“Get ready,” Mr. Greedy commanded, then called, “Go!”
Her eyes again went to Mungo, and his locked on her as he ran. The others jostled behind them. Detective Fletcher increased his pace and tried to pass Mungo, who in turn stuck out his foot, and the man stumbled forward, arms circling frantically.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Gray. Stay away from Mungo!” Mrs. Fletcher had her hands on her hips and was glaring at her husband. “Every time, this happens,” she muttered.
“Now, Miss Downing,” Miss Alvin said, drawing her attention away from the man advancing quickly on her. “Look at the table and decide which you would like. The drink or the food?”
Eliza studied the contents of the table.
“Don’t touch the alcohol. I’ll drink that,” the Scotsman said as he reached her.
She’d not been rebellious for years. But hearing that order from the ogre made her reach for the mug. She didn’t even pause to sniff the contents, just drank.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Mungo watched the pretty governess throw back the drink. He then watched her gag, cough, and her cheeks turn a fiery shade of red.
“Gah,” she managed to stammer. “Wh-what’s that?”
The words came out as one as she shot him a wide-eyed look.
“Gin, treacle, and mutton fat,” he said, picking up the pickled whelk and swallowing it whole without shuddering. Beside him, Gray gagged on the same thing.
“That is awful,” he spluttered.
“And because you’re weak, you can’t stomach it,” Mungo taunted him.
Mavis, he noted, was on the move already.
“Come along, Miss Downing, Theo doesn’t like coming last.” He eased her around the table and into a run.
She held a hand to her mouth as if trying to stop the drink from making a reappearance.
“I did try to warn you.”
“Shut up.”
He’d not expected those two words to come out of theprim governess’s mouth, but then, he had heard her cussing before.
“Mungo, I had hoped, considering your size and stride, you’d be faster!” Cambridge Sinclair heckled from behind the table when they reached it. He held a sugar plum.
“Why are you eating that,” Mungo demanded, “or for that matter, here? You need to go to the second to last table and be ready when we reach it.”
“Do I?” Cambridge smiled and took a large bite. “A very kind woman handed this to me, as I clearly looked hungry.”
“When aren’t you!” Charles called.
“Mavis, you and your team cannot run while drinking and eating. The rules stand that you must not leave the table until you have finished.”
Theo was glaring at the woman, who in turn smiled back at him. In her hand was a mug of something.
“Take the food, Miss Downing. I’ll drink this time, and Theo can solve the riddle,” Mungo said.
“Dear God,” she whispered, looking at the plate. There was a gelatinous something on it that wobbled.
“There will be cake at the next table,” he added, picking up the mug. “If you don’t eat that, we have to forfeit.”
“What?” Theo spun back to face them. “That will not be happening.”
