I squeezed my fingers so hard they turned white. Alexander stood, taking a step closer to Octavia. He interlocked his hands behind his back, leaned forward, and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
Was that allowed? I jerked my gaze to Lady Tottenham. I didn’t expect she would be content with a kiss on the cheek, but to my surprise, she didn’t object. Octavia certainly did. As she turned around to take his chair, I caught the hint of disappointment on her features.
Lady Tottenham waved Alexander forward and began tying the blindfold over his eyes.
His words against Miles had been stoking a flame in my chest since we left the breakfast room. Why was he trying to poison my image of Miles? My hope for Miles was all I had. It made my heart ache that the two brothers were not fond of each other, but I had always believed their enmity to have been caused by Alexander. Miles was far too sweet, gentle, and kind to be deceitful. Alexander was bitter, that was all. I couldn’t allow him to burrow his lies inside my head.
Lady Tottenham clapped her hands. In my distraction, I had forgotten what it meant. I jumped to my feet, selecting a new chair across the circle. Lady Tottenham clapped again, and we all fell silent.
Alexander rotated where he stood. My stomach fluttered with dread when he stopped. He faced me.
I held to one side of my chair, keeping my breathing quiet as he began walking forward.Move to the left,I urged him in my mind. Unfortunately he couldn’t hear me. He continued with cautious steps in my direction until his boot kicked against my skirts. He reached forward, and I resisted the urge to duck. His hand touched my sleeve, then lifted to the side of my face. His touch on my cheek was light, but it sent a string of shivers down my neck. I clenched my jaw. That was not acceptable.
My stomach lurched with nervousness as his fingers traced over my curls. Would he know it was me? Surely not by touch alone. Once he asked his questions though, my identity would be clear. We had spoken enough now to make my voice recognizable. The effort of disguising it would be more embarrassing than it was worth.
“This is a lady, there is no question,” Alexander said. Both his hands held my face now, and I could hardly inhale for fear of being discovered. My heart pounded fast.
I stared up at him. The blindfold covered the entire top half of his face, but his grin was still visible. Why was he smiling like that? Surely he didn’t already know it was me. His thumb traced the curve of my cheek before his hands lowered from my face. I released the breath in my lungs.
“There are a number of widows amongst the guests here,” he said. “Are you one of them?”
I nodded before remembering he couldn’t see me.Drat it all.He would recognize my voice. “Yes.” My voice was a quiet squeak.
“What are your plans for your time in London after this house party is over?”
I gritted my teeth. “I plan to socialize.” It was a vague enough answer.
“With whom do you plan tosocialize? Anyone in particular?”
I wanted to reach up and tighten the knot on his cravat until he could no longer speak. The other guests would wonder why he was asking such strange questions. A wave of heat rose to my cheeks. “No.” I had broken the rules of the game by being dishonest, but Alexander already knew the answer. He was simply taunting me.
Lady Tottenham stepped up beside him. I had never been more grateful to see her. “That is all your questions, Mr. Holland. You may now guess the person’s identity.” She wore a mischievous grin.
He didn’t hesitate. “This is Lady Daventry.”
She clapped, as did the rest of the guests. I didn’t dare look around. My face was still on fire.
Lady Tottenham untied his blindfold, and I made sure to prepare a cutting glare for him when his eyes settled on my face. I squared my shoulders.
He was completely unfettered by my formidable stance. If anything, he looked even more amused.
“Mr. Holland, would you like to ask Lady Daventry for a kiss, a secret, or a flattery?”
I held his gaze, injecting as much venom into my eyes as possible. If he dared ask for a kiss, I would sooner kick him across the room and be sent back to Wiltshire. I was in a losing position no matter what. The other two options didn’t sound pleasant either.
“Hmm.” His dark eyes bored into mine, and he tipped his head to one side. My heart raced at the probability of a kiss. He had been vexed all morning that I had chosen Lord Kirkham over him the night before. Would this be his way of repairing the wound to his pride? I could hardly breathe as I awaited his choice.
He broke the suspenseful silence after several seconds. “From Lady Daventry, I must ask for a secret.”
The tension in my shoulders relaxed, and his smile grew as he gazed down at me. He must have known how horrified I was. I searched my mind for any secret I might tell, but found nothing I was willing to share. If I could think of something witty and slightly offensive, it would be enough to qualify as a secret.
An idea came to mind, but I hesitated. The seconds ticked by, but nothing else came to mind.
“Well?” Lady Tottenham raised her thin brows. “What is your secret, Lady Daventry.”
“I have far too many to choose from,” I said with a laugh, standing from my chair. I stared straight at Alexander’s smirking face. I paused for a long moment, feigning deep thought. “I may be remiss to tell this secret in the presence of our hostess.” I paused, giving a nervous laugh. “But I must confess that I am not fond of parlor games at all. I despise them.”
Alexander’s mouth curled in a slow smile. His eyes darted over his shoulder at Lady Tottenham. The guests in the circle gasped with amusement and shock. Some laughed. I stood as confidently as I could manage.
