by Abby Ayles
Annabelle looked at the others, who were all staring at her. 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
Duke Colbourn was amused that 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 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, Miss Rickman, 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, your Grace. I appreciate the compliment.”
“I speak the truth.” His eyes moved up and over her shoulder toward the house. “It looks like miss Joanna has finally arrived.”
Annabelle turned around to look. He was right. 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!”
“Joanna!” Annabelle called back. “Come play with us!”
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,” Annabelle said. “We thought you probably went to take her ladyship home. Is she feeling well?”
Joanna nodded, only glancing at Annabelle as she answered. “She is physically well. She will live for a long time.”
“I hope she can do so happily,” the Duke said. “Eventually.”
Joanna nodded, again. “Yes, I am hoping the same.”
“We all are.” Annabelle turned and grabbed a croquet mallet from the stand nearby. She handed it to Joanna.
“Now that we are even, perhaps we can play teams?” She noticed when Julia narrowed her eyes. She tried not to giggle. Julia would end up partnering with one of the Balfour brothers for certain. Annabelle knew she did not want to do that.
“Perhaps we can play brothers against sisters. Since 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,” 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, Miss Rickman,” Lord Gilbert swung one arm to his waist and bowed dramatically, using the croquet mallet like a cane in front of him.
Annabelle looked from Julia to Lord Leonard and back. She knew Julia was unhappy about the result of this arrangement.
“Would you like to partner with the duke, Julia?” she asked. She could see Duke Colbourn look at her in the corner of her eye.
She wished she could look back but he would recognize the look on her face. To her credit, 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,” Duke Colbourn said. He pointed to 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. Annabelle watched as Lord Gilbert and Joanna talked, playing the game with great fervor. Neither were very good, often sliding their 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.
Duke Colbourn mentioned it to Annabelle and 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 Miss Joanna has found someone to spend her time with.”
“Yes, I believe you are right.” Annabelle nodded. “I have not seen 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.” Annabelle was trying to choose her words carefully. She looked up to see if the Duke showed understanding of what she was saying. He did not look confused. He nodded at her.
“I do think you are right. Our opinions may be biased, though. We do not think highly of him already.”
“Is it wrong for us to think the way we do?” she asked. She wanted desperately to keep the conversation going, just so she could hear him talk. The sound of his voice made her feel warm inside, no matter what he was saying. She would gladly sit and listen to him talk for hours without complaining.
He shrugged. “I do not suppose we can control our suspicions. They are not founded in nothing.”
“I am glad she is having a good time.” Julia sounded defensive. Annabelle looked at her.
“I apologize, Julia, if we offended you,” she said. “I mean nothing by it. I am only concerned for her. I wish that I did not have a bad feeling about Lord Gilbert.”
Julia nodded. “I know what you are thinking, Annabelle. I know your intentions are good. You would not want Joanna to be hurt.”
“No. I would not.”
“And I certainly would not encourage bad behavior, Miss Rickman,” Duke Colbourn said. “I hope you are aware of that.”
Julia nodded. Her eyes turned to the couple near the far end of the corner. They were leaning their heads toward each other, though their eyes were on Lord Leonard. Lord Gilbert said something that made Joanna laugh.
Annabelle was caught by the sound of the laughter. She had heard Joanna laugh with joy before. This laugh was different.
Her first thought was to point it out to Duke Colbourn and get his opinion on it. But she kept her mouth shut before the words could come out.
It was her turn Joanna’s turn after Lord Leonard. When she moved to take over the lawn, Lord Leonard went to stand with Lord Gilbert instead of his partner. Julia watched him walk to his brother. She looked at Annabelle with a rejected look on her face.
“I guess I will go stand next to Lord Leonard, since he is my partner.”
“You can stay here with us, Julia,” Annabelle said, quickly. “You do not have to go over there if you do not want to. Has he been unkind to you at all?”
Julia shook her head. “No, he has been a gentleman. But he does not speak and I feel uncomfortable standing with him without speaking.”
“Have you tried saying something first? Perhaps if you get the conversation started, he will have an easier time.” Julia nodded at the Duke when he spoke.
“I have a few times. But he answers and does not contribute. Then, I am forced to come up with something else to say. It is tiresome and gives me a headache.”
