Rising, she asked, “what is this all for?”
“We’re going to play Buffy Gruffy,” Anthony said with a grin.
She clasped her hands behind her back and stepped out of their way. They’d played the game several times growing up, and she remembered how wily he could be. “I’ll keep my toes tucked under my chair then.”
He and Bradley chuckled. Perhaps she should warn the other ladies of their underhanded ways. She could not count the times they’d trod on her foot to get her to make a noise in her normal voice.
Once the chairs had been placed in a circle, they all sat except Lord Gladsby who’d offered to be blindfolded first. Grace expected him to wander about the circle after they’d all quickly changed places, but he calmly walked to the chair directly infront of him. With three quick questions, he correctly guessed Diana.
After the blindfold was securely fasted about Diana’s head, everyone quickly and quietly switched seats. Slowly she walked to the edge of the circle until her knee bumped her husband’s.
Grace smiled at the way Bradley pitched his voice to sound like a little girl. It was a terrible imitation that caused multiple people to laugh. She was sure their laughter would give away who the voice was not, but it must not have been clear to Diana, for she guessed Prudence.
Having guessed wrong, Diana moved on. Everyone silently shuffled as she moved in search of the next person. This time, she touched Grace.
Diana reached down and patted Grace’s knee, then grinned. “Are you fond of painting?”
Grace spoke slowly, trying to add a crackle to her voice, hoping she sounded like an old woman. “Not so much, deary.”
Diana cocked her head to the side. “How about harp playing?”
Grace knew she’d been caught, but she tried to confuse her anyway.
“What’s a harp?” she rasped.
“I knew it,” Diana exclaimed. “This is Grace.”
Everyone chuckled as Grace let out a sigh of defeat. “It is.”
Standing still so Diana could place the blindfold on her, Grace took stock of the occupants of each chair. She knew everyone would move the moment she started searching, but if she knew where they were now, she could follow the sound of at least one set of feet when she was blindfolded.
With the cloth securely in place, Grace counted to ten while they all shifted. Prudence had been to her direct left near the doors. Her light step was easy to follow since it sounded different from the men’s boots. Grace heard her pass in front of her before someone signaled the beginning of the game with aclap. Turning to her right, she slowly walked to the edge of the circle, but the seat she bumped into was empty. Had Prudence gone to the left or right? She opted for the right, that chair being placed closer to the fire. With how cold Pru had been of late, she’d want the warmer seat.
Her knee brushed someone else’s, but she could tell by the sound that it was not Prudence. Her sister’s gown would sound different brushing against hers. She decided to move on and not question the person, hoping Pru would be the next in line.
She continued right, then thought better of it. That would take her further from the fire. Perhaps left. She took a step back preparing to turn, but her foot caught on someone else’s and she tumbled backwards right into the chair she’d bumped into earlier. Only now it was occupied.
Arms wrapped around her, and a familiar scent filled her nose. It was the same smell she remembered from so many interactions with Lord Gladsby, a mixture of polished leather and something citrusy. Her good sense must have fled because instead of quickly removing herself from his lap, she reached out and grasped his jacket. She could give the excuse that she was just steadying herself, but she knew it was a lie. The last thing she wanted was for him to push her back to her feet just now.
He pitched his voice comically low. “Are you alright, miss?”
“A gentleman, then?” she countered.
“Hardly,” Anthony said from across the room. “A gentleman wouldn’t hold a woman so securely on his lap.”
Several people chuckled, and Grace’s face heated. She pushed at his chest, remembering they had an audience. It really was scandalous the way she was situated. Thank goodness everyone in the room was family, or close to it.
Unfortunately, her feet tangled in her gown and with the blindfold on she could not find her balance. Large hands grasped her waist to steady her. She stood on one foot trying to shakeher other free, but to no avail. One hand dropped from her waist as the other slipped around to her belly. She held her breath, the heat of his arm soaking into her middle. In her mind, she understood that Lord Gladsby was simply trying to prop her up while he tugged at her skirt to free her foot, but the touch was so intimate she was surprised her brother wasn’t demanding Lord Gladsby marry her this instant.
The tension about her foot abruptly released, and it slipped free. When it hit the floor, she stumbled to the side. Two more hands reached up and grabbed her arm.
“Whoa there,” Bradley said in his regular voice, “I don’t need you accosting me in the same manner you did—oof!”
Grace gave into the irresistible urge to laugh. Others in the room laughed as well. The whole situation was completely ridiculous. Not only was she falling all over the place, but somehow Lord Gladsby had managed to smack her brother while still holding onto her with one hand. He mustreally becompetitive if he was willing to go to such lengths to keep from being revealed.
Through her giggles, she finally managed to call him out. “You need not abuse my brother, Lord Gladsby. I already know it is you.”
His slow, velvety tones met her ears. “Who said I was silencing him? Perhaps I was defending your honor, since he is the gentleman who tripped you.”
