by Laura Landon
“I warned you she was exceedingly talented.”
“So you did,” Harrison said on a laugh. Then he turned to Cassie, who’d come to give Elly a hug and was still holding her hand. “From the expertise my sister exhibited, I think we have our work cut out for us if we intend to win this match.”
“I think you’re right. I’ll redouble my efforts.” She looked over her shoulder as she walked to the spot her ball had stopped. “And I expect you to do the same.”
The gathering laughed wholeheartedly, which eased the tension created by the preceding emotional scene.
Harrison took a few steps then stopped to issue a statement that made Elly smile.
“Our match just rose to a different level, Charfield. Neither my partner nor I intend to give you any quarter, so I suggest you make each shot your best.”
“We’ll be sure to do that.”
Harrison walked away and Elly noticed there seemed to be a lighter spring to his step. She wasn’t sure if it was because of her surprising accomplishment, or if he was happy to be spending the afternoon with Cassie.
Charfield tapped his ball through the double wickets, then lined up like he’d taught her to do and hit his lucky green ball. It stopped inches from Harrison’s and the crowd erupted with cheers and applause.
Charfield stepped close to her and offered her his arm. They walked together across the lawn and she realized this was the most perfect day she’d ever had.
She turned her head and looked at him. “Do you care if we don’t win?”
He gently squeezed her hand. “We’ve already won.”
And she knew he meant it.
Chapter 15
Brent lined up to take his next swing. If he truly believed his green ball was lucky, he’d have to credit it for the advantage he and Elly had over Fellingsdown and Lady Lathamton. But he’d never been a superstitious person and the credit for their lead belonged to Elly. She was amazing.
She put her body into every swing, trusting him to keep her from falling; knowing that if he lost his grip she’d land on the ground in an embarrassing heap. He’d never met anyone who trusted him so completely.
“Do you think I should aim for Harrison’s blue ball to knock him out of line, or should I try to knock Cassie’s yellow ball further from the goal?” she whispered as she lined up to hit her ball.
Brent loved the feel of her next to him. He loved the way her backside fit snugly against him. He loved the opportunity supporting her gave him to wrap his arms around her waist and hold her.
Yesterday, when they’d practiced, he’d mistakenly thought the shock waves zinging through him were a natural reaction to having a beautiful woman in his arms. This morning he’d tried to convince himself that was still the case. Now he knew it wasn’t.
If having a woman in his arms caused such a startling effect, he would have experienced this same heaviness every time he asked a beautiful woman to dance. Or each time he escorted one of London’s numerous beautiful young women for an afternoon drive through Hyde Park.
No, this was different. Much different.
Brent tipped his head until his mouth was close to Elly’s cheek then he whispered in her ear. “I think it would be best to try to knock your brother out of the way. Then, if I can manage a good shot, I may be able to add to our lead.”
She nodded, then shifted her position behind her red ball.
“Lady Lathamton,” Harrison said loud enough to draw everyone’s attention. “I think my sister’s strategy is to spoil my superb position.”
“Do it, Elly!” one of her brothers yelled from the sidelines.
“Knock Harrison as far as you can,” one of the twins added.
Elly giggled as she looked into his face, and it was almost more than he could do not to lean down and kiss her.
Although kissing her would have been enjoyable, it was a far cry from what else his body wanted to do. Holding her in such an intimate manner was a torture surpassing what he thought he could endure. Even kissing her in front of her family was stretching the limits of what they would allow.
“How quickly my siblings forget where their family loyalties lie,” Harrison said with a stoic expression on his face. “I won’t forget this, George.”
This brought a loud chorus of ribbing, aimed not only at Harrison, but at George and Elly’s other brothers and sisters who’d encouraged her to knock Harrison out of contention.
“We should have placed a wager on the outcome of this match,” Elly said while the friendly banter was still going on.
Brent laughed. “What would you have wagered?”
A slight frown etched her forehead before she smiled. “Nothing. I have everything I want.” She broadened her smile. “What would you have wagered?”
Brent knew. Without a second thought he said, “I’d have asked for a colt from El Solidar.”
“Oh, yes. That would have been a wonderful wager. Perhaps it’s not too late?”
He looked at her and felt his heart hitch a notch in his chest. “Perhaps it’s not.”
With his hands still at Elly’s waist, he turned to face his competition. “Fellingsdown,” he shouted loud enough to be heard over the exuberant crowd. “My partner and I would like to propose a wager.”
There was a moment of silence, then the group of guests cheered loud enough he was sure they could be heard all the way to London.
“A wager! Yes!” they all shouted at the same time.
Fellingsdown tipped his head back and laughed. “What wager would you and your partner like to make, Charfield?”
Brent looked Elly’s brother square in the eyes. “If we win, I claim an offspring from El Solidar.”
The guests erupted into a louder burst of cheering and yelling and clapping. Only Fellingsdown remained motionless. And one other. Elly’s brother, George.
