Beth startles. “What?”
“Look at them.” Gwen angles herself toward Beth so she can turn her head and consider their parents. Her perfume is lovely. “Something happened between the two of them. I’m sure of it.”
“My mother’sblushing,” Beth says, shocked. She looks back at Gwen. “I’ve never seen her blush like that.”
Gwen grins and together they look back at the game, just as Albie takes a whapping hit to the back. He goes sprawling face-first into the mud and Gwen withholds her cackle. Beth covers her mouth, concerned.
“Is he all right?”
“He’ll be fine. Get up, Mason! Show ’em what for!”
“Gwen!” Beth exclaims as Albie glowers over at them, his face dripping mud.
Father chuckles behind them and she can see Bobby, equally covered in mud, grinning at his brother’s plight.
Gwen just shrugs, giving Bobby a thumbs-up before looking back at Beth. “Someone has to cheer for the poor thing.” Beth frowns at her, but the corner of her mouth is tilted up. “I like rooting for the underdog.”
“You’re not rooting, you’re heckling.”
“Perhaps,” Gwen agrees, glancing back at their parents. Lady Demeroven’s lost her blush, but Father’s looking a little pleased. “But I do like rooting for the dark horse, and I think my father is your mother’s dark horse.”
Beth looks over at her. “What?”
“I think maybe Father is a bit sweet on her.”
“She couldn’t have pulled me out of the ball fast enough,” Beth argues, glancing back. “She’s twirling her hair!”
“So?” Gwen wonders, looking over her shoulder again to see that the stalwart lady is indeed toying with her hair.
“She never does that.”
“See?”
“I don’t think that means they were sweet on each other,” Beth says slowly.
“He’s sweet on her. She’s still an unknown,” Gwen corrects. “But I bet we can figure it out.” Beth hesitates as she watches another violent tackle. “Please? I need something to liven up this season. The balls and parties get boring otherwise.”
“And this is more interesting?”
“Figuring out why they act as though they hate each other but look like smitten schoolchildren? Of course! It’s a mystery. I love a good mystery. Promise you’ll at least try and find out?”
Beth shifts, biting at her lip, unsure.
“It’ll be fun,” Gwen needles, thinking solving a mystery with Beth might be the perfect remedy for the drudgery of the season.
Beth snorts. “Fine. It couldn’t hurt to talk about something other than hoop circumference over breakfast,” she says.
“Excellent,” Gwen says, jostling her arm just as Albie tumbles back to the ground. “Get up, Mason! Get up!”
Beth laughs and covers her mouth with her hand. Albie just rolls his eyes and stumbles up, lumbering back toward the scrum.
“See? Fun,” Gwen insists, winking at Beth.
Beth can’t seem to help herself and grins back, her eyes alight. “Fun,” she agrees.
Chapter Three
Beth
