Alexander stared at him.
Miss Finch was inside the blacksmiths’ house.
Playingbilliards.
“Go on back,” said Jasper. “The door’s unlocked. Billiard room is second on the right.”
Which was how the Duke of Nottingvale found himself straightening his cravat and brushing snow from his lapels on the le Ducs’ front step, before opening the door himself, since there was no servant to do it for him.
The loudthwackof colliding balls greeted him, followed by hoots of laughter. Even without Jasper’s instructions, finding the billiard room would have been obvious.
Alexander placed his hat on a wooden rack, and after a moment’s indecision added his coat as well.
He wasn’t going tostay, but it would be rude to drip melting snow all over the house.
After taking an extra moment to stomp his boots onto a conveniently located rug, he raked his fingers through his hat-crushed hair and strode down the short corridor to the open doorway of the billiard room.
Miss Finch was bent over the table to take a shot, which gave Alexander a splendid view down her bodice at the soft bosom she’d pressed his hands into during his completely ill-thought-out game of charades.
She glanced up and smiled at him just as she took her shot.
Despite her inattention, the cue ball tapped smartly against two other balls, provoking groans from the two brothers.
“Unbelievable.” Sébastien le Duc refilled his glass of champagne. “That was witchcraft, plain and simple. You ladies are unmitigated cheats.”
Miss Finch wagged a finger at him. “Be careful. Those are dueling words.”
“Don’t do it,” Désirée warned her brother. “Your top hat still has a hole in it from last time.”
Alexander gaped at Miss Finch. “Youshothim?”
“I shot his hat,” she replied.
“You could havekilledhim,” he sputtered.
“Often the stated purpose of a duel,” Désirée pointed out.
“Doing so would’ve required skill indeed.” Miss Finch grinned at Alexander unrepentantly. “Whenever we duel, we place our headwear at twenty paces and aim at that instead. You should have seen what this rotter’s five-shot pepperbox did to my favorite bonnet.”
“Whenever you duel,” Alexander repeated faintly.
She held out her cue stick. “Here. You can take my next shot.”
“Non,” said Lucien. “It is men against women,s’il te plaît.”
Sébastien narrowed his eyes at Alexander. “Are you any good?”
“Horrid,” Alexander admitted.
Sébastien waved him ahead. “Take all of Cynthia Louise’s shots.Please.”
“May I ask what you’re doing here?” Désirée enquired. “Aren’t you supposed to be at your party?”
“I’m not staying,” Alexander said quickly. “I’m just... I just...”
None of his motivations would satisfactorily explain his presencehereand notthere.
At least, nothing he wished to admit to.
