Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
The following day was another temperate one. At breakfast, Nathaniel noticed that Clara was subdued. When he looked at her, she looked away just as quickly, and this left him disturbed. He hadn’t intended to be so harsh with her the previous day, but of course, Charlotte had pressed and pressed.
In order to make it up to Clara, Nathaniel suggested that they play a game in the garden that afternoon.
“A game—that’s not in your character, brother,” Alfred said.
“It is never a bad thing to do something for other people. I thought that Clara might enjoy running around outside. It will certainly lead to less damage in the house,” he said, intending this to be a joke, but Clara looked hurt.
Charlotte, who was sitting beside Clara, put her hand around Clara’s shoulders and whispered something in her ear.
“I think it sounds like a wonderful idea,” Edmund said, clapping his hand on the table. “What do you say, Grandmother?”
Agatha laughed and shook her head.
“I’m afraid garden games are a thing of the past for me. Not to worry, Beatrice and I shall watch from the side. These games aren’t for women like us,” Agatha replied.
Beatrice looked utterly shocked at the thought of being grouped with Agatha, but Agatha was already looping her arm around Beatrice’s and mentioning all the things they could speak about while the others were playing. Beatrice sank into her chair, as though she wished to be swallowed whole.
Before Beatrice could cause a scene, Nathaniel checked with everyone else and received enthusiastic nods. Even Clara was smiling, although the smile faded when she noticed that he was looking at her.
That afternoon, they gathered in the garden.
Nathaniel had placed two buckets at either end of a patch of grass, and the goal of the game was to throw the ball into the bucket, scoring a point.
The ball was made of leather and fit into one of Nathaniel’s hands.
It was small and light, so there was no danger of injury. Even Clara could hold it in one hand.
When the others arrived, he described the rules and said they would divide into teams.
“Mary and I will go together,” Alfred said immediately, flashing a smile at Mary, who blushed in response.
“Clara, would you like to be on my team?” Nathaniel asked, but the silence was deafening.
“I want to be with Charlotte,” Clara said after a long moment, and ran to Charlotte’s side.
Nathaniel gripped the ball tightly, trying not to let the tension show on his face. What was it about Charlotte that made innocent creatures gravitate toward her? Hector, Brutus, and now Clara. They all preferred her to him, and he couldn’t quite understand why.
“Then we shall make a foursome,” Charlotte said, moving toward Alfred and Mary. Of course, she would never deign to be on his team, Nathaniel thought.
“Champion! That leaves us as a trio. We’ll show them what for,” Edmund clasped his hands together. “Come on, Lydia, we can prove to Charlotte that we are the superior siblings.”
Lydia glanced at Charlotte. There was a mischievous smile on her face, but she did not make brash statements like her brother. They both joined Nathaniel.
“It seems the teams are unbalanced. Mother, are you certain that you won’t play?” Nathaniel called out.
Beatrice opened her mouth about to speak, but Agatha was a moment quicker.
“No, that’s quite all right, Your Grace. We Dowager Duchesses know our place. We can keep each other company,” Agatha assured with a wave. Beatrice’s face sank, looking utterly despairing.
“I don’t think their advantage is going to prove telling,” Edmund said with a wink.
“Don’t listen to him, Clara. I bet you’re going to score the most of everyone,” Charlotte said.
Nathaniel pointed to either side of the field, directing Edmund and Lydia to take positions there. Alfred moved toward Edmund, trying to cut off the pass to him, while Mary moved toward Lydia. Charlotte hovered in the middle, whereas Clara ran around without much strategy at all.
Edmund was calling for the ball, but Alfred was closing on him quickly, so Nathaniel decided to throw it to Lydia instead. The ball looped through the air. Lydia stood still and cupped her hands, waiting for the ball to come to her.
“Watch out!” Edmund cried as Mary was closing fast.
Nathaniel watched as the two women stood there, and when the ball came hurtling down, they both squealed, looking away.
“Good catch, sister!” Edmund said.
“Bad luck, Mary,” Alfred cried out.
Lydia opened her eyes and seemed shocked that she had caught the ball at all, but it brought a confident gleam to her eyes.
“What shall I do?” she cried out.
