The Games the Earl Plays

by Eleanor Meyers

  Most of the younger members of the party were outdoors with a few tents and servants around. The day was beautiful, but nothing drew her eyes like Gerard’s lean form did. He was a striking man. He seemed to dominate the field, leaving no one to guess at who owned the land under his feet.

  His dark curls slipped from under his hat and rippled in the wind. Lord Manas, who was standing with another group of women, shouted something to him that made Gerard smile.

  Had he really kissed her with that mouth? She still wasn’t sure. It could have all been hope mixed with the strange darkness of the cave.

  Rose had been standing by the door, watching the scene, when Gerard happened to look in her direction.

  Their eyes caught, and his smile grew. He waved to her, calling her over, but his arm was caught by Miss Louisa, who would not be ignored. When the woman turned her back for a moment, Gerard looked at Rose again, but this time his eyes pleaded with her for help.

  She laughed and shook her head. She’d have to leave him to his game because she was intent on speaking to Mrs. Ball and then visiting the old Best residence once more.

  Rose noticed a lone figure who seemed content to simply watch the game and headed in her direction.

  “Enjoying yourself?” Rose asked.

  “I was,” Rachel replied. She turned radiant hazel eyes in Rose’s direction. “But my balls continue to get stuck in the bushes.”

  “Pall Mall can be quite challenging,” Rose said.

  “Yes,” the redheaded beauty agreed as she turned back to stare at the game. “Especially when two people in particular are intent on seeing to it.”

  Rose watched as one of the Anns used her mallet to hit her ball. The ball not only went in the right direction but managed to knock another into the bushes a far distance off. The ball appeared to belong to another young lady who seemed distraught by the action, which would take her away from the group, where two other ladies stood with expressions of mild outrage. She, like the others, would have to work at dislodging the ball from the bushes on her next turn.

  The Anns laughed and shared an approving look. Then the one who’d smacked the ball with amazing precision moved closer to Lord Wint.

  Something hard settled in Rose’s stomach, but she pushed it away. Was she jealous? But how could that be if she was in love with Gerard? Rose supposed the anger came from seeing one of the vicious Anns near a man she counted as her friend.

  That friend looked around and narrowed his piercing blue eyes in wonder when he found her before giving her a soft grin. He held out his mallet as if to offer it to her, and Rose shook her head. Then he rolled his eyes and lifted the mallet to his head, doing a light knocking motion that sent both Rachel and Rose into a fit of laughter.

  A second later, he turned to Anne and was all charm.

  It was clear then that the women wished to have the men to themselves.

  And that they were very good at the game described as ‘ground billiards’.

  “They’ve been at it all day,” Rachel whispered. “So I’ve conceded.”

  “Which would be a wise choice,” Rose told her. “For who knows what other uses they could make of those mallets.”

  They laughed and Rose jumped as a ball knocked into her boot.

  A moment later, Gerard was striding toward them with a warm smile on his lips. His gaze and words were directed at Rose. “Care to join us, Miss Rose?” He placed his mallet in the grass before him and struck a pose that any true artist would have loved to capture on canvas.

  “I’m afraid not.” Rose folded her hands behind her back. “A game of Find the Ball in the Bush does not appeal in the least.”

  Gerard chuckled and looked over as yet another lady was sentenced to the bushes by the Anns. “I suppose I should do something about that.”

  Rose looked at Rachel. “Would you care to go to town with me?”

  Rachel’s eyes widened. “I would love to.”

  “Making plans right in front of me?” Gerard murmured. “Such cruelty.”

  Another ball found its way in their direction, but Rose had no intention of speaking to the lady it belonged to.

  “I’m obeying your orders,” Rose told him. “I’m not going alone. Come, Rachel.” The women locked arms and strolled away just as Miss Louisa arrived.

  “Bless you for taking me,” Rachel said.

