“To whomever asks first,” Vix said, raising her eyebrows and extending her arm over the table, “the spoils.”
Both men turned back, watching her place the thimble neatly between them, the gleam of the ballroom candlelight catching on its metallic dome.
Roland immediately scoffed, staring at it like it was going to insult him.
“Vix,” Matthew said with a patronizing little simper. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” she said, lifting her nose. “Unless you are too cowardly.”
“This is absurd,” Roland muttered.
“Yes, utterly,” Matthew agreed. “Vix, we are adults now. Far too old for silly games like the thim—”
He snatched up the thimble and spun away from the table, holding it aloft in front of him, so quickly that the other two barely had time to react, though Roland did make a noise of offense that he did it.
Vix slapped a hand up over her mouth, delighted, as she watched him wave it back and forth.
“You weasel,” Roland grumbled, crossing his arms. “That was cheating.”
“It was a misdirect,” Matthew corrected. “And you always fall for it.”
“You forget how easily I could have you bleeding from your mouth,” Roland replied with a sweet, gentle little smile. “And anywhere else I like.”
“Steady, children,” Vix said with a bored flick of her hand.
“He is the only child here,” Roland muttered.
“I am.” Matthew grinned in reply.
“The thimble only counts if you follow through,” Vix reminded him. “Go on. Ticktock.”
“Ah, the things we do for power,” Matthew gloated, tucking the thimble into his waistcoat. “Off I go.”
“Yes, go,” Roland snapped, waving the back of his fingers at him. “On with you.”
Matthew spun on his heel and trotted off, doubtless giggling to himself as he went.
Vix walked around the table to stand next to Roland and watch as he crossed the ballroom floor to Rosalind, drew her attention, and after what appeared to be the general niceties of introduction, asked her to dance.
She smiled.
She agreed.
Mae stood back and watched them go, giving a fond shake of her head and glancing across the room to Vix with a raise of her brows, only to falter as she saw Roland there beside her. She bit her lip and turned back to the refreshments, busying her hands as she poured herself another glass of punch.
“See how easy that was?” Vix said, turning to regard Roland.
Roland cut her a look from the corner of his eye. “It is different for Matthew,” he said. “You know that.”
“I know you believe it’s different for Matthew,” she retorted. “I don’t think it actually is. If Teddy can marry the likes of Hannah Lazarus, I see no reason why you cannot court Mae Casper.”
Roland made a noise, rolling his shoulders. “You know he’s going to do something obnoxious with that thimble now,” he told her. “You remember what he used to come up with when he got his hands on it.”
“Oh, I remember,” she told him. “I remember very well.”
They both were quiet for a moment, lost in memories of childhood. Their eyes met and they shared a chuckle, dry and perhaps a little horrified, at what they somehow managed to survive, unsupervised and wild in their youth.
“Have you just been carrying that around with you, waiting for an opportunity?” he asked, running a hand through his hair. “Were you the last one to have it?”
