“Would you like the first box?” Nathaniel asked, pushing the deck of cards in front of her.
“Let’s cut for it,” she suggested and lifted some cards from the top of the deck. She turned over the ten of diamonds. Nathaniel did the same but revealed a king. He gathered the cards and gave them a shuffle.
“I must assure you that I will put up more of a test than your brother,” he said, dealing the cards.
“Good, because I have not lost to him in many years.” Charlotte gathered the cards close and examined them. Nathaniel placed his cards down first, indicating that either he had an easy choice or he was decisive.
They played a few hands. It didn’t take long for Charlotte to realize that Nathaniel was not joking when he said he would prove to be a challenge. There were times when he seemed to be able to anticipate the cards she would play. She had to call on all of her resources. When they reached the halfway point, she was only a few points behind him.
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, and she could almost believe that he was impressed.
“I must say, you are giving me a closer game than your brother,” he said.
“A closer game than most, I hope.”
He inclined his head, suggesting that this was the case.
“Some people believe cribbage to be a game of luck.”
“There is luck involved, as there is with most card games, but I’ve always believed the important thing about luck is what you do with it. Some people can make good use of their advantages, while others cannot.”
“I quite agree. One can only play the cards they are dealt after all,” he said, annoyingly scoring quite highly and increasing the gap between them.
“I notice you favor scoring runs.”
Nathaniel arched an eyebrow. He took a couple of moments to reply, indicating that he was considering something.
“I find they offer the opportunity to spread points. Sometimes with runs it’s possible to score fifteens as well.”
“Although if you miss an integral card, you could end up with nothing.”
“Risk is sometimes part of the game. I’m sure you’re well aware of that, My Lady.” His gaze flicked up at this, and Charlotte’s heart caught in her throat. She hoped he wouldn’t notice the way her hand trembled as she laid her card down.
They went back and forth, counting up to thirty-one, scoring fifteen, and counting their points. Pegs were hastily slotted into the board. Every hand brought them closer to the end. Charlotte glanced at the board, doing a quick count. She needed to score highly on this hand; otherwise, she wouldn’t stand a chance, as he had the advantage of scoring his hand first.
“I notice that you favor holding the Ace. I wonder if you place too much emphasis on trying to score thirty-one,” he said, just as Charlotte was debating whether to keep an Ace in her hand or place it in her box.
“I find that a good pegging during that phase can often make the difference between winning and losing. Most players favor collecting fives and picture cards after all,” she pointed out. That had always been Edmund’s strategy, and it had been easy to counter. He had never bothered to think of another way to play.
Nathaniel was different, however. He showed impressive flexibility with the cards he played and always seemed to find a way to score. To prove him wrong, Charlotte decided to play an ace out of her box. To her dismay, an ace was flipped over.
To make matters worse, Nathaniel played picture cards, worth ten points. If she had held onto her ace, she would have been able to steal some points from him. Nathaniel counted a few fifteens and then marched his peg home, claiming victory.
Charlotte was deflated, staring at the cards she would no longer be able to play, quickly thinking back to the mistakes she had made. She placed the cards down on the table and looked toward her competitor.
“Good game, Your Grace.”
“And to you, My Lady,” he replied.
She was waiting for the veiled insult, for the arrogant smirk, for the hint that she should never have bothered to grace the same cribbage board as him. However, none of that came. He seemed genuine in his gratitude, and his gaze lingered on her. For a moment, she caught it falling to her lips, and then he drew it to the cards.
“Perhaps we could play again during our stay,” she suggested.
“Perhaps,” he replied, and it annoyed her that he remained noncommittal about it. He placed the cards back in their box and folded the cribbage board.
At least she had been able to challenge him. Perhaps now he would not belittle her so readily. And the next time they satdown across from one another, she would win. Currently, he held the victory, but she would take it back.
Chapter Nine
