“I’ve never heard of Annie Over,” Ethel said.
“It’s a delightful game I played often in my youth, and it’s not difficult to learn,” Gwendolyn said. “Two teams line up with a long table or, in our case, a long hedge between them, and the only game piece necessary is a ball. The team in possession of the ball calls out ‘Annie Over’ and throws the ball over the hedge. If their opponent catches it, they change sides as quickly as possible. The fun is that the person who catchesthe ball gets to throw it at an opponent as they switch sides. If that opponent is hit, they’re out. The team left standing is the winner.”
“That sounds like a marvelous game. I can’t wait to watch the children play it,” Walter suddenly said from behind her.
Stilling for the briefest of seconds, Gwendolyn forced herself to turn and found Walter smiling back at her. He looked dashing in his formal evening wear, his dark hair falling over his forehead, something that suggested he’d danced every dance she’d scheduled for him thus far. “How was your time with Cordelia?” she asked.
“Pleasant.”
She couldn’t help herself—she laughed. “Of course it was, and the one you shared with Adelaide?”
“That was downright amusing. Adelaide entertained me with stories about her many cats, but before either of you run off to convince her she should get rid of her little darlings because two of my children can’t tolerate them, she told me, and firmly, that while she knows her mother would love nothing more than to see her become a member of the Townsend family, she’s convinced we’re never meant to be anything other than friends.”
He grinned. “From any other lady, I would have taken that as a setdown, but because it was Adelaide, I was completely charmed. But not in a romantic way,” he hastened to add.
Ethel shook her head. “I’m ashamed to admit I never realized what a delightful lady Adelaide is until this Season, as well as admit I never noticed how abysmally society ladies treat her. Case in point, the other day at the beach she was the only one to agree to Priscilla’s request they build a sandcastle village and then stomp it to smithereens once it was completed.”
Ethel’s lips twitched. “By the expressions on the other ladies’ faces, it was clear they thought Adelaide had taken leave of her senses when she began lumbering about, making monster noises as she demolished castle after castle.”
“I’ll need the names of those ladies,” Gwendolyn said, already pulling her small notepad out of her reticule, which left Walter grinning.
“Tonight probably isn’t the time to run them to ground and take them to task,” he said.
“I suppose you’re right,” Gwendolyn muttered, stuffing the notepad back into her reticule before she checked the time on the delicate watch worn over her evening glove. She nodded to Ethel. “We’ll revisit the names of those ladies at a later date. For now, I need to get the game of Annie Over organized.”
She turned to Walter. “What’s next on your schedule?”
Walter reached into his pocket, withdrew the schedule she’d written out for him, and glanced over it. “I have the next thirty minutes free. I’m guessing you gave me a break because there’s no dancing while the children play this Annie Over game, but...” His lips quirked. “Would you look at that. Even though you gave me the thirty minutes, you made a notation I should use that time to mingle with whatever lady I may find more than pleasant.”
“I want you to use your time efficiently tonight.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised by that,” Walter said, tucking his schedule away before he offered her his arm along with a most charming smile. He then offered his other arm to Ethel and escorted them out the door and toward the place where the game of Annie Over was to be played.
As she strolled by his side, Gwendolyn couldn’t help wondering if Walter was simply ignoring her notation about his spending his time with someone he found more than pleasant, or if there was some other reason behind his offering her his arm... although what that other reason could possibly be, she had not the slightest idea.
Thirty-One
“I can’t help but question whether I’m the lady you find to be more than pleasant company, or if Gwendolyn is,” Ethel said, which had Walter dragging his attention away from where Gwendolyn was holding Priscilla’s hand as she gave Rat, cradled in Samuel’s arms, a pat and then said something to Oscar that sent him running off in the direction of a footman.
It was a loaded question if there ever was one, but it didn’t need much contemplating, because while he always found his mother’s company delightful, spending time with Gwendolyn was far more than pleasant and deserved a much more descriptive word such as ... remarkable.
She was a captivating mix of temperamental, compassionate, and something he couldn’t quite put his finger on but that he suspected was simply Gwendolyn wrapped up in a mesmerizing package. Not that he was going to admit any of that to his mother, or admit that all the ladies he’d been squiring around of late paled in comparison to Gwendolyn.
It was an odd circumstance finding himself all but enthralled with his matchmaker. She’d given him no indication he was anything other than one of the gentlemen Mrs. Parker hadagreed to sponsor, but he did think she didn’t find him quite as annoying as she used to, which was something, but ... still.
“I believe I have my answer without you saying a word,” Ethel said, giving his arm a squeeze. “I suppose the question of the hour now is what you’re going to do next.”
He forced a smile. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“And I’m quite certain you do, just as I’m sure you’ll be surprised to learn I wouldn’t be opposed to ... Well, perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself.” Ethel turned her attention to where Gwendolyn was chatting with Priscilla. “She does have a wonderful way with the children, doesn’t she?”
Walter couldn’t disagree with that, especially when he watched Gwendolyn whisper something into Priscilla’s ear and a second later his daughter was skipping her way over to his mother-in-law. Matilda was standing on the sidelines by herself, a smile on her face, something she’d been sporting often of late. Her smile turned into a grin when Priscilla took hold of her hand and tugged her over to where a crowd was gathering around Gwendolyn.
It wasn’t difficult to understand why his mother-in-law had started smiling so much, considering she’d told him a week before that there was something quite delightful about assuming the role of indulgent grandmother, one that didn’t require her to intervene when the children misbehaved, because lately they’d been on their best behavior.
The reason for that was, of course, Gwendolyn. She’d managed to get his children’s unruliness under control in a no-nonsense fashion, simply pointing out their misdeeds in a gentle and sometimes amusing way.
That she was more than adept at understanding children was reinforced by Catriona, who when she’d encountered him riding his bicycle down Bellevue Avenue with Oscar made a point of telling Walter all about Gwendolyn’s love for her five siblings.
