Page 30 of Wagering for Miss Blake (Lords and Ladies in Love 4)

“Yes. The letter that comes after O.”

The man was making her feel like her governess had years ago. She’d been a bit slow to catch on to reading, and her knuckles had been smacked a few times for writing her letters backward, although they hadn’t looked backward to her.

“Oh, yes. I remember. There was a plate.”

“Good. What else do we have?”

“Um, let’s see. There was a napkin, toast…”

“Yes, go on.”

“I’m thinking. You’re making me very nervous just staring at me with your pencil poised just so.”

“We have about another five minutes, and then I will collect the papers. Be sure to put your and your partner’s name on top.” Lady Honora stood next to the table which had now been recovered as she gave her instructions.

“What else?” Giles asked.

She closed her eyes, trying to remember. “Um, salt. Yes, there was salt. And…toast!”

“We have toast already.”

“Oh.” She narrowed her eyes. “Stop looking at me like that.”

He grinned. “Like what?”

“Like you think if I am unable to remember as well as you, that I am some sort of muddlehead.”

“I wonder if there is any particular reason you feel muddleheaded?” He grinned. The pompous man thought it was his nearness. Never would she admit such a thing to him. He was already too overconfident, and the way the other ladies in the carriage on the way to the village had spoken about him, he probably had women falling at his feet all the time.

Not her.

“I am not muddleheaded, I just need time to recall everything I saw on the table.” It was bad enough that he twisted her insides just by being near, but he also tangled up her words and thoughts.

“I can help.” He paused and leaned forward. “I can help with a great deal of things where you are concerned.”

Oh, how she wanted to slap that smug look off his handsome face. “You are purposely trying to confuse me, and if it is your intention to win this game, we should concentrate on finishing up.”

“You’re right.” He glanced again at the paper and began to write. “How about if we add orange, quizzing glass, rice, salver, umbrella, violin, water, xylographer, yellow scarf—which could also be for the letter S—and zero.”

Her jaw dropped, a very unladylike pose. “What’s a xylographer?”

“A wood engraver.” His head down, Giles continued to write in all the items he’d mentioned.

“You were also doing my letters.” Lord, she sounded like a pouting child. Was there nothing the man couldn’t do? “How do you know there was a zero?”

He looked up at her. “There was a piece of paper with a zero written on it.”

“Oh. Yes. I remember that.” She looked at his raised eyebrows. “I do remember it. You rattled off these things so quickly, you didn’t give me a chance to say them.”

“Ah. And you remembered them all, I assume?”

Indeed, a good slap to his arrogant face would be quite satisfying. She sighed and smoothed her gown. “All right. I will admit it. You did much better than I. How did you do that?”

Giles shrugged. “I’ve always had that type of mind. I can see something and it’s like my mind makes a quick drawing of it, so when I need to remember it, there it is.”

“You must have done quite well in school.” She had to give her grudging admiration for his ability to remember things. Now if only he would forget his intention to court her, she could relax around him, because she really did enjoy his company. He was all the things every woman wanted in a man.

Unfortunately, including her.