Chapter Eleven
Later that evening
It was still two hours before dinner, and Rose didn’t wish to linger inside the manor. She’d spent the bulk of the day in bed, for being with Laurence yesterday, sharing what they did, had taken much out of her, and she’d needed rest.
And to reflect.
Now, she craved company, and if she was honest with herself, she wanted to seek out the captain because she was truly interested in spending time with him. Also, she wished to talk with him about the things that happened yesterday.
What is happening to me?
After her son was born, she’d been alone for two years with her family only visiting perhaps three times in that time period. Had keeping to herself damaged her need for companionship of any kind? Surely, at six and twenty, she hadn’t made herself into a hermit.
With a sigh, she drew a hand down the front of her day dress of a navy color.
Made from a blend of silk and wool, it helped to keep her warm with the long sleeves, but it wasn’t so stifling that she would overheat while doing activities.
Still, she brought along a knitted shawl made with soft wool in a gray hue.
Perhaps her wardrobe wasn’t that exciting, and it certainly wouldn’t catch someone’s attention, but then she’d lived for years trying to make herself shrink into the background, for gaining notice was dangerous.
Hadn’t her parents’ actions after her scandal showed her that?
As soon as she descended the grand staircase, Rose encountered the footman, John, who had a smear of dirt on one of the legs of his breeches.
“Have you encountered difficulties, John?” She flicked her gaze to the stain.
“Oh, no.” Quickly, he scrubbed at the dirt, to no avail. “I just played a round of bowls with Captain Danbury. While it was quite fun, I fear my skill at the game is lacking… or else he was the most fortunate of men.”
“Well, he did survive the war for nearly nine years.” She couldn’t help but frown. “How did you come to play a lawn game with him?”
“I’d made a trek to the dairy. Cook needed cream for a dish she’d making for dinner. When I passed by a stretch of land, I saw the captain setting up the game. He told me that Mr. Madison had mentioned it to him in passing that it was something guests used to get up to on the estate in years past.”
“Yes, and it was one of my favorites…” Her voice broke. “When we were all here together.”
John nodded with enthusiasm. “Yes, that is what the captain said Mr. Madison told him.” He shrugged.
“In any event, the captain was curious, and probably bored, so he hunted down the box with the equipment then set up the game. All afternoon he’s been inviting various servants to play with him during their free time. ”
“That is… interesting.” Did the captain know that when he decided to set up the game, or was it just a happy accident?
John nodded. “I have to report back to Mr. Madison and resume my duties, miss, else he’ll grumble.”
“Right.” Rose nodded. “Where is the captain now?”
“On the back lawn between the outbuildings and the hedge maze.”
“Thank you.” As she went outside the manor, she settled the shawl about her shoulders. The rhythmic beat of her heart kept time to her footfalls, and before long, she caught sight of Laurence as he gathered the colorful balls.
“John said I’d find you out here,” she said by way of greeting.
“Ah, yes. He took a rather nasty spill when he tripped over a large rock on the course.” The captain glanced at her with a grin. “I hope Mr. Madison doesn’t dress him down. It wasn’t the young man’s fault, and he is quite good at the game.”
“So he said.” Today, he’d not worn a top hat, but his walking stick lay off to one side, and he was just as attractive as he’d been when she’d seen him in the stable. “You are looking more hale and hearty today than you have before. How are you feeling?”
“Better.” There was no dimming of his grin. “I still tire easily, but not as much, so that’s encouraging.”
“No doubt the more you are out and about or accustomed to working again, you’ll grow stronger.” What was wrong with her that she couldn’t keep her gaze from his form? “What are you doing out here with the bowls game?”
The captain shrugged. “I’d mentioned in passing about wanting to indulge in something fun for leisure and for exercise, so when Mr. Madison offered the game, I was keen to experience it. Oddly, it’s not something my family got up to.”
“That’s a bit sad.” Though her family had certainly changed over the years, at least she had the memories of everyone playing summer games on the lawn. “We used to always indulge in the summers. There was much laughter during my childhood.” Then maudlin feelings came over her. “I miss that.”
“Agreed. And you should laugh more. It’s good for the soul.”
She flicked her gaze over the wooden balls. “Are you still wanting to play?”
“I would, especially if you’ll join me. I’ve only won half the games I’ve tried.” This time, his grin turned cheeky. “I’m quite competitive.”
