Upon closer inspection, the tray was most certainly not covered with delicious little legumes.
My hand shook as I reached for the pile. If touching them was already this difficult, eating them would be much worse. I had done it before. I could do it again. Last time, however, they had been coated with custard sauce atop a pudding. I had tried not to notice they were there. Nothing disguised them now.
I felt a raindrop on my arm as I picked up the first cricket. Without thinking, I popped it into my mouth. Another raindrop splattered on my arm.
As Lady Tottenham had said, no one liked soggy crickets.
If I waited until my next turn to finish all twenty-three, I would dread it even more.
One at a time. That was the only way I would be able to bear it. Octavia had taken a mouthful, and that was when she had gagged.
Legumes, legumes, legumes,I repeated in my head as I ate each cricket.
Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven.
I kept my focus on the tray, though I could hear my team cheering behind me. I thought I heard Alexander laughing, but I didn’t glance back. My heart pounded, sending a thrill across my skin. I had never done something so bold. If Miles saw me now, he would think I had lost my mind. During the years I had known him, I had been reserved, proper, and would have never participated in such a ridiculous game. He had complimented my elegance and manners on many occasions. I had prided myself on it.
Now, I was feeling a surge of pride as I bit down on my nineteenth dried cricket.
They did taste like legumes. The salt was the prevailing flavor. I finished my final four crickets before dusting off my salty fingers over the tray. I turned around. I hadn’t noticed the quaking in my legs before. Every muscle in my body was charged with energy, and a smile broke over my face. I gave a curtsy in Lady Tottenham’s direction. “That makes twenty-three.”
She held still for a long moment, those sharp green eyes appraising me. Then she lifted her hands and clapped, a slow applause that grew in intensity. A smile, just as slow, took over her expression. “You continue to surprise me, Lady Daventry. You have earned twenty-two points for your team.”
My teammates burst into their own applause. Alexander shook his head as I approached. I brushed my hands off on my skirts. “You’re next,” I said with a jab at his upper arm.
“I think Mrs. Pike would rather volunteer,” he said in a low voice. I followed his gaze to where she had been standing. She held a handkerchief to her lips, and her eyes watered with disgust. She gagged when she looked at me, so she jerked her gaze back to the grass beneath her feet.
I couldn’t stop the laugh that burst out of me. Alexander’s smile was contagious. He shook with laughter. My cheeks ached as I tried to keep my giggles contained. What had come over me?
A heavy droplet of rain landed on his cheek. I tore my gaze away from his face, looking up at the sky. The rain intensified, fat droplets wringing out from the clouds. After a few seconds, the light drizzle turned into a storm. My bonnet protected my head from the water, but Alexander’s hair was soaked. The ladies on my team shrieked, raising their shawls above their heads. Soon enough, the crickets would be swimming.
Lady Tottenham held her parasol over her head. “Blast and botheration. I was just beginning to enjoy myself. We shall have to call this game complete; you may all return to the house. Lady Daventry’s team has won.”
The droplets made Alexander’s dark lashes stick together. His hand wrapped around mine. I didn’t pull it away, because the guests and Lady Tottenham were watching.That is the only reason,I told myself.
He tugged me toward the house. I laughed until my stomach ached, holding my bonnet in place as we ran. The elation I felt made my head light, as if I could float away at any moment. My feet barely touched the ground. My heart galloped with a sense of accomplishment.
I had earned my clue.
CHAPTER 13
ALEXANDER
“What could be the cause of that smile?” The gravely female voice could only belong to one person. I glanced to the right, catching Lady Tottenham’s gaze as she stared down at me on the settee.
She drifted closer, taking a seat beside me. Her inquisitive eyes matched the peacock feathers in her hair.
“Was I smiling?” I asked.
“You were, indeed.” She wouldn’t allow me to escape without giving her an answer. The guests had all gathered in the drawing room before dinner, but Anne wasn’t there yet. My mind had been wandering to the events of that morning, and the triumphant grin that Anne had displayed. I had never seen her smile or laugh so freely, and the image, and the sound, had been trapped in my mind all day. Her rain-soaked skin, vibrant eyes, rosy cheeks and lips smiling without reservation—I couldn’t banish the sight from my head. I didn’t want to.
I tapped my boot on the drawing room floor, recalling that Lady Tottenham had just asked me a question. “Would you like to play a game, my lady?” I asked.
She gave a hooting laugh. “Don’t tempt me. You know I cannot resist a game.” The wrinkles in her forehead deepened. “What is this game you wish to play?”
“If you are so curious about the source of my smile, guess what it might be and I’ll tell you if you are correct.” I wanted to know if Anne and I had been obvious enough about our attachment during the events of the day.Fakeattachment, I corrected in my mind. It didn’t feel that way, at least not to me. For the first time in my life, I understood my brother. In one regard, he wasn’t a fool. Winning Anne’s heart was an accomplishment I had to commend him for. However, he was an absolute blockhead to have left her behind.
Lady Tottenham chuckled. The sound was raspy and weak, as if she had spent too much time speaking or laughing that day. “There is only one reason you would be smiling like that. You’re falling in love.”