  Rose smiled at her. “Thank you for agreeing to come.” Her only other option had been Lord Wint, but now that she thought of it, that wouldn’t have been a very good idea at all. He was attracted to her, and it didn’t do well to encourage him.

  But if she wasn’t in love with Gerard…

  The stableman gave Rose a curricle, and she and Rachel were underway to the city in short time.

  “I find I enjoy the country,” Rose said. “I’d always feared I wouldn’t, since I was so used to the city, but it’s lovely here. I can hear myself think.” The peace and beauty of the landscape gave her imagination much room to travel and grow. And that was a dangerous thing when her thoughts continued to focus on Gerard. But instead of the same visions of him she’d always had, she was forming new ones, envisioning a life where they lived here and visited the orphanage.

  But she reminded herself that her visions were only that—visions. They would never be otherwise. She had to be content with their friendship.

  “Yes.” Rachel pulled in a breath. “Avon Park is lovely, and there’s much more to do and see as opposed to my father’s land. Woodley is nothing more than woods, and the village is very small and quite a distance away.”

  “Has my brother ever seen it?” Rose asked, recalling that Reuben had been a footman for Rachel’s father. Rose had been very young during those years and hadn’t asked for details about Reuben’s whereabouts. It wasn’t until he joined the war that she became worried.

  Rachel nodded. “Once or twice he went with my father and me.”

  Rose glanced in her direction as they entered the city. “Did you know him well?”

  Rachel shook her head and laughed. “No, I was but a child and he was already a young man.” With a small smile, she turned forward. “But he was kind to me and very gentle, which doesn’t surprise me, considering all the children he’d grown up around.”

  Rose smiled and looked at the road as well. “Yes, he’s had much practice.” While she’d known nothing about his work, she recalled how much love he’d showered upon her and, even with a ten-year absence, she’d not hesitated to hug her soldier upon his return. “Have you seen him since his return?” She only asked because Reuben was a connection they shared, someone they had in common.

  “I saw him from afar, but he’s almost a stranger now,” Rachel said with a laugh. “I daresay, we’ll have to be formally introduced once more.”

  Rose stopped the curricle in front of the orphanage. “Remind me to do so when we’re all together,”

  Rachel smiled at her. “All right, I will.”

  The women knocked on the door, only to be told that Mrs. Ball was unavailable.

  “It was a matter with one of the children,” Miss Milly Clark said as they were shown to the sitting room. “The baby Jacob has fallen ill.”

  Rose placed a hand on her chest as she eased into her chair. She recalled the youngest of the children. “Will Jacob be all right?”

  “We can only hope.” Miss Clark took her own chair. “We were just grateful that the doctor was available.”

  Rose smiled and said, “I suppose Lord Obenshire is seeing to the expenses?”

  Miss Clark shook her head. “No, my lady. It’s Lord Blackblood who sees that the doctor is paid.”

  Rose was surprised.

  “Blackblood?” Rachel asked. “I’ve never met the man.”

  Milly smiled. “Well, I know very little about him, since I’ve never seen him for myself either, but his family has been a patron of the home for years. It was his father who started things, and the son continues to see to them.”

  “The old L
ord Blackblood is dead?” Rose asked, knowing it was he who held the key to the mystery of whether he’d ever asked for Mary Elizabeth’s hand again. That Rose would never have the answer irritated her.

  Milly nodded. “He died just over two years ago.”

  Rose narrowed her eyes and wondered at the strange timing. He’d died months before Mary Elizabeth’s commemoration. “Does Lord Blackblood live in this area?”

  Milly nodded. “Just on the other side of the river, but only Mrs. Ball is allowed to meet with him.”

  Rose found everything intriguing but pushed it aside for another time and focused on why she’d come. “Do you know anything about how to get into the attic of the old Best Home? I was told that there was a staircase that led up to it, but I didn’t see one during my last visit.”

