“It’s a good thing none of us must earn love.”
“I loveyou, Anne Wentworth, and you do deserve it.”
7
Now more aware of the possible situation, Caroline was quick to realize that Lady Marston barely looked at Mrs. Scott but to glare. Occasional snubs and slights were to be expected from a lady to her companion on a long, confined, and difficult journey, but this seemed to be more of a settled antipathy.
It was a pity, of course, but Caroline felt the more satisfaction of knowing her guess to be correct. Anne made a point of including Mrs. Scott—nowSophiato both of them—a little more firmly in their activities of walking, sewing, or occasionally singing along with the harpsichord. The gentlemen would also take part in this. Both Richard and Wentworth had fine voices.
Mr. Belvedere was the most likely to make up a fourth for cards with the three ladies, for neither Captain Wentworth nor Richard—although they liked cards—could bear to play whist, piquet, or euchread nauseumon hot, lazy days, of which they had several. Anne and Wentworth did play cribbage at times, for his sister, Mrs. Sophia Croft, had gifted Anne with a beautiful cribbage board. “The Admiral and I weathered many a bleak afternoon with this game!” she’d told Anne. “It is quite one ofmy favorites, and I hope you and my brother will have as many happy hours.”
Cribbage could also be played by four instead of two, when Captain Wentworth was not in the mood. Mr. Belvedere often partnered with Mrs. Scott when they played, while Caroline paired with Anne. But Caroline soon put a stop to that. “You simply cannot partner with Sophia every time! Together, you two are unconquerable. I do not know who is manipulating the cards, but it falls uncannily in your favor.”
“That is skill, not trickery,” Mr. Belvedere protested. “Mrs. Scott is a clever player, but I could win with any partner.”
Sophia raised a brow. “Anypartner? I see how I am valued.”
“But I called you a clever player, ma’am!”
“Care to place a wager on it?” she asked. “Whether you can win against me with Mrs. Fitzwilliam or Mrs. Wentworth as your partner?”
His eyes kindled, and his mouth and chin suddenly looked firmer, more decisive. “Wouldn’t I? What stakes, ma’am?”
“Five pounds?”
“Oh, no,” Anne said. “Surely we needn’t play high.”
To Caroline, it was not so very high, but then, it was notloweither. She had been at parties where a common wager was five or ten shillings—there were twenty shillings to a pound—or as high as a hundred pounds. Five pounds could very well be a fifth or sixth of Mrs. Scott’s annual salary as a companion, if she was paid at all. Even for some tradesmen, five pounds was a monthly income.
“On the contrary,” Mrs. Scott said with a shrug, “I fancy Mr. Belvedere seldom wagers for so little. He must remember that he plays amongst women, who have only access to the funds in our cabins. Will you take my small wager, sir?”
“If you will not regret it,” he said, a little more gently than he was wont.
“Please, I need the distraction.”
“Very well, we shall play two more games. I will partner for the first with Mrs. Fitzwilliam, and for the second with Mrs. Wentworth. If you win both?—”
“But that is hardly fair,” Anne protested. “One game could easily change with the luck of the cards. I think several would be required to prove whether the decisive skill is yours or hers.”
“You are clearly on Mrs. Scott’s side, ma’am, but I can hardly blame you. Perhaps we should have a set—she must win two out of three games against me and my partner.”
“Agreed,” Mrs. Scott said. She wrinkled her nose at Anne. “Please don’t think less of me. I was used to wager with the girls at school, and I do have a taste for it!”
Anne sighed. “I myself have no taste for gambling, but I know many women find it exhilarating.”
“Who will you choose for your partner then?” Mr. Belvedere asked.
“I think—if you will not be hurt, dear Mrs. Wentworth, I will choose Mrs. Fitzwilliam as my partner,” Sophia said.
“It is just as well,” Anne replied. “Caroline is more competitive than I.”
“But you must play as well as you can,” Sophia said to Anne. “Indeed, don’t think of the wager at all! I would not like Mr. Belvedere to say my friends—er, my fellow travelers—threw the game against him.”
“As yourfriend,”Anne said, finally entering into the spirit of the thing, with a small smile, “I shall play as well as I can. I am sure you don’t need that sort of help to trounce Mr. Belvedere.”
“Oho!” he cried. “The gauntlet is thrown.”
They decided to play the set of cribbage games the following day, as evening had already begun to fall and the smells of roasted fish—caught earlier in the day—as well as smoked apricot, boiled green beans, and yeasty dinner rolls proceededfrom the galley just behind the dining room. The cook sometimes used the oven in the dining room as well, although the extra heat was not very welcome on hot days. If their journey had been midwinter or spring, Caroline was sure they would appreciate the warmth more.
