by Abby Ayles
“I see.” Lord Gilbert nodded. “As I said, I was curious. I have seen the artwork on the walls of the mansion and I believe Duke Cartwright has excellent taste.”
“He does,” Duke Colbourn agreed. “Though most of that art was purchased by his ancestors going back a few generations.”
“Perhaps I can accompany you some time to look at what he is selling?”
The Duke of Cardinal resisted the urge to look at Lady Annabelle. Although she had no say in the matter, he knew she would have a solid, logical opinion. The Duke of Cardinal did not trust Lord Gilbert Balfour but it was not his collection that was being asked about.
“Perhaps that is a question you should ask Duke Cartwright. It is his art collection.”
Chapter 12
If Lord Gilbert asked about seeing the paintings, the Duke of Cardinal heard nothing about it. He did not leave the girls until after the brothers had gone, something that Lady Annabelle questioned as soon as they were gone.
“Duke Colbourn, may I ask you a question?”
He gazed at her lovely face. “You may.”
“You looked terribly concerned when you came out of the house earlier. You claimed there was nothing the matter but I must beg to differ.”
“On the contrary, dear lady, I did not say there was nothing the matter. In fact, I did not reply to that particular question.”
“I believe you did.” Lady Annabelle searched her memory but did not remember whether he had answered her or not.
He grinned, shaking his head back and forth. He sat forward and looked at both the women. “I must confess something to you ladies. There is something about those two I cannot put my finger on. I am curious about who they really are. I suspect they are not all that they seem. It would be a shame to let wolves into the castle, would it not?”
“How do you know they are wolves?” Lady Julia asked.
“I know nothing,” he replied. “I am merely suggesting they may not be all that they seem. Have you taken notice of Lord Leonard’s quiet demeanor? It is my experience that when you are dealing with someone as quiet as he is, you are assured he is observing everything, taking in all information and storing it for later use.”
“You have dealt with men like him before?”
“I have.” The duke nodded. “And they are difficult to read. Their intentions may seem good but in reality, they are dangerous individuals.”
Lady Julia looked frightened for a moment. The Duke of Cardinal regretted his words. “I apologize, Lady Rickman. I do not mean to frighten you. Please do not take my words to heart.”
Lady Julia shook her head. “You are a smart man, my lord, and if you are suspicious of them, I must say there is a good reason.”
“I appreciate the compliment,” the duke replied. He sat forward, scanning the sky above. There were clouds in the distance, indicating approaching rain. It was a little disappointing. “Do you think it is going to rain?”
“I suspect so,” Lady Annabelle replied, moving her eyes to look in the same direction he was.
“That is disappointing. I was hoping to get in a good game of croquet this afternoon.”
“Oh, that sounds lovely. We should set it up before the rain reaches us.”
“It may pass over. We could find the Balfours and get Lady Joanna and we would have an even match-up. But it will have to be ladies against gentlemen. I do not want to be matched with one of them for a partner,” Lady Julia murmured.
“You never know, my dear,” the Duke of Cardinal said, pushing himself to his feet. “They might be very good croquet players.”
Lady Julia began to pick up the things around her, placing the napkins and utensils back in the basket. Lady Annabelle stood up and brushed off her dress, relieving it of bread crumbs. “The sandwiches were so good, Lady Julia. We must remember to thank Cook for them.”
Lady Julia nodded as she moved the picnic basket off of the blanket. She and Lady Annabelle picked up opposing ends of the blanket, stretched it out wide and met together in the middle to fold it. They continued the process until the blanket was folded eight times and laid comfortably over Lady Julia’s arm.
“I will carry your basket,” the duke offered, picking up the wicker basket by its handle before either of the girls could object. They walked slowly down the pathway to the gate. None of them really wanted to go inside but the croquet game was tempting.
“If I go in,” the duke said, stopping at the bottom of the porch, “there is a good chance the Duke of Norrend and the reverend will want me to talk to them. I can go set up the game if you like.”
Lady Annabelle smiled. “If you would like to, that would be fine. But do you know where to go for the mallets and balls?”
“I saw the set up on the south lawn a few days ago. That’s what brought it to mind. I have been thinking about it ever since.”
Lady Annabelle felt hurt and amused at the same time. She was hurt that he hadn’t had her on his mind the whole time and amused that she felt hurt by that. She giggled without meaning to. Lady Julia and the duke looked at her.
She turned her eyes away briefly before looking back at them. “I apologize, I was thinking about something else. I must ask, my lord, do you think it a bit odd that Lord Gilbert would ask about the paintings? I had no thought he would have an interest in such things.”
“We do not know him well,” Colbourn replied, offering an excuse for the man. “But I was also taken aback by his question.”
The girls took the basket from him and went up the steps. “We will meet you on the lawn,” Lady Julia said as they went. He nodded and strolled away from the porch.
