He reached toward the bowl, two fingers outstretched.
“What on earth are you doing?” I backed up two steps.
He glanced over his shoulder with a wicked smile. “I thought you might like to greet one of them.”
“Don’t you dare touch—” I gasped.
He lifted the entire bowl off the tea table, taking a large stride in my direction. His teasing had gone too far on more than one occasion, but this was the worst yet. I ran toward the pianoforte, but he caught up to me in seconds. His arm hooked around my waist, stopping me in my tracks. My terror turned to uncontrolled laughter. I squeezed my eyes shut as I envisioned the entire bowl of leeches capsizing over my head. His laughter rumbled against my back. I wiggled free of his grasp and whirled to face him. “Put that down at once!”
His eyes gleamed with mischief.
If not for the footsteps in the corridor, I doubted he would have put it down.
We exchanged a glance. Was it Lady Tottenham and the man with the spectacles? Alexander and I had been found lurking nearby during one of their meetings before. It would be mortifying to be found alone there again. He rushed back to the tea table to replace the bowl. Without consulting me, my legs carried me behind the pianoforte in the corner. I crouched down, tucking my body against the wall.
Alexander appeared beside me.
“What are you doing?” I whispered in a panic.
“We’re hiding partners.” He sat on the floor, tucking his knees to his chest.
His body pressed against me. I was stuck between the bench of the pianoforte and the tight corner of the two walls.
“I don’t recall agreeing to that,” I whispered.
“Well, you’re trapped with me now.” His breath rustled against my neck. A shiver raced over my shoulders. “Whether you like it or not,” he added. I could hear the smile in his voice.
Whether I liked it or not was a very good question.
I held a finger to my lips as the drawing room door opened.
“I’ve looked in all the other rooms,” a female voice said. “It has to be this one.” I recognized the whining tone as Octavia’s.
“Did you remember to look in the exercise hall?” The second voice was similar to the first, but less grating. It had to Victoria’s.
“I’m not daft! Of course I did,” Octavia snapped.
I kept my gaze focused on the legs of the pianoforte. I could see the hem of Octavia’s skirt as she passed the center of the room, pausing near the tea table. If she glanced downward in our direction, she would definitely see us. I kept my breathing quiet, though my heart pounded fast and hard against my ribs.
Octavia gasped, and for a moment I thought she had discovered us. “Leeches!” The glee in her voice was concerning. “This must be the clue.”
Victoria rustled toward her sister. “They are monstrous.”
“How many are there?” Octavia asked eagerly.
“Ten.”
“Does that mean ten o’ clock?”
“What else could it mean? ‘My blood-thirsty friends shall tell you the time at which the key to my heart you might find.’” A squeal of delight followed the words. “We must keep our eyes open at ten o’ clock this evening.”
They lingered for a moment longer before the rustling of their skirts carried them back to the door. I held my breath until it clicked shut behind them.
“It would seem you have a bit of competition,” Alexander said. His voice was close to my ear.
I met his gaze. His face was only inches away. My heart picked up speed. The defenses I had been building over the past week leaped into action. I wriggled away from him, crawling out from behind the pianoforte. I had never felt less graceful in my entire life. I jumped to my feet, brushing off my skirts. “I suspected that others might have received clues as well.” I sighed with frustration. “But it would seem the Colborne sisters are closer than I am to finding the key.” I scowled at the floor. “Their riddle sounded far less complicated than mine.”
Alexander stood, brushing off the back of his trousers. “It must mean Lady Tottenham has more confidence in your intellect. She gave you a riddle she believes you’re capable of solving.”
