Chapter Fifteen
Rowena had never done anything remotely athletic beyond the athleticism needed to ride a horse.
Plenty of men and women could do that. Playing battledore and shuttlecock was a new, delightful experience, though.
She had to keep her eye on the shuttlecock at all times, moving back and forth, getting under it and swinging her racket up at an angle to reach Lord Marley or hitting it overhanded while it was still high in the air and returning it to him.
It was a thrill to move with bare feet across the soft grass. She had never set foot outside without wearing her shoes and stockings. Being barefooted was incredibly liberating, and she knew she would go outside her small cottage every now and then and leave her slippers and stockings behind.
She grew more experienced as play went on, getting the feathered shuttlecock to her partner better.
They scored several points, keeping their shuttlecock in play longer each time than their opponents.
With the other pair scoreless, sympathy filled her, and she looked to Lord Marley.
They seemed to communicate silently, and he deliberately missed his next return, allowing the other team to score their first point.
While she did not wish to throw their match, Rowena did want her new friend and Mr. Tompkins to score a few points.
Lord Marley and Rowena won their match, ten to three, and they graciously received congratulations from their opponents.
The losing pair was sent off to play bowls, and Lord Howell and Lady Sarah took the spot next to them, with the baron’s daughter Mary accompanying them.
Rowena had never seen her friend looking happier.
She thought if a match could occur between these two, allowing Lady Sarah to be an instant mother, it would be a very good thing for all three involved.
“Are you without slippers and stockings?” Lady Sarah asked, looking bewildered.
“Yes. Playing in bare feet is my advantage. I am certain it gave me an advantage over Miss Lawson.”
With a boldness that surprised Rowena, Lady Sarah said, “Then I shall play the same way.”
She sat on the ground, Mary running to sit next to her. Together, both lady and child removed their shoes and stockings, much to the delight of Mary. The pair brushed their feet along the grass, giggling together. Then Mary threw her arms about Lady Sarah and kissed her cheek.
Looking to the baron, she saw happiness radiating from him as he said, “I have not heard Mary laugh nearly enough. She has done so all day in Lady Sarah’s company.” He paused. “She makes me laugh, as well.”
Rowena said, “I have been friends with Lady Sarah for four years now. She is kind and loving.”
Lord Howell met her gaze. “I think she will be good for both of us.”
Joy filled her, knowing her friend would achieve her dream of becoming a wife. “When will you offer for her?”
“Soon.”
“You will be better for having Lady Sarah in your life,” Lord Marley said. “Mary will also benefit.”
Blast. Why was Lord Marley so . . . so . . . well, Rowena could not come up with a word to describe him. The charming, thoughtful man who had revealed so much to her in the gardens that night kept appearing, causing Rowena to doubt herself and the decisions she had made regarding her life.
And marriage.
What if he meant what he said? That he would allow his wife to have her freedom.
To control her own dowry. Or was that simply talk, something that he used in flirtation, which would not be close to reality.
Part of her believed he would say whatever it took to get her to kiss him again, yet another part thought he was being utterly genuine.
She thought back to his closeness with his cousin, the duke, and how happy Millbrooke and his duchess had seemed that night at the Purlington ball.
Did the duchess have the same kind of freedom that Rowena had always longed for?
Was she in love with her husband? It certainly seemed that way.
Lord Marley had spoken of love. She did not love him and found it impossible to believe that he loved her. Yet sometimes, she caught him looking at her, something in his eyes that seemed to tell her otherwise.
Lady Sarah had now picked up her racket, and Rowena said, “You may practice for two minutes and get used to how hard a stroke needs to be in order for you to return the shuttlecock to your partner.”
She turned to see if Lord Marley wished to practice again, but he had left her.
She spied him crouched next to Mary, talking with her.
Her throat swelled as she watched the pair.
He looked so right next to the small girl, smiling at her, showing her his racket, smoothing her hair.
When he stood, Rowena averted her eyes, not wanting him to see what was in them.
“Are you ready for play?” asked Lord Howell.
“Ready to win, my lord,” she cheekily replied.
This time, the game was much closer. She and Lord Marley still took the victory, ten to seven, but they had been tied several times during the match before pulling away near the end.
“We are better at balls,” Lady Sarah said, with Mary shouting, “Balls! Balls!”
“Congratulations,” Lord Howell told them. “Let us see if you can hold off the other two pairs.”
Since they had won, they remained where they were, facing Ollie and Lady Jewell next.
Despite his worries about never having played any lawn games, her cousin proved to be almost their equal.
Lady Jewell said she frequently played games in India, and her experience showed.
They went into the final point, tied at nine all.
Rowena felt the pressure, fearing she would be the one who might cost them the game.
