Chapter 19 #3
“I will certainly win!” Rafe Weatherby said, grinning at Evo and Freddie.
“You will not play, I am afraid,” his grandmother told him kindly. When his face fell, she added, “It will not be fair to the others. However, you may keep score.”
The notion appealed to him, and Anne Weatherby began handing out the identical papers to the groups that had begun to form.
Although Camilla would have liked to spend time with Sophia, she remembered her decision to befriend Lady Mary.
She turned to join her, only to realize that Pembroke had remained at his sister’s side.
It would appear as though she were going in search of him.
His wolfish smile told her it was exactly what he thought.
She turned pointedly to his sister. “Lady Mary, I would be delighted to walk with you and your sons if you would like it. We can lend our assistance to help them find everything on the list.” A servant arrived and handed her the paper.
Lady Mary’s smile showed how pleased she was by the idea. “Mr. Moffat, you must join us as well in case we need help with the boys. Pembroke, you too.”
Camilla knew from his expression that he was debating whether he should refuse his sister’s peremptory summons. She was sure he would, but he brought his eyes to her and held out his hand.
“Very well. But you had better follow my lead. Here, let me have the list.”
She opened her mouth in indignation she was far from feeling—except for the way he thought he could order her about. In fact, she was trying to come to terms with the idea that he had chosen to go with her at all.
“We will bring the boys to put on their coats first,” Lady Mary said.
“We don’t need our coats, Mama,” one of the twins said, as she led him away.
“Camilla?” It was Tilly who had called to her, and Pembroke used the advantage to whip the paper out of her hand, giving her a paper cut at the same time.
“Ouch!” she exclaimed indignantly and lifted her finger to look at the small cut, which throbbed. He looked stricken.
“I am terribly sorry. I had only meant to tease, and it was most ill-judged of me.” He reached for her hand a second time that day, and she allowed him to examine the consequence of his treachery.
“Did you get another cut?” Tilly asked.
“Were you not just saying that you would not have had me injured for all the world?” Camilla exclaimed in feigned outrage.
“Yes, Tilly. Lord Pembroke seems to enjoy causing me pain.” Her heart leaned into the words, for although they were said in jest, he did regularly cause her pain.
It was just more generally of an emotional nature.
“It was unintentionally done, I assure you.” Pembroke tapped the cut with his thumb, and if nothing else, it distracted her from the dull throbbing. With his other hand, he carefully extended the list to her. “Here. I will return this.”
“It is nothing,” she said, thinking that she should pull her hand out of his but finding it difficult. Tilly stepped closer, sending her gaze from Camilla to Pembroke.
“I came to see if you wished to come with us, Camilla. Or are you going with Pembroke?”
“She is coming with me,” he said over his shoulder, still looking at the tiny cut that should not have needed any notice at all.
“I am going with Lady Mary and her husband. And we are bringing Tom and Henry,” she clarified, looking around him to her sister, and at last pulling her hand from his. “If Lord Pembroke has no other group that wishes for his company, he may tag along with ours.”
“We will take you in, Pembroke,” Tilly said.
“You are very kind,” he responded warmly, then furrowed his brows. “But I think I must protect my nephews from your sister’s presence. She is prone to injury, you see, and they might inadvertently be caught in the crosshairs.”
Tilly giggled. “I will tell Sophia and Felix that you are our rivals in that case. I am afraid we will beat you, though, for we are quite determined. And we have Joanna, who will run or scale fences if she has to.”
“We shall see,” Camilla called out, glancing down at the list of items they were to find and casting her mind to recall if she had seen any of them on her way in.
Beechcraft House Scavenger Hunt
1. Naturally formed stone wall
2. The creek where the rapids form
3. Sheep’s pen
4. Old windmill
5. Tallest cedar
6. Root cellar
7. Abandoned tenant’s cottage
8. Apple orchard
9. Gardener’s shed
10. Rose trellis
“I am sorry, Camilla,” Pembroke said again quietly, his tone sincere. “I do not intend to hurt you, I swear it.”
“Hmph.” She attempted to keep her defenses in place, but the focused care he took of her weakened her shield. He showed this much care at Hergest, she reminded herself severely, and then spoke that very same night to Miles about marrying Miss Eubank. Do not believe him.
When she continued to ignore him, he leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. “We do have one advantage.” Why was he doing this to her? She gave up.
“What is it?” she asked without looking up from the paper.
“I once spent a week here with Weatherby, and I know where seven out of the ten things on that list are.”
Now she looked at him, tempted by the advantage he spoke of, but aware it would be cheating to use the knowledge. She screwed up her lips in thought. Unless…
“Very well. But I have one condition.”
“You have a condition?” he asked her with lifted eyebrows. “I could take my proposition to another group, who would be elated by the knowledge I bring.”
“Yes, if they are of the dishonorable sort. And I absolutely forbid you to propose it to Evo because he is. My condition is that we go with your nephews and make the game amusing for them. We help them to find the treasures themselves, and you can only guide them. You cannot tell them outright.”
“But that will slow us down exceedingly,” he protested.
“And even out what you bring from having the special knowledge. I believe, Lord Pembroke, that this is referred to on the racetrack as ‘the handicap?’”
At this, he rolled his eyes but smiled down at her. When his sister returned with Tom and Henry in their coats, he gestured forward. “They are about to call the start to the race. Let us go.”