Chapter Eight #3
Lady Hortensia cleared her throat noisily and continued.
"Each team will receive three clues. Each clue will lead you to an object hidden somewhere within the public rooms of this floor.
The correct object will be marked by a card bearing my initials—and you must be in possession of all of the objects answering to the clues at the end of the challenge.
You may search the drawing room, the music room, the east gallery, the morning room and the small library.
You may not go upstairs, outside or into any room where a servant tells you not to go.
You may not move furniture larger than a footstool.
You may not open locked doors. You may not bribe the staff, though I daresay several of them would enjoy the attempt.
If any member of your team breaks these rules, I will apply a deduction of my choosing. "
"For each object found, your team receives one point.
When you have all three objects, you must determine the phrase they make together.
The phrase is worth one further point. The final point will go to whichever team first brings the correct phrase, written clearly and signed by its captain, to Mr Pritchard in the library first."
"How long do we have?" asked Elizabeth.
"One hour and a half," said Lady Hortensia. "The gong will sound once when the contest begins, once when there are fifteen minutes remaining and once when time is concluded. At that final gong, Mr Pritchard will accept no further answers."
Mr Darcy, who had now recovered himself enough to look at his paper rather than Elizabeth's hand, said, "And if both teams present their answers at the same time?"
Lady Hortensia turned to him. "Then, Mr Darcy, I shall be the judge of how points are awarded—or not, as the case may be."
Mr Pritchard placed two pencils upon the table, one before Elizabeth and one before Darcy. "Your answers must be written on the lower half of the instruction sheet. The three objects should be named plainly. The phrase must be written beneath them. Captain's signature at the bottom."
"You will now return to your teams. You have ten minutes to read the clues and organise your search. You may choose to divide them among you and work in smaller groups or to stick together. That is up to you. Now go on and get started, this old woman is anxious for the games to begin!"
???
Darcy followed Miss Elizabeth from the library with the instruction sheet in his hand and the memory of her fingers still warm against his own.
It had been nothing, the briefest brush of skin, accidental and over in an instant, but he could not forget it.
She walked a little ahead of him, her pace brisk and her head held high, as if she had already dismissed him entirely.
"Miss Elizabeth," he said.
She slowed and turned, her expression carefully cool. They stood in the narrow passage between the library and the breakfast room, with the murmur of the others ahead and the closed door behind them. It felt too private for comfort.
"I wished to speak of yesterday," he said. "Of the watch you returned. It was my father’s and most important to me. You performed a kindness, and I repaid it with behaviour not befitting a gentleman. I was angry about something else entirely and took it out on you. I am sorry."
For a moment she only looked at him. Darcy made himself remain still beneath the scrutiny, though it felt as if she stared straight through the mask that allowed him to navigate society. At last she said, "I did not think you were the type of man to apologise. It was very prettily done."
"And do you accept my apology?" he said, feeling quite desperate now.
"That remains to be seen. It would not do to be on such close terms with the enemy."
"The enemy?"
"You are captain of the gentlemen, are you not?"
"I had not understood that we were at war."
She cocked her head at him with a grin. "I have no intention of making this an easy contest, sir. So perhaps we say you are provisionally forgiven, but I reserve the right to change my mind, depending on your conduct in the challenge."
Despite himself, Darcy smiled. A burst of voices rose from the breakfast room, reminding them both that they were not alone. Miss Elizabeth glanced towards the sound and tightened her hold upon the instruction sheet. "We should return before Lady Hortensia decides to deduct points for lingering."
For a moment neither moved. Darcy knew he ought to step aside, bow and return to the gentlemen with what little remained of his composure. Instead he found himself looking at her hand, still curled around the paper, and remembering the warmth of her fingers against his.
Miss Elizabeth seemed to remember it too, for she looked down at the same instant. Colour rose in her cheeks. "Good luck, Mr Darcy," she said, her voice a little too bright.
"Good luck, Miss Bennet."
She lifted her eyes. "Within limits, naturally."
"Naturally."
This time she smiled properly, though only for a moment, before turning towards the breakfast room. Darcy watched her go. Who was this woman who had undone him completely in less than a four-and-twenty hours? If he had not yet lost his heart he realised with a jolt, it was at very great risk.