CHAPTER34
CONRAD
As dinner ended,everyone wandered into the sitting room and began discussing possible activities for the evening.Harriet was swiftly outvoted in the prospect of another game of charades.She pouted briefly but, characteristically, quickly rallied and suggested a card game.Roger grabbed several decks of cards and Wyndham directed a couple of footmen to have a large table cleared for their use.
“What shall we play?”Roger asked.“Cribbage?”
The entire group groaned.
“Youwouldsuggest something so tedious,” Cyril said.
“Besides, that’s only for two players,” Emrys pointed out.
“We shall play Speculation,” Harriet announced, taking a seat primly.
“We shallnotplay Speculation,” Anthea said.
“What’s wrong with that one?”Keelan asked.
Roger gave Harriet an apologetic look.“Harriet is…”
“A menace,” Anthea supplied.
“Bloodthirsty,” Cyril added.
Keelan gave her an assessing glance.“Yes, I suppose I can imagine she would be.”
Harriet gave them all an arch look.
Conrad felt somewhat out of his depth.He didn’t know any of the games they had mentioned so far and didn’t quite dare suggest the ones he knew.He leaned towards Sage.“I might just watch tonight,” he whispered.
Sage frowned.“You don’t know those ones?”he whispered back.
Conrad shook his head.
“What about Pope Joan?”Torquil asked the group.“I’ve always enjoyed that one.”
“My family loves that game,” Silas said, smiling at them.“We play it every Christmas.”
Sage gave Conrad a questioning look and he shook his head, regretfully.
“We don’t have the board for that one,” Wyndham said decisively.“How about Loo?”
This suggestion was met with enthusiasm, but Conrad shook his head again to Sage’s inquisitive glance.Sage strode to the table, picked up a deck, and said, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to borrow Conrad for the evening.I hope you’ll excuse us tonight.”
Roger chuckled.“That makes both of you owing me a borrowed friend.”
Harriet and Cyril complained that the card game was meant to include everyone, but Torquil added their encouragement, “Let’s give them some privacy.It must be difficult falling in love with everyone watching them all the time.”
Wyndham gave Torquil a pointed look.“You’re one to talk.”
Their answering grin was sly.Roger laughed and cheerfully waved Sage off.Sage grabbed Conrad’s hand and led him to the bedroom without a word.
As soon as the door was shut, Conrad pressed Sage against it and kissed him.“That was kind of you,” he said softly.
“They ought to have been making sure everyone knew the games they were suggesting.”
He shrugged.“They’ve been very good about that sort of thing for the most part.I can’t blame them for forgetting occasionally.”