  Milly smiled. “Oh yes, I remember my grandmother speaking of it. The attic was Mary Elizabeth’s special place. My grandmother placed everything she thought her sister would want upstairs and sealed the stairway behind a door so that none of the children would venture up there.”

  “Fascinating,” Rachel said with twinkling eyes. “A hidden stairway to a hidden room that was once occupied by the woman who saved the king. I’m very glad I’ve come on this trip.”

  Rose laughed and turned to Milly. “Where is the door?”

  “In the dining room. It’s there. Look again,” Milly said and then stood. “Now, I must return to the children. The older ones can only keep order for so long.”

  Rose and Rachel got to their feet and left the house.

  “How extraordinary.” Rachel’s grin spread from ear to ear. “Who do you think the last person to go there was?”

  “I don’t know. The land manager, I suppose.” Rose turned the curricle toward Miss Best’s home. “Miss Best’s sister said she never returned after her sister’s death. She hired a land manager to see to its upkeep and the renting of the first two floors.” Had the house’s manager gone upstairs? Did he also have the second key that Mary Frances had given her?

  Rose returned to the house, and Rachel set off the moment the door was opened.

  “I found it!”

  Rose barely managed to lock the door behind her before she followed Rachel into the dining room.

  And there against the red wallpaper was the outline of a door. There was no knob. Only a keyhole. She’d never have seen it had she not asked, had she not known what to look for.

  Rachel was bouncing on her toes. “Open the door, Rose. Oh, I’m quite excited.”

  Rose’s heart raced as she pulled out the key. “There’s probably very little up there. Don’t get your hopes too high.” Turning the key, she pulled the door easily and saw something dark roll across the floor.

  “Rat!” Rachel screamed.

  Rose’s voice joined hers as they both fled the room and ran to the living room.

  The creature with his long swaying tail darted into the kitchen.

  The women clung to one another and Rachel shivered. “I don’t believe I wish to go up there anymore. I would faint if I didn’t fear it finding me.”

  Rose agreed. “But I’ve no choice. I must venture upstairs. I will not concede to a rat or two. Perhaps three, but no less!” She let go of Rachel and moved with determined steps and watchful eyes.

  Rachel followed close behind. “Oh, Rose, you’re quite brave.”

  Rose laughed. “At least one of us believes so.” There were webs in the stairway, clinging from one side to the other, and it became clear that no one had been upstairs for quite some time.

  “No.” Rachel backed away. “I’ll wait here for you. Or better yet, I’ll be in the carriage.”

  Rose put a hand on her shoulder. “There is a broom in the kitchen. Please get it for me.”

  Her new friend turned white, and the faint freckles that lined her cheeks became pronounced. “Oh, I can’t, Rose. The rat went in there.” With her wide hazel eyes, she looked so very young.

  “How old are you?” Rose asked.

  “Twenty-two.”

  Rose was surprised. “You look younger.”

  Rachel straightened. “Well, I’m every bit the woman that you are.”

  Rose covered her mouth. “Oh, I didn’t mean—”

  “And it's quite normal for a woman to fear a rat. They’re disgusting.”

  Rose nodded her head. “Yes, but really—”

  “I’ll get the broom.” Rachel turned on her toes and left the dining area before Rose could say another word. She’d not meant to offend Rachel, but it seemed the subject was a sensitive one for her.

  She returned moments later and held out the broom. Her eyes were unyielding. She’d clearly not forgiven Rose as of yet. “The rat did not show. It likely fears me more than I fear it.”

  Rose took the broom and smiled. “Thank you.” Then she turned to the stairway and set to work.

  Clearing the stairs took them awhile, but only because Rose didn’t want any of the spiders to catch her by surprise. In the end, there were not many. Most were dead.

  Upstairs, there were no webs. A bed, wardrobe, and trunk had been covered in cloth. On the cloths’ surface was a thin layer of dust. The smell of old wood and degrading cloth hung in the air.