“If your skill in bowls is equal to your skill in archery, I have nothing to worry about,” she couldn’t help teasing him. “I will win every game; I used to play when I was younger.”
“I don’t doubt it.” As he spoke, he continued to gather the balls into one area. “Since you are more familiar with the game, perhaps you can give me a bit of history about it… and how to legally play.”
A chuckle left her throat before she could recall it. “Of course. I suppose if someone isn’t familiar with the game, it might prove interesting.”
“Anything would be heard in your voice.” Though the look on his face was neutral, the tone of his voice had the power to weaken her knees.
Heat went through her cheeks. “Cheeky.” Yet she rather liked his teasing and charm.
“Let me see what I can dredge up from the depths of my memory.” As a chilly breeze blew across her body, Rose pulled the shawl tighter about her shoulders.
“Lawn bowling—or bowls—goes back to the Egyptians seven thousand years ago, and some believe it might have been played in Turkey before that.”
“Must be a favorite game of many, then.” The captain nudged one of the balls with the toe of his boot.
“It helps to pass the time.” She gave him a smile. “Some say Roman Legions spread their version of the game to all the European lands, where each country adopted its own variations, influenced by climate and terrain.”
“That makes sense. It’s much like favorite foods that vary slightly wherever they are made in the world. I saw much of that in the military.”
“You’re clever, Captain.” And far too eager, at least when it came to this game.
“Better than being dull.” He winked. “Just so I’m clear, the objective is to roll a ball so that it stops as close as possible to the smaller, target ball?”
“Yes.” Rose shook her head. “It’s the white painted one there.” She pointed. “It’s called a jack. Did you know this game became so well established in England that a group of players organized the oldest established bowling club in the world around 1300 A.D.?”
“That is truly fantastic!”
“I agree, and it has a tendency to be quite heated. In fact, the sport was so popular that royalty in both France and England passed laws restricting it for the common people during several centuries, because it had supplanted archery as a pastime and archery skills were essential for the national defense.”
“Now that is interesting.” The captain bent at the waist, retrieved two balls then handed her one with a green stripe running down the middle while he kept one with a red stripe.
“Agreed. Kings Edward III through Henry IV were so concerned that they put restrictions on not only who, but when and for how long certain segments of the population could play. Henry VIII outlawed it entirely for the lower classes in 1541, excepting on Christmas Day, and in 1555 Queen Mary passed her own prohibition on it for the lower classes, on the grounds that it supported unlawful assemblies, conventiclers, seditions, and conspiracies.”
The captain appeared puzzled. “How is that possible? It is merely a game.”
“Who can say?” Rose shrugged as she turned the ball over in her hands.
“Meanwhile, fashionable landowners and the aristocracy were allowed to play on private bowling greens, if they paid one hundred pounds to the Crown. The cost of maintaining and grooming the greens was prohibitive enough to limit them to the wealthiest circles, such as royalty, or those most devoted to the sport.”
“That hardly seems fair, but then, it’s not exactly a surprise given the growing divide between the rich and the poor.”
“You are quite civic minded.”
His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Does that bother you?”
“No. It’s actually quite an attractive quality.
” Wandering a few feet away from him, she continued her history lesson regarding the game.
“Incidentally, lawn bowling was never restricted in Scotland, where rich and poor alike embraced it.” She shrugged.
“I’m glad of that, not only because it’s fun to play, but it brings people together.
” With a grin, she tossed her ball in an underhanded toss, but it fell short of the jack.
“Though we use round balls, there are some versions that have adopted a weighted or biased ball, which rolls with a curve due to a bit of flatness that interrupts the sphere shape. Some say the Duke of Suffolk in 1522 invented that version when his wooden ball split and he replaced it with a stair-banister knob that was flat on one side and could not roll straight, thus increasing the challenge and skill required to play.”
“How intriguing. I might wish to try that at some point.”
Rose snorted. “You’ll need to master this version first.”
“I’ll show you who’s the master here,” he said as he came abreast of her then tossed his own ball, which smacked into hers.
A shiver moved down her spine. “Impress me, Captain.” Did she mean in the game or with life in general? Seconds later, she retrieved her ball and shot again.
He waggled his eyebrows. “Haven’t I done that already?”