“Then you should stay here with us,” Annabelle insisted. “I do not want you to have a miserable time playing croquet. No one should have a miserable time playing croquet!”
Julia laughed. “All right. I will stay here with the two of you. At
least you contribute to the conversation.”
Annabelle watched when the Duke went to take his turn. Joanna returned to her partner, who was in the middle of a conversation with his brother. Lord Leonard never seemed to have a problem talking to Lord Gilbert.
They were often seen in deep discussion. But Lord Gilbert was the only one who Lord Leonard freely spoke to.
“Your Grace is good at this game,” Julia said quietly, watching him line up his shot. “He would be a good rival for you.”
“I would rather he not be a rival,” Annabelle giggled. “I do not want to be in competition with the man I…” she’d been about to say “love”. Her eyes widened and she put one hand over her mouth, gazing at her friend. Julia just laughed.
“Oh, Annabelle. I am terribly glad you told me how you felt. Oh you must put him on your dance card!”
“I cannot feel this way so soon,” Annabelle said, keeping her voice low. Her fingers fiddled with the handle of her croquet mallet nervously.
“It is much too soon. I will scare him away. And if I do not scare him and he decides I am not the woman for him, I will be truly devastated.”
“He will not decide such a thing!” Julia protested, frowning and shaking her head. “I never have heard such negative talk from you, Annabelle. You know better than that.”
Annabelle giggled again. “You do not think I should guard my heart?”
Julia leaned toward her, aware that Duke Colbourn had taken his turn and was heading back toward them. “I think it would be foolish not to.”
Julia went to take her turn, passing the Duke and giving him a wide smile, which he returned.
The two of them were finally alone again. Annabelle was completely aware that he was standing next to her. She felt as if she could feel his body heat from where she was. She wanted to feel his arms around her and press her head against his chest to hear his heartbeat. Would it be racing like hers?
She would surely faint if she felt the touch of his hand. She remembered fondly the first night they had met. Even though she had humiliated herself with her too-small shoes, she had been able to take his hand several times to steady herself getting in and out of the carriage.
Duke Colbourn was equally aware that the lovely lady was standing next to him. If he’d had his way, he would hold her hand in his for eternity. The urge to take her into his arms was stronger every day.
Mr. Covington would be arriving soon and their time would be cut short. Once he appraised the paintings and spent a few days of holiday in the little English city, he would be ready to go back to his life. He had many, many friends.
Duke Colbourn had friends, too. But not as many as Mr. Covington. He was beginning to wonder if his life back home would be worth anything without Annabelle there.
He cleared his throat, trying to think of something to say. Julia’s turn would be over soon and she would return to them. They had precious little time together alone.
“Duke Cartwright informed me there is an event coming up, a celebration of engagement, I believe.”
Annabelle nodded. She had almost forgotten about that. It was a big event and would be held in one of the grand ballrooms downtown. The ballroom looked like the inside of a great Scottish castle. One was expected to dress appropriately when attending a gala such as that.
“I am not sure I have the proper attire,” Duke Colbourn said, hitting on her exact thought. “I may need some help purchasing the clothes for the event.”
“Will you be staying that long?” Annabelle asked, looking up to meet his eyes. “I was under the impression you would be gone within a week.”
She did not want him to leave. If he was thinking of staying till the celebration, that meant he would be here for another ten days, at least. The thought brought a smile to her face. He caught the look and smiled back.
“I believe I will be staying longer than that Miss Cartwright.”
Chapter 14
Joanna was excited that she had arrived in time to play a game or two of croquet. They were in for a bad storm, she could see by the clouds in the distance.
She’d thought about it all day and decided she would show interest in the talkative Balfour brother. It was clear to her that Julia was not interested.
And Annabelle only had eyes for Duke Colbourn. She was still burning from his rejection of her, even though it had come as expected.
Julia and Annabelle were always in the spotlight. She had never minded until they blossomed into true beauties and she stayed the same, plain and ordinary.
Lord Gilbert Balfour was not the most attractive man. She thought he looked somewhat like a weasel. She had noticed mannerisms that matched that thought. But he was kind to her and treated her with respect every time they met. She liked that.
She was delighted to be standing next to him as they played the game. He made small talk, telling her about his life in the country where he and his brother had grown up. Their family owned a farm. From the sound of it, their father, despite being an Earl, was not a wealthy man.
