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He looked to the side. “Arabella?” He said her name low and slow.

Ari straightened, jutting out her chin. “That’s because you threw snow at Pippy,” she cried.

Pippy slowly waded toward her sister-in-law. “Thank you for avenging me, Ari. I appreciate the sentiment, even if it surely means trouble for both of us.”

“You’re welcome,” Ari said, then scowled at Freddie. “He deserved it.”

“Look what you’ve done, Fred,” Lord Finsbury said. “You effectively ended the game before it even began in earnest. And I believe you have made yourself an enemy to everyone else.”

Freddie threw a snowball at Lord Finsbury.

He scoffed. “What did I do to earn a face full of snow?”

“It was not me that started this,” Freddie shrugged. “The blame falls squarely on Stan.”

Lord Stanhope moved so he could see everyone at the same time. He crouched slightly forward, his knees bent and his hands out to his side. His gaze darted around them all. “It was not intentional, I assure you.”

Pippy laughed. Surely he did not think anyone believed him?

“I believe you, Lord Stanhope,” Evie said and moved beside him.

Pippy tipped her head, momentarily distracted. She’d thought Evie was interested in Lord Finsbury. But was it Lord Stanhope all along?

Stanhope did not look as though he completely believed Evie to be an ally. He did not let his guard down for her—flicking his gaze at her whenever she so much as twitched.

As if to prove her loyalty, Evie packed some snow firmly in her hand and tossed it at Ari—hitting her in the leg.

“Evie,” Ari cried. “How could you take his side?”

Evie lifted her chin. “As he said. It was unintentional, and you all are siding against him. It’s not fair.”

Lord Stanhope gave her an appraising look. One corner of his mouth ticked up, and he dipped his head to her. “Thank you, my lady.” He turned his attention back to the others, throwing a snowball first at Freddie and then at Fin.

Ari leaned in close to Pippy. “Which side do we join? On principle, I don’t wish to side with Freddie. But I can’t side with Evie either. She purposely threw that snowball at me.” Ari glared in her sister’s direction.

Pippy formed a snowball. “Who’s to say we must take either side?”

Lord Kentwood slogged over to them, his breath coming in short, cloudy bursts. “Have you had enough, Arabella? The tip of your nose is quite red. Perhaps we should return to the house. What if you should catch a cold?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine, Papa.”

The air was perfectly still. And then, as if everyone had waited long enough, snowballs sailed through the air from all directions.

Ari cried out as one landed on her bonnet and fell onto her shoulders and cheeks.

Lord Kentwood hunched over, his arms covering his head.

“Come this way,” Pippy said, pulling Ari behind a shrub planted in a large stone urn. “We can take cover here.”

Lord Kentwood trudged after them.

Pippy grimaced. Gracious, they were all crouched together. This didn’t bode well for her plans to win the earl over. But she pushed her doubts aside. Perhaps it was true that misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows. “Start forming snowballs as fast as you can. I don’t believe they’ll let us wait here for long.”

Ari nodded. “Can you see where they are?”

Pippy peered around the urn. “Lord Stanhope and Evie are taking cover behind the statue of Hermes.” She craned her neck. “I can see Lord Finsbury behind the bench by the fountain. I’d guess he and Freddie have partnered. I can’t see Freddie, but I think he must be lying behind the bench.”

“He’ll be wet through,” Lord Kentwood said. Was that concern in his voice? That didn’t seem right.