“You mean the war?” Lord Hilgrove asked incredulously.
Bennett waved his hand in front of him. “A true gentleman never abandons his beloved game of pall-mall, no matter the circumstances,” he joked with dramatic flair. “Instead of fighting with muskets, you could have brought mallets and balls with you and played on the battlefield.”
Lord Hilgrove sat back in his chair, appearing unimpressed by his friend’s antics. “Do you even know how war works?”
“It can’t be overly complicated since you participated in it,” Bennett remarked with a teasing smirk.
Lord Hilgrove let out an exasperated sigh. “Why am I friends with you again?” he grumbled.
“Because I am without a doubt the most entertaining person you know,” Bennett responded.
“No, that is most assuredly not it,” Lord Hilgrove said.
Edwina couldn’t help but smile as she watched the banter between her cousin and Lord Hilgrove unfold. Their playful teasing was a welcome distraction from the tense atmosphere that had surrounded her since her father’s passing.
Turning towards her, Bennett asked, “What say you?”
She dabbed at the corners of her mouth with her napkin before inquiring, “About what, exactly?”
“Do you know why Miles is friends with me?” Bennett questioned.
With a quick glance at Lord Hilgrove, she answered carefully, “I cannot presume to know his reasonings.”
“You are of no use, Cousin,” Bennett joked, his words softened by a smile. “You should be on my side, not Lord Hilgrove’s.”
“I am on no one’s side,” Edwina said.
Just then, her aunt stepped into the room and the men stood. “Well said, Edwina,” she praised. “I have learned to stay out of Bennett’s spats with his friends.”
“It is not a spat, Mother,” Bennett clarified. “We are having a serious conversation about why Lord Hilgrove is friends with me.”
After her aunt settled back into her seat, the men resumed their positions. “I have often wondered how you two ended up friends,” her aunt mused, her eyes flickering between Lord Hilgrove and Bennett. “Lord Hilgrove has always had a seriousness to him, and Bennett, well, is Bennett. He is special, in more ways than one.”
Lord Hilgrove smiled. “I couldn’t agree with you more, my lady.”
Her aunt’s attention shifted towards Edwina. “I understand that Miss Bawden will be joining you for your game of pall-mall today,” she said.
“It is true,” Edwina confirmed.
Her aunt turned to Bennett again, giving him a pointed look. “Miss Bawden would make a fine choice for a bride, considering she is the granddaughter of an earl,” she said.
Bennett’s expression tightened at his mother’s words. “Mother…” Bennett started.
Placing her hand up, Lady Dallington spoke over him. “You are nearly thirty years old. It is time for you to take a wife.”
“In due time,” Bennett responded.
Lady Dallington took a sip of her drink. “You say that, but you have made no effort in finding one. I had four children at your age.”
“Our situations are vastly different,” Bennett argued, his voice rising in frustration. The lines on his forehead deepened as he tried to make his point.
Her aunt reached for her fork, a glimmer of mischief dancing in her eyes. “And that, my dears, is how you can successfully goad Bennett into silence,” she teased.
Edwina couldn’t contain her laugher at her aunt’s playful antics.
“Now, let us enjoy our meal before you all must run along to play your rousing game of pall-mall,” her aunt encouraged with a warm smile.
After breakfast, Miles descended the stairs of the manor and made his way towards the sprawling lawn. The sun was already high in the sky, casting its warm rays upon him,making him deucedly uncomfortable. He had no desire to play a game of pall-mall, but he didn’t dare disappoint Edwina.
