Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
“Acaber toss! Your Grace, have you lost your mind? I know you were born in Scotland, but do you think everyone will survive your Highland games enough to drink some tea in the afternoon?”
The Marquess of Barton looked horrified. His hands were on his hips as he watched the enormous tapered logs on the grass, waiting for each of the participants to carry a log to toss. The aim was to throw the logs directly perpendicular to their fronts. Scores would consider distance and angle.
If there was ever a morning for such a game, it would be that day. The sun was shining brightly, but the air was crisp enough to give everyone a boost of energy. The scent of pine and earth certainly gave the activity an air of adventure. Lucy could not help but inhale deeply.
“It’s the tradition of my folk,” Alasdair declared proudly, laughing and slapping the Marquess on the shoulder. “It’ll hopefully wake up every soul this braw mornin’!”
“Mm,” the Marquess mused. “We do have a version of the caber toss in England, but not as strenuous as your own.”
“It will be fun!” one lord exclaimed. “We will play tug-of-war as well, and it will be a show of strength, team spirit, and strategy.”
“You seem particularly excited,” the Marquess mumbled, looking down at his attire, which had bright blue silk hems. He was probably wondering if he had dressed appropriately for the games. All the men had now removed their coats and rolled up their sleeves.
Meanwhile, the ladies had settled on wooden benches to watch, all covered with thick blankets. Because of the morning chill, some had shawls over their shoulders, while a few had parasols.
Victoria was in the midst of the audience, wearing a playful pout.
“It is completely outrageous!” she exclaimed, folding her arms over the swell of her belly. “I would have attempted a turn if I weren’t already carrying a load.”
Richard leaned down and kissed her forehead in an attempt to comfort her.
“Don’t fret, my dear. I will be competing for the three of us. You, me, and the little one. I suspect they’re already kicking. I will gladly represent the Hawksford estate.”
“And the Grisham estate, too,” she reminded him with a cheeky smile.
The men began to approach the starting line. Based on their body language, most were thrilled to have a try at the caber toss, while some were more apprehensive.
Before Daniel could join them, Lady Sophia, a young debutante, walked purposely toward him. Even from where she was sitting, Lucy could see her smiling broadly and batting her eyelashes.
Lucy watched the other young woman approach with the purposeful gait of a hunter disguised as a gazelle. Lady Sophia was everyone’s idea of a diamond, with her spun-gold curls and expensive silk dress. She was polished, perfect, while Lucy felt like a ball of discarded charcoal.
Everything about Lady Sophia was studied and cultured. She smiled, but did not show her teeth. Her neck was positioned at a practiced angle, and she batted her eyelashes in an almost natural-looking way.
Lucy thought that the other girl appeared to have something caught in her eyes; annoyance flared within her at the artifice. Still, the opinion that mattered was difficult to gauge.
What did Daniel think of such a performance? Did he regard it with indifference, or did he accept it as what was expected of women?
“Your Grace,” Lady Sophia purred, her hand hovering over his sleeve.
If it were not too scandalous, the chit would have already caressed his arm.
“Be careful. The logs look awfully heavy. Don’t you think it is better to leave such things to the rest, so you can stay with me and explain the rules and history of these games? ”
“Lady Sophia, the rules are quite simple,” Daniel replied politely.
“You merely pick up your log and make sure you don’t drop it at the wrong angle.
You toss it as far and as straight ahead of you as possible.
However, I must be off to give it a try.
After all, my brother-in-law organized these games. I would like to celebrate his culture.”
He gave the lady a small bow before turning and stepping away. Lady Sophia looked utterly disappointed, but was quick to recover as she started cheering for everyone.
Lucy could have sworn Daniel glanced at her before engaging in the game. It could be her imagination, or wishful thinking after she felt a prickly heat spread through her body at the sight of another lady openly flirting with Daniel.
Then, the games began.
Dominic Carlyle, the Duke of Oakmere, might be one of the older ones to compete, but he showed skill in the caber toss.
Alasdair demonstrated how to do it and did exceedingly well, but he said his score should not be taken into account because it was his idea to get everyone to play the Highland Games in the first place.
Several other lords struggled to tame the twelve-foot logs in front of them.
Even young lords, like the Earl of Pomphrey, who was about Lucy’s age, barely managed to lift the caber. Unfortunately for him, it fell backward. It sent him diving back into a patch of mud. Shrieks of decidedly unladylike laughter erupted from the crowd.
Tug-of-war followed.
“If ye’re still wearin’ yer coats, it’s high time to shed ‘em!” Alasdair bellowed.
Most had already shed their coats, but a few more obeyed the call.
Daniel did more than that. He unfastened his cravat, stuffing the silk into the coat he had discarded on a bench.
Lucy wondered at the way he moved with such ease and confidence. When he undid the top buttons of his linen shirt, she could not breathe. She did not expect to catch a glimpse of his throat and the top of what seemed to be a very broad, muscular chest.
Even as she tried, she could not look away. She suspected some of the other ladies were just as entranced.