George must have known what the payment was for Brent to be Elly’s partner for the party. He must also know what Brent meant when he wagered what had already been offered – that Brent considered the conditions of their former wager null and void. This included his agreement to make Elly forget her anonymous suitor, that he wouldn’t let her fall in love with him, and that he wouldn’t risk breaking her heart.
Brent was sure he’d already accomplished his first objective. Elly hadn’t mentioned an anonymous suitor since they’d met, and Brent knew she would have spoken of it at some time during the hours they’d spent together.
As to the other conditions...
No one had to worry about him leaving her with a broken heart because he had no plan to leave her - ever.
And the stipulation that he wouldn’t allow Elly to fall in love with him...
Brent couldn’t stop a smile from forming on his lips. He had no intention of trying to keep that condition. He intended to do everything in his power to make her fall in love with him. As in love with him as he was with her.
He loved her. He knew without a doubt that he did. Now her brothers did, too. His wager made that clear.
Brent kept his gaze focused on Fellingsdown. The real meaning behind what he’d just proposed wasn’t lost on Elly’s brother, or on George. From the looks on their faces, they both realized Brent was asking permission to court their sister.
“And if you lose?” Fellingsdown asked, his tone decidedly serious.
“I lose my horse.” Brent paused, then added. “But I still win.”
Fellingsdown’s reaction was slow, but when it came it was unmistakable. Elly’s brother smiled, then his broad smile turned to laughter. “Lady Lathamton,” he said, turning his attention to where his partner stood. “We’ve been challenged. Do you object to my accepting Lord Charfield’s wager?”
The onlookers stood in silence, waiting for the wager to be confirmed. When Lady Lathamton answered with a decided “No,” they erupted into applause.
Brent felt as if he’d grown wings and could fly over the highest mountaintops. Fellingsdown had accepted his wager. Which meant...
Brent lowered his gaze to the woman in his arms. He’d been granted permission to court Elly. His heart rejoiced inside his chest.
As he looked at Elly, her smile turned to a puzzled expression. “Did you see the look Harrison gave you?”
“Yes.”
“Did I miss something?”
“It’s a private wager between the two of us.”
She looked at him with a questioning lift to her eyebrows. “Do you intend to share it with me?”
“Of course. You’re my partner.” He gave her a playful tap on the tip of her nose. “But first we have a match to win.”
He took his place behind her and clasped his hands to her waist. Perhaps he held her closer than he ought. If she noticed she didn’t say.
But he wasn’t sure he would have stepped back if she had. Having her in his arms was where he wanted her to be for the rest of his life.
___
Elly’s heart pounded as she watched Cassie prepare to make her last shot. If Cassie missed, the match was over and she and Brent won. If Cassie made her shot, the game would continue and Elly would be next.
Elly looked to the crowd watching every play. She thought some of them might tire of standing in the sun and go back to the terrace and drink lemonade in comfort, but no one did. When the twins realized no one wanted to miss any of the excitement of the match, they’d ordered blankets to be brought out. Even Aunt Gussie and Aunt Esther sat on the grass with the young people, drinking the lemonade the staff brought out to them.
“Hit Elly’s ball hard enough to knock her out of Harrison’s path, Lady Lathamton,” Jules shouted from his spot on a blanket next to Amelia Hastings.
Elly gave her brother a glaring look that made Miss Hastings giggle behind her hand. Obviously Jules’s wager was on Harrison and Cassie.
Elly couldn’t help but laugh when the half of the group who’d placed their money on Brent and her jeered Jules.
Cassie stepped up to her yellow ball and took aim. Harrison stepped back from where he’d been next to her, giving her some last-minute instructions. He tried to look calm and collected but Elly knew he was as nervous as the rest of them.
“What if she knocks my ball far off the path?” Elly said, leaning back against Brent. She knew she was taking advantage of having him so close but she didn’t care. She was enjoying every minute of today, every second of being near him.
“You’ll play like you have all day and come back to challenge her.”
“But your wager?”
His hands clasped around her upper arms and he gently turned her so she could look at him. “The wager means nothing. It is not yours to win or lose. The wager is insignificant compared to how we are enjoying ourselves. Do you understand, Elly?”
She nodded. “But I know how much you want a colt from El Solidar.”
“There are other ways for me to get a colt. Ways that have nothing to do with the outcome of this game. So don’t concern yourself with what happens.”
Elly didn’t have an opportunity to respond before Cassie took aim and swung.
Elly watched the yellow ball sail across the lawn and race toward her red ball. With a loud whop that echoed in the silence, yellow blended with red, then Elly’s red wooden ball whizzed away from its perfect position and didn’t stop until it was far out of line of the goal.
A loud mixture of cheers and moans rose from the gallery of onlookers. Harrison rushed to Cassie’s side, lifted her in the air and twirled her around in a circle.
“It’s all right,” Brent whispered. “We haven’t lost yet.”
Elly nodded, but she knew winning would be much more difficult now.
Harrison gave Cassie another congratulatory hug, then placed his arm around her shoulders as they walked toward her ball.
Elly smiled. A part of her was happy. Today’s match seemed to bring her brother and Cassie closer to each other. The rest of her, however, couldn’t forget that she and Brent were a step further away from winning their wager.