Lady Julia pushed open the door, allowing Lady Annabelle to go in first. They went to the dining hall and left the blanket and basket on the table next to the kitchen door. One of the maids would fetch it at their convenience.
The dining hall had cleared off most people. The maids were cleaning up, taking food back into the kitchen. Mary spotted the girls and nodded. Lady Annabelle nodded back. “Where do you suppose Lady Joanna has gone?” Lady Julia asked, looking around at the few people left in the room. “I thought she was bringing Mother here for lunch.”
“I saw her earlier walking the grounds with the lady,” Lady Annabelle replied. “She may have taken her home.”
“We should check the parlor. That is where she would take Mother if she is still here.”
The two girls left the dining hall, going quickly to the parlor doors. Lady Julia pushed one open and glanced in. She pulled her head back out and shook it at Lady Annabelle. “No one is in there.”
Lady Annabelle raised her eyebrows. “No one? Where are the men?”
“I suppose they went back to do their business.”
“The Balfour brothers have no business to attend to, do they?” Lady Annabelle instantly regretted having said that. It was a good thing no one was around to hear her. She blushed. “I mean, they are not doing anything important.”
Lady Julia shook her head. “You are only making it worse, Lady Annabelle. Just hush.”
The two women laughed. “The only place they might be is Father’s study,” Lady Annabelle said. “But I do not know if the brothers will be there or if Lady Joanna would be with them.”
“It is likely Lady Joanna took Mother home. But she will return, I am sure.”
“Oh? How can you be sure?”
“There are men here. The only man at our home is Father and that is not interesting to Lady Joanna.”
“I should think not.”
The two women stood in the foyer, looking around them. “Well, I suppose we can go out to the lawn and see if Duke Colbourn wants to play three-person croquet.”
“If he is any good, he has a chance of winning,” Lady Julia said as they went back to the front door. “But you are very good at this game. If he plays poorly, you will beat him soundly.”
Lady Annabelle laughed. “I am good. We shall see.”
They chatted quietly as they walked
out onto the porch. Lady Annabelle could smell the oncoming rain. She wanted it to pass. If it rained on the duke’s game of croquet, she would be upset that his plans were ruined.
“Look, there they are!” Lady Julia exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the south lawn where the croquet set was. The Balfour brothers were standing with the duke, examining the mallets. “I wish Lady Joanna was here. She needs to have fun with us.”
“She will be back.”
“But she will not come looking for us.”
Lady Annabelle smiled at her friend. “No. She will come looking for the men. And here they will be.”
The men greeted the women with bows as they approached. “I do hope you were not looking for us for too long, Lady Julia,” Lord Gilbert said with a smile. “We did not go inside when we left you earlier. We noticed Duke Colbourn setting up the game and decided to help. He told us you were thinking of playing. Would you care if we join?”
Lady Annabelle shook her head. “Not at all, my lord. That is why we went looking for you. I am afraid we could not find Lady Joanna.”
“That is a shame,” Lord Gilbert said. “I look forward to seeing her again.”
“Shall we play?” the duke said, holding his mallet in the air like a scepter. “I will win.”
“Oh, is that so?” Lady Annabelle went to the mallet stand and chose the only mallet she ever used. It had her name written on it so no one else could use it.
“I see you have a mallet of your own,” the duke noted, eyeing the one she chose. “Does this mean you are an avid croquet player?”
“You would be right in that assumption,” Lady Annabelle said, grinning. “And we will have a good game today if you are as good as you claim.”
The Duke of Cardinal chuckled. “I may have misspoken.”
They all laughed. Lady Julia chose her mallet and they set about playing the game.
During her downtime, Lady Annabelle watched the duke. She enjoyed how he played the game but truthfully, he was not as good as she was. She tried to downplay her skills to appease him. She did not want to humiliate him at the game and have something to boast about. She wanted him to enjoy himself.
He seemed to notice that she was being hesitant with her playing. After the first few rounds, he came to stand next to her, putting his mallet down against the ground and holding it with both hands like a fancy cane. He did not turn to her or look at her when he spoke.
“I noticed that you hesitated on your last shot, Lady Annabelle. I do hope you are not holding back to satisfy my desire to play. I do not care as much about winning as I might have led you to believe.”
Lady Annabelle giggled, lifting one hand to cover her mouth. “I… I may have been holding back a little, my lord, but I do not wish to humiliate you.”
He shook his head, now looking down at Lady Annabelle with amusement. “You will not humiliate me, my dear. I was teasing when I said I would easily win. I enjoy playing the game. Winning is not important to me. Unless it is the heart of a lovely woman. In which case, winning is extremely important to me.”
His words made a pleasant tingle erupt over her body. Her heart skipped a beat and she could not help looking up at him with a grin on her pretty lips. “You wish for me to unleash my croquet skills? I think you may regret that.”
He shook his head, laughing. “You are an amusing woman, Lady Annabelle. I am glad to have met you.”
