fact.” Nigel grinned wickedly. “And to that effect, I am afraid I really must insist you release my mallet.”
“I will not let you thwart me.” Olivia shook her head.
“My dear Lady, I fear you will find that you are powerless to stop me.” Nigel laughed at Olivia’s look of confusion as he turned and kicked Olivia’s ball several feet from them. “You did say ‘by any means necessary’.”
Olivia let out a most unladylike curse. “And yet again, you use my own words against me!”
“This time, dear Lady, I shall admit that that is exactly what I have done.” Nigel bowed and ducked as Olivia threw a handful of leaves at him. “I do not think that will help you find your ball.”
“No, probably not, but perhaps my goal is simply to keep you from your own,” Olivia replied.
“A risky strategy. Especially with my cousin making such a beeline towards yours.”
“What?!” Olivia exclaimed as she spun around. “There is no one there!”
Nigel laughed and used the distraction to break free and head towards his ball. “Good effort, dear lady, but I do so enjoy winning.”
“You have not won yet!” Olivia called after him.
“Yet being the operative word, dear lady!” Nigel replied as he darted towards the flash of blue in the grass by the tree.
He was almost at his ball when he saw Lord Briston. Unfortunately for him, Lord Briston had found it before him and felt no compunctions about being unsportsmanlike to his cousin.
He swung his mallet at Nigel’s ball. It sailed through the air, back in the direction he had just come from.
“Was that really necessary, cousin?” Nigel frowned.
“Necessary? No. But very amusing all the same,” Lord Briston replied as he lined up his own shot.
Nigel smacked Lord Briston’s ball as hard as he could, sending the red thing hurtling towards the other end of the garden. “Best of luck, cousin.”
Lord Briston glared at Nigel, then turned and strode in the direction of his ball. Nigel shook his head and made his way back down the garden, keeping an eye out for any flashes of blue.I really had not planned on doing this much running around.
“You know, for someone determined to win, you seem to spend rather a lot of your time away from the alley.” Olivia was lining up a shot with her recovered ball.
“Perhaps I simply wish to give you a sporting chance.” Nigel shrugged and thankfully saw the flash of blue that was his ball.
“I very much doubt that.” Olivia shook her head before adding. “Besides, I think it would be utterly unforgivable for you to do so.”
Nigel pulled up short. “What do you mean?”
“Well, winning is only fun when you know your opponent has given it their all, and still, it was not enough to best you.” Olivia smiled. “If I thought you were truly going easy on me, well, I do not think I could forgive such a slight.”
“Then I will endeavour to do my gentlemanly duty and give this game my everything.” Nigel paused, not wanting to draw Olivia’s attention to his ball.I do not doubt she would hit it even further down the garden.“Though perhaps my reason for being here was simply that I missed your company.”
Olivia snorted and raised an eyebrow at him. “I do not know which falsehood is more ridiculous.”
Nigel shrugged and inched closer to his ball. “Why would you assume I am telling you falsehoods? And why would they be ridiculous?”