When the game began, his muscles strained against the thin fabric.
He anchored for his side, digging his boots into the ground as hard as he could.
Sweat glistened on his tanned skin from the effort.
The perspiration made his shirt cling to his broad torso.
It made her see just how strong and attractive he was, not quite the restrained duke in polite events.
She chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully.
On the opposite side, her brother was pulling with undeniable effort.
He looked like he was scrambling for the last bit of his dignity.
Even though it looked like he was doing well, a stroke of bad luck put him and his team at a further disadvantage.
His foot slipped on wet grass, and he ended up slamming his knee into the muddy ground. His face was flushed red and sweaty.
On Daniel’s side, the men seemed to be seeing the beginnings of victory. They gave the rope another strong pull, causing the other team to stumble forward. They collapsed into a pitiful heap of tired bodies, with their limbs tangled and their clothes splattered with mud.
Triumph shone in Daniel’s eyes as he straightened up, a grin spreading across his face. He turned around, and as if he knew Lucy was there, he caught her eye. At that moment, she felt like she was one of the competitors—hot, sweaty, and bothered.
That afternoon, Lucy was relieved to have some quiet time reading a book. She found a particularly engrossing travel journal, entitled A Lady’s Journey through the Tropics. She prepared herself for a relaxing read, settling into a leather armchair strategically placed near a window.
She was so absorbed in the descriptions of palm trees and sandy beaches that she did not hear footsteps approaching.
“That’s a good book. However, it somehow does not capture the true essence of the people. Travelers should also appreciate the culture of the people beyond its exoticism, as some might describe it.”
Lucy almost leaped from her seat, the book nearly falling to the floor. She turned to see Daniel standing in the doorway, looking utterly composed. Different from how he looked during the Highland Games.
“I—I did not hear you come in, Your Grace,” she said, scrambling to her feet.
“Please do sit down, Lady Lucy. You don’t need to rise for me. So, are you planning to travel soon?”
Something flickered in his eyes, as if he realized his mistake. Lucy could never travel unless she was allowed by a male relative or chaperoned by an older female relative. She had no support from Joshua and did not have a chaperone who could follow her everywhere.
“Only in my mind, Your Grace,” she sighed. “I can only read about travels. I was not born to make them a reality.”
Daniel sat across from her, leaning slightly forward. “I’ve only experienced the tropics for a short period, but as you know, I traveled the Continent for years as a youth. The Greek Isles were like heaven on earth, with deep blue waters and pale skies.”
All Lucy could think about was how deep blue his eyes were, and how she could certainly drown in them.
“One time, we spent a whole week on a fishing boat. It was uncomfortable, but part of the adventure. We breathed and tasted the sea, felt the breeze on our faces. There was one time I thought I would never reach home again. A storm broke. The waves were wild. Somehow, we managed to make it back to shore.”
“Weren’t you afraid at all?” she asked, completely in awe.
She watched him intently, trying to gauge the truth in his story, and all she could see was an honest man trying to comfort her.
“Oh, of course, I was terrified,” he admitted. His voice had lowered, sounding so intimate that the hair at the back of her neck stood on end. Her toes curled in her satin slippers. “However, I would rather be afraid and completely alive than stuck where everyone said I would be safe.”
Lucy flinched at those words. She was the latter, and she knew he had suspicions. His eyes caught the emotions on her face.
He looked at her intently, trying to read her like a book. The library felt so much smaller and the air thicker. Heavier. It made it difficult for her to breathe.
His eyes dipped to her lips. Before she could discard the moment as mere imagination, he reached for her cheek, not quite touching it. His thumb grazed her jaw.
Her breath hitched, but she remained where she was. She leaned her head closer to his hand, as if struggling to feel the connection she craved. Her heart pounded in her chest.
Is he going to—?
He leaned in even closer, his eyes darkening. It almost felt like he was the only thing that existed in the library. The only important thing anyway.
The book fell onto the floor with a thud.
“Oh! I thought there was nobody here!”
Daphne stepped inside, a book clutched to her chest. It looked like she was about to swap her reading material for something else.
Daniel quickly pulled away. And just like that, the spell was broken, painfully so.
Lucy knew it might never happen again. It was a strange mood that might no longer be recreated.
Daniel then stood up and cleared his throat. His expression smoothed back into the usual polite indifference.
Her heart sank. Her assessment was correct.
“I was merely commenting on Lady Lucy’s book, Daphne,” he explained, his voice a little strained.
His sister did not seem convinced. She looked at him and then at Lucy, her eyebrows quirking up. There was a knowing look in her eyes.
“Uh, of course,” she said, a hint of teasing in her voice, before she left the room in a rush. It was almost as if she was not concerned that Lucy and her brother would be left on their own. “You are so helpful with books that hers has fallen on the rug.”
Lucy blushed at the sight of her book near her left foot. She had been so close to kissing Daniel.
Could it be her imagination? No, she had not imagined it.
Yet she also did not imagine the look of polite regret on Daniel’s face.