He had no business sense and often got his family in severe financial trouble because of deals that went bad. He invested in things that had no value and seemed to attract thieves and scandalous individuals at every turn.
But it made little difference to Lord Gilbert, he told Joanna. He and his brother were resilient and smart.
“Your brother does not speak often.” She observed, watching as Lord Leonard lined up his shot. “I always wonder about people who are as quiet as he is. What is he thinking? What is going through his mind?”
“Lord Leonard is very intelligent,” Lord Gilbert said. “But in the past, he has… excluded himself by saying things that others think are odd.”
Joanna gazed at Lord Gilbert curiously. “What do you mean?”
Lord Gilbert hesitated before answering her. “He has a way of putting things that people do not understand. He does try to be social but in his mind, he is always somewhere else.”
Joanna looked at the tall muscular man leaning over to hit his ball through the hoop.
“I suppose I know how it feels to be somewhere else in a room filled with people. I have felt like that often.”
“You should never feel that way, Miss Joanna. You are a brilliant woman, I can see it in your eyes. You have much to say. You should not hold back.”
Joanna looked at him, surprise written on her face. “You do not know me, my Lord, yet you compliment my intelligence?”
“It is not just your intelligence I can compliment,” Lord Gilbert replied with a sly grin.
“You are beautiful, as well. Just as beautiful as your sister and your friend there. You must know this to be true.”
Joanna glanced at Annabelle and Julia, who were standing with the duke, talking amongst themselves. It looked to her like her sister was not as happy as she would like to be.
Duke Colbourn and Annabelle were doing most of the talking while Julia watched Lord Leonard play his turn. “I have not been told that,” she admitted.
“I have always thought of my sister and Annabelle as much more attractive than myself.”
Lord Gilbert scowled at her, though his eyes were filled with amusement. “I am astounded, dear Lady, that you would not think of yourself more highly. What has caused such trauma? No. Do not answer that.” He looked away from her dramatically, staring at the darkening sky above.
“This is not the time for sad stories. I promise you, I will find out what it is that has caused you to feel so melancholy. But for now, I must make you laugh. I must see you smile. Smile for me, dear Lady, if you wish.”
Joanna’s smile was wide and genuine. Lord Gilbert lifted his mallet when his brother walked toward him.
“That was a good shot, brother! I am impressed.”
Lord Leonard nodded. “Thank you, Gil. I have not played in some time.”
“You were always good at this game.”
“Did you ask the lady about the artwork?”
Lord G
ilbert’s face changed for a moment, darkening like the sky above. Then he recovered and smiled at Joanna. “I have not yet had the chance.”
Joanna stared at them both. Artwork? She knew very little about the artwork in the storage room. “If you are speaking of the paintings the Duke has come to look at, I know very little about them. You would have to ask Annabelle. She is the one who knows about them. Not me.”
“We will ask her,” Lord Gilbert said in a conspiratorial voice.
“But I would rather find out what I can from you. Perhaps you can ask her about them for us?”
Joanna did not want to ask Annabelle about the paintings. She wished she already knew something to tell them. “Well, perhaps I might be able to answer a few questions. What is it you wanted to know?”
Throughout the rest of the game, Joanna answered basic questions about the paintings. She knew more than she thought, based on the reactions of the Balfour brothers.
She knew where they were kept and how many there were approximately. She knew the names of the most famous ones and was keenly aware of the prices her father was asking.
“How is it that you know all of this and can still claim to know so little?” Lord Gilbert asked at one point.
The look on his face was so pleased, Joanna could not help feeling happy with herself. She had not had to make up a single thing. She knew all the answers. And Lord Gilbert made her feel extremely special for that.
“I do not know. I suppose I should have asked you what you wanted to know before I assumed I did not have the answers.”
Lord Gilbert leaned closer to her, enough to take her breath away. “I suspect that is something you do often, my dear. You assume you are lesser than. You should not treat yourself with such disrespect.”
Joanna had heard those words from others. But when Lord Gilbert said it, it seemed to make a difference. It was as though she was actually hearing them for the first time.
She nodded, unsure what to say in reply. He laughed. “What will it take for me to make you smile, Miss Joanna? I do not see pretty smiles so often as I have since I came to visit this lovely home.”
