Page 22 of Gabriela and His Grace

Sebastian held his silence, however, because there was no point in arguing with Gabriela if he didn’t have to.

Staring at him for a moment longer, Gabriela shook out her skirts and turned to the children. “I accept the duke’s wager. Shall we begin?”

Gabriela’s team began to play, with Catalina and Miss Moreno successfully navigating down the chalk-drawn court. When it was Gabriela’s turn, she hefted her skirts up, flashing the trim curve of her calf, and completed her circuit with only a wobble here or there.

“You’re lucky your hoopskirt didn’t swing like a pendulum and knock you off balance,” Sebastian told her as she deposited the marker in his outstretched hand.

She grinned. “Truth be told, I was worried about that exact thing happening.”

Sebastian shrugged. “There’s still time yet. Don’t call bad luck upon yourself.”

“For a man who doesn’t believe in luck, you sure do talk about it frequently,” she pointed out dryly.

Palming the marker, he chuckled. “Yes, well, I do enjoy being a contradiction.”

Her answering laugh followed him to the court, where his team, made up of Samuel and Tommie Morrison, made quick work of their runs down the court.

“Come on, girls,” Gabriela called, clapping her hands together as Catalina prepared to toss the marker. “We can do it.”

Biting back a smile, Sebastian watched as Catalina and then Miss Moreno hopped across the court. When it was Gabriela’s turn again, Sebastian looped his hands behind his back and wandered a few steps closer. After she had tossed the marker, he watched in amusement as her brow scrunched in concentration and she nibbled her lip, lifting her skirts and skipping through the first few squares.

Unable to resist the urge, Sebastian cupped his hand to his mouth and called, “Pendulum!”

Gabriela glanced back at him with a scowl, but the movement was enough to throw her off balance. As Sebastian bit his tongue, she wobbled on her booted foot, her arms flailing wildly as the bulk of her skirts swished around her ankles and she tried desperately to regain her balance. But with her center of gravity lost, Gabriela eventually stumbled to the side, just barely catching herself before she fell.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Brodie grumbled behind him.

It hadn’t been, and Sebastian was sorry for it. He’d only meant to tease her, but he knew now that all he’d done was distract her.

Locking his jaw, Sebastian approached her, extending a hand to assist her. Gabriela glanced at his hand for a moment, her eyes striated chips of glass, before she grasped it and shook it.

“Good game,” she said simply.

Sebastian frowned and then shook his head. “That was unki—”

Without a word, Gabriela spun away from him and walked to where Catalina, Samuel, and the other children were gathered, offering her apologies for losing the game. For their part, the youngsters seemed unconcerned with the loss, and instead called her a good sport and proceeded to pepper her with inane questions about what her favorite dessert was or whether she’d rather be a fish or a bird.

Sebastian collected the chalk and exchanged a few words with the parents who came to gather their children for luncheon. He noticed Gabriela and Miss Moreno standing together at the railing. The flush was still high in Gabriela’s cheeks, and he knew her loss was smarting. Snippets of their conversation met his ears, and he realized they were speaking in Spanish.

“I can’t believe I let him distract me.”

“Gabby, you act like losing to the duke is a personal insult,” Miss Moreno remarked.

Gabriela fidgeted with the fit of her gloves. “Because it feels like an insult. I despise losing. And it’s a million times worse to lose to him.”

“But why? I don’t understand.”

Gabriela sighed, dropping her hands at her sides. “Because now I have to dance with him.”

“The injustice of it all.” Her friend laughed. “I just assumed you hated losing to him because who likes to lose in front of a handsome man.”

Sebastian bit back a snort. As if Gabriela gave a whit for his looks—

“Whitfield’s good looks are of no consequence.” Although she glanced at him over her shoulder for a tense heartbeat.

“How could they not be?” Miss Moreno spun about, her back pressed to the railing. Her gaze swept over him in inspection, and Sebastian feigned an interest in the activities on the lower deck. “He’s an Englishman with a title and power that could aid the Juárez cabinet in being rid of the French once and for all—”

“He’s shown no interest in assisting the war effort before,” Gabriela scoffed.