Instead, she made a diving save when one of Lord Marley’s strokes went wild, hitting it high in the air in order to give him time to recover.
That proved to be the difference, and they won their third straight game.
She watched Ollie carefully to see how he was around Lady Jewell, but he did not seem to treat Lady Jewell differently from how he treated Rowena herself.
He wondered if the same would have been true if Miss Tweedham had been partnered with him.
Last, they faced her friend and Lord Cramer. While the earl moved with grace, poor Miss Tweedham was hopeless, constantly missing the shuttlecock with her racket. Thankfully, Lord Cramer treated her with kindness when they lost.
“I was awful at that,” Miss Tweedham said. “I apologize, my lord. You should have chosen a better partner to play with.”
“It is all in good fun,” Lord Cramer said.
“It isn’t always about winning,” Lord Marley added. “Most of the time, it is about playing the game itself and enjoying it as you do so.” He glanced to her. “And enjoying the company with you.”
Rowena felt her cheeks heat but said, “Yes, it is all about the fun. You had never been to a house party before. You had never played battledore and shuttlecock either. Now, you have done both.”
Miss Tweedham grinned. “Yes, I have. And I was much better at balls.”
“She was,” Lord Cramer shared. “The two of you should try your hand at it now since you have beaten everyone else at this game.”
She handed her racket to a nearby footman.
Lord Marley did the same, taking her hand and placing it in the crook of his arm as he escorted her back to where they had picnicked and where the balls competition occurred.
The entire way, Rowena was aware of his scent, a mix of bergamot and sweat from playing their game.
Instead of being repelled, she found it . . . intoxicating.
“You used your racket with ease,” he complimented.
“I have not hidden the fact that I am highly competitive. Fortunately, I felt at one with my racket and found our games stimulating.”
“I find our conversations stimulating, Miss Stanhope, as well as your gameplay.”
She found herself blushing again, something she had never really done in the past. Then again, no attractive earls had plied her with compliments up until now.
Much less kissed her.
Forget his kiss, she told herself.
But that was like telling a duck to forget how to take to water. The more Rowena tried to forget how Lord Marley’s kisses made her feel, the more she remembered them.
Mary came toddling toward them when she spied them, and Lord Marley swept her up in his arms, twirling her about and then setting her atop his shoulders. The girl plunged her fingers into his hair to hold on. For a moment, Rowena wished she could do the same and feel the soft waves.
“You are a natural with children, my lord,” Baron Howell observed.
“I have always liked children,” the earl shared. “I am the proud uncle to a niece and nephew. I have yet to meet my nephew, however. He was born in July. I hope to visit with him soon. Two of my cousins also have children, a girl and a boy, and I enjoy spending time with them.”
Curious, she turned to him. “I find it surprising to hear this, my lord. Experience has taught me that men and women in Polite Society rarely spend time with their own children, much less others’ children.”
His enigmatic look gave her pause. “Ah, Miss Stanhope, I and others in my family are exceptions to that rule. In fact, my cousins Ariadne and Val and my sister Lucy all brought their children to town with them this spring for the Season.”
“Are you speaking in jest?” she demanded, not one to take to teasing.
“Not at all, my lady. Ariadne is the one who suggested this to the other cousins in the family. We all agreed when we had children of our own, we would bring them to the Season. Leaving a child at home in the country for months is cruel, especially if you love them and they love you. Ariadne and Julian did attend some events this year, but they also made plenty of time to see family. We ten cousins enjoy one another’s company and want our children to also enjoy their cousins’ company. ”
“That is . . . most unusual.”
A determined look crossed his features. “When I wed, I will always go to town in the spring. Not because I am keen on attending balls or routs, but because I will want to see my cousins and their children—and allow my children time with their extended family. The bonds of family run strong between the Alingtons, Worthingtons, and Fultons. As more of us wed, we are spread far and wide across England. The Season is the perfect excuse to gather and spend time with one another each year.” He paused. “My countess must understand this.”
“I see.”
That decided her. Even if she admitted her attraction to Lord Marley and kissed him again, she would never wish to go through with a marriage to him.
Not that he ever would offer for her, but if he did, she would not be able to accept.
She had spent a lifetime in town and never wanted to see it again.
As a bluestocking, she had never truly been accepted by those of the ton, her only friends being the eccentrics and misfits who were also not a good fit into Polite Society.
Lord Marley—and his extended family—were very much a part of that society.
She would be miserable if she tried to return to it.
Ollie approached them, handing each of them a ball. “The field is ready for play,” her cousin told them.
Rowena was determined to concentrate on the game at hand and do her best to enjoy what remained of the house party.
And not wish for things that could never come to pass.