  “You should open a window,” Rachel said from behind her handkerchief. Its lacework matched her gloves. It didn’t surprise Rose that she’d not opened the window herself. She was a lady, after all.

  But she’d made it through a stairway of spiderwebs and remained with Rose after being frightened by a beastly rat. That said much about her character.

  Rose opened the window and went to remove the cloth from the trunk.

  Both women jumped back.

  Just in case.

  Nothing surprised them, so they stepped forward.

  The trunk was weathered and, thankfully, without a lock.

  Rose opened it and found old clothes. She saw nothing she thought Alicia would want so moved to the wardrobe.

  Again, they moved out of the way when the cloth came down, but Rose realized she’d pulled too hard when the entire wardrobe began to fall.

  They screamed again and moved just in time to miss its crash to the floor.

  The black split in two and both Rose and Rachel leaned over to pick through the splintering thin wood.

  “Is that paper?” Rachel asked.

  Rose knelt. “Help me flip the wardrobe.”

  Both women attempted to lift it, but the object would not be moved.

  Giving up, Rose sighed and yanked a sheet from the back. Her stomach fell as she realized what she’d found.

  “What is it?” Rachel moved closer.

  “It’s one of her prayers. It’s about a boy named Henry.” She looked at the other papers in the back of the wardrobe. “These must be her entries about the children who lived here.”

  “Find anything of interest?” a male voice asked.

  The women screamed yet again. Rose gathered the papers to her chest and turned to the stairs.

  Both women looked over to find Gerard, a lazy grin on his face.

  * * *

  20

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY

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  Manas had come along with Gerard. He took Rachel in the curricle they’d brought while Rose rode with Gerard. After cleaning the attic and finding nothing else, they helped Rose gather the papers and started toward Avon Park once more.

  Rose smiled as she read through the letters, enthralled with the pages as though they were one of her favorite books. “Their stories are quite fascinating. I can’t count the number of children who came and went from that house.”

  “I had no idea she was from here,” Gerard said. “We should have a monument built for her.”

  Rose froze and gazed up at him. “Would you really commission such a thing?”

  He shrugged. “I think it would be a nice addition to the park. W
e could add it to the town’s history. I like to think that this place will be remembered for its kind acts.”

  Rose smiled. “Gerard, you’re completely wonderful.”

  The words were like a ball of light in his chest that spread through his blood and brought a permanent grin to his face. Was it any wonder he enjoyed her so much?

  “Hasn’t anyone told you? You mustn’t speak that way to an earl,” he said. “It goes straight to our heads.”

  She laughed and then sighed before flipping through her papers once again. “You know, I often forget that you’re an earl. I hope that doesn’t offend you.”

  “Not in the least.” It was one of the reasons he admired her so thoroughly. Around her, he could tell that it was Gerard she wished to know and give her time to, not the future duke, as with Miss Louisa. The woman spent most of her time speaking about why she would make him a fine duchess and dutiful wife, but she asked very little about Gerard himself, his likes and dislikes. The woman had no idea what he wanted.

  Or perhaps she did. She’d caught on quite clearly that he wanted Rose and did all she could to distract him, yet the more she tried to separate them, the more he wanted to be near Rose.

  Not that he’d needed Louisa’s assistance on that. Gerard always wanted to be with Rose. If he could, he’d become something as simple as the bonnet on her head just to remain close.

  Something she read made her stiffen and her skin began to pale.

  “What’s the matter?” He couldn’t read the words while keeping his eyes on the horses, but her reaction set off one in himself.

  She swallowed and looked over at him. “This page… it mentions the Duke of Avon.”

  Gerard’s hand tightened on the reins, and he slowed his breathing. The landscape was all a blur. There was only one reason for Miss Best to have written about a member of his family. This was a private matter, and yet he trusted Rose with it just as he trusted her with all else. “What does it say?”

  Rose inhaled. “It says that baby Henry belonged to the Duke of Avon, but it doesn’t say which duke. Could it be your father?”