“To me!” Nathaniel said. He was already breaking into a run, opening his hands.
Lydia laughed as she tossed the ball to him.
Nathaniel gathered it in his arms and darted to the side, avoiding Charlotte.
He then saw Edmund peeling away from Alfred.
Nathaniel threw the ball flat, smiling when Edmund plucked it out of the air.
In one smooth motion, Edmund passed the bucket and threw the ball in. It made a loud clacking sound as it rolled into the metal bucket. Alfred put his hands on his hips, while Mary congratulated them all.
“Better luck next time,” Nathaniel said as he passed Charlotte, who scowled.
They took their positions again as Alfred retrieved the ball.
“Go long!” he cried. Nathaniel watched Charlotte carefully and closed the distance.
The ball came sailing toward her. Nathaniel raised his hands, stretching past her arms, and he knew that his reach would prove superior.
However, at the last moment, a cloud drifted away, and the sun burned his eyes.
Blinded, he turned away, shielding his gaze.
He cried out in anguish as Charlotte collected the ball.
She yelped with delight. Nathaniel shook off the stunned sensation and watched helplessly as Lydia forgot to run.
Mary broke away from her and collected an easy throw from Charlotte.
She ran up to the bucket and put the ball in it.
Clara raised her hands, and Mary gathered the girl in her arms, celebrating together.
“It seems the sun is on our side,” Charlotte replied wryly. Nathaniel scowled.
“You must remember to run, Lydia,” Edmund cupped his hands over his mouth.
“Yes, sorry!” Lydia said.
Edmund trudged to the bucket and retrieved the ball.
“Let’s move quickly. Lydia, run!” he cried, and lobbed the ball to Nathaniel. Nathaniel caught it as he turned and threw it into the space into which Lydia was running. Charlotte threw herself through the air in a desperate attempt to intercept the ball, but the throw was too strong.
Lydia collected the ball and seemed to panic. Instead of running toward the bucket for an easy shot, she threw the ball from where she was standing. The ball bounced harmlessly past the bucket, allowing Alfred to collect it.
Charlotte was pushing herself up. Nathaniel approached her and held out his hand.
“It seems you are making a habit of falling in front of me,” he said. “The sun may be with you, but the ground is with me.”
She took his hand and squeezed it more tightly than she had before. He assumed this was intentional. Only then did Nathaniel realize that Alfred was throwing the ball right past him. He went to catch it, but Charlotte was still holding his hand.
Mary collected the ball and scored again.
“That’s another one! Well done, Mary!” Alfred said. Edmund and Lydia clapped.
“That’s not fair,” Nathaniel complained as Charlotte finally released his hand.
“You never mentioned that in the rules,” she replied.
He put his hands on his hips and looked over to the side. Agatha was chatting away happily, while Beatrice was leaning forward, moping.
“Come on, team, let’s not lose heart. We’re only one down,” Edmund said.
“I’m ever so sorry. I feel like that was my fault,” Lydia apologized.
“These things happen,” Nathaniel replied, swallowing his ire because it wasn’t meant for anyone apart from Charlotte.
The game continued. Points were scored on both sides, and plenty of mistakes were made as well.
In the middle of the field, Nathaniel and Charlotte gravitated toward each other.
There was a private game being played between them.
They celebrated every interception as though it were a point.
Whenever they ghosted past each other, it felt as bitter as defeat.
Clara was struggling to get involved in the game. She was having lots of fun running around, but the ball was a bit too big for her hands, and the throws were often too hard. She either missed the catches or dropped the ball when it was thrown to her.
Nathaniel overheard Alfred tell Charlotte that they were going to get Clara more involved in the game. Even though Mary was open, Charlotte passed to Clara. It was a soft throw. Nathaniel could have caught it easily.
His competitive nature fought with his compassion. On the one hand, he believed that children should obey the same rules as everyone else, and they should not be given any leniency, as it would only lead to a lack of discipline.
On the other hand… this was a friendly garden game.
Would it really hurt to let this one go?
As this thought streaked through his mind, he held his hand, allowing the ball to pass him. Clara caught it, spun, and ran toward the bucket. Edmund made a show of chasing after her, tripping at the last moment and falling into the dirt. Clara put the ball in the bucket and then jumped on the spot.