“Your turn, Fellingsdown,” Brent said, his voice calm and optimistic.
“Are you worried?” Harrison said on a laugh as he walked to his blue ball.
“Of course not. Your sister is my partner.”
Elly smiled to thank Brent for the compliment, then turned to the onlookers to curtsy in appreciation for the applause they added.
Harrison lined up behind his ball.
This was it. This hit would almost determine the outcome of the game.
Harrison pulled his mallet back in a wide arc and began his downward swing.
Before his mallet connected with its target, a muffled pop sounded from somewhere to their right and Harrison crumpled to a heap on the ground.
___
The second Fellingsdown went down, Brent pulled Elly in front of him and dropped to the ground. He covered her body to protect her.
They lay there for a few moments, listening for another shot, but there wasn’t one. The only noises were the screams of surprise and terror that came from the guests.
Brent lifted his head and scanned the area. He watched for some movement from the line of trees from which the bullet had come, but the only movement he saw was Jules and Spencer racing in the direction of the trees. George had already ushered the guests toward the house.
Brent lifted himself from her. “Did I hurt you?”
“Harrison’s hurt.”
“I know. Stay here and I’ll go to him.”
“But—”
“Don’t move, Elly.” He pressed his hand against her shoulder when she tried to rise. “We don’t know who else the idiot will shoot at.”
He rose to his feet and raced to where Harrison lay.
Lady Lathamton was already there, her eyes wide with fear. She pulled on Fellingsdown’s jacket with trembling fingers and removed the material from his arm. A dark spot dampened the sleeve of his shirt just below his shoulder.
“Get Cassie and Elly away from here,” Fellingsdown said in a ragged voice.
He was obviously in pain but at least he was conscious. Brent didn’t know a lot about bullet wounds, but he knew that was a good sign.
Brent looked up as George reached them. Elly was on his arm.
“I thought I told you to stay where you were.” He pulled her to the ground and tucked her next to him.
“I couldn’t.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
Elly moved toward Harrison. “How badly are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.” He tried to sit but Brent held him down.
“Don’t move. If that bullet was intended for you, then let the man who pulled the trigger think he accomplished what he intended. Besides, Elly and Lady Lathamton are too close. If he tries to shoot at you again he might hit one of them.”
Fellingsdown sagged back to the ground. He stayed quiet until Jules and Spence reached them.
“Did you find anything?” George asked.
Both brothers shook their heads.
“Maybe it was an accident,” Cassie offered.
“This wasn’t an accident,” Jules interrupted, looking again toward the thicket of trees for any sign of movement. “Someone intended to shoot Harry.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t think he was serious,” she whispered.
Brent studied Lady Lathamton. Her face was pale, her eyes filled with terror. A wave of unease washed over him.
“What do you mean?” he asked, leaning closer to her. “Who didn’t you think was serious?”
She jolted as if she’d suddenly realized she’d spoken aloud. She swiped a tear from her damp cheeks and backed away. “No one. I...misspoke.”
Fellingsdown reached for the lady’s hand and held it. “I’m sure it was an accident, Cassie. No one would be so thoughtless.”
Several footmen came with a makeshift sling. Lady Lathamton clutched Fellingsdown’s hand as they made their way to the house. Her face still lacked color, and several times she swiped at the tear t
hat ran down her cheeks.
The lady was hiding something.
___
Cassie paced the carpet that ran the length of the hall outside Harrison’s bedroom. The doctor was still with him along with Harrison’s three brothers and the Marquess of Charfield.
Harrison could have been killed.
She had to warn them. She had to make sure they stood guard outside Harrison’s room. And inside.
She clasped her cold hands to her hot cheeks. She didn’t think Waverley was serious when he issued his threat. She didn’t think he’d try to kill Harrison.
But he had.
She paced the floor at a faster speed.
“Why don’t you sit for a while,” Elly said, looping her free hand around Cassie’s waist. “It won’t be much longer now.”
She stepped out of Elly’s grip. She couldn’t let her hold her, comfort her. Everyone would hate her when they found out it was her fault Harrison had been shot.
“What’s taking them so long?” She waited for the door to open so she could rush in to see for herself that Harrison was all right.
“The doctor’s being thorough.”
“But it shouldn’t take so long. Maybe Harrison was hurt worse than we thought.”
“No. He was walking when they brought him in. That has to mean his wound wasn’t too severe.”
“George said he’d lost a lot of blood. Maybe...”
Cassie knew she was being irrational but she couldn’t help it. This was her fault.
She swiped her fingers over her damp eyes. When she looked up, Elly’s hooded gaze locked with hers. “Why did you send me an invitation, Elly?”
Elly took an uneven step toward her. “To give you an opportunity to mend whatever tore you and Harrison apart. I’d hoped you would accept, but I doubted you would.”
“You were surprised to see me?”
“Very.” Elly smiled. “I was nearly as surprised to see you as Harrison was.”
Cassie searched for the right words to ask her next question. She knew how much she would reveal if she said the wrong words. “Was the invitation all you sent?”