An unexpected sense of loss swept through Sebastian as a few of the gentlemen jokingly teased his uncle about the betrothal.
Marriage was what she wanted. She’d lost a child once and seemed intent upon having a family. George would provide that for her. Perhaps Sebastian was imagining her loneliness. Sebastian downed his port in one swallow, allowing himself to be distracted by the burning in his chest and then gut. She’d allowed George to slide the damn ring on her finger. She’d not stopped him, nor told him no.
Good for her then. Sebastian nodded as the footman stepped up from behind him to refill his snifter.Good for her.
11
Close Quarters
“Idon’t play children’s games, Margaret.” Sitting beside her, George shook his head, refusing to take part in the evening’s entertainment. “Definitely not games that require a person hiding in corners and closets.”
“It is Margaret’s birthday, Mr. Kirkley,” Penelope reminded from her position at the other end of the room. “I believe that as her intended, you are required to do as she bids this evening.” She gave George a teasing smile but Margaret couldn’t help but wonder if her sister-in-law wasn’t pushing him intentionally.
Margaret set her hand on George’s arm, doing what she could so that he could emerge from her request without seeming dour. She was angry with him but uncertain again as to her future. If they did marry, she did not want any ill feelings between him and her family. “Do play. If only for a short while. It’ll be fun.”
He sighed heavily but nodded in concession.
“As the guest of honor this evening, Lady Asherton must be the first to hide. For those who don’t know the rules, it is easy enough. She will hide while the rest of us remain here and count to one hundred. When the counting is finished, all of us shall go in search of her. When you find her, you must hide with her until there is either no more space for the players to hide or only one person left searching. Does anyone have any questions?”
“But she will not hide in bedchambers?” Miss Drake asked.
“Bedchambers, the nursery, and servants’ quarters are all off-limits,” Hugh answered.
With only a few murmurs for a response, Margaret rose and smoothed her skirts. Having grown up in the house, she could find a place where no one but her brother could find her. She would not make it so very difficult for everyone though.
She leaned down and whispered where she was going near George’s ear and then quickly rose again. It might be her perfect opportunity. It might be her only opportunity.
“Go now, Lady Asherton!” Miss Crouch demanded. “One, two, three…”
Margaret dashed into the corridor and then up the stairs. Although it was, in fact, just a simple children’s game, for some reason, her heart raced. She would hide, and of course, she would be found. She smiled as she opened the secret door and stepped into the linen closet. Normally, she knew that the first person to discover her would be her brother. Or Penelope.
She quieted her breaths, even though the counting would barely be concluding, and waited.
Since the moment George had made his announcement, Margaret had put on a brave face. Alone at last, she squeezed her eyes together and allowed the significance of what had happened to wash over her. A few tears escaped onto her lashes, and she dabbed them away by pressing her fingers against them.
She was engaged. She forced herself to breathe. She had not wanted to become engaged but unless she made an utter spectacle of herself then there was no turning back.
She needed George to come to her now. She needed him to give her some form of reassurance.
Several footsteps sounded outside the door without stopping, and she wondered if George had mistaken her instructions until the door opened and in stepped—
“You’re not George!”
How had she not remembered that she’d shown this location to Sebastian only a few days before?
“Must we go through this again, Maggie? No, I am not my dear uncle George.” He hadn’t sounded mocking earlier today. “Your fiancé has decided to remain downstairs rather than… how did he put it? Chase through the house as though he was an uncivilized native. Riverton challenged him to a game of Piquet and of course, he could not refuse.”
“I…” Margaret hesitated. “I thought he might…” Oh, but had she really expected George to participate? “I even told him where I would be…”
“Maggie.” He sounded far more serious than he had a moment ago. “I love my uncle and always have but there are a few things you must know about him. He is—”
Light flooded the room as the door opened and Penelope stepped in. “I thought you might be in here, Margaret.” Penelope gave Sebastian no choice but to move closer to Margaret as she closed the door behind her. “I came to inform you that your very proper betrothed decided not to play, after all, and is not coming in search of you. Who is in here with you? Is that Rockingham?”
“It is, My Lady,” Sebastian answered.
“Sebast— Lord Rockingham had already informed me,” Margaret admitted. “It is a rather silly game, though, isn’t it?” She didn’t want pity from either Penelope or Sebastian.
“But he told you he would and that wasn’t very good of him to break a promise,” Penelope said matter-of-factly. “Pardon me, Rockingham, for speaking openly about this. It’s just that my sister-in-law—“