She went back to Edmund and helped him up, but Edmund pulled her down and started tickling her. The game paused for a moment while Clara recovered from her giggling fit.
“There’s another point, Your Grace,” Charlotte said.
Nathaniel simply gritted his teeth. That one was charity for Clara. The victory would still be theirs.
Now that Clara had scored, she seemed to lose interest in the game. She ran off to the side and joined Agatha and Beatrice. Beatrice seemed delighted with the change in company.
“I think we should start winding the game up now,” Alfred said.
“You would say that when you’re winning. You have to give us a chance!” Edmund exclaimed.
But Mary and Lydia were both looking puffed out. Their cheeks were crimson, and their foreheads glistened with sweat. They both dabbed their heads with cloths.
“I’m not sure we have much energy left,” Mary said.
“If you want to retire, you may,” Nathaniel said, looking directly at Charlotte as he said this, almost goading her to leave the field. She gave him a defiant look and remained where she was standing. Lydia and Mary did take advantage of the invitation, though.
“It’s two versus two now. Sister, you might be able to beat me at cards, but this is a far different game,” Edmund said.
Nathaniel fetched the ball from the bucket and threw it to Edmund, but demanded it back almost immediately. Alfred was closing in on Edmund, which made the throw erratic. The ball looped in the air but fell short of Nathaniel, who had to lunge forward to try to catch it.
Charlotte attempted to intercept it as well, but she hadn’t anticipated the throw well at all.
While Nathaniel lunged, she thrust her leg out in an effort to kick the ball away.
However, when the two of them went for the ball at the same time, their shoulders bumped together, and they fell in a heap.
One of them connected with the ball, but nobody was quite sure which of them was responsible. It went spinning off, bounced on a divot, and disappeared into a shrub.
Edmund and Alfred groaned.
“Oh well, I suppose that’s the end of the game,” Beatrice said with more than a hint of relief. She was already rising from the chair, putting distance between herself and Agatha. She ushered Edmund and Alfred off the field.
“That was your fault,” Nathaniel and Charlotte said in unison, and then they glared at each other even more intensely.
They disentangled themselves from each other and returned to their feet, brushing off the grass and dirt.
“Kicking wasn’t part of the rules,” Nathaniel said.
“You never said that.”
“It was implied.”
“I didn’t realize we were dealing with implied rules now.”
“Well, you should have just let me take the catch.”
“I didn’t realize you wanted to win through pity.”
“I don’t.”
“Good, because you didn’t win at all.”
“It was a draw.” Nathaniel flexed his wrist and arm, making sure that nothing was broken. Charlotte put her hands on her hips and stared at him.
“No, it wasn’t. We won.”
“You must have miscounted.”
“You are impossible. Let’s ask the others.” Charlotte turned, ready to call out to them, but they had all left. Charlotte’s lips clamped shut, and she looked annoyed.
Nathaniel shrugged.
“In the event of a tie, the host’s judgment is the deciding factor.”
“Is that another of your implied rules?”
“That’s a general rule governing all of society.”
“Well, I know we won, and nothing you can say disproves that.”
“You might think that, but the record books will show otherwise.”
“What record books?” Charlotte asked, and this left Nathaniel lost for words. He cleared his throat and turned to the thick shrubs into which the ball was lost. A cursory glance was not enough to locate it.
“Perhaps you should join the others. I assume they are enjoying some tea. I will search for the ball that you lost.”
“I didn’t lose it. You were the last one to touch it.”
“I don’t believe that’s the case. Either way, I shall have to fetch it.”
“Do you think me incapable of walking through shrubs?”
“I think you have fallen enough, and I would hate for you to suffer an injury on my property.”
“I’m quite capable of looking for a ball. I’m sure I will find it before you as well.”
“Does everything with you have to be a competition?” he asked as she moved away.
“Not everything,” she said. But even so, they increased their pace, each trying to outdo the other. Nathaniel didn’t go so far as to pull her back, but he did use the extra length and power in his legs to overtake her, eager to claim whatever victory over her he could.