Again, chills erupted over her body. He looked in front of him and then back to her. “I believe it is your turn, my lady.”
Lady Annabelle looked at the others, who were all staring at her. Lady Julia was grinning, while the men looked impatient. “I apologize,” she said quickly, hurrying to where her ball lay in the grass. It was on a slight downslope but she had played the course many times and knew exactly how to hit it so that it would go through two of the hoops in front of it.
Chapter 13
The Duke of Cardinal was amused that Lady Annabelle was distracted by him. That she even thought to downplay her skills so that he would not feel bad made him chuckle on the inside. She had stopped making plays for Lady Julia. He had noticed.
Her game improved a great deal after they talked. She definitely knew how to hit the ball. The second time they stepped close to each other, she smiled at him. “I must admit, my lord, I am better here than I am somewhere else. I have been playing on this lawn and this course for many years. I know everything about it.”
He nodded, amused by her candor. “While that is true, my lady, your friend Lady Julia has been playing here for quite some time and…” he grinned. “She is not as good as you. You have a knack for the game.”
“Thank you, my lord. I appreciate the compliment.”
“I speak the truth.” His eyes moved up and over her shoulder toward the house. “It looks like Lady Joanna has finally arrived.”
Lady Annabelle turned around to look. He was right. Lady Joanna was holding her hat on her head with one hand and her skirt up with the other as she hurried down the lawn from the mansion.
“Hellooo!” she called out in a high-pitched voice. “Helloooo!”
“Lady Joanna!” Lady Annabelle called back. “Come play with us!”
Lady Joanna smiled wide, looking from the duke to the Balfour brothers. Her cheeks were rosy red. She slowed down as she neared them, breathing rapidly. “Oh my! I have just come from taking Mother home and saw that you are all out here playing.”
“We looked for you,” Lady Annabelle said. “We thought you probably went to take her ladyship home. Is she feeling well?”
Lady Joanna nodded, only glancing at Lady Annabelle as she answered. “She is physically well. She will live for a long time.”
“I hope she can do so happily,” the Duke of Cardinal said. “Eventually.”
Lady Joanna nodded again. “Yes, I am hoping the same.”
“We all are.” Lady Annabelle turned and grabbed a croquet mallet from the stand nearby. She handed it to Lady Joanna. “Now that we are even, perhaps we can play teams?”
She noticed when Lady Julia narrowed her eyes. She tried not to giggle. Lady Julia would end up partnering with one of the Balfour brothers for certain. Lady Annabelle knew she did not want to do that. “Perhaps we can play brothers against sisters. Since Lady Cecilia is not here, the duke and I can be on a team.”
She beamed at the duke, who chuckled appropriately. “That sounds like a good plan,” he said.
“I would like to team up with Lord Gilbert,” Lady Joanna said. “I think that sounds like more fun. I am always on a team with my sister.” Her voice did not sound as derogatory as the words.
“It would be my honor, Lady Rickman,” Lord Gilbert swung one arm to his waist and bowed dramatically, using the croquet mallet like a cane in front of him. Lady Annabelle looked from Lady Julia to Lord Leonard and back. She knew Lady Julia was unhappy about the result of this arrangement.
“Would you like to partner with the duke, Lady Julia?” she asked. She could see the Duke of Cardinal looking at her out of the corner of her eye. She wished she could look back but he would recognize the look on her face. To her credit, Lady Julia shook her head.
“Oh no. I am sure Lord Leonard is a fine mallet whacker. He has been playing well this whole time. Perhaps we will beat you.” She did not say it with much confidence but her voice was gracious. She moved closer to Lord Leonard, who looked down at her.
“I have played the game often,” he said, much to their surprise, “but I admit it has been several years. Who will go first?”
“Shall we draw straws to decide?”
“I do not think that is necessary,” the duke said. He pointed to Lady Julia and Lord Leonard, swinging his finger between the two of them. “Your team go first. Followed by you two. Then we will take our turn. Does that sound acceptable?”
The game played out well. Lady Annabelle watched as Lord Gilbert and Lady Joanna talked, playing the game with great fervor. Neither was very good, often sliding thei
r ball into an impossible position and taking many turns without success. It did not bother them that they were losing badly to their friends. They seemed to be having a good time together.
The Duke of Cardinal mentioned it to Lady Annabelle and Lady Julia when the two were near him. Lord Leonard was standing on the other side, surveying the position of his ball, looking for the best way to hit it through the hoop.
“I do believe Lady Joanna has found someone to spend her time with.”
“Yes, I believe you are right.” Lady Annabelle nodded. “I have not seen Lady Joanna open up like this for some time. I am not sure, though, that Lord Balfour is the right man for her. They are both a bit… odd. In their behavior.” Lady Annabelle was trying to choose her words carefully. She looked up to see if the duke showed an understanding of what she was saying. He did not look confused. He nodded at her.